Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by an elevated synovial inflammatory response, with destruction or erosion of articular cartilage in major joints. The aim of the present study was to examine whether 20‑hydroxyecdysone (HES) is able to ameliorate oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in a collagen‑induced rheumatoid arthritis (CIA) rat model. A total of 40 healthy male rats were selected arbitrarily and separated into four groups. Rats treated with saline served as a control (group I), rats subjected to CIA induction by intradermal injection of bovine collagen II type served as the induced group (group II), while rats induced with CIA and administered with 10 and 20 mg/kg bodyweight HES for 28 days served as treatment groups (groups III and IV). Biochemical parameters, including paw swelling (edema), arthritis score, indexes of thymus and spleen, antioxidant levels (superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione), articular elastase and anti‑collagen II specific immunoglobulins (Ig)G, IgG1 and IgG2a, in addition to inflammatory markers [nitric oxide, C‑reactive protein, interleukin (IL)‑1β, IL‑6, tumor necrosis factor‑α and nuclear factor‑κB p65 subunit] were significantly decreased (P<0.01) following supplementation with HES (10/20 mg/kg). Consistently, the protein expression pattern of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenease‑2 were significantly downregulated (P<0.01) upon treatment with HES. In addition, histological analysis confirmed arthritis in CIA‑induced rats by revealing the presence of greater polymorphonuclear cell infiltration, with eroded articular cartilage and prominent synovitis. However, administration of HES was demonstrated to alleviate the morphological changes and maintain the normal architecture of synovial joints. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicated that treatment with HES (particularly 20 mg/kg) may effectively eradicate the inflammatory cascade and oxidative stress process in CIA‑induced rats and thereby exhibit anti‑rheumatoid arthritis properties.
The elevated expression of the hyaluronan-mediated motility receptor (HMMR) is known to be highly associated with tumor progression in prostate cancer, but the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of HMMR expression remain unclear. Here, we report that mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a key regulator of HMMR expression, for which its kinase activity is required. Pharmacological inhibitors of mTOR, such as rapamycin and Torin2, markedly suppressed the mRNA level as well as the protein level of HMMR in LNCaP and PC-3 cells. Our data demonstrate that such regulation occurs at the transcription level. HMMR promoter reporter assays revealed that the transcription factor SRF is responsible for the mTOR-mediated transcriptional regulation of HMMR gene. Consistently, the suppression of HMMR expression by Torin2 was noticeably reversed by the overexpression of SRF. Moreover, our findings suggest that the SRF binding sites responsible for the transcriptional regulation of HMMR through the mTOR-SRF axis are located in HMMR promoter sequences carrying the first intron, downstream of the translational start site. Furthermore, the upregulation of HMMR by DHT was abolished by stimulation with rapamycin, prior to DHT treatment, suggesting that mTOR activity is required for the induction of HMMR expression by androgen. Collectively, our study provides new mechanistic insights into the role of mTOR/SRF/AR signaling in HMMR regulation in prostate cancer cells.
To study the in vitro modulation of autogeneic and allogenic regulatory T lymphocytes proliferation by bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE).Human MSCs were separated with Percoll (1.073 g/ml) from bone marrow of patients with SLE or healthy subjects. The purity of MSCs was identified with the phenotypes by fluorescence active cell sorter (FACS). The subset regulatory T cells in the peripheral blood of patients with SLE were isolated with magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS) CD4 and CD25 microbeads. Lymphocytes or CD4+ CD25+ T cells isolated from the peripheral blood of SLE patients were cocultured either with autologous MSCs or MSCs from healty donors. The proliferation activities of lymphocytes and CD4+ CD25+ T cells were investigated with methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium( MTr) test. The level of IL-10 and transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) was determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).The lymphocyte activity in SLE was suppressed by autogeneic and allogeneic MSCs and the inhibition rate was 56.32% and 65.46%, respectively. A stronger immunosuppressive effect of allogeneic MSCs was detected. MSCs were capable of increasing the proportion of allogeneic and autogeneic regulatory T cells in a dose dependent fashion. MSCs stimulated CD4+ CD25+ T cells to produce IL-10 and TGFbeta.MSCs can suppress lymphocyte proliferation and increase CD4+ CD25+ T cells. MSCs might play important roles in immunosuppressant lymphocyte proliferation and be important to cooperate with autogeneic hematopoietic stem cells in transplantation.
