Dried human-cultured epidermis accelerates wound healing in a porcine partial-thickness skin defect model

Introduction

Autologous cultured epidermis (CE) is an effective approach for overcoming the deficiency of donor sites to treat extensive burns. However, the production of autologous CE takes 3-4 weeks, which prevents its use during the life-threatening period of severe burns. In contrast, allogeneic CE can be prepared in advance and used as a wound dressing, releasing several growth factors stimulating the activity of recipient cells at the application site. Dried CE is prepared by drying CEs under controlled temperature and humidity conditions until all the water is completely removed and no viable cells are present. Dried CE accelerates wound healing in a murine skin defect model and is potentially a new therapeutic strategy. However, the dried CE safety and efficacy have not yet been studied in large animal models. Therefore, we studied the safety and efficacy of human-dried CE in wound healing using a miniature swine model.

Methods

Human CE was manufactured using Green's method from donor keratinocytes. Three types of CEs (Fresh, Cryopreserved, and Dried) were prepared, and the ability of each CE to promote keratinocyte proliferation was confirmed in vitro. Extracts of the three CEs were added to keratinocytes seeded in 12-well plates, and cell proliferation was evaluated using the WST-8 assay for 7 days. Next, we prepared a partial-thickness skin defect on the back of a miniature swine and applied three types of human CE to evaluate wound healing promotion. On days 4 and 7, the specimens were harvested for hematoxylin-eosin, AZAN, and anti-CD31 staining to assess epithelialization, granulation tissue, and capillary formation.

Results

The conditioned medium containing dried CE extract significantly enhanced keratinocyte proliferation compared to the control group (P < 0.05). In vivo experiments revealed that human-dried CE significantly accelerated epithelialization at day 7 to the same extent as fresh CE, compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The three CE groups similarly affected granulation formation and neovascularization.

Conclusions

Dried CE accelerated epithelialization in a porcine partial-thickness skin defect model, suggesting that it may be an effective burn treatment alternative. A clinical study with a long-term follow-up is needed to assess the applicability of CEs in clinics.

A novel homozygous missense mutation in PNPLA2 in a patient manifesting primary triglyceride deposit cardiomyovasculopathy

Primary triglyceride deposit cardiomyovasculopathy (P-TGCV), caused by a rare genetic mutation in PNPLA2 encoding adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL), exhibits severe cardiomyocyte steatosis and heart failure. Here, we report the case of a 51-year-old man with P-TGCV homozygous for a novel PNPLA2 mutation (c.446C > G, P149R) in the catalytic domain of ATGL. Analyses of endomyocardial biopsy specimens and in vitro expression experiments showed mutant protein expression with conserved lipid binding, but reduced lipolytic activity, indicating mutation pathogenicity.

Spatiotemporal changes of tissue glycans depending on localization in cardiac aging

Heart failure is caused by various factors, making the underlying pathogenic mechanisms difficult to identify. Since cardiovascular disease tends to worsen over time, early diagnosis is key for treatment. In addition, understanding the qualitative changes in the heart associated with aging, where information on the direct influences of aging on cardiovascular disease is limited, would also be useful for treatment and diagnosis. To fill these research gaps, the focus of our study was to detect the structural and functional molecular changes associated with the heart over time, with a focus on glycans, which reflect the type and state of cells.

METHODS

We investigated glycan localization in the cardiac tissue of normal mice and their alterations during aging, using evanescent-field fluorescence-assisted lectin microarray, a technique based on lectin-glycan interaction, and lectin staining.

RESULTS

The glycan profiles in the left ventricle showed differences between the luminal side (medial) and wall side (lateral) regions. The medial region was characterized by the presence of sialic acid residues. Moreover, age-related changes in glycan profiles were observed at a younger age in the medial region. The difference in the age-related decrease in the level of α-galactose stained with Griffonia simplicifolia lectin-IB4 in different regions of the left ventricle suggests spatiotemporal changes in the number of microvessels.

CONCLUSIONS

The glycan profile, which retains diverse glycan structures, is supported by many cell populations, and maintains cardiac function. With further research, glycan localization and changes have the potential to be developed as a marker of the signs of heart failure.

The balanced microenvironment regulated by the degradants of appropriate PLGA scaffolds and chitosan conduit promotes peripheral nerve regeneration

Tissue-engineered nerve grafts (TENGs) are the most promising way for repairing long-distance peripheral nerve defects. Chitosan and poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) scaffolds are considered as the promising materials in the pharmaceutical and biomedical fields especially in the field of tissue engineering. To further clarify the effects of a chitosan conduit inserted with various quantity of poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) scaffolds, and their degrades on the peripheral nerve regeneration, the chitosan nerve conduit inserted with different amounts of PLGA scaffolds were used to repair rat sciatic nerve defects. The peripheral nerve regeneration at the different time points was dynamically and comprehensively evaluated. Moreover, the influence of different amounts of PLGA scaffolds on the regeneration microenvironment including inflammatory response and cell state were also revealed. The modest abundance of PLGA is more instrumental to the success of nerve regeneration, which is demonstrated in terms of the structure of the regenerated nerve, reinnervation of the target muscle, nerve impulse conduction, and overall function. The PLGA scaffolds aid the migration and maturation of Schwann cells. Furthermore, the PLGA and chitosan degradation products in a correct ratio neutralize, reducing the inflammatory response and enhancing the regeneration microenvironment. The balanced microenvironment regulated by the degradants of appropriate PLGA scaffolds and chitosan conduit promotes peripheral nerve regeneration. The findings represent a further step towards programming TENGs construction, applying polyester materials in regenerative medicine, and understanding the neural regeneration microenvironment.

