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Int Immunopharmacol 2021 Jul 29;99:107977. Epub 2021 Jul 29.

Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 40010, China. Electronic address:

Background: Liver ischaemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is a major complication in the perioperative period and often leads to liver failure and even systemic inflammation. Sufficient evidence has demonstrated that isoflurane has anti-inflammatory effects. We aimed to determine whether isoflurane pretreatment protects against liver IRI and to investigate the mechanisms involved in this protection. Read More

J Biomed Mater Res A 2021 Jul 31. Epub 2021 Jul 31.

School of Nursing, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.

Immune responses are involved in the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cancer, autoimmune diseases, and chronic inflammation. These responses are attributed to immune cells that produce cytokines, mediate cytotoxicity, and synthesize antibodies. Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are novel agents that intervene with immune responses because of their unique physical-chemical properties. Read More

J Biomed Mater Res A 2021 Jul 31. Epub 2021 Jul 31.

Institute of Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials-National Research Council of Italy (IPCB-CNR), Naples, Italy.

Considerable attention has been given to the use of chitosan (CS)-based materials reinforced with inorganic bioactive signals such as hydroxyapatite (HA) to treat bone defects and tissue loss. It is well known that CS/HA based materials possess minimal foreign body reactions, good biocompatibility, controlled biodegradability and antibacterial property. Herein, the bioactivity of these composite systems was analyzed on in vitro bone cell models for their applications in the field of bone tissue engineering (BTE). Read More

Neuropsychopharmacology 2021 Jul 30. Epub 2021 Jul 30.

Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Addictology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada.

Cocaine use disorder (CUD) is a major public health issue associated with physical, social, and psychological problems. Excessive and repeated cocaine use induces oxidative stress leading to a systemic inflammatory response. Cannabidiol (CBD) has gained substantial interest for its anti-inflammatory properties, safety, and tolerability profile. Read More

Commun Biol 2021 Jul 30;4(1):929. Epub 2021 Jul 30.

Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Diseases, CBER, FDA, Silver Spring, MD, USA.

Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL), a potentially fatal disease is caused by Leishmania donovani parasites with no vaccine available. Here we produced a dermotropic live attenuated centrin gene deleted Leishmania major (LmCen) vaccine under Good Laboratory Practices and demonstrated that a single intradermal injection confers robust and durable protection against lethal VL transmitted naturally via bites of L. donovani-infected sand flies and prevents mortality. Read More

Sci Rep 2021 Jul 30;11(1):15514. Epub 2021 Jul 30.

Nutrition-Gut-Brain Interactions Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, 701 82, Örebro, Sweden.

The intestinal barrier plays a crucial role in maintaining gut health, and an increased permeability has been linked to several intestinal and extra-intestinal disorders. There is an increasing demand for interventions aimed at strengthening this barrier and for in vivo challenge models to assess their efficiency. This study investigated the effect of sauna-induced dehydration on intestinal barrier function (clinicaltrials. Read More

J Immunother Cancer 2021 Jul;9(7)

Division of Hematology and Oncology, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) is a well-described immune-related adverse event following chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, but has rarely been reported following anti-programmed death ligand-1 therapy. We report the case of a 55-year-old man with metastatic lung adenocarcinoma who presented with fever, chills and hypotension. Initial labs were notable for highly elevated serum ferritin levels and mildly elevated triglyceride levels. Read More

Clin Nutr ESPEN 2021 Aug 24;44:136-142. Epub 2021 Jun 24.

Faculty of Nutrition, Federal University of Goias, Goiânia, GO, Brazil.

Background And Objectives: Hemodialysis (HD) patients are vulnerable to malnutrition and cardiovascular complications due to many factors, including oxidative stress and inflammation. Curcumin supplementation is associated with attenuation of proinflammatory cytokines and increased activity of antioxidant enzymes, but its effects in HD patients are unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of curcumin supplementation on oxidative stress and inflammation in HD patients. Read More

Int Immunopharmacol 2021 Jul 27;99:108005. Epub 2021 Jul 27.

