S-1-propenylcysteine improves TNF-α-induced vascular endothelial barrier dysfunction by suppressing the GEF-H1/RhoA/Rac pathway

Anti?atherosclerotic effect of aged garlic extract: Mode of action and therapeutic benefits (Review)

Atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by plaque buildup within the arteries that obstructs blood flow and significantly increases the morbidity and mortality rates associated with cardiovascular diseases caused by impaired blood flow due to vascular stenosis or occlusion, such as angina and myocardial infarction. The development of atherosclerosis involves a complex interplay of endothelial dysfunction, accumulation of oxidized low-density lipoprotein and macrophage-driven inflammation. The risk factors for atherosclerosis include chronic inflammation, hyperlipidemia and hypertension. Effective management of these risk factors can prevent and delay the onset and progression of atherosclerosis. Garlic and its processed preparations have previously been utilized to mitigate cardiovascular risk factors and continue to be used in traditional medicine in several countries. Among these preparations, aged garlic extract (AGE) has been shown to improve atherosclerosis in clinical trials and animal studies. AGE contains various compounds with potential anti-atherosclerotic properties, such as S-1-propenylcysteine, S-allylcysteine and other sulfur-containing constituents, which may help prevent the development and progression of atherosclerosis. The present manuscript reviewed and discussed the anti-atherogenic effect of AGE and its constituents by highlighting their mode of action and potential benefits for prevention and therapy in the management of atherosclerosis.

Therapeutic potential of AAV2-shmTOR gene therapy in reducing retinal inflammation and preserving endothelial Integrity in age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a prevalent retinal disorder that leads to central vision loss, mainly due to chronic inflammation. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) is a critical mediator of inflammatory responses within the retinal environment. This study has investigated TNF-α's influence on inflammatory cytokine production and endothelial barrier integrity in human microglial (HMC3) and endothelial (HUVEC) cells. We found that TNF-α significantly elevated the expression and secretion of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in HMC3 cells and disrupted endothelial tight junctions in HUVECs, as evidenced by weakened ZO-1 staining and compromised barrier function. To mitigate these effects and further investigate the in vitro mechanism of actions in CRG-01's in vivo therapeutic efficacy of anti-inflammation, we employed AAV2-shmTOR, CRG-01, as the candidate for therapeutic vector targeting the mammalian target of the rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. TNF-α-induced IL-6, IL-1β, and NF-κB signaling in HMC3 cells were significantly reduced by AAV2-shmTOR treatment, which may present a promising avenue for the fight against AMD. It also effectively preserved endothelial tight junction integrity in TNF-α-treated HUVECs, providing reassurance about its effectiveness. Furthermore, the supernatant medium collected from AAV2-shmTOR-treated HMC3 cells decreased oxidative stress, protein oxidation, and cytotoxicity in ARPE retinal pigment epithelial cells. These results strongly suggested that CRG-01, the candidate therapeutic vector of AAV2-shmTOR, may have a therapeutic potential to treat AMD-related retinal inflammation.

Loss of tricellular tight junction tricellulin leads to hyposalivation in Sjögren's syndrome

Tricellulin, a key tricellular tight junction (TJ) protein, is essential for maintaining the barrier integrity of acinar epithelia against macromolecular passage in salivary glands. This study aims to explore the role and regulatory mechanism of tricellulin in the development of salivary gland hypofunction in Sjögren's syndrome (SS). Employing a multifaceted approach involving patient biopsies, non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice as a SS model, salivary gland acinar cell-specific tricellulin conditional knockout (TricCKO) mice, and IFN-γ-stimulated salivary gland epithelial cells, we investigated the role of tricellulin in SS-related hyposalivation. Our data revealed diminished levels of tricellulin in salivary glands of SS patients. Similarly, NOD mice displayed a reduction in tricellulin expression from the onset of the disease, concomitant with hyposecretion and an increase in salivary albumin content. Consistent with these findings, TricCKO mice exhibited both hyposecretion and leakage of macromolecular tracers when compared to control animals. Mechanistically, the JAK/STAT1/miR-145 axis was identified as mediating the IFN-γ-induced downregulation of tricellulin. Treatment with AT1001, a TJ sealer, ameliorated epithelial barrier dysfunction, restored tricellulin expression, and consequently alleviated hyposalivation in NOD mice. Importantly, treatment with miR-145 antagomir to specifically recover the expression of tricellulin in NOD mice significantly alleviated hyposalivation and macromolecular leakage. Collectively, we identified that tricellulin deficiency in salivary glands contributed to hyposalivation in SS. Our findings highlight tricellulin as a potential therapeutic target for hyposecretion, particularly in the context of reinforcing epithelial barrier function through preventing leakage of macromolecules in salivary glands.

