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1.
Med Oncol ; 41(7): 164, 2024 May 30.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38816663

ABSTRACT

The Wnt/ß-Catenin pathway (Wnt/ß-CatP) is implicated in accelerating carcinogenesis and cancer progression, contributing to increased morbidity and treatment resistance. Even though it holds promise as a focus for cancer treatment, its intricate nature and diverse physiological effects pose significant challenges. Recent years have witnessed significant advancements in this domain, with numerous natural products demonstrating promising preclinical anti-tumor effects and identified as inhibitors of the Wnt/ß-CatP through various upstream and downstream mechanisms. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the current landscape of Wnt/ß-Cat-targeted cancer therapy, examining the impact of natural products on Wnt/ß-Cat signaling in both cancer prevention and therapeutic contexts. A comprehensive search was conducted on scientific databases like SciFinder, PubMed, and Google Scholar to retrieve relevant literature on Wnt-signaling, natural products, ß-Catenin (ß-Cat), and cancer from 2020 to January 2024. As per the analysis of the relevant reference within the specified period, it has been noted that a total of 58 phytoconstituents, predominantly phenolics, followed by triterpenoids and several other classes, along with a limited number of plant extracts, have exhibited activity targeting the Wnt/ß-CatP. Most ß-Cat regulating modulators restrict cancer cell development by suppressing ß-Cat expression, facilitating proteasomal degradation, and inhibiting nuclear translocation. Multiple approaches have been devised to block the activity of ß-Cat in cancer therapy, a key factor in cancer progression, leading to the discovery of various Wnt/ß-CatP regulators. However, their exploration remains limited, necessitating further research using clinical models for potential clinical use in cancer prevention and therapeutics.


Subject(s)
Biological Products , Neoplasms , Wnt Signaling Pathway , Humans , Biological Products/therapeutic use , Biological Products/pharmacology , Neoplasms/drug therapy , Neoplasms/prevention & control , Neoplasms/metabolism , Wnt Signaling Pathway/drug effects , beta Catenin/metabolism , Animals
2.
Chem Biodivers ; 21(6): e202400331, 2024 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38578839

ABSTRACT

Euphorbia antiquorum L. is a small plant in the Euphorbiaceae family that is found primarily in tropical and subtropical Asia. It has a long tradition of being utilized in Chinese, Ayurvedic, and other traditional systems for a variety of ailments. To date, More than 116 bioactive constituents were isolated from Euphorbia antiquorum, with diterpenoids being the most abundant. Extracts and isolated chemicals from various portions of the plant have demonstrated significant pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antidiabetic, anticancer etc. It is necessary to conduct an in-depth investigation of the phytochemicals along with the pharmacological properties of E. antiquorum. This review summarised the knowledge of ethnobotany, phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of the plant which will provide a better understanding to clarify the traditional uses of the species and its relation to modern pharmacology which will ultimately pave the way for its clinical application.


Subject(s)
Ethnobotany , Euphorbia , Phytochemicals , Euphorbia/chemistry , Humans , Phytochemicals/pharmacology , Phytochemicals/chemistry , Phytochemicals/isolation & purification , Plant Extracts/chemistry , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Plant Extracts/isolation & purification , Animals , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/chemistry , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/isolation & purification
3.
Langmuir ; 40(15): 8094-8107, 2024 Apr 16.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38567885

