Focused Ultrasound Treatment of Cervical Lymph Nodes in Rats with EAE: A Pilot Study

Biodegradable Electrospun PLGA Nanofibers-Encapsulated Trichinella Spiralis Antigens Protect from Relapsing Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis and Related Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis

Purpose

Trichinella spiralis has evolved complex immunomodulatory mechanisms mediated by excretory-secretory products (ESL1) that enable its survival in the host. Consequently, ESL1 antigens display excellent potential for treating autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). However, whether timely controlled delivery of ESL1 antigens in vivo, as in natural infections, could enhance its therapeutic potential for MS is still unknown.

Methods

To test this, we encapsulated ESL1 antigens into biodegradable poly (lactide-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) nanofibers by emulsion electrospinning as a delivery system and assessed their release dynamics in vitro, and in an animal MS model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), induced 7 days after PLGA/ESL1 subcutaneous implantation. PLGA/ESL1 effects on EAE symptoms were monitored along with multiple immune cell subsets in target organs at the peak and recovery of EAE. Gut barrier function and microbiota composition were analyzed using qPCR, 16S rRNA sequencing, and metabolomic analyses.

Results

ESL1 antigens, released from PLGA and drained via myeloid antigen-presenting cells through lymph nodes, protected the animals from developing EAE symptoms. These effects correlated with reduced activation of myeloid cells, increased IL-10 expression, and reduced accumulation of proinflammatory natural killer (NK) cells, T helper (Th)1 and Th17 cells in the spleen and central nervous system (CNS). Additionally, CD4+CD25hiFoxP3+ regulatory T cells and IL-10-producing B cells were expanded in PLGA/ESL1-treated animals, compared to control animals. The migration of ESL1 to the guts correlated with locally reduced inflammation and gut barrier damage. Additionally, PLGA/ESL1-treated animals displayed an unaltered microbiota characterized only by a more pronounced protective mevalonate pathway and expanded short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria, which are known to suppress inflammation.

Conclusion

The delivery of T. spiralis ESL1 antigens via biodegradable electrospun PLGA nanofiber implants efficiently protected the animals from developing EAE by inducing a beneficial immune response in the spleen, gut, and CNS. This platform provides excellent grounds for further development of novel MS therapies.

Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Reveals Transcriptional Landscape of Neutrophils and Highlights the Role of TREM-1 in EAE

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Neutrophils, underestimated in multiple sclerosis (MS), are gaining increased attention for their significant functions in patients with MS and the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) animal model. However, the precise role of neutrophils in cervical lymph nodes (CLNs), the primary CNS-draining lymph nodes where the autoimmune response is initiated during the progression of EAE, remains poorly understood.

METHODS

Applying single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), we constructed a comprehensive immune cell atlas of CLNs during development of EAE. Through this atlas, we concentrated on and uncovered the transcriptional landscape, phenotypic and functional heterogeneity of neutrophils, and their crosstalk with immune cells within CLNs in the neuroinflammatory processes in EAE.

RESULTS

Notably, we observed a substantial increase in the neutrophil population in EAE mice, with a particular emphasis on the significant rise within the CLNs. Neutrophils in CLNs were categorized into 3 subtypes, and we explored the specific roles and developmental trajectories of each distinct neutrophil subtype. Neutrophils were found to engage in extensive interactions with other immune cells, playing crucial roles in T-cell activation. Moreover, our findings highlighted the strong migratory ability of neutrophils to CLNs, partly regulated by triggering the receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (TREM-1). Inhibiting TREM1 with LR12 prevents neutrophil migration both in vivo and in vitro. In addition, in patients with MS, we confirmed an increase in peripheral neutrophils with an upregulation of TREM-1.

DISCUSSION

Our research provides a comprehensive and precise single-cell atlas of CLNs in EAE, highlighting the role of neutrophils in regulating the periphery immune response. In addition, TREM-1 emerged as an essential regulator of neutrophil migration to CLNs, holding promise as a potential therapeutic target in MS.

