Targeting interleukin-17 receptors

IL-17 in pancreatic disease: pathogenesis and pharmacotherapy

Increasing evidence highlights the role of the interleukin (IL)-17 family in pancreatic diseases. IL-17A induces acinar cell injury directly, recruits neutrophils, and cooperates with other inflammatory factors to exacerbate pancreatic inflammation. It also triggers islet β-cell apoptosis and nitric oxide-dependent cytotoxicity, thus aggravating islet inflammation. IL-17A seems to have different roles in pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) and pancreatic cancer (PC). IL-17A participates in the progression of acinar-ductal metaplasia (ADM) and PanIN, but not related to the characteristics of PC stem cells and the overall survival of patients. Acting similar to IL-17A, IL-17B accelerates the invasion and metastasis of PC, and predicts prognosis of PC and the therapeutic effect of gemcitabine. Herein, we review the current understanding of the pathogenesis of IL-17 in pancreatitis, type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), and PC, as well as potential pharmacotherapy targeting IL-17 and its receptors in pancreatic diseases. The findings summarized in this article are of considerable significance for understanding the essential role of IL-17 in pancreatic diseases.

Evaluation of Interleukin 25 and Interleukin 25 Receptor Expression in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Breast Cancer Patients and Normal Subjects

[Figure: see text] Interleukin 25 (IL-25) is a ligand for IL-25 receptor (IL-25R) with apoptotic effect on breast cancer epithelial cells that are produced by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). In this study, we aimed to evaluate IL-25/IL-25R mRNA expression in PBMCs, and also investigate correlation of IL-25/IL-25R with tumor stages/grades in patients with breast cancer. PBMCs and serum were isolated from 30 patients with breast cancer and 18 normal subjects. ELISA test was conducted for IL-25 cytokine. Total RNA was isolated from 2 × 10⁶ PBMCs and reverse transcribed to cDNA. Quantitative PCRs were performed for IL-25, IL-25R, and GAPDH genes. IL-25 mRNA expression in PBMCs of breast cancer patients (malignant and benign) was significantly lower than that in normal subjects, Also IL-25 expression in breast cancer patients with malignant tumor was significantly lower than that in nonmalignant patients. IL-25R expression in malignant patients was significantly higher than that of benign and normal subjects (P < 0.05). IL-25 in serum of normal subjects was higher than that of benign and malignant patients. There was a direct association between IL-25R expression and tumor grade/stage of cancer. In conclusion, IL-25 seems as a potential prognostic factor in the serum of breast cancer patients and reduction of IL-25 is associated with a higher grade/stage of cancer.

Wenshen Zhuanggu formula effectively suppresses breast cancer bone metastases in a mouse Xenograft model

Wenshen Zhuanggu formula (WSZG) is a traditional Chinese medicine used as an adjuvant for the prevention of bone metastases in breast cancer patients. In this study we investigated the efficacy of WSZG in preventing bone metastases and the potential mechanisms in a mouse xenograft model of breast cancer bone metastases. This model was established by injection of human MDA-MB-231BO-Luc breast cancer cells alone or a mixture of the cancer cells with bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) into left ventricle of the heart in female nude mice. Then the mice were treated with WSZG (3.25, 6.5 or 13.0 mg·kg^-1·d^-1, ig) for four weeks, whereas zoledronic acid (100 μg/kg per week, ig) was used as a positive control. The occurrence and development of bone metastases were monitored via bioluminescent imaging, and bone lesions were assessed using micro-CT. Intracardiac injection of the mixture of MDA-MB-231BO-Luc breast cancer cells with BMSCs significantly facilitated the bone metastatic capacity of the breast cancer cells, and aggravated bone lesions in the mouse xenograft model of breast cancer bone metastases. Administration of WSZG dose-dependently inhibited the incidence and intensity of bone metastases and protected against bone lesions by suppressing osteoclast formation and tumor cell infiltration. Furthermore, administration of WSZG caused a marked reduction in the expression of CCL5/CCR5 and IL-17B/IL-17BR in bone metastatic tissues. The results demonstrate that WSZG exerts potential therapeutic effects in a mouse xenograft model of breast cancer bone metastases, which are partially mediated by weakening the interaction between BMSCs and breast cancer cells in the tumor microenvironment.