ABSTRACT

Fog harvesting relies on intercepting atmospheric or industrial fog by placing a porous obstacle, for example, a mesh and collecting the deposited water. In the face of global water scarcity, such fog harvesting has emerged as a viable alternative source of potable water. Typical fog harvesting meshes suffer from poor collection efficiency due to aerodynamic bypassing of the oncoming fog stream and poor collection of the deposited water from the mesh. One pestering challenge in this context is the frequent clogging up of mesh pores by the deposited fog water, which not only yields low drainage efficiency but also generates high aerodynamic resistance to the oncoming fog stream, thereby negatively impacting the fog collection efficiency. Minimizing the clogging is possible by rendering the mesh fibers superhydrophobic, but that entails other detrimental effects like premature dripping and flow-induced re-entrainment of water droplets into the fog stream from the mesh fiber. Herein, we improvise on traditional interweaved metal mesh designs by defining critical parameters, viz., mesh pitch, shade coefficient, and fiber wettability, and deducing their optimal values from numerically and experimentally observed morphology of collected fog water droplets under various operating scenarios. We extend our investigations over a varying range of mesh-wettability, including superhydrophilic and hydrophobic fibers, and go on to find optimal shade coefficients which would theoretically render clog-proof fog harvesting meshes. The aerodynamic, deposition, and overall collection efficiencies are characterized. Hydrophobic meshes with square pores, having fiber diameters smaller than the capillary length scale of water, and an optimal shade coefficient are found to be the most effective design of such clog-proof meshes.

4.
Cells ; 13(8)2024 Apr 20.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38667331

ABSTRACT

Gynecological and obstetric infectious diseases are crucial to women's health. There is growing evidence that links the presence of Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum), an anaerobic oral commensal and potential periodontal pathogen, to the development and progression of various human diseases, including cancers. While the role of this opportunistic oral pathogen has been extensively studied in colorectal cancer in recent years, research on its epidemiological evidence and mechanistic link to gynecological diseases (GDs) is still ongoing. Thus, the present review, which is the first of its kind, aims to undertake a comprehensive and critical reappraisal of F. nucleatum, including the genetics and mechanistic role in promoting adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) and various GDs, including cancers. Additionally, this review discusses new conceptual advances that link the immunomodulatory role of F. nucleatum to the development and progression of breast, ovarian, endometrial, and cervical carcinomas through the activation of various direct and indirect signaling pathways. However, further studies are needed to explore and elucidate the highly dynamic process of host-F. nucleatum interactions and discover new pathways, which will pave the way for the development of better preventive and therapeutic strategies against this pathobiont.


Subject(s)
Fusobacterium nucleatum , Pregnancy Outcome , Humans , Female , Fusobacterium nucleatum/pathogenicity , Pregnancy , Fusobacterium Infections/complications , Fusobacterium Infections/microbiology , Genital Diseases, Female/microbiology , Neoplasms/microbiology
5.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38623956

ABSTRACT

Actin cytoskeleton plays an important role in various aspects of atherosclerosis, a key driver of ischemic heart disease. Actin-binding protein Profilin1 (Pfn1) is overexpressed in atherosclerotic plaques in human disease, and Pfn1, when partially depleted globally in all cell types, confers atheroprotection in vivo. This study investigates the impact of endothelial cell (EC)-specific partial loss of Pfn1 expression in atherosclerosis development. We utilized mice engineered for conditional heterozygous knockout of the Pfn1 gene in ECs, with atherosclerosis induced by depletion of hepatic LDL receptor by gene delivery of PCSK9 combined with high-cholesterol diet. Our studies show that partial depletion of EC Pfn1 has certain beneficial effects marked by dampening of select pro-atherogenic cytokines (CXCL10 and IL7) with concomitant reduction in cytotoxic T cell abundance but is not sufficient to reduce hyperlipidemia and confer atheroprotection in vivo. In light of these findings, we conclude that atheroprotective phenotype conferred by global Pfn1 haplo-insufficiency requires contributions of additional cell types that are relevant for atherosclerosis progression.

