Exploring the role of tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase and associations with inflammatory markers and clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients: A case-control study

Tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (WRS) is a critical enzyme involved in protein synthesis, responsible for charging tRNA with the essential amino acid tryptophan. Recent studies have highlighted its novel role in stimulating innate immunity against bacterial and viral infections. However, the significance of WRS in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection remains elusive. In this study, we aimed to investigate the complex interplay between WRS, inflammatory markers, Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4), and clinical outcomes in coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) patients. A case-control investigation comprised 127 COVID-19 patients, carefully classified as severe or moderate upon admission, and 112 healthy individuals as a comparative group. Blood samples were meticulously collected before treatment initiation, and WRS, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations were quantified using a well-established commercial ELISA kit. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from the blood samples, and RNA was extracted for cDNA synthesis. Semi-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was employed to assess the relative expression of TLR-4. COVID-19 patients exhibited elevated levels of WRS, IL-6, CRP, and TLR-4 expression compared to healthy individuals, with the severe group displaying significantly higher levels than the moderate group. Notably, severe patients demonstrated substantial fluctuations in CRP, IL-6, and WRS levels over time, a pattern not observed in their moderate counterparts. Although no significant distinctions were observed in the dynamic alterations of WRS, IL-6, CRP, and TLR-4 expression between deceased and surviving patients, a trend emerged indicating higher IL-6_1 levels in deceased patients and elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels in severe patients who succumbed to the disease. This pioneering research highlights the dynamic alterations of WRS in COVID-19 patients, providing valuable insights into the correlation between WRS, inflammatory markers, and disease severity within this population. Understanding the role of WRS in SARS-CoV-2 infection may open new avenues for therapeutic interventions targeting innate immunity to combat COVID-19.

The role of lovastatin in the attenuation of COVID-19

The mounting evidence regarding the pathogenesis of COVID-19 indicated that the cytokine storm has an axial role in the severity of this disease, which may lead to thrombotic complications, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and myocardial damage, among other consequences. It has recently been demonstrated that statins are known to have anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic, and immunomodulatory features; however, their advantage has not been evaluated in COVID-19. This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of lovastatin in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with COVID-19. The case-control study consists of 284 ICU patients, which classified into three groups as follows: 1) the patients who no received lovastatin as a control (92 patients), 2) patients received 20 mg per day lovastatin (99 patients), and 3) patients received 40 mg per day lovastatin (93 patients). Each group's demographic and clinical parameters, along with CRP, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8 levels, and mortality rate, were studied in three-time points. The results showed that there was no statistically significant difference between our study groups in terms of age and sex. (P > 0.05). Besides, in patients, receiving lovastatin the CRP, IL-6, IL-8 levels were significantly decreased from T1 to T3 than to the control group. Our results also showed that the use of lovastatin in COVID-19 patients significantly reduced the length of hospitalization in the ICU compared with the control group. In addition, our results showed that the mortality rate in patients receiving lovastatin was lower when compared to the control group; however, this difference was not statistically significant. Since the cytokine storm is a significant factor in the pathology of SARS-CoV-2, our findings highlighted the potential use of lovastatin to mitigate the inflammatory response induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection.

A possible pathogenic correlation between neutrophil elastase (NE) enzyme and inflammation in the pathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

A growing body of evidence indicates that neutrophil elastase (NE) is involved in the pathogenesis of respiratory infectious diseases, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This study aimed to analyze the dynamic changes in serum levels of NE associated with inflammation, disease activity, and mortality rate in patients with COVID-19. We measured the serum concentrations of NE, C-Reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)- 4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and vitamin D levels in 83 ICU and 69 non-ICU patients compared with 82 healthy subjects (HS) in three-time points (T1-T3). Serum levels of NE, IL-6, IL-8, and CRP in ICU and non-ICU patients were significantly higher than HS (P < 0.001) in three-time points. Also, serum levels of NE, IL-6, IL-8, and CRP in ICU patients were significantly higher than in non-ICU patients (P < 0.05). On the day of admission (T1), the levels of NE, CRP, IL-6, IL-8 were gradually decreased from T1 to T3. At the same time, IL-4 and IL-10 were gradually increased from T1 to T2 and then reduced to T3. Further analyses demonstrated that the levels of NE, IL-6, and IL-8 in deceased patients were significantly higher than in recovered patients (P < 0.05). The ROC curve analysis demonstrated that markers, including NE, IL-6, and IL-8, were valuable indicators in evaluating the activity of COVID-19. Overall, our results signify the critical role of NE in the pathogenesis of COVID-19, and also, further support that NE has a potential therapeutic target for the attenuation of COVID-19 severity.

