Protective Effects of Erythropoietin on Endotoxin-related Organ Injury in Rats

Summary： The protective effect of erythropoietin （EPO） on tissues following ischemia and reperfusion injuries remains poorly understood. We aimed to investigate the effect of EPO in preventing en- dotoxin-induced organ damage. Rat model of multiple organ failure （MOF） was established by tail vein injection of 10 mg/kg lipopolysaccharide （LPS）. Recombinant human EPO treatment （5000 U/kg） was administered by tail vein injection at 30 min after LPS challenge. Twenty-four h after EPO treatment, changes in serum enzyme levels, including aspartate aminotransferase （AST）, alanine transaminase （ALT）, blood urea nitrogen （BUN） and creatinine （Cr）, were evaluated by biochemical analysis. Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-tx （TNF-ct） were determined by using immunoradiometric assay. Histological examination of tissue sections was carried out by hematoxylin and eosin staining, while ul- trastructure evaluation of organ tissues was assessed by transmission electron microscopy. Protein ex- pression levels were detected by using Western blotting. EPO treatment showed a modest effect in pre- venting LPS-induced elevation of AST, ALT, BUN, Cr, and TNF-ct levels, and in protecting against LPS-induced tissue degeneration and injured ultrastructure in the lung, liver, and kidney. Moreover, LPS promoted phosphorylation of alanine aminotransferase （AKT） and increased nuclear factor-r,B （NF-rB） activation in the lung, liver, and kidney （P〈0.05 vs. control）. However, EPO treatment significantly de- creased the LPS-induced pAKT up-regulation in these tissues （P〈0.05 vs. LPS treatment alone）. The present study demonstrates that EPO may play a protective role against LPS-induced MOF by reducing the inflammatory response and tissue degeneration, possibly via the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT and NF-r,B signaling pathways.

Intratracheal administration of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells attenuates hyperoxia-induced multi-organ injury via heme oxygenase-1 and JAK/STAT pathways

BACKGROUND Bronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD)is not merely a chronic lung disease,but a systemic condition with multiple organs implications predominantly associated with hyperoxia exposure.Despite advances in current management strategies,limited progress has been made in reducing the BPD-related systemic damage.Meanwhile,although the protective effects of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells(hUC-MSCs)or their exosomes on hyperoxia-induced lung injury have been explored by many researchers,the underlying mechanism has not been addressed in detail,and few studies have focused on the therapeutic effect on systemic multiple organ injury.AIM To investigate whether hUC-MSC intratracheal administration could attenuate hyperoxia-induced lung,heart,and kidney injuries and the underlying regulatory mechanisms.METHODS Neonatal rats were exposed to hyperoxia(80%O_(2)),treated with hUC-MSCs intratracheal(iT)or intraperitoneal(iP)on postnatal day 7,and harvested on postnatal day 21.The tissue sections of the lung,heart,and kidney were analyzed morphometrically.Protein contents of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF),myeloper oxidase(MPO)expression,and malondialdehyde(MDA)levels were examined.Pulmonary inflammatory cytokines were measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.A comparative transcriptomic analysis of differentially expressed genes(DEGs)in lung tissue was conducted via RNA-sequencing.Subsequently,we performed reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis to explore the expression of target mRNA and proteins related to inflammatory and oxidative responses.RESULTS iT hUC-MSCs administration improved pulmonary alveolarization and angiogenesis(P<0.01,P<0.01,P<0.001,and P<0.05 for mean linear intercept,septal counts,vascular medial thickness index,and microvessel density respectively).Meanwhile,treatment with hUC-MSCs iT ameliorated right ventricular hypertrophy(for Fulton’s index,P<0.01),and relieved reduced nephrogenic zone width(P<0.01)and glomerular diameter(P<0.001)in kidneys.Among the beneficial effects,a reduction of BALF protein,MPO,and MDA was observed in hUC-MSCs groups(P<0.01,P<0.001,and P<0.05 respectively).Increased pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-alpha,interleukin(IL)-1β,and IL-6 expression observed in the hyperoxia group were significantly attenuated by hUC-MSCs administration(P<0.01,P<0.001,and P<0.05 respectively).In addition,we observed an increase in anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 expression in rats that received hUC-MSCs iT compared with rats reared in hyperoxia(P<0.05).Transcriptomic analysis showed that the DEGs in lung tissues induced by hyperoxia were enriched in pathways related to inflammatory responses,epithelial cell proliferation,and vasculature development.hUC-MSCs administration blunted these hyperoxia-induced dysregulated genes and resulted in a shift in the gene expression pattern toward the normoxia group.hUC-MSCs increased heme oxygenase-1(HO-1),JAK2,and STAT3 expression,and their phosphorylation in the lung,heart,and kidney(P<0.05).Remarkably,no significant difference was observed between the iT and iP administration.CONCLUSION iT hUC-MSCs administration ameliorates hyperoxia-induced lung,heart,and kidney injuries by activating HO-1 expression and JAK/STAT signaling.The therapeutic benefits of local iT and iP administration are equivalent.