6.
Heart Rhythm ; 2024 Feb 21.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38395245

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Ventricular arrhythmia (VA) is the primary mechanism of sudden death in patients with structural heart disease. Cardiac stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) delivered to the scar in the left ventricle significantly reduces the burden of VA. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to investigate the impact of SBRT on scar morphology and VA inducibility in a porcine infarct model. METHODS: Myocardial infarction (MI) was created in 10 Yorkshire pigs involving the left anterior descending artery territory. Cardiac positron emission tomography and computed tomography were performed for targeted SBRT. Alternative pigs received SBRT at 25 Gy in a single fraction. The terminal experiment included endocardial mapping, programmed ventricular stimulation, and tissue harvesting. RESULTS: Of the 10 pigs infarcted, 2 died prematurely after MI and 8 (4 MI and 4 MI+SBRT) survived. Mean time from MI to SBRT was 48 ± 12 days, and mean time from SBRT to harvest was 32 ± 12 days. Scar was localized on intracardiac mapping in all pigs, and the scar was denser in the MI+SBRT compared with the MI-only group (33% ± 20% vs 14% ± 11%; P = .07). All 4 MI pigs had inducible VA during programmed stimulation, whereas only 1 of 4 pigs had inducible VA in the MI+SBRT arm (100% vs 25%; P = .07). No myocardial fibrosis was seen in the remote areas in either group. CONCLUSION: SBRT reduced VA inducibility in pigs with scarring after MI. Endocardial mapping revealed denser scar in pigs receiving SBRT compared with those that did not, suggesting that SBRT suppresses VA inducibility through better scar homogenization.

7.
Hypertension ; 81(4): 776-786, 2024 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38240165

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Aldosterone has been described to initiate cardiovascular diseases by triggering exacerbated sterile vascular inflammation. The functions of CCL5 (C-C motif chemokine ligand 5) and its receptor CCR5 (C-C motif chemokine receptor 5) are well known in infectious diseases, their contributions to aldosterone-induced vascular injury and hypertension remain unknown. METHODS: We analyzed the vascular profile, blood pressure, and renal damage in wild-type (CCR5+/+) and CCR5 knockout (CCR5-/-) mice treated with aldosterone (600 µg/kg per day for 14 days) while receiving 1% saline to drink. Vascular function was analyzed in aorta and mesenteric arteries, blood pressure was measured by telemetry and renal injury and inflammation were analyzed via histology and flow cytometry. Endothelial cells were used to study the molecular signaling whereby CCL5 induces endothelial dysfunction. RESULTS: Aldosterone treatment resulted in exaggerated CCL5 circulating levels and vascular CCR5 expression in CCR5+/+ mice accompanied by endothelial dysfunction, hypertension, and renal inflammation and damage. CCR5-/- mice were protected from these aldosterone-induced effects. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that CCL5 increased NOX1 (NADPH oxidase 1) expression, reactive oxygen species formation, NFκB (nuclear factor kappa B) activation, and inflammation and reduced NO production in isolated endothelial cells. These effects were abolished by antagonizing CCR5 with Maraviroc. Finally, aorta incubated with CCL5 displayed severe endothelial dysfunction, which is prevented by blocking NOX1, NFκB, or CCR5. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate that CCL5/CCR5, through activation of NFκB and NOX1, is critically involved in aldosterone-induced vascular and renal damage and hypertension placing CCL5 and CCR5 as potential therapeutic targets for conditions characterized by aldosterone excess.


Subject(s)
Aldosterone , Chemokine CCL5 , Hypertension , Receptors, CCR5 , Animals , Mice , Aldosterone/pharmacology , Endothelial Cells/metabolism , Hypertension/chemically induced , Hypertension/metabolism , Inflammation , Receptors, CCR5/genetics , Receptors, CCR5/metabolism , Chemokine CCL5/genetics , Chemokine CCL5/metabolism
9.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int ; 31(12): 18239-18259, 2024 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37186184