A possible pathogenic role of Syndecan-1 in the pathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

A cell-surface heparan proteoglycan called Syndecan-1 (SDC-1) has multiple roles in healthy and pathogenic conditions, including respiratory viral infection. In this study, we explore the dynamic alternation in the levels of SDC-1 in cases with COVID-19. A total of 120 cases definitely diagnosed with COVID-19 were admitted to the Firoozgar Hospital, Tehran, Iran, from December 1, 2020, to January 29, 2021, and included in our study. Also, 58 healthy subjects (HS) were chosen as the control group. Patients were classified into two groups: 1) ICU patients and (63 cases) 2) non-ICU patients (57 cases). The dynamic changes of serum SCD-1, CRP, IL-6, IL-10, IL-18, and Vit D levels a well as the disease activity were investigated in three-time points (T1-T3). Our results indicated that the COVID-19 patients had significantly increased SCD-1, CRP, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-18 levels than in HS, while the Vit D levels in COVID-19 patients were significantly lower than HS. Further analysis demonstrated that the SCD-1, CRP, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-18 levels in ICU patients were significantly higher than in non-ICU patients. Tracking dynamic changes in the above markers indicated that on the day of admission, the SCD-1, CRP, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-18 levels were gradually increased on day 5 (T2) and then gradually decreased on day 10 (T3). ROC curve analysis suggests that markers mentioned above, SDC-1, IL-6, and IL-18 are valuable indicators in evaluating the activity of COVID-19. All in all, it seems that the serum SDC-1 levels alone or combined with other markers might be a good candidate for disease activity monitoring.

The role of human herpesvirus-6 and inflammatory markers in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a destructive autoimmune neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) with unknown etiology and mechanism of pathogenesis. Pathogens, especially human herpes viruses, have been suggested as environmental factors of the MS and other neuroinflammatory disorders. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of HHV-6 antibody response in MS patients and investigate the levels of pro/anti-inflammatory cytokine and chemokines in MS patients in comparison with healthy subjects. Two hundred sixty-three patients with clinically defined MS (140 females and 123 males), along with 263 healthy subjects (140 females and 123 males), were recruited for this study. After the analysis of HHV-6 seropositivity/seronegativity, the levels of some pro/anti-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-12 as well as two chemokines, namely CCL-2 and CCL-5 were determined by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method in HHV-6 seropositive/seronegative MS patients and healthy subjects. Our results showed that the serum concentrations of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-6, and CCL-5 elevated in HHV-6 seropositive compared with seronegative MS patients (P < .05). Moreover, the levels of IL-12, IL-10, and CCL-2 levels were significantly lower in seropositive MS patients when compared with seronegative MS patients (P < .05). Also, our results revealed that the mean values of the expanded disability status scale (EDSS) were significantly higher in HHV-6 seropositive versus seronegative MS patients (P < .05). In conclusion, we proposed that HHV-6 infection may play a role in MS pathogenesis by changing cytokine signaling in MS patients that may lead to peripheral inflammation.

Inhibition of protein disulfide isomerase has neuroprotective effects in a mouse model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is strictly linked to neuroinflammation and involves in the development of neurodegenerative disorders. Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) is an enzyme that catalyzes formation and isomerization of disulfide bonds and also acts as a chaperone that survives the cells against cell death by removal of misfolded proteins. Our previous work revealed that PDI is explicitly upregulated in response to myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-induced ER stress in the brain of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mice. The significance of overexpression of PDI in the apoptosis of neural cells prompted us to study the effect of CCF642, efficient inhibitor of PDI, in the recovery of EAE clinical symptoms. Using this in vivo model, we characterized the ability of CCF642 to decrease the expression of ER stress markers and neuroinflammation in the hippocampus of EAE mice. Our observations suggested that CCF642 administration attenuates EAE clinical symptomsand the expression of ER stress-related proteins. Further, it suppressed the inflammatory infiltration of CD4 + T cells and the activation of hippocampus-resident microglia and Th17 cells. We reported here that the inhibition of PDI protected EAE mice against neuronal apoptosis induced by prolonged ER stress and resulted in neuroprotection.

