Clinical efficacy of Jiawei Dihuang decoction combined with valsartan in treatment of early diabetic nephropathy / 中华全科医师杂志

One hundred patients with early diabetic nephropathy were randomly divided into control group and study group with 50 cases in each group.All patients received conventional antidiabetic therapy with valsartan tablets 80mg, q.d;patients in study group were given additional TCM Jiawen Dihuang decoction.TCM syndrome scores, relevant biochemical testing and renal function changes were evaluated before and after treatment in two groups.After 8 weeks of treatment, the results showed than the TCM scores in both groups were significantly reduced (study group: 18.9±1.6 vs.7.2±5.1, control group 18.8±1.5 vs.10.3±6.2.both P<0.05);the improvement rate of TCM syndrome in study group was significantly higher than that of control group (90% vs.68%, x2=5.3,P<0.05);and the improvement of relevant biochemical index and renal function in study group was more marked than that in control group.The study indicates that the integrated TCM and Western medicine can enhance the efficacy in treatment of early diabetic hephropathy.

Pannexin-1 influences peritoneal cavity cell population but is not involved in NLRP3 inflammasome activation

Pannexin-1 (Panx1) forms nonselective large channel in cell plasma membrane and has been shown to be associated with NLRP3 inflammasome activation, ATP release and phagocytes recruitment. In the current study, by manipulation of Panx1 expression in human myeloid cells and application of Panx1 deficient mice, we failed to find a correlation between Panx1 and NLRP3 inflammasome activation, although an interaction between these two proteins was evident. However, in thioglycollate induced peritonitis, Panx1 deficient mice showed much more phagocytes infiltration. Further analyses showed that mice deficient for Panx1 exhibited enlarged F4/80(low)Gr1(-)Ly6C(-)cell population in the peritonea. Our study thus reveals an important role for Panx1 in regulation of peritoneal cell population and peritonitis development.

Human pathogenic fungus Trichophyton schoenleinii activates the NLRP3 inflammasome

The fungus Trichophyton schoenleinii (T. schoenleinii) is the causative agent of Trichophytosis and Tinea favosa of the scalp in certain regions of Eurasia and Africa. Human innate immune system plays an important role in combating with various pathogens including fungi. The inflammasome is one of the most critical arms of host innate immunity, which is a protein complex controlling maturation of IL-1β. To clarify whether T. schoenleinii is able to activate the inflammasome, we analyzed human monocytic cell line THP-1 for IL-1β production upon infection with T. schoenleinii strain isolated from Tinea favosa patients, and rapid IL-1β secretion from THP-1 cells was observed. Moreover, applying competitive inhibitors and gene specific silencing with shRNA, we found that T. schoenleinii induced IL-1β secretion, ASC pyroptosome formation as well as caspase-1 activation were all dependent on NLRP3. Cathepsin B activity, ROS production and K⁺ efflux were required for the inflammasome activation by T. schoenleinii. Our data thus reveal that the NLRP3 inflammasome plays an important role in host defense against T. schoenleinii, and suggest that manipulating NLRP3 signaling can be a novel approach for control of diseases caused by T. schoenleinii infection.