ABSTRACT

Uneven drying is the key drawback of a conventional multi-tray dryer. Therefore, an improved active solar dryer with and without integrated sensible heat storage (SHS) was proposed. A unique feature of this dryer is its movable walls from the sides of the dryer to transform it to an indirect or mixed-mode as and when necessary. Garcinia Pedunculata (GP) is a local seasonal medicinal fruit in Northeast India. Drying kinetics of GP, the dryer performance and economic analysis of dryer were evaluated in the indirect solar dryer without SHS (Exp. I), mixed-mode solar dryer without SHS (Exp. II), indirect solar dryer with SHS (Exp. III), mixed-mode solar dryer with SHS (Exp. IV), and open sun drying (OSD). The dryer's average efficiencies were 18.12%, 22.37%, 21.74%, and 24.46% for Exp. I, Exp. II, Exp. III, and Exp. IV, respectively. The moisture content of GP was reduced to 12.09% in wet basis (w.b.) from 87.99% (w.b.). The overall drying time for Exp. I, Exp. II, OSD, Exp. III and Exp. IV were 31, 26, 53, 28, and 10 h, respectively. From the eleven drying models, the Two-Term model was the best-fitted model for Exp. I, Exp. II, OSD and Exp. III, and Midilli and Kucuk model was for Exp. IV. The final product's fragrance and colour are better for Exp. IV. Developing this dryer for Exp. I, Exp. II, Exp. III and Exp. IV, the price required was around 25,000, 27,000, 26,000, and 28,000 INR (1 US$ = 74.57 INR), respectively, while the economic payback periods are 1.6 years, 0.9 year, 1.4 years, and 0.59 year, respectively.


Subject(s)
Garcinia , Thoracica , Animals , Hot Temperature , Desiccation , Sunlight
10.
bioRxiv ; 2024 Mar 11.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38106044

ABSTRACT

Actin cytoskeleton plays an important role in various aspects of atherosclerosis, a key driver of ischemic heart disease. Actin-binding protein Profilin1 (Pfn1) is overexpressed in atherosclerotic plaques in human disease, and Pfn1, when partially depleted globally in all cell types, confers atheroprotection in vivo . This study investigates the impact of endothelial cell (EC)-specific partial loss of Pfn1 expression in atherosclerosis development. We utilized mice engineered for conditional heterozygous knockout of the Pfn1 gene in ECs, with atherosclerosis induced by depletion of hepatic LDL receptor by gene delivery of PCSK9 combined with high-cholesterol diet. Our studies show that partial depletion of EC Pfn1 has certain beneficial effects marked by dampening of select pro-atherogenic cytokines (CXCL10 and IL7) with concomitant reduction in cytotoxic T cell abundance but is not sufficient to reduce hyperlipidemia and confer atheroprotection in vivo . In light of these findings, we conclude that atheroprotective phenotype conferred by global Pfn1 haplo-insufficiency requires contributions of additional cell types that are relevant for atherosclerosis progression.

11.
Nat Commun ; 14(1): 7942, 2023 Dec 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38040724

ABSTRACT

Research aimed at identifying indicators of persistent abrupt shifts in ecological communities, a.k.a regime shifts, has led to the development of a suite of early warning signals (EWSs). As these often perform inaccurately when applied to real-world observational data, it remains unclear whether critical transitions are the dominant mechanism of regime shifts and, if so, which EWS methods can predict them. Here, using multi-trophic planktonic data on multiple lakes from around the world, we classify both lake dynamics and the reliability of classic and second generation EWSs methods to predict whole-ecosystem change. We find few instances of critical transitions, with different trophic levels often expressing different forms of abrupt change. The ability to predict this change is highly processing dependant, with most indicators not performing better than chance, multivariate EWSs being weakly superior to univariate, and a recent machine learning model performing poorly. Our results suggest that predictive ecology should start to move away from the concept of critical transitions, developing methods suitable for predicting resilience loss not limited to the strict bounds of bifurcation theory.


Subject(s)
Ecosystem , Lakes , Reproducibility of Results , Models, Biological , Ecology
12.
Chaos ; 33(10)2023 Oct 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37874880

ABSTRACT

Birhythmicity is evident in many nonlinear systems, which include physical and biological systems. In some living systems, birhythmicity is necessary for response to the varying environment while unnecessary in some physical systems as it limits their efficiency. Therefore, its control is an important area of research. This paper proposes a space-dependent intermittent control scheme capable of controlling birhythmicity in various dynamical systems. We apply the proposed control scheme in five nonlinear systems from diverse branches of natural science and demonstrate that the scheme is efficient enough to control the birhythmic oscillations in all the systems. We derive the analytical condition for controlling birhythmicity by applying harmonic decomposition and energy balance methods in a birhythmic van der Pol oscillator. Further, the efficacy of the control scheme is investigated through numerical and bifurcation analyses in a wide parameter space. Since the proposed control scheme is general and efficient, it may be employed to control birhythmicity in several dynamical systems.