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt. Electronic address:

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a subcategory of intestinal inflammatory bowel disease characterized by up-regulation of proinflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress. The current study was designed to assess the probable protective effect of the nitric oxide (NO) donor, molsidomine, in experimental colitis model in rats. Rats were haphazardly classified into four groups: control, acetic acid, acetic acid + molsidomine (1 mg/kg) and acetic acid + molsidomine (2 mg/kg). Read More

Bone 2021 Jul 27:116130. Epub 2021 Jul 27.

Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy. Electronic address:

Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly recognized as integral signaling vehicles in several types of cancers, including bone malignancies. However, the specific mechanisms by which EVs influence osteosarcoma progression have not been fully determined. We evaluated the effects of EVs derived from the human osteosarcoma cell line MNNG/HOS (MNNG/HOS-EVs) on bone resident cells. Read More

Acta Biomater 2021 Jul 27. Epub 2021 Jul 27.

Center for Biomedical Research, Medical University Vienna, Austria; Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Cardiovascular Research, Vienna, Austria; Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration. Electronic address:

Currently available synthetic small diameter vascular grafts reveal low patency rates due to thrombosis and intimal hyperplasia. Biofunctionalized grafts releasing nitric oxide (NO) in situ may overcome these limitations. In this study, a drug-eluting vascular graft was designed by blending polycaprolactone (PCL) with S-nitroso-human-serum-albumin (S-NO-HSA), a nitric oxide donor with prolonged half-life. Read More

Life Sci 2021 Jul 27:119856. Epub 2021 Jul 27.

Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11751, Egypt.

Aim: Hepatotoxicity is a critical consequence of the iron overload conditions such as hemochromatosis and blood transfusion-requiring anemia. Iron induces hepatotoxicity largely through disruption of cellular redox homeostasis and induction of inflammatory responses. The present work explored the hepatoprotective activity of the bio-active flavone galangin against iron-evoked hepatotoxicity. Read More

Adv Clin Exp Med 2021 Jul 30. Epub 2021 Jul 30.

Department of Cardiology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, China.

Background: Atherosclerosis (AS), a chronic inflammatory disease, is a major contributor to deaths worldwide. Ganoderic acid A (GAA) has been widely applied for various diseases due to its excellent anti-inflammatory properties.

Objectives: To investigate the underlying mechanism of GAA inhibition of inflammation and lipid deposition in human monocyte (THP-1) cells. Read More

Biomed Pharmacother 2021 Jul 14;141:111868. Epub 2021 Jul 14.

Department of Emergency Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230022, China; Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Ministry of Education, Anhui Collaborative Innovation Center of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China. Electronic address:

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide, of which the occurrence and development involve a variety of pathophysiological processes, such as liver fibrosis, hepatocellular malignant proliferation, metastasis, and tumor angiogenesis. Some important cytokines, such as TGF-β, PI3K, protein kinase B (Akt), VEGF and NF-κB, can regulate the growth, proliferation, diffusion, metastasis, and apoptosis of HCC cells by acting on the corresponding signaling pathways. Besides, many studies have shown that the formation of HCC is closely related to the main components of renin-angiotensin system (RAS), such as Ang II, ACE, ACE2, MasR, AT1R, and AT2R. Read More

Sheng Wu Gong Cheng Xue Bao 2021 Jul;37(7):2534-2542

School of Bioengineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, Liaoning, China.

Based on the cathelicidin family antimicrobial peptide Hc-CATH derived from sea snake, the Hc-16 and Hc-15 of 16 and 15 amino acid residues, were designed. By using CCK8, minimal inhibitory concentration, ELISA and bio-layer interferometry assays, their cytotoxicity, antibacterial activity, anti-inflammatory activity, and LPS neutralization activity was examined. Compared with Hc-15, Hc-16 had lower cytotoxicity and better broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against pathogens including clinically resistant bacteria, with the minimum inhibitory concentration of only 4. Read More

Pharmacol Res Perspect 2021 Aug;9(4):e00840

Department of Emergency Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often tends to respond poorly to glucocorticoid (GC) therapy. Reduced Histone deacetylase-2 (HDAC-2) activity is an important mechanism behind this GC insensitivity. In this study, we investigated the effects of three phosphodiesterase inhibitors (PDEIs), with an anti-inflammatory propensity, on cigarette smoke (CS)-induced pulmonary inflammation and HDAC-2 activity. Read More

Dermatol Ther 2021 Jul 30:e15075. Epub 2021 Jul 30.

