Curcumin Improves Keratinocyte Proliferation, Inflammation, and Oxidative Stress through Mediating the SPAG5/FOXM1 Axis in an In Vitro Model of Actinic Dermatitis by Ultraviolet

Melt-extruded biocompatible surgical sutures loaded with microspheres designed for wound healing

Sutures are commonly used in surgical procedures and have immense potential for direct drug delivery into the wound site. However, incorporating active pharmaceutical ingredients into the sutures has always been challenging as their mechanical strength deteriorates. This study proposes a new method to produce microspheres-embedded surgical sutures that offer adequate mechanical properties for effective wound healing applications. The study used curcumin, a bioactive compound found in turmeric, as a model drug due to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-bacterial properties, which make it an ideal candidate for a surgical suture drug delivery system. Curcumin-loaded microspheres were produced using the emulsion solvent evaporation method with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as the aqueous phase. The microspheres' particle sizes, drug loading (DL) capacity, and encapsulation efficiency (EE) were investigated. Microspheres were melt-extruded with polycaprolactone and polyethylene glycol via a 3D bioplotter, followed by a drawing process to optimise the mechanical strength. The sutures' thermal, physiochemical, and mechanical properties were investigated, and the drug delivery and biocompatibility were evaluated. The results showed that increasing the aqueous phase concentration resulted in smaller particle sizes and improved DL capacity and EE. However, if PVA was used at 3% w/v or below, it prevented aggregate formation after lyophilisation, and the average particle size was found to be 34.32 ± 12.82 μm. The sutures produced with the addition of microspheres had a diameter of 0.38 ± 0.02 mm, a smooth surface, minimal tissue drag, and proper tensile strength. Furthermore, due to the encapsulated drug-polymer structure, the sutures exhibited a prolonged and sustained drug release of up to 14 d. Microsphere-loaded sutures demonstrated non-toxicity and accelerated wound healing in thein vitrostudies. We anticipate that the microsphere-loaded sutures will serve as an excellent biomedical device for facilitating wound healing.

Cardiac transcriptomic changes induced by early CKD in mice reveal novel pathways involved in the pathogenesis of Cardiorenal syndrome type 4

Background

Cardiorenal syndrome (CRS) type 4 is prevalent among the chronic kidney disease (CKD) population, with many patients dying from cardiovascular complications. However, limited data regarding cardiac transcriptional changes induced early by CKD is available.

Methods

We used a murine unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) model to evaluate renal damage, cardiac remodeling, and transcriptional regulation at 21 days post-surgery through histological analysis, RT-qPCR, RNA-seq, and bioinformatics.

Results

UUO leads to significant kidney injury, low uremia, and pathological cardiac remodeling, evidenced by increased collagen deposition and smooth muscle alpha-actin 2 expression. RNA-seq analysis identified 76 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in UUO hearts. Upregulated DEGs were significantly enriched in cell cycle and cell division pathways, immune responses, cardiac repair, inflammation, proliferation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis further revealed mitochondrial oxidative bioenergetic pathways, autophagy, and peroxisomal pathways are downregulated in UUO hearts. Vimentin was also identified as an UUO-upregulated transcript.

Conclusions

Our results emphasize the relevance of extensive transcriptional changes, mitochondrial dysfunction, homeostasis deregulation, fatty-acid metabolism alterations, and vimentin upregulation in CRS type 4 development.

Successful Treatment of Chronic Actinic Dermatitis with Tofacitinib

We present the case of a 58-year-old male patient who presented with pruritic skin plaques and papules on the scalp, face, back, and back of the hands for over a year. The symptoms worsened upon exposure to sunlight and improved on cloudy days. Despite previous attempts at treatment with glucocorticoid ointment and antihistamine drugs, the patient experienced progressive aggravation of symptoms. Physical examination revealed hypertrophic and infiltrating nodules, with significant scratches and local exudation. Skin biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of sun-induced dermatosis. The patient was initiated on tofacitinib, an oral Janus Kinase inhibitor, along with a halometasone ointment, oral ebastine tablets, and strict sun protection. Over the course of four revisits spanning four months, the patient experienced a significant improvement in symptoms, with the rash almost disappearing and pruritus subsiding. The treatment was well tolerated and no adverse effects were observed. Follow-up for six months post-treatment showed no recurrence of symptoms. This case highlights the efficacy of tofacitinib in managing sun-induced pruritic plaques and suggests it as a potential therapeutic option in similar cases.

Meconopsis quintuplinervia Regel Improves Cutibacterium acnes-Induced Inflammatory Responses in a Mouse Ear Edema Model and Suppresses Pro-Inflammatory Chemokine Production via the MAPK and NF-κB Pathways in RAW264.7 Cells

BACKGROUND

Acne vulgaris (AV) is a common adolescent skin condition which is mainly caused by Cutibacterium acnes overcolonization and subsequent inflammation.

OBJECTIVE

Our previous studies demonstrated that ethanol extracts of Meconopsis quintuplinervia Regel (EMQ) possess significant antimicrobial properties. However, their protective effects and potential mechanisms against AV remain unclear.

METHODS

In the present study, the EMQ treatment potential for AV was evaluated in a C. acnes-induced mouse ear edema model, and the EMQ anti-inflammatory mechanism was evaluated in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 macrophage cells.

RESULTS

The results showed that EMQ alleviated edema formation and inflammatory cell infiltration in an acne mouse model by suppressing inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor α expression. Moreover, EMQ inhibited the phosphorylation of MAP kinases (MAPKs) such as p38, JNK, and ERK, the phosphorylation and degradation of IκB-α and the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p65 in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest the potent anti-inflammatory activity of EMQ is possibly through the regulation of the MAPKs and NF-κB signaling pathways. Inhibition of C. acnes activity combined with a powerful anti-inflammatory effect of EMQ indicated its potential as a novel therapeutic option for AV.

Deciphering the sequential changes of monocytes/macrophages in the progression of IDD with longitudinal approach using single-cell transcriptome

Intervertebral disk degeneration (IDD) is a chronic inflammatory disease with intricate connections between immune infiltration and oxidative stress (OS). Complex cell niches exist in degenerative intervertebral disk (IVD) and interact with each other and regulate the disk homeostasis together. However, few studies have used longitudinal approach to describe the immune response of IDD progression. Here, we conducted conjoint analysis of bulk-RNA sequencing and single-cell sequencing, together with a series of techniques like weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), immune infiltration analysis, and differential analysis, to systematically decipher the difference in OS-related functions of different cell populations within degenerative IVD tissues, and further depicted the longitudinal alterations of immune cells, especially monocytes/macrophages in the progression of IDD. The OS-related genes CYP1A1, MMP1, CCND1, and NQO1 are highly expressed and might be diagnostic biomarkers for the progression of IDD. Further landscape of IVD microenvironment showed distinct changes in cell proportions and characteristics at late degeneration compared to early degeneration of IDD. Monocytes/macrophages were classified into five distinct subpopulations with different roles. The trajectory lineage analysis revealed transcriptome alterations from effector monocytes/macrophages and regulatory macrophages to other subtypes during the evolution process and identified monocytes/macrophage subpopulations that had rapidly experienced the activation of inflammatory or anti-inflammatory responses. This study further proposed that personalized therapeutic strategies are needed to be formulated based on specific monocyte/macrophage subtypes and degenerative stages of IDD.