IL-17B activated mesenchymal stem cells enhance proliferation and migration of gastric cancer cells

Mesenchymal stem cells are important cells in tumor microenvironment. We have previously demonstrated that IL-17B/IL-17RB signal promoted progression of gastric cancer. In this study, we further explored the effect of IL-17B on mesenchymal stem cells in tumor microenvironment and its impact on the tumor progression. The results showed that IL-17B induced the expression of stemness-related genes Nanog, Sox2, and Oct4 in mesenchymal stem cells and enhanced its tumor-promoting effect. The supernatant from cultured mesenchymal stem cells after treating with exogenous rIL-17B promoted the proliferation and migration of MGC-803, therefor suggesting that rIL-17B might promote mesenchymal stem cells to produce soluble factors. In addition, rIL-17B also activated the NF-κΒ, STAT3, β-catenin pathway in mesenchymal stem cells. Our data revealed a new mechanism that IL-17B enhanced the progression of gastric cancer by activating mesenchymal stem cells.

IL-17B: A new area of study in the IL-17 family

The interleukin (IL)-17 superfamily, a relatively new family of cytokines, consists of six ligands (from IL-17A to IL-17F), which bind to five receptor subtypes (from IL-17RA to IL-17RE) and induce downstream signaling. IL-17A, a prototype member of this family, has been reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of allergies, autoimmune diseases, allograft transplantations, and malignancies. Unlike IL-17A, which is mainly produced by T helper 17 cells, IL-17B is widely expressed in various tissues. Recently, the biological function of IL-17B in diseases, particularly tumors, has attracted the attention of researchers. We previously reported that the expression of IL-17RB increased in gastric cancer tissues and demonstrated that IL-17B/IL-17RB signaling plays a critical role in gastric tumor progression. However, studies on IL-17B are scant. In this review, we detail the structural characteristics, expression patterns, and biological activities of IL-17B and its potential role in the pathogenesis of diseases.

Inflammatory pathway genes associated with inter-individual variability in the trajectories of morning and evening fatigue in patients receiving chemotherapy

Fatigue, a highly prevalent and distressing symptom during chemotherapy (CTX), demonstrates diurnal and interindividual variability in severity. Little is known about the associations between variations in genes involved in inflammatory processes and morning and evening fatigue severity during CTX. The purposes of this study, in a sample of oncology patients (N=543) with breast, gastrointestinal (GI), gynecological (GYN), or lung cancer who received two cycles of CTX, were to determine whether variations in genes involved in inflammatory processes were associated with inter-individual variability in initial levels as well as in the trajectories of morning and evening fatigue. Patients completed the Lee Fatigue Scale to determine morning and evening fatigue severity a total of six times over two cycles of CTX. Using a whole exome array, 309 single nucleotide polymorphisms SNPs among the 64 candidate genes that passed all quality control filters were evaluated using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). Based on the results of the HLM analyses, the final SNPs were evaluated for their potential impact on protein function using two bioinformational tools. The following inflammatory pathways were represented: chemokines (3 genes); cytokines (12 genes); inflammasome (11 genes); Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAK/STAT, 10 genes); mitogen-activated protein kinase/jun amino-terminal kinases (MAPK/JNK, 3 genes); nuclear factor-kappa beta (NFkB, 18 genes); and NFkB and MAP/JNK (7 genes). After controlling for self-reported and genomic estimates of race and ethnicity, polymorphisms in six genes from the cytokine (2 genes); inflammasome (2 genes); and NFkB (2 genes) pathways were associated with both morning and evening fatigue. Polymorphisms in six genes from the inflammasome (1 gene); JAK/STAT (1 gene); and NFkB (4 genes) pathways were associated with only morning fatigue. Polymorphisms in three genes from the inflammasome (2 genes) and the NFkB (1 gene) pathways were associated with only evening fatigue. Taken together, these findings add to the growing body of evidence that suggests that morning and evening fatigue are distinct symptoms.