Maraviroc attenuates the pathogenesis of experimental autoimmune encephalitis

It has been shown that the blockade of chemokine receptor type 5 can dampen inflammatory reaction within the central nervous system (CNS). In the present study, we utilized maraviroc, a potent antagonist o CCR5, to examine whether this drug can mitigate neuroinflammation in the spinal cord of mice induced by experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE), considered a murine model of multiple sclerosis (MS). For this aim, mice were immunized with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein 35-55 (MOG35-55), followed by pertussis toxin to induce paralysis in EAE mice. The animals intraperitoneally received various doses of maraviroc (5, 25, and 50 mg/kg body weight) when the early clinical signs of EAE appeared. The results demonstrated that the administration of maraviroc led to a marked decrease in the clinical score and improvement in behavioral motor functions. Moreover, our finding indicated that the administration of maraviroc significantly attenuates the infiltration of inflammatory cells to the spinal cord, microgliosis, astrogliosis, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and cell death in EAE mice. The flow cytometry data indicated that a decreased number of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the peripheral blood of mice with EAE without affecting the number of T regulatory cells (CD4 + CD25+ forkhead box protein 3+). Finally, it seems that maraviroc is well-tolerated, and targeting CCR5 could open up a new horizon in the treatment of MS.

The levels of soluble forms of CD21 and CD83 in multiple sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a neuroinflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS) in which immune system plays a crucial role in progression of the disease. An enormous amount of research has been shown that immune mediators such as cytokines and chemokines are the culprits of MS propagation suggesting that modulation of such molecules may pave the path to hinder the disease development. It has been shown that both CD21 and CD83 contribute to the resolution of inflammation occurred in MS. CD21 and CD83 have also been ascribed to Epstein Barr virus (EBV) infection (the prime suspect of MS causality) and the levels of vitamin D, respectively. Hence, in this study, we measured the serum concentrations of soluble forms of CD21 and CD83 in 255 patients with MS divided into two groups who were receiving interferon-beta (185 MS patients) and fingolimod (70 MS patients) in comparison to 384 healthy individuals. The levels of EBV titers including anti-VCA IgM, anti-VCA IgG and anti-EBNA-1 IgG were also measured. The results showed that the concentration of soluble CD21 (sCD21) was markedly decreased in serum samples of MS patients with respect of controls. Contrarily, the level of soluble CD83 (sCD83) was elevated in MS patients compared to healthy individuals. In addition, the levels of sCD21 and sCD83 were correlated with the titers of EBV. The data showed the significant association between the expanded disability status scale (EDSS) and the levels of both sCD21 and sCD83. It seems that both sCD21 and sCD83 might be good candidate for disease monitoring and can be considered potential biomarkers for the disease activity.

The effect of minocycline on indolamine 2, 3 dioxygenase expression and the levels of kynurenic acid and quinolinic acid in LPS-activated primary rat microglia

Microglia are one of the most important neural cells in the central nervous system (CNS) which account for 10-15% of all cells found in the brain. A vast majority of studies indicate that microglia play a pivotal role in protection and damage of the CNS. It has been shown that microglia are mainly scavenger cells but also produce a barrage of factors that are involved in tissue repair and neural regeneration. Several lines of evidence indicate that unregulated activation of microglia in response to either endogenous or exogenous insults results in the production of toxic factors that propagate neuronal injury. Studies demonstrated that the activated microglia secret the excessive amounts of quinolinic acid (QA) and kynurenic acid (KYNA) which are highly toxic for the neuronal cells. In line with this, indolamine 2, 3 dioxygenase (IDO), an enzyme producing KYNA and QA has been shown to be elevated during the inflammation in microglia. In this study, we established primary microglial cell cultures obtained from cerebral cortices of 1-day neonatal Wistar rats. Minocycline (20-60 µM) or its vehicle was added to the culture media 60 min prior to 48 h incubation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 10 ng/mL). Using a specific process of adhesion and shaking of the cultured glial cells, a purified culture of approximately 94% enriched microglia was obtained and then, corroborated by immunocytochemistry (ICC). The cell viability after minocycline treatments was assessed using the MTT colorimetric assay. The expression of IDO was evaluated using qPCR. The levels of KYNA and QA were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results showed that minocycline significantly decreased the levels of both KYNA and QA in glia cells exposed to LPS. Moreover, minocycline decreased the expression of IDO in treated LPS-induced microglia. It seems that minocycline has a potent ability to oppress the inflammatory process via the decrease in production of IDO expression and the concentrations of KYNA and QA.

Nanocarriers Usage for Drug Delivery in Cancer Therapy

Conventional therapeutic agents have displayed significant shortcomings. For this reason, important achievements have effectively made in biotechnology for delivering the therapeutic agents to the site of action, and diminish side effects. Polymeric carriers, micelles, dendrimers, liposomes, solid lipid carriers, gold carriers, viral carriers, nanotubes and magnetic carriers incorporating cytotoxic therapeutics have developed. To improve biological distribution of therapeutic drugs, some modified carriers have designed in optimal size and modified surface area. Delivery of carriers to target cells could be done by passive and active targeting.

