Identifying key inflammatory genes in psoriasis via weighted gene co-expression network analysis: Potential targets for therapy.

Psoriasis is a globally prevalent chronic inflammatory skin disease. This study aimed to scrutinize the hub genes related to inflammation and potential molecular mechanisms in psoriasis. Utilizing mRNA expression profiles from public datasets GSE13355, GSE78097, and GSE14905, we set up a comprehensive analysis. Initially, we selected differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from psoriasis and control samples in GSE13355, followed by calculating inflammatory indices using genomic set variation analysis (GSVA). Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was then applied to link significant modules with the inflammatory index. This process helped us identify differentially expressed inflammation-related genes (DE-IRGs). A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was established, with the molecular complex detection (MCODE) plug-in pinpointing six chemokine genes (CCR7, CCL2, CCL19, CXCL8, CXCL1, and CXCL2) as central hub genes. These genes demonstrated pronounced immunohistochemical staining in psoriatic tissues compared to normal skin. Notably, the CCR7 gene exhibited the highest potential for m6A modification sites. Furthermore, we constructed transcription factor-microRNA-mRNA networks, identifying 139 microRNAs and 52 transcription factors associated with the hub genes. For the LASSO logistic regression model, the area under the curve (AUC) in the training set was 1, and in the two validation cohorts GSE78097 and GSE14905 were 1 and 0.872, respectively. In conclusion, our study highlights six chemokine genes (CCR7, CCL2, CCL19, CXCL8, CXCL1, and CXCL2) as potential biomarkers in psoriasis, providing insights into the immune and inflammatory responses as pivotal instances in disease pathogenesis. These findings pave the way for exploring new therapeutic targets, particularly focusing on chemokine-associated pathways in psoriasis treatment.

Chromogenic Mechanisms of Colorimetric Sensors Based on Gold Nanoparticles.

The colorimetric signal readout method is widely used in visualized analyses for its advantages, including visualization of test results, simple and fast operations, low detection cost and fast response time. Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs), which not only exhibit enzyme-like activity but also have the advantages of tunable localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), high stability, good biocompatibility and easily modified properties, provide excellent platforms for the construction of colorimetric sensors. They are widely used in environmental monitoring, biomedicine, the food industry and other fields. This review focuses on the chromogenic mechanisms of colorimetric sensors based on Au NPs adopting two different sensing strategies and summarizes significant advances in Au NP-based colorimetric sensing with enzyme-like activity and tunable LSPR characteristics. In addition, the sensing strategies based on the LSPR properties of Au NPs are classified into four modulation methods: aggregation, surface modification, deposition and etching, and the current status of visual detection of various analytes is discussed. Finally, the review further discusses the limitations of current Au NP-based detection strategies and the promising prospects of Au NPs as colorimetric sensors, guiding the design of novel colorimetric sensors.

Construction of Aggregation-Induced Emission Molecule-MnO2 Composite Nanoprobe and Its Application in Alkaline Phosphatase Detection.

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is among the most studied enzymes by far, playing an important role in the metabolism of organisms and the regulation of protein activity. Herein, a label-free composite nanoprobe is constructed by combining inorganic nanomaterials and aggregation-induced emission (AIE) molecule to achieve highly sensitive and selective detection of ALP. Negatively charged 9,10-bis [2-(6-sulfonatopropoxyl) naphthylethenyl] anthracene (BSNVA) molecule is synthesized, which has the AIE performance and can be assembled on the surface of amino-SiO2 nanoparticles through electrostatic interaction for fluorescence enhancement. MnO2 nanosheets are rich in negative charges, enabling them to be wrapped on the surface of the amino-SiO2 nanosphere to shield the positive charge on its surface, making it impossible for BSNVA to accumulate on the surface and then weakening the bio-fluorescence of the system. Furthermore, with catalyzed substrates induced by ALP, generating ascorbic acid and the redox reaction between ascorbic acid and MnO2, the nanoprobe helps in realizing the high-sensitivity detection of ALP with a detection limit of 0.38 mU/mL. The proposed strategy requires no complex cleaning and modification processes and can overcome the quenching effect caused by the aggregation of traditional organic dyes, proving to be a simple, low-cost and "turn-on" fluorescent detection method for ALP.

