Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Aleksandra Kaluzna, Pawel Olczyk, Katarzyna Komosinska-Vassev
Summary: This review paper summarizes the current understanding of the involvement of the innate and adaptive immune systems in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC). It discusses the role of various immune cells, such as neutrophils, dendritic cells, macrophages, innate lymphoid cells, cytotoxic lymphocytes, regulatory T cells, and helper T cells in the development of UC. The review also highlights the influence of B lymphocytes and cytokines on the disease. The paper concludes by mentioning the advancement in immune-targeted treatments for UC, known as biologic agents.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Javier Conde, Marlene Schwarzfischer, Egle Katkeviciute, Janine Hafliger, Anna Niechcial, Nathalie Brillant, Roberto Manzini, Katharina Babler, Kirstin Atrott, Silvia Lang, Michael Scharl
Summary: This study investigated the interaction between the food additive TiO2 and the IBD risk gene Ptpn2 in the development of intestinal inflammation. Results showed that TiO2 exacerbated intestinal inflammation in Ptpn2 deficient mice by impacting the differentiation of intestinal macrophages. Furthermore, TiO2 was found to induce the secretion of IL-1 beta and suppress the expression of IL-10 in macrophages through different signaling pathways.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Yannan Chen, Wentao Su, Shanshan Tie, Weina Cui, Xiaoting Yu, Lijuan Zhang, Zheng Hua, Mingqian Tan
Summary: A new kind of sequence-targeted astaxanthin nanoparticles was developed for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC). The nanoparticles demonstrated excellent macrophages and mitochondria targeting ability, and significantly alleviated inflammation. Additionally, they also improved the composition of gut microbiota and the production of short chain fatty acid.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Sarah C. Sasson, Stephanie M. Slevin, Vincent T. F. Cheung, Isar Nassiri, Anna Olsson-Brown, Eve Fryer, Ricardo C. Ferreira, Dominik Trzupek, Tarun Gupta, Lulia Al-Hillawi, Mari-lenna Issaias, Alistair Easton, Leticia Campo, Michael E. B. FitzPatrick, Joss Adams, Meenali Chitnis, Andrew Protheroe, Mark Tuthill, Nicholas Coupe, Alison Simmons, Miranda Payne, Mark R. Middleton, Simon P. L. Travis, Benjamin P. Fairfax, Paul Klenerman, Oliver Brain
Summary: Our study demonstrates that CD8(+) tissue resident memory T (T-RM) cells are the main activated T cell subset in ICI colitis. The pattern of gastrointestinal immunopathology in ICI colitis is distinct from ulcerative colitis at both the immune and epithelial-signaling levels. Activation of CD8+ T-RM cells correlates with clinical and endoscopic severity of ICI colitis.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Anthony Markham
Summary: Enarodustat, an orally active HIF-PH inhibitor, is being developed as an alternative to injectable erythropoiesis-stimulating agents for the treatment of anemia associated with CKD. Approved in Japan, the drug is currently undergoing clinical development in the USA and South Korea. This article outlines the key milestones in the development of enarodustat leading to its first approval for CKD-associated anemia.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Ming Wu, Hongrui Ping, Kun Wang, Hui Ding, Meng Zhang, Ziqiong Yang, Qian Du
Summary: Oral delivery of anti-inflammatory drugs is a promising strategy for treating ulcerative colitis, but achieving specific drug delivery to colon tissues and target cells is challenging. In this study, macrophages-targeted liposome-loaded pectin-chitosan hydrogels were developed for effective UC treatment through oral administration.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICS
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Run Hua, Gangjie Qiao, Guoshan Chen, Zhaonan Sun, Haowen Jia, Peiyuan Li, Baotong Zhang, Feng Qi
Summary: This study identified diagnostic genes for ulcerative colitis (UC) and investigated their potential relationship with immune cells using single-cell RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. The findings were verified in a mouse model of DSS-induced colitis and showed a negative correlation between the diagnostic genes and M2 macrophages, suggesting their potential influence on macrophage polarization in UC patients.
