Mitigation of Obesity-Related Systemic Low-Grade Inflammation and Gut Microbial Dysbiosis in Mice with Nanosilver Supplement

Relationship between preoperative body mass index and overall mortality in patients who have undergone lobectomy for lung cancer

AIMS

Preoperative body mass index (BMI) has been shown to be an important prognostic factor after lobectomy in patients with lung cancer. However, few studies have investigated the relationship between preoperative BMI and overall mortality in these patients. In this study, we aimed to identify the range of BMI that heralds a favorable prognosis in patients who have undergone lobectomy for lung cancer.

METHODS

The association between BMI and overall survival was examined using primary data from an affiliated hospital database and fitted adjusted Cox regression models. The restricted cubic spline (RCS) method was used to report the relationship between preoperative BMI and overall mortality. Fully adjusted models were stratified by and adjusted for sex, age, disease stage, respiratory function, and adjuvant chemotherapy.

RESULTS

Of 3307 patients identified to have undergone radical resection of lung cancer between November 2009 and July 2019, 2365 underwent lobectomy and 558 died. BMI had a J-shaped association with overall mortality; we estimated that the overall mortality risk reached a nadir at BMI values of 23.2-29.4, with an inverse association below 23.2 (hazard ratio 0.104 per 5-unit decrease; 95% confidence interval 0.089-0.119), a positive association above 29.4 (hazard ratio 0.022 per 5-unit increase; 95% confidence interval 0.004-0.040), and the lowest mortality at 25.7.

CONCLUSION

Preoperative BMI is an important prognostic factor after lobectomy in patients with lung cancer. A BMI of 23.2-29.4 has a prognostic benefit.

Anthocyanins from Opuntia ficus-indica Modulate Gut Microbiota Composition and Improve Short-Chain Fatty Acid Production

Opuntia ficus-indica is rich in a variety of active substances, such as anthocyanins, flavonoids, and polysaccharides. Some studies have shown that anthocyanins extracted from natural plants can regulate intestinal flora. The fruit was used as raw material, and anthocyanins were extracted from it. In vivo experiments were used to study the effect of Opuntia ficus-indica anthocyanins on the mouse intestine by 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing (NovaSeq 6000 platform) and gas chromatography (hydrogen flame ionization detector (FID)) methods. Microbiota and effects of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). The results showed that after feeding anthocyanins, the diversity of intestinal microorganisms in mice was significantly increased (p < 0.05), the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B value) was significantly decreased (p < 0.05), the relative abundances of beneficial bacteria Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Prevotella, and Akkermansia in the intestinal tract of mice were significantly increased (p < 0.05), and the relative abundance of pathogenic bacteria Escherichia-Shigella and Desulfovibrio decreased significantly (p < 0.05). Furthermore, anthocyanins significantly increased the content of short-chain fatty acids in the cecum of mice, among which the content of acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid increased the most. Opuntia ficus-indica anthocyanins can change the microbial diversity and flora composition of the mouse gut and promote the production of short-chain fatty acids. The findings provide a theoretical basis for the use of Opuntia ficus-indica anthocyanins as dietary supplements to regulate human intestinal flora.

Inosine Pretreatment Attenuates LPS-Induced Lung Injury through Regulating the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB Signaling Pathway In Vivo

Inosine is a type of purine nucleoside, which is considered to a physiological energy source, and exerts a widely range of anti-inflammatory efficacy. The TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway is essential for preventing host oxidative stresses and inflammation, and represents a promising target for host-directed strategies to improve some forms of disease-related inflammation. In the present study, the results showed that inosine pre-intervention significantly suppressed the pulmonary elevation of pro-inflammatory cytokines (including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β)), malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and restored the pulmonary catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activities (p < 0.05) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated mice. Simultaneously, inosine pre-intervention shifted the composition of the intestinal microbiota by decreasing the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes, elevating the relative abundance of Tenericutes and Deferribacteres. Moreover, inosine pretreatment affected the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway in the pulmonary inflammatory response, and then regulated the expression of pulmonary iNOS, COX2, Nrf2, HO-1, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 levels. These findings suggest that oral administration of inosine pretreatment attenuates LPS-induced pulmonary inflammatory response by regulating the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway, and ameliorates intestinal microbiota disorder.

Probiotics Interact With Lipids Metabolism and Affect Gut Health

Probiotics have attracted much attention due to their ability to modulate host intestinal microbe, participate in nutrient metabolism or immunomodulatory. Both inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and bowel cancer are digestive system disease, which have become a global public health problem due to their unclear etiology, difficult to cure, and repeated attacks. Disturbed gut microbiota and abnormal lipid metabolism would increase the risk of intestinal inflammation. However, the link between lipid metabolism, probiotics, and IBD is unclear. In this review, we found that different lipids and their derivatives have different effects on IBD and gut microbes. ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) docosahexaenoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, and their derivatives resolvin E1, resolvin D can inhibit oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species activate NFκB and MAPk pathway. While ω-6 PUFAs linoleic acid and arachidonic acid can be derived into leukotrienes and prostaglandins, which will aggravate IBD. Cholesterol can be converted into bile acids to promote lipid absorption and affect microbial survival and colonization. At the same time, it is affected by microbial bile salt hydrolase to regulate blood lipids. Low denstiy lipoprotein (LDL) is easily converted into oxidized LDL, thereby promoting inflammation, while high denstiy lipoprotein (HDL) has the opposite effect. Probiotics compete with intestinal microorganisms for nutrients or ecological sites and thus affect the structure of intestinal microbiota. Moreover, microbial short chain fatty acids, bile salt hydrolase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione, etc. can affect lipid metabolism and IBD. In conclusion, probiotics are directly or indirectly involved in lipids metabolism and their impact on IBD, which provides the possibility to explore the role of probiotics in improving gut health.