Targeting Nrf2 with 3 H-1,2-dithiole-3-thione to moderate OXPHOS-driven oxidative stress attenuates IL-17A-induced psoriasis.

Psoriasis, a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by the hyperproliferation of keratinocytes in the epidermis and parakeratosis, significantly impacts quality of life. Interleukin (IL)- 17A dominates the pathogenesis of psoriasis and facilitates reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, which exacerbates local psoriatic lesions. Biologic treatment provides remarkable clinical efficacy, but its high cost and unignorable side effects limit its applications. 3 H-1,2-Dithiole-3-thione (D3T) possesses compelling antioxidative capacities against several diseases through the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) cascade. Hence, we aimed to evaluate the effect and mechanism of D3T in psoriasis. We found that D3T attenuates skin thickening and scaling by inhibiting IL-17A-secreting γδT cells in imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriatic mice. Interleukin-17A markedly enhanced IL-6 and IL-8 expression, lipid peroxidation, the contents of nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide, oxidative phosphorylation and the MAPK/NF-κB pathways in keratinocytes. IL-17A also inhibited the Nrf2-NQO1-HO-1 axis and the activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase. D3T significantly reversed these parameters in IL-17A-treated keratinocytes. ML-385, a Nrf2 neutralizer, failed to improve D3T-induced anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects in IL-17A-treated keratinocytes. We conclude that targeting Nrf2 with D3T to diminish oxidative and inflammatory damage in keratinocytes may attenuate psoriasis.

Facile and Green Production of Human Milk Fat Substitute through Rhodococcus opacus Fermentation.

Human milk fat substitute (HMFS) is a class of structured lipids widely used in infant formulas. Herein, HMFS was prepared by Rhodococcus opacus fermentation. The substrate oils suitable for HMFS production were coconut oil (66.1-57.5%), soybean oil (17.5-26.5%), high oleic acid sunflower oil (5.4-4.5%), Antarctic krill oil (9-9.5%), and fungal oil (2%). Six HMFSs were prepared, among which HMFS V and VI were similar to human milk fat from Chinese in terms of fatty acid composition and triacylglycerol species. The sn-2 position of HMFS was occupied by palmitic acid (49.31 and 43.48% in HMFS V and VI, respectively). The major triacylglycerols were OPL, OPO, and LPL, accounting for 15.90, 9.49, and 6.84 and 17.52, 8.44, and 8.55% in HMFS V and VI, respectively. This study is the first to prepare structured lipids intended for infant formula through fermentation, providing a novel strategy for the edible oil industry.

Carbon source modify lipids composition of Rhodococcus opacus intended for infant formula.

Human milk fat substitutes (HMFSs) are the structured lipids intended for infant formula. It provides energy and essential fatty acid for infant. HMFSs are mainly prepared by enzymatic method. In this study, we aim to explore the potential for producing HMFSs by fermentation using R. opacus. The results indicated that different compounds with chain length from 12 to 18, used as carbon source, could be incorporated into triacylglycerols directly. Polyunsaturated fatty acids in term of ARA, EPA, DHA could enter the kennedy pathway directly and involved in the biosynthesis of triacylglycerols. GC, UPLC-MS and 13C-NMR analysis demonstrated that typical structured lipids ß-OPL (40.09%) was synthesized in R. opacus. Transcriptome analysis revealed that ß-oxidation, fatty acid elongation and kennedy pathways existed in R. opacus. It was concluded that fatty acid supplied as carbon source could enter the kennedy pathways directly or via the de novo fatty acid biosynthesis pathway depending on the chain length, thus, affect the triacylglycerol species formed in the Rhodococcus opacus.

Using 1-propanol to significantly enhance the production of valuable odd-chain fatty acids by Rhodococcus opacus PD630.