13.
Phys Rev E ; 108(2-1): 024301, 2023 Aug.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37723677

ABSTRACT

Consumer-resource cycles are widespread in ecosystems, and seasonal forcing is known to influence them profoundly. Typically, seasonal forcing perturbs an ecosystem with time-varying frequency; however, previous studies have explored the dynamics of such systems under oscillatory forcing with constant frequency. Studies of the effect of time-varying frequency on ecosystem stability are lacking. Here we investigate isolated and network models of a cyclic consumer-resource ecosystem with oscillatory driving subjected to frequency modulation. We show that frequency modulation can induce stability in the system in the form of stable synchronized solutions, depending on intrinsic model parameters and extrinsic modulation strength. The stability of synchronous solutions is determined by calculating the maximal Lyapunov exponent, which determines that the fraction of stable synchronous solution increases with an increase in the modulation strength. We also uncover intermittent synchronization when synchronous dynamics are intermingled with episodes of asynchronous dynamics. Using the phase-reduction method for the network model, we reduce the system into a phase equation that clearly distinguishes synchronous, intermittently synchronous, and asynchronous solutions. While investigating the role of network topology, we find that variation in rewiring probability has a negligible effect on the stability of synchronous solutions. This study deepens our understanding of ecosystems under seasonal perturbations.

14.
Nat Prod Res ; : 1-6, 2023 Aug 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37585696

ABSTRACT

Amomum dealbatum Roxb. parts have been traditionally used as remedies for joint pain, diabetes, muscular rheumatism, antiseptic, and abscesses in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Tripura. Ethyl acetate sub-fraction E3 had significantly inhibited the α-glucosidase (IC50 5.385 µg/mL). The molecular docking revealed quercetin-3-O-galactoside to be the most potent α-glucosidase inhibitor (binding energy -43.214 kcal/mol). Using the QSAR model, the pIC50 values of myricetin, gallic acid, quercetin-3-O-galactoside, and acarbose were predicted to be 5.65235, 4.39858, 5.65235, and 6.03058, respectively. For the first time, quercetin-3-O-galactoside, myricetin, and gallic acid have been isolated from the flowers of A. dealbatum (ADF). E3 decreased blood glucose level to a near-normal concentration (100.60 ± 2.94 mg/dL) in comparison to diabetic control rats (575.20 ± 24.80 mg/dL). The results have strongly suggested the potential of ADF in treating diabetes. This lesser-known plant has the potential to uncover its full medicinal properties through further in-depth research.

15.
Mol Omics ; 19(10): 787-799, 2023 Dec 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37534494

ABSTRACT

The present study evaluated the therapeutic potential of the medicinal plant Lysimachia candida Lindl. against metabolic syndrome in male SD rats fed with a high-fat high-fructose (HFHF) diet. Methanolic extract of Lysimachia candida Lindl. (250 mg kg-1 body weight p.o.) was administrated to the HFHF-fed rats daily for 20 weeks. Blood samples were collected, and blood glucose levels and relevant biochemical parameters were analysed and used for the assessment of metabolic disease phenotypes. In this study, Lysimachia candida decreased HFHF diet-induced phenotypes of metabolic syndrome, i.e., obesity, blood glucose level, hepatic triglycerides, free fatty acids, and insulin resistance. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based metabolomics was done to study the dynamics of metabolic changes in the serum during disease progression in the presence and absence of the treatment. Furthermore, multivariate data analysis approaches have been employed to identify metabolites responsible for disease progression. Lysimachia candida Lindl. plant extract restored the metabolites that are involved in the biosynthesis and degradation of amino acids, fatty acid metabolism and vitamin metabolism. Interestingly, the results depicted that the treatment with the plant extract restored the levels of acetylated amino acids and their derivatives, which are involved in the regulation of beta cell function, glucose homeostasis, insulin secretion, and metabolic syndrome phenotypes. Furthermore, we observed restoration in the levels of indole derivatives and N-acetylgalactosamine with the treatment, which indicates a cross-talk between the gut microbiome and the metabolic syndrome. Therefore, the present study revealed the potential mechanism of Lysimachia candida Lindl. extract to prevent metabolic syndrome in rats.