Serum expression of tumor marker CA242 in patients with different gynecological diseases.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the serum levels of CA242 in different types of gynecological diseases and its clinical significance. METHODS: A total of 1021 patients with gynecological diseases and 499 healthy female controls were included in the study. The serum CA242 levels were detected and median value, -log10P value, and positive rate were calculated. Serum CA125 and HE4 levels of patients with ovarian lesions were measured, and the predictive value for ovarian cancer was statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Higher serum CA242 levels were observed in patients with mature teratoma, ovarian cancer, and other gynecological tumor diseases than in healthy controls. In contrast, the CA242 levels in patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, uterine polyps, or endometrial hyperplasia were comparable to that of controls. Moreover, serum CA242 expression was increased in malignant uterine and ovarian diseases compared with benign ones (P < .05). Specifically, combining CA242, CA125, and HE4 yielded a higher area under the receiver operating characteristic curve than single biomarkers (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Heterogeneous increases in tumor marker CA242 expression levels are observed in different gynecological diseases, suggesting its potential value for clinical diagnosis.

CCN1 upregulates IL-36 via AKT/NF-κB and ERK/CEBP ß-mediated signaling pathways in psoriasis-like models.

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disorder characterized by epidermal keratinocyte hyperproliferation and inflammatory infiltration. CCN1 (also termed CYR61 or cysteine-rich angiogenic inducer 61) is an extracellular matrix-associated protein that is involved in multiple physiological functions. In psoriasis, we recently demonstrated that the overexpression of CCN1 promoted keratinocyte proliferation and activation. Furthermore, CCN1 was highly expressed in psoriatic skin lesions from psoriasis vulgaris patients. Here, we dissect the underlying molecular mechanism in imiquimod (IMQ) and interleukin (IL)-23-induced psoriasis-like models. Our results demonstrate that CCN1 can significantly upregulate IL-36 production in the murine skin of IMQ and IL-23-induced psoriasis-like models. Injection of CCN1-neutralizing antibody improved epidermal acanthosis and significantly reduced IL-36 production in vivo. These results suggest that CCN1 can be a critical upstream pro-inflammatory factor in psoriasis. In primary normal human epidermal keratinocytes, we demonstrated that CCN1 can selectively induced the production of IL-36α and IL-36γ through the activation of the protein kinase B (AKT)/nuclear factor kappa light chain enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) and extracellular-regulated kinase (ERK)/CCAAT/enhancer binding protein ß (CEBPß) signaling pathways via integrin receptor α6ß1 in vitro. Our results suggest that targeting CCN1 can be a potential therapeutic strategy for psoriasis.

Circulating Cysteine Rich Protein 61 (Cyr61, CCN1) in Chinese Adults: Distribution and Reference Intervals.

BACKGROUND: The circulating levels of Cyr61 (also known as CCN1) may prove to have great clinical value in the diagnosis, monitoring and prognosis of many disorders in humans. However, the reference intervals (RIs) for this analyte in human subjects have not previously been well established. Therefore, establishing RIs and determining the distribution of circulating Cyr61 levels are very important for future clinical studies and could provide an orientation value for exploring its clinical usefulness. METHODS: The Cyr61 levels in 2,514 healthy Chinese Han subjects (1,250 males and 1,264 females, aged 18 - 88 years, recruited from 4 hospitals in Shanghai and Fujian) were measured with a sandwich ELISA (R&D Systems, USA). The RIs were determined in a manner consistent with the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. RESULTS: The levels of serum Cyr61 showed a non-Gaussian distribution. A statistically significant difference was observed between the males and females such that the median level of Cyr61 in the males was significantly higher than that in the females. Furthermore, the Cyr61 levels significantly increased with age in the female group whereas no difference was observed among the different age groups among the males. The RIs for serum Cyr61 were 3.3 - 184 pg/mL and 5.0 - 182 pg/mL in females aged 18 - 45 and 46 - 88 years, respectively. The RI for serum Cyr61 was 4.0 - 198 pg/mL in the males. CONCLUSIONS: The RIs for serum Cyr61 were established among Chinese Han individuals. The effects of age and gender on the distribution characteristics of serum Cyr61 were studied, revealing that the RIs were gender and, in females, age-specific, which may suggest that a female hormone, estrogen plays a role in the regulation of Cyr61 expression in vivo.

Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A2 in Cardiac Disease: a Potential Early Biomarker of Unstable Coronary Artery Disease.

BACKGROUND: Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) is a serine lipase that deteriorates the stability of atherosclerotic plaques. This study aims to investigate Lp-PLA2 activity and its diagnostic potential in the early period of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). METHODS: Two hundred sixty-two patients referred for acute chest pain within 6 hours of symptom onset were included. Among the candidates, 67 were diagnosed with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and 167 unstable angina (UA). The STEMI patients were divided into cardiac troponin I (cTnI) negative and cTnI positive groups according to the cTnI values at admission. As control, 184 stable coronary artery disease (CAD) patients were also enrolled. Blood samples were collected immediately after admission. The levels of Lp-PLA2 activity and lipids were measured. The diagnostic value of Lp-PLA2 was determined based on receiver operating characteristic curves. RESULTS: Lp-PLA2 activity levels of STEMI and UA groups were dramatically higher than that in CAD group. However, Lp-PLA2 values showed no marked difference between STEMI and UA groups. Similar results were obtained between cTnI negative and positive groups among STEMI patients. In the three groups combined, there was a significant correlation between LDL-C concentration and Lp-PLA2 activity. In the ACS group, the area under the curve was 0.719 (95% CI: 0.671 - 0.768), and the optimal Lp-PLA2 cutoff value was 306.4 U/L, with a sensitivity of 67% and specificity of 69%. CONCLUSIONS: Lp-PLA2 activity was significantly elevated in the early stage of ACS. The obtained statistical data suggest that Lp-PLA2 activity may represent a novel early marker of unstable coronary disease.

CYR61, a potential biomarker of tumor inflammatory response in epithelial ovarian cancer microenvironment of tumor progress.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have found that inflammatory response is involved in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer. Advanced ovarian cancer is often presented with ascites that is rich in cytokines, inflammatory factors or cancer cells. Therefore, it is important to study the microenvironment of ascites in order to further clarify the occurrence and progression of ovarian cancer. As a pro-inflammatory factor, the Cyr61 expression patterns are inconsistent in human tumors. Although it has been reported that Cyr61 is related to the progression of ovarian cancer, its specific mechanism is not yet clear. This study sought to evaluate the Cyr61 levels of ascites, serum and different tissues of ovarian cancer to explore the potential association of Cyr61with the tumor-associated inflammatory microenvironment of EOC. METHODS: Tumor specimens were procured from patients with ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma and ovarian serous cystadenoma. Cyr61 and IL-6 levels of serum or ascites were determined by ELISA (Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay), while Cyr61 expressions of different ovarian tumor tissues were evaluated by IHC (Immunohistochemistry). Then the correlation of Cyr61 level in ascites with clinicopathologic features was analyzed. And other laboratory data were obtained from medical records. RESULTS: Both in ascites and serum, significantly higher Cyr61 levels were found in ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma. In malignant ascites, higher Cyr61 level of ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma was more closely associated with FIGO stage, initial tumor size > 10 cm and the residual tumor size. And the increased IL-6 level was linearly related to Cyr61 level. Moreover, the serum levels of Cyr61, IL-6 and CRP in advanced stage of ovarian cancer were much higher than those in early stage. Lastly, the IHC data demonstrate that Cyr61 expression of ovarian serous adenocarcinoma was higher than that of ovarian serous cystadenoma, but it was lower than the paired metastatic lesions. CONCLUSIONS: As a pro-inflammatory factor, increased ascites Cyr61 level is associated with FIGO stage, initial tumor size > 10 cm and the residual tumor size. Moreover, serum Cyr61 may be used as a potential marker for EOC inflammatory response. Finally, Cyr61 may be involved in the process of tumor metastasis and progression by producing IL-6 and CRP in the EOC inflammatory microenvironment.