Odd-chain fatty acids (OCFAs) have been reported to possess pharmacological activity and have been used in the manufacture of agricultural and industrial chemicals. We here provided a new method to increase the OCFAs content in oil produced by Rhodococcus opacus PD630 through addition of 1-propanol to the fermentation media. The OCFAs in oil of R. opacus PD630 are primarily pentadecanoic acid (C15:0), heptadecanoic acid (C17:0) and heptadecenoic acid (C17:1). After adding 0.5-1.5% (v/v) 1-propanol, the production of oil increased from 1.27 g/L to 1.31-1.61 g/L, and the OCFAs content in oil increased by 46.7-55.1%. Metabolic intermediates determination and transcriptome analysis revealed that R. opacus assimilated 1-propanol through methylmalonyl-CoA pathway. When the nitrogen source was limited, propionyl-CoA was converted to propionyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) which could be used as primer during the elongation of fatty acid synthesis. Then OCFAs were produced when odd number of propionyl-ACP was incorporated in the cycles of fatty acid synthesis.

Prominent Vascularization Capacity of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Collagen-Gold Nanocomposites.

The ideal characteristics of surface modification on the vascular graft for clinical application would be with excellent hemocompatibility, endothelialization capacity, and antirestenosis ability. Here, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), contact angle (θ) measurement, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to evaluate the chemical and mechanical properties of collagen-gold nanocomposites (collagen+Au) with 17.4, 43.5, and 174 ppm of Au and suggested that the collagen+Au with 43.5 ppm of Au had better biomechanical properties and thermal stability than pure collagen. Besides, stromal-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α) at 50 ng/mL promoted the migration of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on collagen+Au material through the α5ß3 integrin/endothelial oxide synthase (eNOS)/metalloproteinase (MMP) signaling pathway which can be abolished by the knockdown of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The potentiality of collagen+Au with MSCs for vascular regeneration was evaluated by our in vivo rat model system. Artery tissues isolated from an implanted collagen+Au-coated catheter with MSCs expressed substantial CD-31 and α-SMA, displayed higher antifibrotic ability, antithrombotic activity, as well as anti-inflammatory response than all other materials. Our results indicated that the implantation of collagen+Au-coated catheters with MSCs could be a promising strategy for vascular regeneration.

In vitro study of a novel nanogold-collagen composite to enhance the mesenchymal stem cell behavior for vascular regeneration.

Novel nanocomposites based on type I collagen (Col) containing a small amount (17.4, 43.5, and 174 ppm) of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs, approximately 5 nm) were prepared in this study. The pure Col and Col-AuNP composites (Col-Au) were characterized by the UV-Vis spectroscopy (UV-Vis), surface-enhanced raman spectroscopy (SERS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The interaction between Col and AuNPs was confirmed by infrared (IR) spectra. The effect of AuNPs on the biocompatibility of Col, evaluated by the proliferation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as well as the activation of monocytes and platelets, was investigated. Results showed that Col-Au had better biocompatibility than Col. Upon stimulation by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and stromal derived factor-1α (SDF-1α), MSCs expressed the highest levels of αvß3 integrin/CXCR4, focal adhesion kinase (FAK), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), and Akt/endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) proteins when grown on the Col-Au (43.5 ppm) nanocomposite. Taken together, Col-Au nanocomposites may promote the proliferation and migration of MSCs and stimulate the endothelial cell differentiation. These results suggest that Col-Au may be used to construct tissue engineering scaffolds for vascular regeneration.

Regulation of human endothelial progenitor cell maturation by polyurethane nanocomposites.