Effects of Qingwen Baidu decoction on coagulation and multiple organ injury in rat models of sepsis

Background:Sepsis-induced coagulopathy and multiple organ dysfunction syndromes are the leading causes of death in patients with sepsis.Qingwen Baidu decoction(QWBD)can effectively improve the clinical manifestations of sepsis and ease inflammation,but its effects on coagulation functions and multiple organ injuries remain unclear.Methods:100 healthy,male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the sham group,the cecal ligation and puncture(CLP)group,the low-dose QWBD group,and the high-dose QWBD group,with 25 rats in each group.The sepsis model was established using CLP.Blood was collected to measure platelet count,serum creatinine(Cr),blood urea nitrogen(BUN),alanine aminotransferase(ALT),and aspartate aminotransferase(AST)levels,as well as coagulation function.The total protein in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF)was determined in each group of rats.The lung,liver,and kidney tissues were harvested,and statistics were calculated on the wet-to-dry(W/D)weight ratio.Changes in histopathology and thrombin level were evaluated in each group.The remaining ten rats in each group were observed daily to record the number of surviving rats.Such observation was made consecutively for 7 days to calculate survival rates.Results:After model establishment,ALT,AST,Cr,and BUN levels were significantly elevated(P<0.01).The BALF protein content and lung W/D weight ratio were significantly increased(P<0.01).Furthermore,the survival rate of rats was significantly reduced in the CLP group compared with the sham group.After the treatment,rats in the high-dose QWBD group had lower ALT(P<0.05),AST(P<0.01),Cr(P<0.05),BUN(P<0.01)levels,lower BALF protein content(P<0.05)and lower lung W/D weight ratio(P<0.01)than the CLP group.However,rats in the high-dose QWBD group had significantly better pathological changes in the lung,liver,and kidney compared to the sham group.After the treatment,the platelet level in the peripheral blood was elevated(P<0.05)and both activated partial thromboplastin time and prothrombin time were significantly shortened(P<0.01).The fibrinogen level was significantly increased(P<0.01).Finally,thrombin positive expression areas in the lung,liver,and kidney were significantly decreased in the high-dose QWBD group.Conclusion:QWBD can improve coagulation disorders caused by sepsis and has a protective effect on multiple organ injuries in rats.

Immune dysfunction leads to mortality and organ injury in patients with COVID-19 in China:insights from ERS-COVID-19 study

Dear Editor,A series of novel coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)since the end of 2019 is ongoing and triggering a global public health crisis.The estimated case fatality rate is approximately 3.4%in China.However,some patients experience dyspnea within 1 week and develop rapidly to organ injury and even death within 2 weeks after dyspnea.1 In addition,early organ injury could lead to higher risks of mortality.Thus,early identification of patients at risk of organ injury and death is crucial,which saves the patients from classified and invasive treatment,improving clinical outcome and prognosis.The human immune system plays significant roles in the resistance of foreign pathogens and the progress of pneumonia.Recent studies have mentioned that T cells were decreased in COVID-19 patients,excessive activated immune response was caused by pathogenic Th1 cells,and inflammatory CD14+CD16+monocytes may connect to pulmonary immunopathology,leading to deleterious clinical manifestations and even acute mortality after SARS-CoV-2 infections.2 SARS-CoV-2 might damage lymphocytes,especially T lymphocytes,and the immune system was impaired during the period of disease to cause tissue injury.

