Hedgehog and WNT Signaling Hubs in Tracheal Morphogenesis

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) inhibitor AMSP-30 m attenuates CCl4-induced liver fibrosis in mice by inhibiting the sonic hedgehog pathway

Liver fibrosis is a passive and irreversible wound healing process caused by chronic liver injury. Research has shown that the upregulation of hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) is closely related to the occurrence and development of liver fibrosis and HIF-1 α may be a promising target for the treatment of liver fibrosis. AMSP-30 m is a newly developed novel HIF-1α inhibitor by our group, which has strong anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we described the therapeutic effect and specific mechanism of AMSP-30 m on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced liver fibrosis in mice. Liver fibrosis induced by CCl4 in mice and liver fibrosis induced by cobalt dichloride (CoCl2) in LX-2 cells (human hepatic stellate cell (HSC) line) were studied. Hematoxylin & eosin (H&E)and Masson's trichrome staining were used to observe pathological conditions. Western Blot, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry were used to detect protein expression and localization in cells, and quantitative real-time PCR analysis (qRT-PCR) was used to detect mRNA expression. Biochemical detection kits were used to detect alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels. The results demonstrated that AMSP-30 m significantly alleviated pathological symptoms, reduced ALT and AST levels, and inhibited the expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and collagen type I (COL1α1) in CCl4-induced liver fibrosis in mice. AMSP-30 m could significantly reduce the expression of HIF-1α and sonic hedgehog (Shh) pathway related proteins (Smoothened (Smo), Shh, and glioma-associated oncogene-1 (Gli-1)) in CCl4 induced liver fibrosis mice. AMSP-30 m also played a similar role in the CoCl2-induced anoxic liver fibrosis model of LX-2 cells. Further experiments showed that Cyclopamine (a Shh inhibitor) could significantly inhibit the increase of α-SMA and COL1α1 resulting from HIF-1α but not significantly inhibit HIF-1α induced by CoCl2 in LX-2 cells. And the combination of Cyclopamine and AMSP-30 m further reduced the expression of α-SMA and COL1α1 induced by HIF-1α. In summary, this study demonstrates that the HIF-1α inhibitor AMSP-30 m exerts a robust anti-fibrotic effect by inhibiting the Shh pathway, which is identified as a critical underlying mechanism. These findings suggest a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of liver fibrosis.

Wnt signaling pathways in biology and disease: mechanisms and therapeutic advances

The Wnt signaling pathway is critically involved in orchestrating cellular functions such as proliferation, migration, survival, and cell fate determination during development. Given its pivotal role in cellular communication, aberrant Wnt signaling has been extensively linked to the pathogenesis of various diseases. This review offers an in-depth analysis of the Wnt pathway, detailing its signal transduction mechanisms and principal components. Furthermore, the complex network of interactions between Wnt cascades and other key signaling pathways, such as Notch, Hedgehog, TGF-β, FGF, and NF-κB, is explored. Genetic mutations affecting the Wnt pathway play a pivotal role in disease progression, with particular emphasis on Wnt signaling's involvement in cancer stem cell biology and the tumor microenvironment. Additionally, this review underscores the diverse mechanisms through which Wnt signaling contributes to diseases such as cardiovascular conditions, neurodegenerative disorders, metabolic syndromes, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. Finally, a comprehensive overview of the therapeutic progress targeting Wnt signaling was given, and the latest progress in disease treatment targeting key components of the Wnt signaling pathway was summarized in detail, including Wnt ligands/receptors, β-catenin destruction complexes, and β-catenin/TCF transcription complexes. The development of small molecule inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, and combination therapy strategies was emphasized, while the current potential therapeutic challenges were summarized. This aims to enhance the current understanding of this key pathway.

The emerging role of intestinal stem cells in ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic idiopathic inflammatory disease affecting the colon and rectum. Characterized by recurrent attacks, UC is often resistant to traditional anti-inflammatory therapies, imposing significant physiological, psychological, and economic burdens on patients. In light of these challenges, innovative targeted therapies have become a new expectation for patients with UC. A crucial pathological feature of UC is the impairment of the intestinal mucosal barrier, which underlies aberrant immune responses and inflammation. Intestinal stem cells (ISCs), which differentiate into intestinal epithelial cells, play a central role in maintaining this barrier. Growing studies have proved that regulating the regeneration and differentiation of ISC is a promising approach to treating UC. Despite this progress, there is a dearth of comprehensive articles describing the role of ISCs in UC. This review focuses on the importance of ISCs in maintaining the intestinal mucosal barrier in UC and discusses the latest findings on ISC functions, markers, and their regulatory mechanisms. Key pathways involved in ISC regulation, including the Wnt, Notch, Hedgehog (HH), Hippo/Yap, and autophagy pathways, are explored in detail. Additionally, this review examines recent advances in ISC-targeted therapies for UC, such as natural or synthetic compounds, microbial preparations, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) extracts and compounds, and transplantation therapy. This review aims to offer novel therapeutic insights and strategies for patients who have long struggled with UC.

Research on drug treatment and the novel signaling pathway of chronic atrophic gastritis

BACKGROUND

Chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) is a global digestive system disease and one of the important causes of gastric cancer. The incidence of CAG has been increasing yearly worldwide.

PURPOSE

This article reviews the latest research on the common causes and future therapeutic targets of CAG as well as the pharmacological effects of corresponding clinical drugs. We provide a detailed theoretical basis for further research on possible methods for the treatment of CAG and reversal of the CAG process.

RESULTS

CAG often develops from chronic gastritis, and its main pathological manifestation is atrophy of the gastric mucosa, which can develop into gastric cancer. The drug treatment of CAG can be divided into agents that regulate gastric acid secretion, eradicate Helicobacter. pylori (H. pylori), protect gastric mucous membrane, or inhibit inflammatory factors according to their mechanism of action. Although there are limited specific drugs for the treatment of CAG, progress is being made in defining the pathogenesis and therapeutic targets of the disease. Growing evidence shows that NF-κB, PI3K/AKT, Wnt/ β-catenin, MAPK, Toll-like receptors (TLRs), Hedgehog, and VEGF signaling pathways play an important role in the development of CAG.

Radiological-pathological signatures of patients with COVID-19-related pneumomediastinum: is there a role for the Sonic hedgehog and Wnt5a pathways?

Pneumomediastinum is a rare complication of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), when air leaks into the mediastinum. An increased pneumomediastinum incidence, of up to 5–13%, was reported during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic [1, 2] and even occurred spontaneously without a history of mechanical ventilation [3], similarly to the previous severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-1 [4]. Almost half of the 30 consecutive COVID-19 patients who had prolonged invasive mechanical ventilation had full-thickness tracheal lesions and pneumomediastinum [5]. Although pronation and high positive end-expiratory pressure levels were presumed to be the putative causes of pneumomediastinum [5], the mechanism of this COVID-19 complication remains unknown. We hypothesise that sonic hedgehog (SHH) and Wnt5a signalling, crucial pathways in tracheal morphogenesis, and repair/regeneration of cartilage lesions in adulthood [6, 7], could play a role in pneumomediastinum-related COVID-19 tracheal lesions.

Pneumomediastinum is a rare complication of ARDS but is more common during #COVID19. The fibrous hyaline degeneration of the tracheal rings seen in this autoptic series is an original observation that has not been previously described in COVID-19 patients.https://bit.ly/3vxTQde