Subject(s)
Metabolic Syndrome , Rats , Animals , Metabolic Syndrome/drug therapy , Metabolic Syndrome/prevention & control , Blood Glucose/analysis , Blood Glucose/metabolism , Lysimachia , Fructose , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Plant Extracts/therapeutic use , Phenotype , Amino Acids/metabolism , Disease Progression , Candida/metabolism
16.
Chaos ; 33(6)2023 Jun 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37276552

ABSTRACT

Stochasticity or noise is omnipresent in ecosystems that mediates community dynamics. The beneficial role of stochasticity in enhancing species coexistence and, hence, in promoting biodiversity is well recognized. However, incorporating stochastic birth and death processes in excitable slow-fast ecological systems to study its response to biodiversity is largely unexplored. Considering an ecological network of excitable consumer-resource systems, we study the interplay of network structure and noise on species' collective dynamics. We find that noise drives the system out of the excitable regime, and high habitat patch connectance in the ordered as well as random networks promotes species' diversity by inducing new steady states via noise-induced symmetry breaking.


Subject(s)
Biodiversity , Ecosystem , Noise
17.
Curr Top Med Chem ; 23(8): 690-710, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37114791

ABSTRACT

Flavonoids are important bioactive phenolic compounds abundant in plants and exhibit different therapeutic potentials. A wound is a significant problem in diabetic individuals. A hyperglycaemic environment alters the normal wound-healing process and increases the risk of microbial infection, leading to hospitalization, morbidity, and amputation. Flavonoids are an important class of phytochemicals with excellent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, antitumor, and wound healing property. Quercetin, hesperidin, curcumin, kaempferol, apigenin, luteolin, morin, etc. have shown their wound healing potential. Flavonoids effectively exhibit antimicrobial activity, scavenge reactive oxygen species, augment endogenous antioxidants, reduce the expression and synthesis of inflammatory cytokines (i.e. IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α, NF-κB), inhibit inflammatory enzymes, enhance anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10), enhance insulin section, reduce insulin resistance, and control blood glucose level. Several flavonoids like hesperidin, curcumin, quercetin, rutin, naringin, and luteolin have shown their potential in managing diabetic wounds. Natural products that maintain glucose haemostatic, exert anti-inflammatory activity, suppress/inhibit microbial growth, modulate cytokines, inhibit matrix metalloproteinase (MMP), stimulate angiogenesis and extracellular matrix, and modulate growth factor can be considered as a potential therapeutic lead to treat diabetic wound. Flavonoids were found to play a positive role in management of diabetic wounds by regulating MMP-2, MMP-8, MMP-9, MMP-13, Ras/Raf/ MEK/ERK, PI3K/Akt, and nitric oxide pathways. Therefore, it can be assumed that flavonoids could be potential therapeutics to prevent devastating effects of diabetic wounds. This paper focused on the potential role of flavonoids in managing diabetic wounds and discussed their possible mechanism of action.


