Adenosine deaminase and cytokines associated with infectious diseases as risk factors for inflammatory arthritis and methotrexate as a potential prophylactic agent

Rosmarinic acid in Perilla frutescens L. as a potential adenosine deaminase inhibitor: Preparation, machine learning validation and binding mechanism study

Gout, a prevalent arthritic disease, can be mitigated by adenosine deaminase (ADA) inhibitors that reduce uric acid production. In this study, the extraction process of rosmarinic acid (RA) from Perilla frutescens L. (P. frutescens) was optimized, and the best yield was 2.22 mg/g. Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model was used to predict ADA inhibitors (ADAIs) in potential foods. The random forest model constructed by ChemoPy descriptor was the best (AUC = 0.9648), and five candidate compounds (including RA) were screened. The inhibitory activity of RA on ADA was confirmed in vitro (IC50 = 55.11 μM). Molecular docking showed that ADAIs and ADA were stably bound through hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation verified the dynamic stability of ADAIs and ADA complexes. This study provides a theoretical basis for RA from P. frutescens extract as a potential compound for the treatment of gout and for the rapid screening of foodborne ADAIs.

Insight into adenosine pathway in psoriasis: Elucidating its role and the potential therapeutical applications

Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin disease, that can manifest as different phenotypes, however its most common form is psoriasis vulgaris (plaque psoriasis), characterized by abnormal keratinocyte proliferation, leading to characteristic histopathological signs of acanthosis, hyperkeratosis and parakeratosis. For many years, there has been a debate regarding whether keratinocyte dysfunction leads to immune system dysregulation in psoriasis or vice versa. It is now understood that epidermal hyperplasia results from immune system activation. Besides epidermal hyperplasia, psoriatic skin shows leukocyte infiltration, evident angiogenesis in the papillary dermis, characterized by tortuous, dilated capillaries, as well as oedema. There is substantial early evidence that adenosine is a key mediator of the immune response; it derives from ATP hydrolysis and accumulates into tissue in response to systemic and local stress conditions, hypoxia, metabolic stress, inflammation. Adenosine controls several cell functions by signalling through its 4 receptor subtypes, A1, A2A, A2B and A3. Evidence suggests that adenosine may play a role in psoriasis pathogenesis by controlling several immune cell functions, keratinocyte proliferation, neo-angiogenesis. Expression of adenosine receptor varies in psoriatic skin, and this can significantly impact on tissue homeostasis. Indeed, an altered adenosine receptor profile may contribute to the dysregulation observed in psoriasis, affecting immune responses and inflammatory pathways. Here, we discuss the role of adenosine in regulating the functions of the main cell populations implied in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Furthermore, we give evidence for adenosine signalling pathway as target for therapeutic intervention in psoriasis.

Qasim M. Study of some genetic and molecular markers for some rheumatoid arthritis patients in Iraq

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder, and genetic factors strongly contribute to a genetic predisposition to developing the disease. This study evaluated the genetic and molecular indicators of some Iraqi patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The study included (100) patients with rheumatoid arthritis with (100) healthy individuals who attended Al-Hussain General Teaching Hospital, Department of Arthritis and Joints Centre, al Blood Bank in Baghdad for the period from the beginning of January 2022 until the end of March 2022. The patients were diagnosed under the supervision of medical committees specialized in joint diseases. The human leukocyte antigen is one of the essential genetic factors in regulating the immune response, as these antigens contribute to the susceptibility to disease. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II (Class-II- HLA-DR, -DQ) was genotyped using lymphocytotoxicity assay and PCR-SSP method. The results showed that there was a significant increase in the recurrence of human leukocyte antigens (DR4 R53) in rheumatoid arthritis patients compared to the healthy ones, as well as an increase in the recurrence of human leukocyte antigens (HLA-DQ3) with a significant difference in rheumatoid arthritis patients compared to the healthy ones. Regarding HLA-DRB1 and -DQB1 alleles, it was found that there was a significant increase in the frequency of HLA-DRB1*04 (01-22, not 0415) compared to healthy controls, while the percentage of HLA-DRB1*0701 alleles was less frequent in patients compared to healthy controls. Moreover, the frequency of HLADQB1*03(02,07) alleles was high in the patients compared to the healthy ones, while HLA-DQB1*0303 showed a highly significant difference in the healthy group compared to the patients. Keywords: Rheumatoid arthritis, genetic factors, HLA-DRB1, -DQB1 alleles, PCR.