Emergence of the brain-border immune niches and their contribution to the development of neurodegenerative diseases

Historically, the central nervous system (CNS) was regarded as 'immune-privileged', possessing its own distinct immune cell population. This immune privilege was thought to be established by a tight blood-brain barrier (BBB) and blood-cerebrospinal-fluid barrier (BCSFB), which prevented the crossing of peripheral immune cells and their secreted factors into the CNS parenchyma. However, recent studies have revealed the presence of peripheral immune cells in proximity to various brain-border niches such as the choroid plexus, cranial bone marrow (CBM), meninges, and perivascular spaces. Furthermore, emerging evidence suggests that peripheral immune cells may be able to infiltrate the brain through these sites and play significant roles in driving neuronal cell death and pathology progression in neurodegenerative disease. Thus, in this review, we explore how the brain-border immune niches may contribute to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and multiple sclerosis (MS). We then discuss several emerging options for harnessing the neuroimmune potential of these niches to improve the prognosis and treatment of these debilitative disorders using novel insights from recent studies.

Beneficial mechanisms of dimethyl fumarate in autoimmune uveitis: insights from single-cell RNA sequencing

BACKGROUND

Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is a fumaric acid ester that exhibits immunoregulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the function of DMF in autoimmune uveitis (AU) is incompletely understood, and studies comprehensively exploring the impact of DMF on immune cells are still lacking.

METHODS

To explore the function of DMF in uveitis and its underlying mechanisms, we conducted single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) on the cervical draining lymph node (CDLN) cells of normal, experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU), and DMF-treated EAU mice. Additionally, we integrated scRNA-seq data of the retina and CDLNs to identify the potential impact of DMF on ocular immune cell infiltration. Flow cytometry was conducted to verify the potential target molecules of DMF.

RESULTS

Our study showed that DMF treatment effectively ameliorated EAU symptoms. The proportional and transcriptional alterations in each immune cell type during EAU were reversed by DMF treatment. Bioinformatics analysis in our study indicated that the enhanced expression of Pim1 and Cxcr4 in EAU was reversed by DMF treatment. Further experiments demonstrated that DMF restored the balance between effector T (Teff) /regulatory T (Treg) cells through inhibiting the pathway of PIM1-protein kinase B (AKT)-Forkhead box O1 (FOXO1). By incorporating the scRNA-seq data of the retina from EAU mice into analysis, our study identified that T cells highly expressing Pim1 and Cxcr4 were enriched in the retina. DMF repressed the ocular infiltration of Teff cells, and this effect might depend on its inhibition of PIM1 and CXCR4 expression. Additionally, our study indicated that DMF might reduce the proportion of plasma cells by inhibiting PIM1 expression in B cells.

CONCLUSIONS

DMF effectively attenuated EAU symptoms. During EAU, DMF reversed the Teff/Treg cell imbalance and suppressed the ocular infiltration of Teff cells by inhibiting PIM1 and CXCR4 expression. Thus, DMF may act as a new drug option for the treatment of AU.

Real-Time Visualization of a Focused Ultrasound Beam Using Ultrasonic Backscatter

Focused ultrasound (FUS) therapies induce therapeutic effects in localized tissues using either temperature elevations or mechanical stresses caused by an ultrasound wave. During an FUS therapy, it is crucial to continuously monitor the position of the FUS beam in order to correct for tissue motion and keep the focus within the target region. Toward the goal of achieving real-time monitoring for FUS therapies, we have developed a method for the real-time visualization of an FUS beam using ultrasonic backscatter. The intensity field of an FUS beam was reconstructed using backscatter from an FUS pulse received by an imaging array and then overlaid onto a B-mode image captured using the same imaging array. The FUS beam visualization allows one to monitor the position and extent of the FUS beam in the context of the surrounding medium. Variations in the scattering properties of the medium were corrected in the FUS beam reconstruction by normalizing based on the echogenicity of the coaligned B-mode image. On average, normalizing by echogenicity reduced the mean square error between FUS beam reconstructions in nonhomogeneous regions of a phantom and baseline homogeneous regions by 21.61. FUS beam visualizations were achieved, using a single diagnostic imaging array as both an FUS source and an imaging probe, in a tissue-mimicking phantom and a rat tumor in vivo with a frame rate of 25-30 frames/s.