Ophiopogonin D Alleviates Sepsis-Induced Acute Lung Injury Through Improving Microvascular Endothelial Barrier Dysfunction via Inhibition of HIF-1α-VEGF Pathway

Pulmonary endothelial barrier dysfunction is a hallmark of sepsis-induced acute lung injury (ALI). Ophiopogonin D (OP-D), isolated from the roots of Ophiopogon japonicus, is involved in regulating inflammation, apoptosis and intestinal permeability. However, the role of OP-D in ALI has not been reported and the related mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) was used to establish a septic ALI model in mice. We found that OP-D effectively alleviated lung pathological damage. Moreover, OP-D decreased pulmonary microvascular permeability, restrained the inflammatory response and apoptosis in murine lung tissues and LPS-exposed PMVECs. Specifically, OP-D exerted the beneficial effects via mediating the inactivation of HIF-1α-VEGF pathway, which was partly abrogated by the overexpression of HIF-1α. Collectively, our findings showed that OP-D protected against sepsis-induced ALI through improving pulmonary microvascular endothelial barrier dysfunction via suppressing HIF-1α-VEGF pathway.

S-allylmercaptocysteine inhibits TLR4-mediated inflammation through enhanced formation of inhibitory MyD88 splice variant in mammary epithelial cells

Mastitis is an inflammatory disease affecting mammary tissues caused by bacterial infection that negatively affects milk quality and quantity. S-Allylmercaptocysteine (SAMC), a sulfur compound in aged garlic extract (AGE), suppresses lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in mouse models and cell cultures. However, the mechanisms underlying this anti-inflammatory effect remain unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that oral administration of AGE suppressed the LPS-induced immune response in a mastitis mouse model and that SAMC inhibited LPS-induced interleukin-6 production and nuclear factor κB p65 subunit activation in HC11 mammary epithelial cells. Global phosphoproteomic analysis revealed that SAMC treatment downregulated 910 of the 1,304 phosphorylation sites upregulated by LPS stimulation in mammary cells, including those associated with toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling. Additionally, SAMC decreased the phosphorylation of 26 proteins involved in pre-mRNA splicing, particularly the U2 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein complex. Furthermore, we found that SAMC increased the production of the myeloid differentiation factor 88 short form (MyD88-S), an alternatively spliced form of MyD88 that negatively regulates TLR4 signaling. These findings suggest that SAMC inhibits TLR4-mediated inflammation via alternative pre-mRNA splicing, thus promoting MyD88-S production in mammary epithelial cells. Therefore, SAMC may alleviate various inflammatory diseases, such as mastitis, by modulating immune responses.

Chain-length dependent effects of inorganic polyphosphate on endothelial function and nucleotide pool

Endothelial cells (ECs) are the first line that comes into contact with blood pathogens, pathogen-derived molecules, and factors that stimulate coagulation and inflammation. Inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) - a polymer of orthophosphate units synthesized by bacteria under stress and released by platelets upon their activation is among these factors. Bacterial and platelet polyPs differ in length, and both variants elicit different effects in eukaryotes. This study aimed to investigate how bacterial-like long-chain polyP (Lc-polyP) and platelet-like short-chain polyP (Sc-polyP) affect the functionality of cultured endothelial cells. Murine immortalized heart endothelial cells (H5V) were exposed to polyP of different chain lengths to assess the effects of these stimuli on intracellular energetics, permeability, and endothelial adhesion. We observed varying effects between Lc-polyP and Sc-polyP treatments. Lc-polyP more potently disturbs the intracellular ATP pool, a parameter strongly connected with vascular injury, whereas Sc-polyP robustly stimulates cellular adhesion to the endothelium. Both polymers similarly enhance endothelial permeability, suggesting potent immunomodulatory properties. This study provides evidence that polyP elicits profound cellular responses in endothelium depending on the polymer's length.

Advances in the study of vascular related protective effect of garlic (Allium sativum) extract and compounds

Garlic (Allium sativum) is a functional food containing multiple bioactive compounds that find widespread applications in culinary and medicinal practices. It consists of multiple chemical components, including allicin and alliin. This article offers a comprehensive review of the protective effects of garlic extracts and their active constituents on the vascular system. In vitro and in vivo experiments have shown that garlic extracts and their active ingredients possess various bioactive properties. These substances demonstrate beneficial effects on blood vessels by demonstrating anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, inhibiting lipid accumulation and migration, preventing lipid peroxidation, promoting angiogenesis, reducing platelet aggregation, enhancing endothelial function, and inhibiting endothelial cell apoptosis. In clinical studies, garlic and its extracts have demonstrated their efficacy in managing vascular system diseases, including atherosclerosis, diabetes, and high cholesterol levels. In summary, these studies highlight the potential therapeutic roles and underlying mechanisms of garlic and its constituents in managing conditions like diabetes, atherosclerosis, ischemic diseases, and other vascular disorders.