Razi Dermatology Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Introduction: Psoriasis is a common chronic skin condition, which is an immune-related hyperproliferative disorder. Among the different treatments for psoriasis, statins have been found to reduce the severity of the disease. Accordingly, fluvastatin and simvastatin are known to have anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting inflammatory cytokines and lymphocyte function. Read More

Front Cell Dev Biol 2021 13;9:687942. Epub 2021 Jul 13.

Research Center of Plastic Surgery Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.

In modern society excessive consumption of a high-fat diet (HFD) is a significant risk factor for many diseases such as diabetes, osteoarthritis and certain cancers. Resolving cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying HFD-associated disorders is of great importance to human health. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are key players in tissue homeostasis and adversely affected by prolonged HFD feeding. Read More

World J Diabetes 2021 Jul;12(7):939-953

Department of Ophthalmology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410011, Hunan Province, China.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the major causes of visual impairment and irreversible blindness in developed regions. Aside from abnormal angiogenesis, inflammation is the most specific and might be the initiating factor of DR. As a key participant in inflammation, interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) can be detected in different parts of the eye and is responsible for the breakdown of the blood-retina barrier and activation of inflammatory cells and other cytokines, which accelerate neovascularization and neuroglial degeneration. Read More

Oxid Med Cell Longev 2021 5;2021:5543340. Epub 2021 Jul 5.

Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour 22511, AlBeheira, Egypt.

Ischemia-reperfusion injury is a urological emergency condition that could lead to necrosis, testicular damage subfertility, and infertility. The purpose of this study was to identify changes taking place in the rat testis at short-term (4 hr) as well as long-term (7 days) reperfusion following testicular torsion and to evaluate the effects of Proxeed Plus (PP), L-carnitine-rich antioxidant supplement, on preventing these changes using the biochemical parameters and histopathology. Thirty adult male rats were divided into five groups: in groups, 1-4 testicular ischemia was achieved by rotating the left testis 720° clockwise for 4 h and dividing into the sham, torsion/detorsion (T/D), T/D+1000 mg/kg BW PP, and T/D+5000 mg/kg BW PP groups, respectively. Read More

Nat Commun 2021 07 29;12(1):4677. Epub 2021 Jul 29.

Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences for Children and Adults, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia School of Medicine, Modena, Italy.

SARS-CoV-2 infection can affect all human beings, including pregnant women. Thus, understanding the immunological changes induced by the virus during pregnancy is nowadays of pivotal importance. Here, using peripheral blood from 14 pregnant women with asymptomatic or mild SARS-CoV-2 infection, we investigate cell proliferation and cytokine production, measure plasma levels of 62 cytokines, and perform a 38-parameter mass cytometry analysis. Read More

Fitoterapia 2021 Jul 26:105002. Epub 2021 Jul 26.

Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Natural Products, College of Pharmacy and Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of TCM and New Drug Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China. Electronic address:

Four previously unreported sesquiterpenoid diasteromers, arteannoides U-X (1-4), together with one new norsesquiterpenoid 5 (arteannoide Y) and one undescribed rearranged cadinene sesquiterpenoid 6 (arteannoide Z) were obtained from the dried aerial parts of Artemisia annua (Qinghao). Notably, arteannoides U-X (1-4) are four stereoisomers that possess the same molecules and the same planar connectivity, but differ from each other in configuration at a certain stereocenter. Their accurate structures were unambiguously identified and distinguished by extensive spectroscopic analyses, NMR calculations with DP4+ analysis, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations and X-ray diffraction analyses. Read More

Biochem Pharmacol 2021 Jul 26:114701. Epub 2021 Jul 26.