We proposed to find out the role of miR-338-5p played in cell proliferation and invasion of rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts (RASFs) by regulating ADAMTS-9.QRT-PCR was performed to quantify the miR-338-5p and ADAMTS-9 mRNA expression in RA sample tissues and normal synovial tissues. Western blot was performed to evaluate the ADAMTS-9 protein levels in transfected RASFs. Luciferase reporter assays were used to demonstrate whether miR338-5p directly targets ADAMTS-9. MTT, Transwell and wound healing assays were respectively used to evaluate the growth and mobility of RASFs. Flow cytometry was applied to detect cell cycle distributions and apoptosis rates in transfected RASFs.MiR-338-5p was significantly downregulated in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) tissues while ADAMTS-9 was obviously overexpressed (p<0.001). Luciferase reporter assays demonstrated that miR-338-5p directly targeted ADAMTS-9. Moreover, overexpression of miR-338-5p suppressed RASFs biological functions and induced G0/G1 arrest and apoptosis of RASFs (p<0.001), while all the effects could be efficiently attenuated by the upregulation of ADAMTS-9.By inhibiting ADAMTS-9, miR-338-5p suppressed the proliferation and metastasis of rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts. Thus, replenishing miR-338-5p may be a potential therapy for the clinic management of RA.
Importance Cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome—a novel, multistage, multisystem disorder as defined by the American Heart Association—is highly prevalent in the US. However, the prevalence of CKM stages by social determinants of health (SDOH) remains unclear. Objective To investigate whether the prevalence of CKM stages varies by SDOH in US adults. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2018) and included a nationally representative sample of adults aged 30 to 79 years through complex, multistage probability sampling. Data were analyzed from April 1 to June 15, 2024. Exposures The exposures included 5 CKM stages (ie, stages 0-4) reflecting progressive pathophysiology, with advanced (stages 3 or 4) and nonadvanced (stages 0, 1, or 2) disease. CKM stages were defined based on risk factors for metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease. Main Outcome and Measures The main outcome was the age-standardized prevalence of CKM stages and advanced CKM stages across SDOH, including education, marital status, family income, food security, health insurance, employment, home ownership, and health care access. Results Among 29 722 participants (weighted mean [SE] age, 50.8 [0.1] years; weighted 50.7% male), the age-standardized prevalence of CKM stages 0 to 4 was 13.6% (95% CI, 13.0%-14.3%), 29.9% (95% CI, 29.1%-30.7%), 43.7% (95% CI, 42.9%-44.5%), 4.7% (95% CI, 4.4%-5.0%), and 8.1% (95% CI, 7.6%-8.5%), respectively. Significant differences were observed in the prevalence of CKM stages across all unfavorable SDOH of interest compared with their favorable counterparts, with unemployment (18.8% [95% CI, 17.7%-20.1%] vs 11.4% [95% CI, 11.0%-11.9%]), low family income (16.1% [95% CI, 15.4%-16.8%] vs 10.1% [95% CI, 9.5%-10.7%]), and food insecurity (18.3% [95% CI, 17.1%-19.6%] vs 11.7% [95% CI, 11.2%-12.2%]) associated with an increased likelihood of advanced CKM stages. Participants with 2 or more unfavorable SDOH were more likely to have advanced CKM stages (age-standardized prevalence, 15.8% [95% CI, 15.2%-16.5%] vs 10.5% [95% CI, 9.9%-11.1%] with &lt;2 unfavorable SDOH). Living in a rented home (15.9% [95% CI, 14.7%-17.0%] vs 9.3% [95% CI, 8.7%-9.9%] owning the home) or not living with a partner (13.2% [95% CI, 12.3%-14.3%] vs 9.2% [95% CI, 8.5%-9.8%] living with a partner) increased the likelihood of advanced CKM stages in female but not male participants. Conclusions and Relevance In this cross-sectional study, disparities in the prevalence of CKM stages by SDOH, particularly family income, food security, and employment, with notable sex differences, were observed in US adults. These findings highlight the need to address inequities in CKM syndrome through targeted interventions.
Androgen receptor (AR) signalling is known to be dispensable for the biology of castration‐resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), whereas the AR itself and the residual androgens after castration are crucial for the growth and progression of CRPC. Therefore, there is high demand for novel therapeutic candidates targeting AR itself or aberrant AR signalling to suppress the progression to or the growth of CPRC. Here, we report that ginsenoside compound K (GCK), the primary bioactive metabolite biotransformed from protopanaxadiol (PPD) ginsenoside, acts as a novel AR signalling inhibitor by transcriptionally suppressing AR expression and tumour growth in athymic nude mice. GCK inhibited cell growth in LNCaP, PC‐3 and 22Rv1 prostate cancer cell lines and suppressed the expression levels of cell cycle regulators. GCK down‐regulated epithelial–mesenchymal transition markers such as vimentin and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9), whereas E‐cadherin was significantly increased in GCK‐stimulated LNCaP and 22Rv1 cells. Moreover, GCK treatment markedly decreased both AR and AR‐V7 protein levels in LNCaP and 22Rv1 cells, possibly by decreasing AR promoter activity. Experiments with AR promoter‐deleted constructs revealed that the region between −412 and −227 is critical for GCK regulation. GCK treatment in athymic nude mice implanted with 22Rv1 CRPC cell lines significantly suppressed tumour growth and AR expression levels in tumour tissues. Collectively, our results suggest that GCK, as a novel AR inhibitor, could be a potential therapeutic agent against prostate cancer and an effective chemopreventive agent to delay the progression to CRPC.
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