JOURNAL OF INFLAMMATION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Physiology
Andres A. Urrutia, Nan Guan, Claudia Mesa-Ciller, Aqeela Afzal, Olena Davidoff, Volker H. Haase
Summary: The study investigates the role of NG2 cells in HIF-regulated cerebral vascular homeostasis and finds that HIF2 activation in NG2 cells promotes neurovascular expansion independently of EPO. The activity of HIF2 in NG2 cells is controlled by both PHD2 and PHD3, and PHD1 modulates HIF2 transcriptional responses when PHD2 and PHD3 are inactive.
Article
Cell Biology
Hilmi Burak Kandilci, Gul Simsek, Tugba Zirapli, Mustafa Celebier
Summary: Iron deficiency is closely associated with mitochondrial dysfunction in heart failure patients. Iron plays a role as a structural component in mitochondria and also as a cofactor for the degradation of hypoxia inducible factor. This study used HL-1 cells to investigate the effects of iron depletion on mitochondrial function and reveal the mechanisms leading to cardiac failure.
Article
Biology
Cara De Galan, Martine De Vos, Pieter Hindryckx, Debby Laukens, Sophie Van Welden
Summary: Environmental hypoxia and immune cell-specific Phd1 deletion do not affect experimental ileitis development, raising doubts on the therapeutic effects for IBD patients.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Lujain Maasfeh, Anetta Hartlova, Stefan Isaksson, Johanna Sundin, Georgios Mavroudis, Otto Savolainen, Hans Strid, Lena Ohman, Maria K. Magnusson
Summary: Fecal luminal factors from healthy donors can down-regulate signaling pathways in macrophages and influence their function, while those from UC patients in remission have a weaker effect on macrophages. Metabolomic analysis revealed differential fecal metabolite composition between healthy individuals and UC patients in remission. This suggests that UC patients in remission may lack the necessary signals to condition macrophages towards a hyporesponsive and tolerogenic phenotype, making them vulnerable to relapse.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Yanru Ma, Xinyu Zhang, Baoqin Xuan, Danjie Li, Nan Yin, Lijun Ning, Yi-Lu Zhou, Yuqing Yan, Tianying Tong, Xiaoqiang Zhu, Xiaowen Huang, Muni Hu, Zhenhua Wang, Zhe Cui, Huabin Li, Jiqiu Wang, Jing-Yuan Fang, Ruixin Liu, Haoyan Chen, Jie Hong
Summary: FTO downregulation promotes UC by decreasing CerS6 expression, resulting in increased S1P accumulation in IECs and exacerbating colitis via m6A-dependent mechanisms. UC patients with lower FTO expression may have a better response to vedolizumab treatment.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shaghayegh Baradaran Ghavami, Hamid Asadzadeh Aghdaei, Dario Sorrentino, Shabnam Shahrokh, Maryam Farmani, Fatemeh Ashrafian, Maria Pina Dore, Shahrbanoo Keshavarz Azizi Raftar, Seyed Mobin Khoramjoo, Mohammad Reza Zali
Summary: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are immune-mediated, chronic relapsing diseases with a rising prevalence worldwide. Probiotic bacteria may impact immunomodulation by regulating dendritic cells to produce tolerogenic DCs, which could play a role in the treatment of IBD and associated conditions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Xu Feng, Ye Xiao, Jian He, Mi Yang, Qi Guo, Tian Su, Yan Huang, Jun Yi, Chang-Jun Li, Xiang-Hang Luo, Xiao-Wei Liu, Hai-Yan Zhou
Summary: A study found that the long noncoding RNA Gm31629 plays a crucial role in inflammatory bowel disease by promoting E2F pathways and cell proliferation, thus facilitating intestinal epithelial regeneration. Deficiency of Gm31629 may lead to worsened intestinal inflammation and delayed epithelial regeneration.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Wei Yu, Yijia Zhang, Cai Kang, Yang Zheng, Xincheng Liu, Zhenghao Liang, Jing Yan
Summary: Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease that mainly occurs in the colon. The use of the Chang-Yan-Ning formula has been found to alleviate the development and progression of colitis by maintaining immune responses and microbiota homeostasis.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Pathology
Helena Aegerter, Bart N. Lambrecht
Summary: Despite the use of new biologics for treating asthma, the disease persists, and patients still experience symptoms even after treatment. Mucus plugs play a significant role in the disease by physically obstructing airways and perpetuating inflammation, acting as an immunogenic stimulus. Changes in mucus biology caused by type 2 inflammation result in sticky and difficult-to-expectorate sputum, which also increases the risk of infections. Therefore, mucus plugs are an overlooked but critical feature of asthma.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF PATHOLOGY-MECHANISMS OF DISEASE
(2023)
Article
Rheumatology
Desiree van der Heijde, Atul Deodhar, Xenofon Baraliakos, Matthew A. Brown, Hiroaki Dobashi, Maxime Dougados, Dirk Elewaut, Alicia M. Ellis, Carmen Fleurinck, Karl Gaffney, Lianne S. Gensler, Nigil Haroon, Marina Magrey, Walter P. Maksymowych, Alexander Marten, Ute Massow, Marga Oortgiesen, Denis Poddubnyy, Martin Rudwaleit, Julie Shepherd-Smith, Tetsuya Tomita, Filip van den Bosch, Thomas Vaux, Huji Xu
Summary: The BE MOBILE 1 and BE MOBILE 2 trials demonstrated that bimekizumab, a dual IL-17A and IL-17F inhibitor, improved efficacy outcomes in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and was well tolerated. These findings support the use of bimekizumab as a potential treatment option for axSpA.
ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jose Cristian Vidal-Quist, Jozefien Declercq, Stijn Vanhee, Bart N. Lambrecht, Jose Gomez-Rial, Carmen Vidal, Eylem Aydogdu, Stephane Rombauts, Pedro Hernandez-Crespo
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of viral infection on the physiological characteristics and allergenicity of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus. Transcriptional changes and allergen accumulation were observed, but the impact on allergic asthma and human IgE binding was not significant. Overall, viral infection did not significantly affect the allergenic performance of extracts or their practical use in allergy diagnosis.
INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Monica Fernandez-Cortes, Daniel Delgado-Bellido, Eloisa Bermudez-Jimenez, Jesus M. Paramio, Francisco O'Valle, Stefan Vinckier, Peter Carmeliet, Angel Garcia-Diaz, F. Javier Oliver
Summary: Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) refers to the ability of aggressive tumor cells to develop pseudovascular structures without endothelial cells. This study investigated the role of hypoxia and PARP inhibition in VM. Results showed that the PARP inhibitor olaparib improved pericyte coverage and reduced metastasis in uveal melanoma xenografts with VM. PARP inhibition and hypoxia induced changes in melanoma tube formation and gene expression related to vasculogenesis, enhancing the endothelial-like phenotype of VM+ melanoma cells. Overall, PARP inhibitors have the potential to modulate VM characteristics and reduce metastatic spread in melanoma.
JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Roman V. V. Chernozem, Igor Pariy, Maria A. A. Surmeneva, Vladimir V. V. Shvartsman, Guillaume Planckaert, Joost Verduijn, Stef Ghysels, Anatolii Abalymov, Bogdan V. V. Parakhonskiy, Eric Gracey, Amanda Goncalves, Sanjay Mathur, Frederik Ronsse, Diederik Depla, Doru C. C. Lupascu, Dirk Elewaut, Roman A. A. Surmenev, Andre G. G. Skirtach
Summary: This study comprehensively examines the effects of biodegradation on the properties of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) scaffolds supplemented with reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The addition of 1.0 wt% rGO does not affect the enzymatic biodegradation rate of PHB scaffolds for 30 days. Biodegradation leads to depolymerization of the amorphous phase and an increase in crystallinity. The PHB-0.7rGO fibers exhibit the strongest piezoresponse, making them promising for tissue-engineering applications.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anton De Spiegeleer, Amelie Descamps, Srinath Govindarajan, Julie Coudenys, Kevin van der Borght, Hannah Hirmz, Nele van den Noortgate, Dirk Elewaut, Bart De Spiegeleer, Evelien Wynendaele
Summary: This study discovered the potential of quorum-sensing peptides to modulate the immune system in microbiome-host interactions. Through screening 89 peptides, four of them were found to activate immune cells in vitro, and one of them was detected in human plasma. These findings are biologically significant and reveal the immunomodulatory potential of quorum-sensing peptides.