Correlation of rib fracture patterns with abdominal solid organ injury: A retrospective observational cohort study

Purpose::Rib fractures are one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality and are associated with abdominal solid organ injury(ASOI).The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation of ASOI with the number,location,and involved segments of rib fracture(s)in blunt chest trauma.Methods::This retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients with blunt chest trauma over the age of 15 years,who were hospitalized with the diagnosis of rib fractures from July 2015 to September 2020.After ethic committee approval,a retrospective chart review was designed and patients with a diagnosis of rib fractures were selected.Patients who had chest and abdominopelvic CT scan were included in the study and additional data including age,gender,injury severity score,trauma mechanism,number and sides of the fractured ribs(left/right/bilateral),rib fracture segments(upper,middle,lower zone)and results of chest and abdominal spiral CT scan were recorded.The correlation between ASOI and the sides,segments and number of rib fracture(s)was assessed by Pearson's correlation coefficient.Results::Altogether 1056 patients with rib fracture(s)were included.The mean age was(42.76±13.35)years and 85.4%were male.The most common mechanism of trauma was car accident(34.6%).Most fractures occurred in the middle rib zone(60.44%)and the most commonly involved ribs were the 6th and 7th ones(15.7%and 16.4%,respectively).Concurrent abdominal injuries were observed in 103 patients(34.91%)and were significantly associated with middle zone rib fractures.Conclusion::There is a significant relationship between middle zone rib fractures and ASOI.Intra-abdominal injuries are not restricted to fractures of the lower ribs and thus should always be kept in mind during management of blunt trauma patients with rib fractures.

The toxicological effect of dietary excess of saccharicterpenin,the extract of camellia seed meal,in piglets

Recently, saccharicterpenin extracted from Camellia oleifera seed meal has become a widely used feed supplement in animal husbandry. In order to assess its safety, this study was designed to investigate the toxicity and histopathological effects of saccharicterpenin on piglets. One hundred-fifty weaned pigs((Yorkshire×Landrace)×Duroc), 75 males and 75 females with body weight(BW) of(7.35±0.29) kg, were randomly allotted to groups receiving diets supplemented with 0, 500, 1 000, 2 500 or 5 000 mg kg^–1 saccharicterpenin for 70 d. The diet with 500 mg kg^–1 saccharicterpenin supplementation improved liver glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px) activity, and the diet with 1 000 mg kg^–1 saccharicterpenin supplementation improved liver glutathione S-transferase(GSH-S) activity in piglets on d 70(P<0.05). At 2 500 mg kg^–1, saccharicterpenin in the diets reduced average daily feed intake(ADFI) and average daily gain(ADG) of piglets from d 1 to 35, damaged the cardiac tissue and liver on d 35, and decreased white blood cell counts(WBC), activities of catalase(CAT) and GSH-Px, and concentrations of glucose(GLU) and urea nitrogen(BUN) in the blood of piglets on d 70(P<0.05). In addition, diets with 5 000 mg kg^–1 saccharicterpenin supplementation reduced ADFI, ADG and increased diarrhea rates of piglets from d 36 to 70, and decreased hemoglobin(HGB) concentration and activity of CAT in the blood of piglets on d 70(P<0.05). Moreover, at a rate of 5 000 mg kg^–1, saccharicterpenin supplementation increased pancreas index on d 35 and hepatic index on d 70, and damaged cardiac tissue, liver and spleen during the whole experimental period(P<0.05). These results suggested that dietary 500 mg kg^–1 saccharicterpenin supplementation had beneficial effects on piglets, but excessive supplementation(2 500 or 5 000 mg kg^–1) of saccharicterpenin in the diets could lead to growth retardation, hematological abnormalities and organ injuries.