FOXO1 promotes endothelial cell elongation and angiogenesis by up-regulating the phosphorylation of myosin light chain 2

The forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) is an important transcription factor related to proliferation, metabolism, and homeostasis, while the major phenotype of FOXO1-null mice is abnormal vascular morphology, such as vessel enlargement and dilation. In in vitro mouse embryonic stem cell (ESC)-differentiation system, Foxo1-/- vascular endothelial cells (ECs) fail to elongate, and mimic the abnormalities of FOXO1-deficiency in vivo. Here, we identified the PPP1R14C gene as the FOXO1 target genes responsible for elongating using transcriptome analyses in ESC-derived ECs (ESC-ECs), and found that the FOXO1-PPP1R14C-myosin light chain 2 (MLC2) axis is required for EC elongation during angiogenesis. MLC2 is phosphorylated by MLC kinase (MLCK) and dephosphorylated by MLC phosphatase (MLCP). PPP1R14C is an inhibitor of PP1, the catalytic subunit of MLCP. The abnormal morphology of Foxo1-/- ESC-ECs was associated with low level of PPP1R14C and loss of MLC2 phosphorylation, which were reversed by PPP1R14C-introduction. Knockdown of either FOXO1 or PPP1R14C suppressed vascular cord formation and reduced MLC2 phosphorylation in human ECs (HUVECs). The mouse and human PPP1R14C locus possesses an enhancer element containing conserved FOXO1-binding motifs. In vivo chemical inhibition of MLC2 phosphorylation caused dilated vascular structures in mouse embryos. Furthermore, foxo1 or ppp1r14c-knockdown zebrafish exhibited vascular malformations, which were also restored by PPP1R14C-introduction. Mechanistically, FOXO1 suppressed MLCP activity by up-regulating PPP1R14C expression, thereby promoting MLC2 phosphorylation and EC elongation, which are necessary for vascular development. Given the importance of MLC2 phosphorylation in cell morphogenesis, this study may provide novel insights into the role of FOXO1 in control of angiogenesis.

Griddient: a microfluidic array to generate reconfigurable gradients on-demand for spatial biology applications

Biological tissues are highly organized structures where spatial-temporal gradients (e.g., nutrients, hypoxia, cytokines) modulate multiple physiological and pathological processes including inflammation, tissue regeneration, embryogenesis, and cancer progression. Current in vitro technologies struggle to capture the complexity of these transient microenvironmental gradients, do not provide dynamic control over the gradient profile, are complex and poorly suited for high throughput applications. Therefore, we have designed Griddent, a user-friendly platform with the capability of generating controllable and reversible gradients in a 3D microenvironment. Our platform consists of an array of 32 microfluidic chambers connected to a 384 well-array through a diffusion port at the bottom of each reservoir well. The diffusion ports are optimized to ensure gradient stability and facilitate manual micropipette loading. This platform is compatible with molecular and functional spatial biology as well as optical and fluorescence microscopy. In this work, we have used this platform to study cancer progression.

Roles and mechanisms of garlic and its extracts on atherosclerosis: A review

The prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have achieved initial results, but the number of CVDs patients will increase rapidly in the next 10 years. Atherosclerosis (AS) is a significant risk factor for CVDs. The impact of lifestyle and daily diet varies considerably between different countries and continents and has been shown to affect the development of various diseases such as diabetes and CVDs. Primary and secondary prevention using alternative supplements and methods to avoid or reduce the use of traditional pharmacological drugs have also become popular. One of the reasons for this is that pharmacological drugs with lipid-lowering, and blood pressure-lowering effects cause many side effects that may negatively impact the quality of life. Patients are now emphasizing reliance on lifestyle changes to reduce cardiovascular risks. Garlic is a medicinal and edible plant that has been used for a long time. In order to reveal garlic application in the prevention and treatment of AS, reviewing the latest domestic and international studies through searching databases. The result shows that the antiatherogenic role of garlic is eximious. And the mechanisms are mainly related to hypolipidemic, antioxidant, antithrombotic, inhibiting angiogenesis, protecting endothelial cells, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, inhibiting vascular smooth muscle proliferation, and regulating gut microbiota. The main signaling pathways involve AMPK/TLRs, Keap1/Nrf2, PI3K/AKT, PPARγ/LXRα, GEF-H1/RhoA/Rac, etc. The antiatherogenic actions and molecular mechanism of garlic were reviewed in this study to obtain a robust evidence basis for the clinical application and mechanistic study and provide a theoretical basis for further utilization of garlic.