School of Biomedical Sciences, CUHK Shenzhen Research Institute, Heart and Vascular Institute, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR. Electronic address:

The circadian clock plays an important role in adapting organisms to the daily light/dark cycling environment. Recent research findings reveal the involvement of the circadian clock not only in physiological functions but also in regulating inflammatory responses under pathological situations. Previous studies showed that the time-of-day variance of leucocyte circulation and pro-inflammatory cytokines secretion could be directly regulated by the clock-related proteins, including BMAL1 and REV-ERBα in a 24-hour oscillation pattern. Read More

J Cutan Pathol 2021 Jul 28. Epub 2021 Jul 28.

Department of Dermatology, Hospital Universitario La Princesa. Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Princesa (IIS-IP), Madrid, Spain.

Background: Expression of microRNA-21 (miR-21) is increased in psoriasis, leading to reduced levels of epidermal tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase 3 (TIMP-3), a highly potent inhibitor of the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) sheddase TACE (TNFα-converting enzyme)/ADAM17. We described the profile of miR-21 and TIMP-3 in paradoxical psoriasiform reactions induced by anti-TNFα drugs and in a control group to elucidate the pathogenesis of this reactions.

Methods: We performed an analytic, cross-sectional, prospective, experimental case-control study. Read More

Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz) 2021 Jul 28;69(1):19. Epub 2021 Jul 28.

Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Stefan Angelov Institute of Microbiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Street, Block 26, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a severe autoimmune disease characterized by dysfunction of immune regulation, overproduction of inflammatory cytokines and attack on normal tissues by self-reactive cells and antibodies. The main role in the pathogenesis plays the autoreactive tandem of B-T cells, responsible for lupus progression and acceleration. Both activated B and T cells express a phospholipid binding protein Annexin A1 and abnormal levels of the protein were found in murine and human autoimmune syndromes, potentiating its role as a therapeutic target. Read More

J Cell Immunol 2021 ;3(3):191-197

School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.

Objective: The primary objective of this research was to explore the link between sleep and flare pain associated with chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection. The secondary objective was to investigate if cytokines and T regulatory (Treg) cells have an influence on this relationship.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed using data collected in Barranquilla, Colombia, which enrolled patients with and without chronic arthritis with a history of chikungunya infection. Read More

Front Immunol 2021 12;12:609615. Epub 2021 Jul 12.

Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neurodegeneration, Department of Pharmacology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.

Background: Rosacea, a chronic inflammatory skin disorder etiologically associated with immune cells and the antibacterial peptide cathelicidin LL-37, can be effectively treated by oral carvedilol administration.

Objective: To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying carvedilol efficacy in rosacea treatment.

Methods: Skin samples of patients with rosacea were subjected to histopathological (hematoxylin and eosin) and immunohistochemical (CD68, Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), kallikrein 5, cathelicidin, TNF-α, and IL-1β) evaluation. Read More

Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021 12;12:703170. Epub 2021 Jul 12.

Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania "L. Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy.

3,5-diiodo-thyronine (T2), an endogenous metabolite of thyroid hormones, exerts beneficial metabolic effects. When administered to overweight rats receiving a high fat diet (HFD), it significantly reduces body fat accumulation, which is a risk factor for the development of an inflammatory state and of related metabolic diseases. In the present study, we focused our attention on T2 actions aimed at improving the adverse effects of long-lasting HFD such as the adipocyte inflammatory response. Read More

Front Pharmacol 2021 12;12:707610. Epub 2021 Jul 12.

Department of Gastroenterology, the Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.

Numerous pieces of evidence have identified that the NLRP3 inflammasome plays a pivotal role in the development and pathogenesis of colitis. Targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome represents a potential therapeutic treatment. Our previous studies have suggested that acetylation of NLRP3 is indispensable to NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and some acetyltransferase inhibitors could suppress the NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Read More

Drug Des Devel Ther 2021 21;15:3207-3221. Epub 2021 Jul 21.

Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, People's Republic of China.

Background: Oxidative stress and inflammation play essential roles in the development and progression of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Baicalin (BAI), a natural flavonoid, has been showed to have a renoprotective effect in various renal diseases. However, its underlying mechanisms in DN remain unclear. Read More