Cyr61/CCN1 induces CCL20 production by keratinocyte via activating p38 and JNK/AP-1 pathway in psoriasis.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a common chronic skin disease characterized by epidermal hyperplasia and inflammation. Cysteine-rich angiogenic inducer 61 (Cyr61/CCN1) has recently been implicated in psoriasis pathogenesis by promoting keratinocyte activation. However, the mechanisms by which CCN1 enhances cutaneous inflammation are not fully understood. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we investigated the role of CCN1 on the expression of CCL20 in human keratinocyte. METHODS AND RESULTS: By double-label immunofluorescence staining, we first identified that the expression of CCN1 colocalized well with CCL20 production in the epidermis of psoriasis skin lesion. Furthermore, in vivo, blocking or knockdown CCN1 expression ameliorated skin inflammation and reduced the expression of CCL20 in both imiquimod and IL-23-induced psoriasis-like mouse models, which indicated that CCN1 might be involved in the regulation of CCL20 production in psoriasis. Next, in vitro, we stimulated primary normal human epidermal keratinocyte (NHEK) with exogenous protein CCN1 and found that CCN1 directly upregulated CCL20 production independent of TNF-α, IL-22 and IL-17 pathway. Lastly, the signaling pathway study showed that CCN1 enhanced the binding of AP-1 to the CCL20 promoter via crosstalk with p38 and JNK. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that CCN1 stimulates CCL20 production in vitro and in vivo, and thus supports the notion that overexpressed CCN1 in hyperproliferating keratinocyte is functionally involved in the recruitment of inflammatory cells to skin lesions affected by psoriasis.

Partial coupling delay induced multiple spatiotemporal orders in a modular neuronal network.

The influence of partial coupling delay on the spatiotemporal spiking dynamics is explored in a modular neuronal network. The modular neuronal network is composed of two subnetworks which present the small-world property and scale-free property, respectively. Numerical results show that spatiotemporal order that the modular network is most coherent in time and nearly synchronized in space can emerge intermittently when the coupling delays among neurons are appropriately tuned. The appropriately tuned delays are further detected to be integer multiples of the intrinsic spiking period of the modular neuronal network, which implies that the phenomenon of multiple spatiotemporal orders could be the result of a locking between the length of coupling delay and the intrinsic spiking period of the modular neuronal network. Moreover, the multiple spatiotemporal orders are verified to be robust against variations of the fraction of delayed connection as well as the key parameters of network architecture such as the rewiring probability, the average degree of small-world subnetwork, the initial nodes of scale-free subnetwork and the total size of the modular network.

CCN1 promotes IL-1ß production in keratinocytes by activating p38 MAPK signaling in psoriasis.

CCN1, an extracellular protein also known as cysteine-rich protein 61 (Cyr61), is a novel pro-inflammatory factor involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. As an inflammatory disease, psoriasis is characterized by keratinocyte activation-induced epidermal hyperplasia and cytokine-mediated inflammation. We demonstrated in our previous study that CCN1 promoted keratinocyte activation in psoriasis. However, the role of CCN1 in regulating inflammation in psoriasis is still unknown. Here, we showed that CCN1 increased inflammatory cytokine IL-1ß production in keratinocytes. Furthermore, endogenous ATP and caspase-1 were required for mature IL-1ß production stimulated by CCN1 in keratinocytes. After binding to the receptor of integrin α6ß1, CCN1 activated the downstream p38 MAPK signaling pathway, thus inducing the expression of IL-1ß. In addition, we inhibited CCN1 function in mouse models of psoriasis, and decreased IL-1ß production was observed in vivo. Overall, we showed that CCN1 increased IL-1ß production via p38 MAPK signaling, indicating a role for CCN1 protein in regulating inflammation in psoriasis.