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Guide scaffolds are necessary for construction of TENGs to benefeat Schwann cell migration and maturation.

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A large number of acid degradation products of PLGA scaffolds adversely affect cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis.

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Appropriate amount of PLGA scaffolds balance positive cell guidance and negative degradation inflammation.

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Dosage of PLGA and its combination with complementary biomaterials are key factors that affect regeneration effects.

The poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of BRD4 mediated by PARP1 promoted pathological cardiac hypertrophy

The bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) family member BRD4 is pivotal in the pathogenesis of cardiac hypertrophy. BRD4 induces hypertrophic gene expression by binding to the acetylated chromatin, facilitating the phosphorylation of RNA polymerases II (Pol II) and leading to transcription elongation. The present study identified a novel post-translational modification of BRD4: poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation (PARylation), that was mediated by poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase-1 (PARP1) in cardiac hypertrophy. BRD4 silencing or BET inhibitors JQ1 and MS417 prevented cardiac hypertrophic responses induced by isoproterenol (ISO), whereas overexpression of BRD4 promoted cardiac hypertrophy, confirming the critical role of BRD4 in pathological cardiac hypertrophy. PARP1 was activated in ISO-induced cardiac hypertrophy and facilitated the development of cardiac hypertrophy. BRD4 was involved in the prohypertrophic effect of PARP1, as implied by the observations that BRD4 inhibition or silencing reversed PARP1-induced hypertrophic responses, and that BRD4 overexpression suppressed the anti-hypertrophic effect of PARP1 inhibitors. Interactions of BRD4 and PARP1 were observed by co-immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence. PARylation of BRD4 induced by PARP1 was investigated by PARylation assays. In response to hypertrophic stimuli like ISO, PARylation level of BRD4 was elevated, along with enhanced interactions between BRD4 and PARP1. By investigating the PARylation of truncation mutants of BRD4, the C-terminal domain (CTD) was identified as the PARylation modification sites of BRD4. PARylation of BRD4 facilitated its binding to the transcription start sites (TSS) of hypertrophic genes, resulting in enhanced phosphorylation of RNA Pol II and transcription activation of hypertrophic genes. The present findings suggest that strategies targeting inhibition of PARP1-BRD4 might have therapeutic potential for pathological cardiac hypertrophy.

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of quinazolin-4(3H)-one derivatives co-targeting poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 and bromodomain containing protein 4 for breast cancer therapy

This study was aimed to design the first dual-target small-molecule inhibitor co-targeting poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1) and bromodomain containing protein 4 (BRD4), which had important cross relation in the global network of breast cancer, reflecting the synthetic lethal effect. A series of new BRD4 and PARP1 dual-target inhibitors were discovered and synthesized by fragment-based combinatorial screening and activity assays that together led to the chemical optimization. Among these compounds, 19d was selected and exhibited micromole enzymatic potencies against BRD4 and PARP1, respectively. Compound 19d was further shown to efficiently modulate the expression of BRD4 and PARP1. Subsequently, compound 19d was found to induce breast cancer cell apoptosis and stimulate cell cycle arrest at G1 phase. Following pharmacokinetic studies, compound 19d showed its antitumor activity in breast cancer susceptibility gene 1/2 (BRCA1/2) wild-type MDA-MB-468 and MCF-7 xenograft models without apparent toxicity and loss of body weight. These results together demonstrated that a highly potent dual-targeted inhibitor was successfully synthesized and indicated that co-targeting of BRD4 and PARP1 based on the concept of synthetic lethality would be a promising therapeutic strategy for breast cancer.

Chrysophanol protects against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity by suppressing cellular PARylation

The clinical application of doxorubicin (DOX) in cancer chemotherapy is limited by its life-threatening cardiotoxic effects. Chrysophanol (CHR), an anthraquinone compound isolated from the rhizome of Rheum palmatum L., is considered to play a broad role in a variety of biological processes. However, the effects of CHR׳s cardioprotection in DOX-induced cardiomyopathy is poorly understood. In this study, we found that the cardiac apoptosis, mitochondrial injury and cellular PARylation levels were significantly increased in H9C2 cells treated by Dox, while these effects were suppressed by CHR. Similar results were observed when PARP1 activity was suppressed by its inhibitors 3-aminobenzamide (3AB) and ABT888. Ectopic expression of PARP1 effectively blocked this CHR׳s cardioprotection against DOX-induced cardiomyocyte injury in H9C2 cells. Furthermore, pre-administration with both CHR and 3AB relieved DOX-induced cardiac apoptosis, mitochondrial impairment and heart dysfunction in Sprague-Dawley rat model. These results revealed that CHR protects against DOX-induced cardiotoxicity by suppressing cellular PARylation and provided critical evidence that PARylation may be a novel target for DOX-induced cardiomyopathy.