Inflammatory Mediators in Atherosclerotic Vascular Remodeling

Atherosclerotic vascular disease remains the most common cause of ischemia, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Vascular function is determined by structural and functional properties of the arterial vessel wall, which consists of three layers, namely the adventitia, media, and intima. Key cells in shaping the vascular wall architecture and warranting proper vessel function are vascular smooth muscle cells in the arterial media and endothelial cells lining the intima. Pathological alterations of this vessel wall architecture called vascular remodeling can lead to insufficient vascular function and subsequent ischemia and organ damage. One major pathomechanism driving this detrimental vascular remodeling is atherosclerosis, which is initiated by endothelial dysfunction allowing the accumulation of intimal lipids and leukocytes. Inflammatory mediators such as cytokines, chemokines, and modified lipids further drive vascular remodeling ultimately leading to thrombus formation and/or vessel occlusion which can cause major cardiovascular events. Although it is clear that vascular wall remodeling is an elementary mechanism of atherosclerotic vascular disease, the diverse underlying pathomechanisms and its consequences are still insufficiently understood.

Sulfur compounds: From plants to humans and their role in chronic disease prevention

Sulfur is essential for the health of plants and is an indispensable dietary component for human health and disease prevention. Its incorporation into our food supply is heavily reliant upon the uptake of sulfur into plant tissue and our subsequent intake. Dietary requirements for sulfur are largely calculated based upon requirements for the sulfur-containing amino acids (SAA), cysteine and methionine, to meet the demands for synthesis of proteins, enzymes, co-enzymes, vitamins, and hormones. SAA are found in abundance in animal sources and are relatively low in plants. However, some plants, particularly cruciferous and allium vegetables, produce many protective sulfur-containing secondary metabolites, such as glucosinolates and cysteine sulfoxides. The variety and quantity of these sulfur-containing metabolites are extensive and their effects on human health are wide-reaching. Many benefits appear to be related to sulfur's role in redox biochemistry, protecting against uncontrolled oxidative stress and inflammation; features consistent within cardiometabolic dysfunction and many chronic metabolic diseases of aging. This narrative explores the origins and importance of sulfur, its incorporation into our food supply and dietary sources. It also explores the overarching potential of sulfur for human health, particularly around the amelioration of oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, and subsequent chronic disease prevention.

The Emerging Role of Rho Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors in Cardiovascular Disorders: Insights Into Atherosclerosis: A Mini Review

Atherosclerosis is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease accounts for one-third of global deaths. However, the mechanism of atherosclerosis is not fully understood. It is well-known that the Rho GTPase family, especially Rho A, plays a vital role in the development and progression of arteriosclerosis. Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factors (Rho GEFs), which act upstream of Rho GTPases, are also involved in the atheromatous pathological process. Despite some research on the role of Rho GEFS in the regulation of atherosclerosis, the number of studies is small relative to studies on the essential function of Rho GEFs. Some studies have preliminarily revealed Rho GEF regulation of atherosclerosis by experiments in vivo and in vitro. Herein, we review the advances in research on the relationship and interaction between Rho GEFs and atheroma to provide a potential reference for further study of atherosclerosis.

S-1-Propenylcysteine promotes IL-10-induced M2c macrophage polarization through prolonged activation of IL-10R/STAT3 signaling

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that may lead to the development of serious cardiovascular diseases. Aged garlic extract (AGE) has been reported to ameliorate atherosclerosis, although its mode of action remains unclear. We found that AGE increased the mRNA or protein levels of arginase1 (Arg1), interleukin-10 (IL-10), CD206 and hypoxia-inducible factor 2α (HIF2α) and decreased that of CD68, HIF1α and inducible nitric oxide synthase in the aorta and spleen of apolipoprotein E knockout mice. We also found that S-1-propenylcysteine (S1PC), a characteristic sulfur compound in AGE, increased the level of IL-10-induced Arg1 mRNA and the extent of M2c-like macrophage polarization in vitro. In addition, S1PC increased the population of M2c-like macrophages, resulting in suppressed the population of M1-like macrophages and decreased lipopolysaccharide-induced production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. These effects were accompanied by prolonged phosphorylation of the IL-10 receptor α (IL-10Rα) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) that inhibited the interaction between IL-10Rα and Src homology-2-containing inositol 5'-phosphatase 1 (SHIP1). In addition, administration of S1PC elevated the M2c/M1 macrophage ratio in senescence-accelerated mice. These findings suggest that S1PC may help improve atherosclerosis due to its anti-inflammatory effect to promote IL-10-induced M2c macrophage polarization.