Cyr61 participates in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis via promoting MMP-3 expression by fibroblast-like synoviocytes.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect and potential mechanism of Cysteine-rich 61 (Cyr61) on stimulating MMP-3 expression by fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. METHODS: Primarily cultured RA FLS were treated with exogenous Cyr61 protein or Cyr61-siRNA, then, MMP-3 expression was analyzed by real-time PCR, western blotting and ELISA. Signal transduction pathways in Cyr61-induced MMP-3 production were examined by real-time PCR, western blotting, confocal microscopy, luciferase reporter assay. Mice with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) were treated with anti-Cyr61 monoclonal antibodies (mAb), or IgG1 as control and MMP-3 in the joint was detected by IHC, real-time PCR and western blotting. RESULTS: High expressed MMP-3 and Cyr61 were positively correlated in RA ST; Cyr61 stimulated MMP-3 production in FLS of RA patients in an IL-1ß and TNF-α independent manner. Cyr61 induced MMP-3 could further enhance the invasive ability of RA FLS. Mechanistically, we found that Cyr61 promoted MMP-3 production via the P38, JNK-dependent AP-1 signaling pathway. Blockage of Cyr61 function with monoclonal antibody could decrease MMP-3 expression in the joints of CIA mice. CONCLUSION: This study provides new evidence that Cyr61 participates in RA pathogenesis not only as a pro-inflammatory factor but also plays a key role in bone erosion via promoting MMP-3 expression. We suggest that targeting of Cyr61 may represent a potential strategy in RA treatment.

Unique immunomodulatory effect of paeoniflorin on type I and II macrophages activities.

It has been widely accepted that macrophages are divided into M1 "pro-inflammatory" macrophages and M2 "anti-inflammatory" macrophages and an uncontrolled macrophage polarization plays an important role in the pathogenesis of different diseases. As the main substance of total glucosides of peony, paeoniflorin (PF), has been widely used to treat autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases for years. Mechanistically, PF has been found to alter activities of many immune cells, which could further reduce inflammation and tissue damage. However, whether and how PF affects macrophages activities in vitro remains unknown. In current study, using M1 and M2 cells generated from mouse bone marrow precursors, we explored the role of PF in regulating M1/M2 cells activity in vitro. The results showed that PF inhibited LPS-induced M1 activity by reducing iNOS expression and NO production via decreasing LPS/NF-κB signaling pathway; whereas, PF enhanced IL-4-provoked M2 function by up-regulating Arg-1 production and activity via increasing IL-4/STAT6 signaling pathway. Our new finding indicates that PF can suppress M1 cells activity and enhance M2 cells function simultaneously, which could help to ameliorate autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases in clinical treatment.

Paeoniflorin ameliorates symptoms of experimental Sjogren's syndrome associated with down-regulating Cyr61 expression.

Paeoniflorin (PF), an active compound extracted from Paeony root, has been used in therapy of autoimmune diseases with effective clinical efficiency and higher safety. Sjogren's syndrome (SS) is a chronic, systemic, immune-mediated inflammatory disease. In this study, we demonstrated that novel pro-inflammatory factor Cyr61/CCN1 was up-regulated in epithelial cells of salivary glands of primary SS patients and submandibular gland autoantigen-induced experimental SS mice. Blocking Cyr61 expression with special monoclonal antibody improved saliva secretion by ameliorating inflammatory infiltration and cytokines production in vivo. Furthermore, we showed that PF could alleviate inflammation by down-regulating Cyr61 expression in experimental SS mice. In conclusion, our new findings revealed for the first time that Cyr61 involves the pathogenesis of primary SS and PF alleviates SS-like symptoms associated with inhibiting Cyr61 expression, providing new insights into the potential molecular mechanism of PF in primary SS treatment.