IgG4-related disease presenting with combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE)

A 64-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with an abnormal chest shadow. The patient was a current-smoker and had a past illness of autoimmune pancreatitis with a high serum level of IgG4, 348 mg/dL. Chest CT showed upper-lobe emphysema, and lower-lobe reticulation with honeycombing, suggestive of combined pulmonary fibrosis with emphysema (CPFE). Surgical lung biopsy was revealed a usual interstitial pneumonia pattern with marked infiltration of IgG4-positive plasma cells. The patient was diagnosed with IgG4 related disease (IgG4-RD) presenting with CPFE. Pulmonary manifestation was improved by corticosteroid therapy. IgG4-RD may be an underlying condition in patient with CPFE.

Verification of HE-based CTV in laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer using pan-cytokeratin

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Currently clinical CTV margins lack evidence and need (histopathological) validation.

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Tumor outline on HE and pan-cytokeratin staining are comparable for laryngeal cancer.

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HE-based delineations can be used for histopathology based CTV-margin definition.

Background

For accurate target definition, we determined margins for the clinical target volume (CTV) for laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer in computed tomography (CT, 4.3 mm), magnetic resonance imaging (MR, 6.1 mm) and fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET, 5.2 mm). Previously, we used Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) stained whole-mount sections of total laryngectomy specimens as gold standard to define CTV margins. In the present study, we verified the HE-based tumor delineation with staining for pan-cytokeratin, specific for squamous cell carcinoma.

Methods

Twenty-seven patients with a T3/T4 laryngeal hypopharyngeal tumor were included. From each patient, a total laryngectomy specimen was obtained. Four subsequent 3-mm thick slices containing tumor were selected of which 4-µm thick whole-mount sections were obtained and stained with HE and for pan-cytokeratin CK-AE1/3. Tumors were microscopically delineated on both sections by an experienced head-and-neck pathologist. Tumor delineations were compared using the conformity index (CI) and the distance between both contours.

Results

The CI between HE-based and CK-AE1/3-based tumor delineations was 0.87. The maximum and 95th percentile (p95) extent of the HE-based tumor delineations from the CK-AE1/3-based tumor delineations were 1.7 mm and 0.7 mm, respectively. The maximum and p95 extent of the CK-AE1/3-based tumor delineations from the HE-based tumor delineations was 1.9 mm and 0.8 mm, respectively.

Conclusions

Histopathological assessment of tumor outline on standard HE-stained sections is comparable to microscopic tumor extent based on squamous cell specific pan-cytokeratin staining. Therefore, CTV margins based on HE based tumor contour will be adequate.

Bortezomib alters sour taste sensitivity in mice

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Bortezomib administration increase sour taste sensitivity in mice.

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Protein expression of PKD2L1 increases in circumvallate papillae of bortezomib-administered mice.

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Increased sour taste sensitivity induced by bortezomib returned to the control level on cessation of its administration.

Chemotherapy-induced taste disorder is one of the critical issues in cancer therapy. Bortezomib, a proteasome inhibitor, is a key agent in multiple myeloma therapy, but it induces a taste disorder. In this study, we investigated the characteristics of bortezomib-induced taste disorder and the underlying mechanism in mice. Among the five basic tastes, the sour taste sensitivity of mice was significantly increased by bortezomib administration. In bortezomib-administered mice, protein expression of PKD2L1 was increased. The increased sour taste sensitivity induced by bortezomib returned to the control level on cessation of its administration. These results suggest that an increase in protein expression of PKD2L1 enhances the sour taste sensitivity in bortezomib-administered mice, and this alteration is reversed on cessation of its administration.

Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356 inhibits biofilm formation by C. albicans and attenuates the experimental candidiasis in Galleria mellonella

Probiotic strains of Lactobacillus have been studied for their inhibitory effects on Candida albicans. However, few studies have investigated the effect of these strains on biofilm formation, filamentation and C. albicans infection. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356 on C. albicans ATCC 18804 using in vitro and in vivo models. In vitro analysis evaluated the effects of L. acidophilus on the biofilm formation and on the capacity of C. albicans filamentation. For in vivo study, Galleria mellonella was used as an infection model to evaluate the effects of L. acidophilus on candidiasis by survival analysis, quantification of C. albicans CFU/mL, and histological analysis. The direct effects of L. acidophilus cells on C. albicans, as well as the indirect effects using only a Lactobacillus culture filtrate, were evaluated in both tests. The in vitro results showed that both L. acidophilus cells and filtrate were able to inhibit C. albicans biofilm formation and filamentation. In the in vivo study, injection of L. acidophilus into G. mellonella larvae infected with C. albicans increased the survival of these animals. Furthermore, the number of C. albicans CFU/mL recovered from the larval hemolymph was lower in the group inoculated with L. acidophilus compared to the control group. In conclusion, L. acidophilus ATCC 4356 inhibited in vitro biofilm formation by C. albicans and protected G. mellonella against experimental candidiasis in vivo.