The mobilization and homing of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are critical to the development of an antithrombotic cardiovascular prosthesis. Polyurethane (PU) with superior elasticity may provide a mechanical environment resembling that of the natural vascular tissues. The topographical cues of PU were maximized by making nanocomposites with a small amount of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The nanocomposites of PU-AuNPs ("PU-Au") with a favorable response of endothelial cells were previously established. In the current study, the effect of PU and PU-Au nanocomposites on the behavior of human peripheral blood EPCs was investigated in vitro and in vivo. It was found that PU-Au promoted EPCs to become differentiated endothelial cells in vitro, confirmed by the increased expressions of CD31 and VEGF-R2 surface markers. The increased maturation of EPCs was significantly more remarkable on PU-Au, probably through the stromal derived factor 1α (SDF-1α)/CXCR4 signaling pathway. In vivo experiments showed that EPCs seeded on PU-Au coated catheters effectively reduced thrombosis by differentiation into endothelial cells. Surface endothelialization with CD31 and CD34 expression as well as intimal formation with α-SMA expression was significantly accelerated in the group receiving EPC-seeded PU-Au catheters. Moreover, the analysis of collagen deposition revealed a reduction of fibrosis in the group receiving EPC-seeded PU-Au catheters as compared to the other groups. These results suggest that EPCs engineered with a proper elastic substrate may provide unique endothelialization and antithrombogenic properties that benefit vascular tissue regeneration.

Biocompatibility and favorable response of mesenchymal stem cells on fibronectin-gold nanocomposites.

A simple surface modification method, comprising of a thin coating with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and fibronectin (FN), was developed to improve the biocompatibility required for cardiovascular devices. The nanocomposites from FN and AuNPs (FN-Au) were characterized by the atomic force microscopy (AFM), UV-Vis spectrophotometry (UV-Vis), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The biocompatibility of the nanocomposites was evaluated by the response of monocytes and platelets to the material surface in vitro. FN-Au coated surfaces demonstrated low monocyte activation and platelet activation. The behavior of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on FN-Au was further investigated. MSCs on FN-Au nanocomposites particularly that containing 43.5 ppm of AuNPs (FN-Au 43.5 ppm) showed cell proliferation, low ROS generation, as well as increases in the protein expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), which may account for the enhanced MSC migration on the nanocomposites. These results suggest that the FN-Au nanocomposite thin film coating may serve as a potential and simple solution for the surface modification of blood-contacting devices such as vascular grafts.

Mediation of the migration of endothelial cells and fibroblasts on polyurethane nanocomposites by the activation of integrin-focal adhesion kinase signaling.

Model surfaces of polyurethane-gold nanocomposites (PU-Au) were used to examine cell behavior on nanophase-segregated materials. Previously we showed that endothelial cell (EC) migration on these materials was modulated by the PI3K/Akt/eNOS pathway. The present study, investigated the expressions of alpha5/beta3 (α5ß3) integrin, focal adhesion kinase (FAK), and other downstream signal molecules such as the Rho family and matrix metalloproteinases 2 (MMP-2) induced by the materials in two different cells, that is bovine arterial endothelial cells (BAEC) and human skin fibroblasts (HSF). Both cells proliferated better on the more phase-separated PU-Au 43.5 ppm than on the less phase-separated controls (PU and PU-Au 174 ppm). On PU-Au 43.5 ppm, BAEC compared to HSF had denser actin fibers and were more extended. BAEC became rounded with Y-27632 treatment and shrunk with LY294002 treatment. Treatment by inhibitors only caused slight changes in HSF. The migration distance of BAEC on PU-Au 43.5 ppm was greater than that of HSF, and was significantly reduced by LY294002 or Y-27632 but not SU-1498. The expressions of p-FAK, p-RhoA, p-Rac/Cdc42, MMP2, and α5ß3 integrin induced by PU-Au 43.5 ppm were more pronounced in BAEC versus HSF. Further enhancement in MMP2 and α5ß3 integrin expressions by FAK-GFP transfection was more remarkable for cells on PU-Au 43.5 ppm. Our findings suggested that the integrin α5ß3/FAK pathway may be induced by nanophase-separated materials in both ECs and fibroblasts to promote their proliferation/migration, while the crosstalk between the PI3K/Akt/eNOS pathway and FAK/Rho-GTPase activation may account for the greater effect in ECs than in fibroblasts.