CCN1, a Pro-Inflammatory Factor, Aggravates Psoriasis Skin Lesions by Promoting Keratinocyte Activation.

Psoriasis is a common chronic skin disease characterized by epidermal hyperplasia and inflammation. The pathogenesis of psoriasis is multifactorial and is not fully understood. Here we demonstrate that CCN1 (also called Cyr61, which is short for cysteine-rich 61), an extracellular matrix protein that is also considered a pro-inflammatory factor, is highly expressed in the lesional skin of psoriasis patients, as well as in that of imiquimod (IMQ)- and IL-23-treated psoriasis-like mice. Then we show that blocking CCN1 function in vivo attenuates epidermal hyperplasia and inflammation in psoriasis-like mice. Further, in primary cultured normal human keratinocytes and HaCaT (human keratinocyte cell line) cells, CCN1 promotes keratinocyte activation, including the proliferation and expression of immune-related molecules. Finally, we observe that integrin α6ß1 is the receptor of CCN1 in keratinocytes, and CCN1 stimulation activates the downstream phosphoinositide-3 kinase/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway. Taken together, our findings reveal that CCN1 has a critical role in psoriasis pathogenesis. Moreover, as CCN1 is a secreted extracellular matrix (ECM) protein, our study also provides evidence that ECM, which is involved in psoriatic pathogenesis, could be a potent target for psoriasis treatment.

Paeoniflorin selectively inhibits LPS-provoked B-cell function.

B cells are important in the development of autoimmune disorders through mechanisms involving dysregulated polyclonal B-cell activation, production of pathogenic antibodies, and targeting which reduces inflammation and tissue damage effectively but often leads to patients suffering from secondary infection. Paeoniflorin (PF) is the main substance of the Total glucosides of peony and has been widely used to treat autoimmune diseases for years. However, whether PF affects B cell activity remains unknown. In this study, using purified murine spleen B cells, we analyzed the effects of PF on B-cell function in vitro. We found that PF inhibited the expression of CD69/CD86 and the proliferation of B cells stimulated by LPS. In addition, PF reduced the B-cell differentiation and immunoglobulin production that was stimulated by LPS. Interestingly, PF did not alter B-cell activation and proliferation provoked by anti-CD40 or IL-4. These results indicated for the first time that PF inhibits B-cell activation, proliferation and differentiation by selectively blocking the LPS/TLR4 signaling pathway. Furthermore, our data suggest that PF selectively inhibits inflammation and tissue damage mediated by LPS-activated B cells but does not alter CD40/CD40L- or IL-4-provoked B-cell function in autoimmune diseases treatment, which might aid in protecting patients from secondary infection.

Cyr61 participates in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis by promoting proIL-1ß production by fibroblast-like synoviocytes through an AKT-dependent NF-κB signaling pathway.

IL-1ß plays a major role in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We previously showed that Cyr61 participates in RA pathogenesis as a proinflammatory factor. Here, we found that the levels of IL-1ß and Cyr61 were higher in RA SF than in osteoarthritis (OA) SF. IL-1ß mRNA and proIL-1ß protein levels were remarkably increased in Cyr61-stimulated FLS; however, IL-1ß was hardly detectable in the supernatant. We also found that the level of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in SF and ST was significantly increased in RA patients and that the level of IL-1ß in supernatants from Cyr61-activated FLS increased significantly when we added exogenous ATP to the culture. Mechanistically, Cyr61 induced proIL-1ß production in FLS via the AKT-dependent NF-κB signaling pathway, and ATP caused Cyr61-induced proIL-1ß to generate IL-1ß in a caspase-1-dependent manner. Our results reveal a novel role of Cyr61 in RA that involves the promotion of proIL-1ß production in FLS.

