ABSTRACT
Lipid homeostasis is considered to be related to intestinal metabolic balance, while its role in the pathogenesis and treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) remains largely unexplored. The present study aimed to identify the target lipids related to the occurrence, development and treatment of UC by comparing the lipidomics of UC patients, mice and colonic organoids with the corresponding healthy controls. Here, multi-dimensional lipidomics based on LC-QTOF/MS, LC-MS/MS and iMScope systems were constructed and used to decipher the alteration of lipidomic profiles. The results indicated that UC patients and mice were often accompanied by dysregulation of lipid homeostasis, in which triglycerides and phosphatidylcholines were significantly reduced. Notably, phosphatidylcholine 34:1 (PC34:1) was characterized by high abundance and closely correlation with UC disease. Our results also revealed that down-regulation of PC synthase PCYT1α and Pemt caused by UC modeling was the main factor leading to the reduction of PC34:1, and exogenous PC34:1 could greatly enhance the fumarate level via inhibiting the transformation of glutamate to N-acetylglutamate, thus exerting an anti-UC effect. Collectively, our study not only supplies common technologies and strategies for exploring lipid metabolism in mammals, but also provides opportunities for the discovery of therapeutic agents and biomarkers of UC.
ABSTRACT
To study the effect of oral lienal polypeptide on cough and inflammation in mice, in order to expand the clinical application of immune modulator lienal polypeptide and provide a new strategy for relieving cough and inflammation. METHODS: The cough model of mice was induced by concentrated ammonia. The cough frequency and tolerance latency of mice within 6 minutes were recorded every day. The histopathological changes of spleen and lung were evaluated by HE staining and spleen index. TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 levels in spleen and lung of mice was detected by ELISA. RESULTS: Oral administration of spleen polypeptide could prolong the tolerance latency of mice to concentrated ammonia to a certain extent and significantly reduce the cough frequency of mice. HE staining showed that oral spleen polypeptide could significantly reduce the alveolar surface area and improve lung expansion in mice. The results of ELISA showed that oral spleen polypeptide decreased the levels of some proinflammatory factors in spleen and lung. CONCLUSION: Lienal polypeptide can alleviate cough and emphysema like symptoms induced by ammonia, improve immune ability and inflammation in mice.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To study the relationship between the whole blood zinc concentration and prostate carcinoma and to explore the diagnostic value of the whole blood zinc concentration combined with blood serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) for prostate cancer. Methods: A total of 95 patients with prostate carcinoma and 91 patients with benign prostate hyperplasia were selected between July 2005 and October 2008 in Zhongda Hospital of Southeast University and The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School. The whole blood zinc concentration was analyzed by atomic absorption spectometry. The serum PSA was analyzed by radioimmunoassay. Results: The volumes of the whole blood zinc concentration were 4.73±1.51 μg/mL in the prostate carcinoma group and 6.82±1.63 μg/mL in the benign prostate hyperplasia group, with a significant difference between the two groups (P＜0.001). The serum PSA general distribution was significantly different between the two groups (P＜0.01). There was no significant difference in the serum PSA of 4.0 to 10.0 ng/mL between the two groups (P=0.14). Compared with that in the benign prostate hyperplasia group, the area under ROC curve for the whole blood zinc concentration in the prostate carcinoma group was 0.82. The diagnostic accuracy was optimal with 5.24μg/mL set as the cut-off value of the whole blood zinc concentration and the Youden's index was 0.46 when it was combined with serum PSA 4.0 ng/mL (connection in series). The specificity was 75%, up to 2.34 times of serum PSA applied alone. Meanwhile, the Youden's index was 0.51, achieving 2.22 times. It was not helpful for the diagnosis of prostate carcinoma that the two diagnostic tools were in parallel by which the Youden's index was only 0.14. Conclusion: Detection of the whole blood zinc concentration is beneficial for differentiation of prostate carcinoma from benign prostate hyperplasia. Combined with serum PSA (connection in series), it can significantly impove diagnostic efficiency when PSA was 4.0～10.0ng/mL. Detection of the whole blood zinc concentration can provide valuable information for the diagnosis of prostate cancer and worths clincal application.