Article
Immunology
Kavita Rawat, Anita Tewari, Xin Li, Arlind B. B. Mara, William T. T. King, Sophie L. L. Gibbings, Chinaza F. F. Nnam, Fred W. W. Kolling, Bart N. N. Lambrecht, Claudia V. V. Jakubzick
Summary: Dendritic cells and monocytes capture, transport, and present antigen to cognate T cells in the draining lymph nodes in a CCR7-dependent manner. It is unclear how monocytes reach the lymph nodes since only migratory dendritic cells express this chemokine receptor.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Correction
Neurosciences
Carmen Ruiz de Almodovar, Pierre J. Fabre, Ellen Knevels, Cathy Coulon, Inmaculada Segura, Patrick C. G. Haddick, Liesbeth Aerts, Nicolas Delattin, Geraldine Strasser, Won-Jong Oh, Christian Lange, Stefan Vinckier, Jody Haigh, Coralie Fouquet, Chengua Gu, Kari Alitalo, Valerie Castellani, Marc Tessier-Lavigne, Alain Chedotal, Frederic Charron, Peter Carmeliet
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Stefania Crotta, Matteo Villa, Jack Major, Katja Finsterbusch, Miriam Llorian, Peter Carmeliet, Joerg Buescher, Andreas Wack
Summary: Airway epithelial repair requires a shift from glycolysis to fatty acid oxidation. Promoting fatty acid oxidation enhances epithelial differentiation, offering potential therapeutic options. Defects in mucociliary clearance or barrier integrity lead to recurrent infections and chronic inflammation in the airway epithelium.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Liliana Sokol, Anne Cuypers, Anh-Co K. Truong, Ann Bouche, Katleen Brepoels, Joris Souffreau, Katerina Rohlenova, Stefan Vinckier, Luc Schoonjans, Guy Eelen, Mieke Dewerchin, Laura P. M. H. de Rooij, Peter Carmeliet
Summary: Translation of academic results into clinical practice is a significant challenge. In this study, the authors addressed this challenge by prioritizing and validating potential target genes from single-cell RNA-sequencing data. They focused on tip endothelial cell markers and identified four candidates that showed tip EC characteristics. This study highlights the importance of targeted assessment and prioritization of candidate genes for successful translation into clinical practice.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Rheumatology
Manouk de Hooge, Alla Ishchenko, Ann-Sophie De Craemer, Serge Steinfeld, Adrien Nzeusseu, Dirk Elewaut, Rik Lories, Kurt de Vlam, Filip van den Bosch
Summary: This study aimed to examine radiographic axial damage of the sacroiliac joints and spine in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA) in private and academic Belgian practices. The data comparison between the two patient groups found that patients with SpA tend to have more severe spinal damage compared to those with PsA. In patients with PsA, the cervical spine is more often affected, while in patients with SpA, the location of syndesmophytes is more evenly distributed.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Brenda Morant-Ferrando, Daniel Jimenez-Blasco, Paula Alonso-Batan, Jesus Agulla, Rebeca Lapresa, Dario Garcia-Rodriguez, Sara Yunta-Sanchez, Irene Lopez-Fabuel, Emilio Fernandez, Peter Carmeliet, Angeles Almeida, Marina Garcia-Macia, Juan P. P. Bolanos
Summary: Astrocytes, a type of glial cells in the brain, primarily rely on glycolysis for energy production, indicating glucose as their main metabolic precursor. However, recent studies have shown that astrocytes also have the ability to metabolize fatty acids, and this metabolic pathway may play a role in preserving mitochondrial function and cognitive performance.
Meeting Abstract
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Shauni Loopmans, Steve Stegen, Katerina Rohlenova, Ingrid Stockmans, Karen Moermans, Peter Carmeliet, Geert Carmeliet
JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yangfeng H. Xu, Emma Christiaen, Sara De Witte, Qinyuan Chen, Kathelijne Peremans, Jimmy H. Saunders, Christian Vanhove, Chris Baeken
Summary: Anxiety is a common psychiatric disorder in both humans and dogs. This study used functional MRI to investigate the differences in brain networks between healthy dogs and dogs with anxiety symptoms. The findings suggest that there are aberrant connections in the brains of anxious dogs, providing insights into the neural mechanisms of anxiety in dogs.
Meeting Abstract
Nutrition & Dietetics
B. Boshuizen, L. Mare, C. De Meeus, L. Devisscher, C. Vidal Moreno de Vega, J. De Oliveira, G. Hosotani, Y. Gansemans, T. Meese, F. Van Nieuwerburgh, D. Deforce, C. Delesalle
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NUTRITION SOCIETY
(2023)