Treatment of shallow and deep white spot lesions with three different mouthwashes evaluated by laser fluorescence (an in vitro study)

This research aims to find how three different types of mouthwashes affect the depth of artificial white spot lesions. Teeth with various depths of white spot lesions were immersed in either splat mouthwash, Biorepair mouthwash, Sensodyne mouthwash, or artificial saliva (control)twice daily for one minute for 4 weeks and 8 weeks at 37°C. After this immersion procedure, lesion depth was measured using a diagnosed pen score. A one-way analysis of variance, Dunnett T3 and Tukey's post hoc α = .05 were used to analyze the testing data. Splat mouthwash enhanced the WSL remineralization and made the lowest ΔF compared with other mouthwashes in shallow and deep enamel after 4 and 8 weeks of treatment. In the repair groups, after 4 weeks of treatment, significant recovery was observed in shallow enamel. Further improvement in shallow WSL after 8 weeks of treatment with biorepair mouthwash was observed compared to Sensodyne and the control group. Splat mouthwash is more effective than other mouthwashes in remineralizing two depths of WSLs at different time points. Keywords: DIAGNOdent pen, Shallow enamel, Deep enamel, white spot lesion.

Biosensors; noninvasive method in detection of C-reactive protein (CRP)

Early diagnosis of C reactive protein (CRP) is critical to applying effective therapies for related diseases. Diagnostic technology in today's healthcare systems is mostly deployed in central laboratories, involves expensive and time-consuming processes, and is operated by specialized personnel. For example, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), considered the gold standard diagnostic method, is labor-intensive and requires complex procedures such as multiple washing and labeling steps. Due to these limitations of current diagnostic techniques, it is difficult for people to regularly monitor their health and ultimately the disease is more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage. The problem is exacerbated for economically disadvantaged people living in underdeveloped countries. To address these challenges in the traditional diagnostic field, point-of-care (POC) biosensors have emerged as a promising alternative. This allows patients to have their health checked regularly at or near their bedside without resorting to laboratory tests. Nanotechnology-based methods such as biosensors have been extensively researched and developed. Among biosensors, there are also label-free biosensors with high sensitivity that do not require complicated procedures and reduce test time. However, some drawbacks such as high cost, bulky size and need for trained personnel to operate have not been improved. In this review article, we provide an overview of routine methods in CRP diagnosis and then introduce biosensors as a modern, advanced alternative to older methods. Readers of this article can learn about biosensing and its benefits while being aware of the limitations of routine methods.

Systems biology approach delineates critical pathways associated with disease progression in rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease leading to inflammation, cartilage cell death, synoviocyte proliferation, and increased and impaired differentiation of osteoclasts and osteoblasts leading to joint erosions and deformities. Transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics datasets were analyzed to identify the critical pathways that drive the RA pathophysiology. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with RA were analyzed for the functional implications, clinical outcomes, and blood parameters later validated by literature. SNPs associated with RA were grouped into pathways that drive the immune response and cytokine production. Further gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed on gene expression omnibus (GEO) data sets of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), synovial macrophages, and synovial biopsies from RA patients showed enrichment of Th1, Th2, Th17 differentiation, viral and bacterial infections, metabolic signalling and immunological pathways with potential implications for RA. The proteomics data analysis presented pathways with genes involved in immunological signaling and metabolic pathways, including vitamin B12 and folate metabolism. Metabolomics datasets analysis showed significant pathways like amino-acyl tRNA biosynthesis, metabolism of amino acids (arginine, alanine aspartate, glutamate, glutamine, phenylalanine, and tryptophan), and nucleotide metabolism. Furthermore, our commonality analysis of multi-omics datasets identified common pathways with potential implications for joint remodeling in RA. Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and biologics treatments were found to modulate many of the pathways that were deregulated in RA. Overall, our analysis identified molecular signatures associated with the observed symptoms, joint erosions, potential biomarkers, and therapeutic targets in RA. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.