Serostatus of Epstein-Barr virus in Iranian MS patients

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common, complex disorder. Associations of MS with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection in Caucasian populations are well documented. However, in the Iranian population, previous studies have been conflicting. Sixty patients with MS and 50 healthy controls were tested for anti-EBV antibodies using chemiluminescent assays. All MS patients to be seropositive for EBV as compared to 82 % of controls (p = 0.0006). A strong, significant association of MS with EBV infection was documented, similar to studies in first world populations. Future studies should investigate the temporal sequence of infection to try to understand the cause of the recent increase in MS risk in Iran.

Co-occurrence of multiple sclerosis and Thomsen's myotonia: a report of two cases

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common demyelinating disease of the central nervous system in which an abnormal immune system response results in damage to the myelin sheaths surrounding nerves. The etiology of MS remains elusive, although it has been suggested to be influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Here, we report two exceptional cases of patients affected by both MS and Thomsen's myotonia. Electromyography and MRI scans confirmed the presence of both diseases in the referred cases. Although the mechanisms underlying the co-occurrence of MS and Thomsen's disease are unclear, we have endeavored to offer plausible explanations for it.

Increased autotaxin activity in multiple sclerosis

Autotaxin (ATX) is an enzyme producing lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) from lysophosphatidyl choline (LPC) and it is up-regulated in inflammatory conditions such as various cancers, arthritis and multiple sclerosis (MS). Numerous studies have shown that the LPA signaling gives rise to angiogenesis, mitosis, cell proliferation and cytokine secretion. On the one hand, an increasing body of evidence suggests that blockade of ATX has anti-inflammatory properties in a variety of diseases. The aim of this study was to measure the enzyme activity of ATX in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum of patients with MS using an enzymatic photometric method. Twenty definite relapsing remitting MS patients along with 20 patients with other neurological diseases (OND) were recruited. The results showed that ATX activity was significantly higher (p value<0.0001) in MS patients than those patients diagnosed with OND. It is possible that inhibition of the ATX may decrease the rate of MS relapses/progression.

Elevated serum levels of lysophosphatidic acid in patients with multiple sclerosis

A plethora of studies have shown that lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is involved both in inflammation and T cell apoptosis evasion. The aim of this study was to measure the concentrations of LPA in serum of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Twenty MS patients along with 20age-sex matched healthy individuals were recruited for this investigation. By employment of ELISA method, we demonstrated that MS patients had higher levels of LPA in serum than control group (P=0.006). This study is the first report of LPA elevation in MS disease.

Inhibitor IκBα promoter functional polymorphisms in patients with multiple sclerosis

The aim of this study is to investigate the association of IκBα promoter polymorphisms with the development of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) disease in Iranian population. One hundred and fifty patients with MS along with 150 unrelated healthy controls were enrolled in this study. The IκBα -881A/G (rs3138053), -826C/T (rs2233406) and -519C/T (rs2233408) polymorphisms were determined by the polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism method. This study demonstrated that the genotype frequencies of IκBα -881A/G and -826T/T, and allele frequencies of IκBα-881G were significantly higher in patients with MS with respect to as compared to the controls. We also found that the estimated haplotype frequency of IκBα promoter -881G-826T-519C was significantly increased in the patient with MS in comparison with that of the healthy individuals. This study reveals that polymorphisms in the IκBα promoter (-881 A/G, -826 C/T) are strongly associated with the susceptibility of Iranian MS patients.

Relationship between NF-κB1 -94 ins/del ATTG polymorphism and susceptibility of multiple sclerosis in Iranian MS patients

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common neurological diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) which is mediated by the autoimmune reactions against myelin sheath. Both genetic and environmental factors are thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of MS. NF-κB1 is one of the most important molecules which regulates the immune functions. NF-κB1 -94 ins/del ATTG promoter polymorphism is a well-studied region in NF-κB1 gene associated with several common autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Our hypothesis was aimed to address the potential association of NF-κB polymorphism and MS. Therefore, we analyzed 200 sex and age matched MS patients along with 200 healthy individuals using PCR-RFLP. The data revealed no significant differences in the frequency of the -94 ins/del ATTG polymorphism in multiple sclerosis patients compared with the control group. To conclude, our study showed no association between -94 ins/del ATTG polymorphism and risk of multiple sclerosis in Iranian patients.