Repurposing organic semiconducting nanomaterials to accelerate clinical translation of NIR-II fluorescence imaging

Optical imaging possesses important implications for early disease diagnosis,timely disease treatment,and basic medical as well as biological research.Compared with the traditionary near-infrared(NIR-I)window(650-950 nm)optical imaging,the emerging second near-infrared(NIR-II)window optical imaging technology owns the great superiorities of non-invasiveness,nonionizing radiation,and real-time dynamic imaging with the low biological interference,can significantly improve the tissue penetration depth and detection sensitivity,thus expecting to achieve accurate and precise diagnosis of major diseases.Inspired by the conspicuous superiorities,an increasing number of versatile NIR-II fluorophores have been legitimately designed and engineered for precisely deep-tissue mapping-mediated theranostics of life-threatening diseases.Organic semiconducting nanomaterials(OSNs)are derived from organic conjugated molecules withπ-electron delocalized skeletons,which show greatly preponderant prospects in the biomedicine field due to the excellent photoelectric property,tunable energy bands,and fine biocompatibility.In this review,the superiorities of NIR-II fluorescence imaging using OSNs for brilliant visualization various of diseases,including tongue cancer,ovarian cancer,osteosarcoma,bacteria or pathogens infection,kidney dysfunction,rheumatoid arthritis,liver injury,and cerebrovascular function,are emphatically summarized.Finally,the reasonable prospects and persistent efforts for repurposing OSNs to facilitate the clinical translation of NIR-II fluorescence phototheranostics are outlined.

edox factor-1 may mediate the repair of multiple organ injuries lfter fiver transplantation

Background Apurinic apyrimidinic endonuclease/redox effector factor 1 （APE1/Ref-1） is an important enzyme in the repair of reactive oxygen species-induced DNA damage, and its expression/activation can be induced by reactive oxygen species. The aim of this research was to investigate the relationship between multiple-organ injuries and expression of Ref-1 in the early period after liver transplantation. Methods One hundred and fifty adult male Wistar rats were divided randomly into three groups： liver transplantation, sham surgery, and untreated control. After liver transplantation, animals were sacrificed at different time points. Hepatic and renal functions were analyzed by serology. Histology, apoptotic levels, and Ref-1 expression were examined by immunohistochemistry in the liver, kidneys, intestines, and lungs. Results Serum levels of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase peaked 6 hours after liver transplantation and decreased appreciably after 12 hours in the transplantatior~ group, suggesting that the degree of liver injury in the early period after transplantation peaked at 6 hours and then decreased. Pathological analyses showed that hepatic tissues were more severely injured in the transplantation group than in the sham and untreated groups. A considerable number of infiltrating inflammatory cells was observed around the portal vein in the transplantation group. Injuries to the kidneys, intestines, and lungs were milder after liver transplantation. Apoptotic levels increased after liver transplantation in all four organs examined. Ref-1 expression was higher in the transplantation group in the early period after liver transplantation than in the sham surgery and untreated control groups. Conclusion Ref-1 expression induced by ischemia-reperfusion injury may have a critical role in repairing multiple-organ injuries after liver transplantation.

Role of neutrophil extracellular traps in inflammatory evolution in severe acute pancreatitis

Severe acute pancreatitis(SAP)is a life-threatening acute abdominal disease with two peaks of death:the first in the early stage,characterized by systemic inflammatory response-associated organ failure;and the second in the late stage,characterized by infectious complications.Neutrophils are the main immune cells participating in the whole process of SAP.In addition to the traditional recognition of neutrophils as the origination of chemokine and cytokine cascades or phagocytosis and degranulation of pathogens,neutrophil extracellular traps(NETs)also play an important roles in inflammatory reactions.We reviewed the role of NETs in the occurrence and development of SAP and its fatal complications,including multiple organs injury,infected pancreatic necrosis,and thrombosis.This review provides novel insights into the involvement of NETs throughout the entire process of SAP,showing that targeting NETs might be a promising strategy in SAP treatment.However,precision therapeutic options targeting NETs in different situations require further investigation.