Paeoniflorin inhibits skin lesions in imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like mice by downregulating inflammation.

Psoriasis is a common chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disease. It is well known that macrophages, neutrophils and T-helper 1 (Th1)/T-helper 17 (Th17) cells play important roles in skin lesions by provoking inflammation. Paeoniflorin (PF) is the major effective component extracted from the root of Paeonia lactiflora, which has been widely used in China to treat inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, including psoriasis. Although PF shows a clinical therapeutic effect on psoriasis patients, how PF affects infiltrated immune cells in psoriasis skin lesions is still unknown. In this study, using a generated imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis-like mouse model, we found that PF ameliorates inflammation and skin lesions. Subsequent analyses showed that PF decreases the number of F4/80(+)CD68(+) macrophages and their related cytokine production (TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-12 and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS)) in the skin of IMQ-challenged mice. Moreover, PF suppresses the number of CD11b(+)Gr-1(+) neutrophils and the expression of macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2; a counterpart of human IL-8, which is responsible for the recruitment of neutrophils in mice). Finally, PF also down-regulates Th1- and Th17-related cytokine expression. Therefore, our new findings reveal that PF alleviates psoriatic skin lesions by inhibiting inflammation, which provides new insights into the immunomodulatory effect of PF in psoriasis treatment.

Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of different Tripterygium preparations on collagen-induced arthritis in rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Tripterygium preparations (TPs), a traditional Chinese Medicines extracted from Tripterygium wilfordii Hook f., are widely used for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, TPs from different Pharmaceutical factory have different efficacy and side effects for RA treatment. AIM OF THE STUDY: The purpose of the current study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of four TPs from different Pharmaceutical factory in china on the treatment of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rats and provide a theoretical and experimental basis for the individualized use of TPs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The model of wistar rats of CIA was made, and the rats were perfused a stomach with four TPs for 3 weeks continuously. Then arthritis severity was determined by visual examination of the paws and histopathologic changes of joint, liver, kidney and testis were determined by hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining. The expression of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß, TNF-α, IL-17 and IL-6) in the joint was analyzed by real-time PCR, and the count and motion parameters (sperm motility and progressive sperm) of sperm in cauda epididymis were assessed with computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) system. Routine blood tests were conducted using automated hematology analyzer, and the aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities, creatinine (Cr), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) in serum of CIA rats were measured using a UniCel DxC 880i autoanalyzer. RESULTS: All of tested TPs could reduce inflammatory score, histopathological arthritis severity and joint׳s inflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß, TNF-α, IL-17 and IL-6) expression in CIA rats, however, TP-D showed stronger inhibitory effect for inflammatory score compared with other three TPs in vivo. All of tested TPs did not show hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity and also had little effect for the concentration of hemoglobin (Hb) and the count of white blood cell (WBC). Analysis of red blood cell (RBC) number showed that TP-C and TP-D could reverse lower RBC number in untreated CIA rats to normal level. Interestingly, the results showed TPs named TP-C and TP-D could decrease platelet (PLT) number which significantly increases in untreated CIA rats. Reproductive toxicity, the main side effect of TPs, assay showed that the sperm quality (density, viability, and motility) in four of TPs-treated CIA rats were decreased significantly, consistently with spermatogenic cell density reduced. However parallel analysis showed that in four TPs-treated rats, the number of sperm, motile sperm and progressive sperm were highest in TP-D group, in contrast, were lowest in TP-C group. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggested that four TPs showed significantly therapeutic effect on ameliorating inflammation of CIA rats, with no obvious hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in vivo. TP-D showed advantages with its higher efficacy and less reproductive toxicity as well as increasing RBC number, decreasing PLT number in CIA treatment. Thus, in the development of individualized treatment plan for RA patients, TP-D might be considered preferentially.