Subject(s)
Curcumin , Diabetes Mellitus , Hesperidin , Humans , Flavonoids/pharmacology , Flavonoids/therapeutic use , Quercetin , Luteolin , Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases , Cytokines , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/therapeutic use , Diabetes Mellitus/drug therapy
18.
J Theor Biol ; 567: 111494, 2023 06 21.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37075828

ABSTRACT

The threat of large-scale pollinator decline is increasing globally under stress from multiple anthropogenic pressures. Traditional approaches have focused on managing endangered species at an individual level, in which the effect of complex interactions such as mutualism and competition are amiss. Here, we develop a coupled socio-mutualistic network model that captures the change in pollinator dynamics with human conservation opinion in a deteriorating environment. We show that the application of social norm (or conservation) at the pollinator nodes is fit to prevent sudden community collapse in representative networks of varied topology. Whilst primitive strategies have focused on regulating abundance as a mitigation strategy, the role of network structure has been largely overlooked. Here, we develop a novel network structure-mediated conservation strategy to find the optimal set of nodes on which norm implementation successfully prevents community collapse. We find that networks of intermediate nestedness require conservation at a minimum number of nodes to prevent a community collapse. We claim the robustness of the optimal conservation strategy (OCS) after validation on several simulated and empirical networks of varied complexity against a broad range of system parameters. Dynamical analysis of the reduced model shows that incorporating social norms allows the pollinator abundance to grow that would have otherwise crossed a tipping point and undergo extinction. Together, this novel means OCS provides a potential plan of action for conserving plant-pollinator networks bridging the gap between research in mutualistic networks and conservation ecology.


Subject(s)
Pollination , Symbiosis , Animals , Humans , Pollination/physiology , Symbiosis/physiology , Ecology , Endangered Species , Plants , Ecosystem
19.
J Immunol ; 210(9): 1363-1371, 2023 05 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36946774

ABSTRACT

Insulin resistance is a compromised response to insulin in target tissues such as liver. Emerging evidence shows that vascular endothelial cells (ECs) are critical in mediating glucose metabolism. However, how liver ECs can regulate inflammation in the setting of insulin resistance is still unknown. Using genome-wide transcriptome analysis of ECs isolated from diabetic mice, we found enrichment of the genes involved in epidermal growth factor receptor (Egfr) signaling. In line with this, hepatic sinusoidal ECs in diabetic mice had elevated levels of Egfr expression. Interestingly, we found an increased number of hepatic myeloid cells, especially macrophages, and systemic glucose intolerance in Cdh5Cre/+Egfrfl/fl mice lacking Egfr in ECs compared with littermate control mice with type II diabetes. Egfr deficiency upregulated the expression of MCP-1 in hepatic sinusoidal ECs. This resulted in augmented monocyte recruitment and macrophage differentiation in Cdh5Cre/+Egfrfl/fl mice compared with littermate control mice as determined by a mouse model of parabiosis. Finally, MCP-1 neutralization and hepatic macrophage depletion in Cdh5Cre/+Egfrfl/fl mice resulted in a reduced number of hepatic macrophages and ameliorated glucose intolerance compared with the control groups. Collectively, these results demonstrate a protective endothelial Egfr signaling in reducing monocyte-mediated hepatic inflammation and glucose intolerance in type II diabetic mice.


Subject(s)
Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 , Glucose Intolerance , Insulin Resistance , Mice , Animals , Monocytes/metabolism , Glucose Intolerance/metabolism , Endothelial Cells/metabolism , Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/metabolism , Liver/metabolism , Inflammation/metabolism , ErbB Receptors/metabolism , Mice, Inbred C57BL
20.
Phys Rev E ; 107(2-1): 024410, 2023 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36932596

ABSTRACT

Noise-induced symmetry breaking has barely been unveiled on the ecological grounds, though its occurrence may elucidate mechanisms responsible for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem stability. Here, for a network of excitable consumer-resource systems, we show that the interplay of network structure and noise intensity manifests a transition from homogeneous steady states to inhomogeneous steady states, resulting in noise-induced symmetry breaking. On further increasing the noise intensity, there exist asynchronous oscillations, leading to heterogeneity crucial for maintaining a system's adaptive capacity. The observed collective dynamics can be understood analytically in the framework of linear stability analysis of the corresponding deterministic system.

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