Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBS)-induced oxidative stress and inflammation in human thyrocytes: involvement of AhR and NRF-2/HO-1 pathway.

Purpose: In this in vitro study, we investigated the effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) on human thyrocytes, with a focus on the involvement of AhR, a key player in xenobiotic response, and the anti-oxidant Nrf-2/HO-1 pathway.

Methods: Primary cultured thyrocytes were exposed to the dioxin-like congeners PCB118 and PCB126 at 2.5 and 5 µM concentrations.

miR-21 attenuated inflammation targeting MyD88 in human chondrocytes stimulated with Hyaluronan oligosaccharides.

Inflammation is the body's response to injuries, which depends on numerous regulatory factors. Among them, miRNAs have gained much attention for their role in regulating inflammatory gene expression at multiple levels. In particular, miR-21 is up-regulated during the inflammatory response and reported to be involved in the resolution of inflammation by down-regulating pro-inflammatory mediators, including MyD88.

Involvement of selected circulating ncRNAs in the regulation of cognitive dysfunction induced by anesthesia.

Post-operative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) refers to the functional impairment of the nervous system caused by prolonged exposure to anesthetics. It is known that prolonged exposure to anesthetics may increase the risk for the development of several cognitive impairments. The drugs used to induce general anesthesia are generally safe, owing to the CNS's direct and/or indirect self-protective activity against drug-induced damages.

Short Road Transport and Slaughter Stress Affects the Expression Profile of Serotonin Receptors, Adrenocortical, and Hematochemical Responses in Horses.

Horse transport is considered a cause of stress in animals and is known to affect the 5-HT concentrations in both the brain and other tissues. The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of horse transportation and slaughter stress on plasma serotonin's concentration and the expression levels of the related 5-HT1B and 5-HT2A receptors in PBMCs. Furthermore, the IL-12 levels and a variety of blood parameters, including triglycerides, total cholesterol, glucose, aspartate aminotransferase, creatine phosphokinase, lactate dehydrogenase, were also considered.

Dynamics of astrocytes Ca signaling: a low-cost fluorescence customized system for 2D cultures.

In an effort to help reduce the costs of fluorescence microscopy and expand the use of this valuable technique, we developed a low-cost platform capable of visualising and analysing the spatio-temporal dynamics of intracellular Ca signalling in astrocytes. The created platform, consisting of a specially adapted fluorescence microscope and a data analysis procedure performed with Imagej Fiji software and custom scripts, allowed us to detect relative changes of intracellular Ca ions in astrocytes. To demonstrate the usefulness of the workflow, we applied the methodology to several astrocyte preparations, specifically immortalised human astrocyte cells and wild-type mouse cells.

Gene Expression Analysis of nc-RNAs in Bipolar and Panic Disorders: A Pilot Study.

Background: Bipolar Disorder (BD) is a chronic, highly disabling mood disorder. Among the major comorbidities, Panic Disorder (PD) is often associated with BD. This could suggest a common genetic and pathophysiological background between these two conditions, as suggested by previous studies.

Endocan Knockdown Down-Regulates the Expression of Angiogenesis-Associated Genes in Il-1ß Activated Chondrocytes.

Endocan is a small soluble proteoglycan (PG) known to be involved in inflammation and angiogenesis. Increased endocan expression was found in the synovia of arthritic patients and chondrocytes stimulated with IL-1ß. Considering these findings, we aimed to investigate the effects of endocan knockdown on the modulation of pro-angiogenic molecules expression in a model of IL-1ß-induced inflammation in human articular chondrocytes.

Endocan Promotes Pro-Tumorigenic Signaling in Lung Cancer Cells: Modulation of Cell Proliferation, Migration and lncRNAs H19 and HULC Expression.

Endocan is a circulating proteoglycan secreted by several cell lines and identified as a potential biomarker of inflammation and angiogenesis. Endocan-increased expression has been found in a broad spectrum of human tumors, including lung cancer, and is associated with a poor prognosis. To elucidate the possible mechanism, this study aimed to investigate the role of endocan in non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) using an in vitro model of cultured cells.

Corrigendum: Exploiting curcumin synergy with natural products using quantitative analysis of dose-effect relationships in an experimental model of osteoarthritis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2019.

Deciphering impact of single nucleotide polymorphisms on cotranscriptional modification in CCM gene mRNAs.

Novel insights on regulation of gene expression mechanisms highlight the pivotal role of epitranscriptomic modifications on decision about transcript fate. These modifications include methylation of adenosine and cytosine in RNA molecules. Impairment of the normal epitranscriptome profile was observed in several pathological conditions, such as cancer and neurodegeneration.

miR9 inhibits 6-mer HA-induced cytokine production and apoptosis in human chondrocytes by reducing NF-kB activation.

The present study aimed to investigate the expression of miR9 and its correlation with cytokines, proteolytic enzymes and apoptosis in an experimental model of 6-mer HA induced inflammation in human chondrocytes. Human articular chondrocytes, transfected with a miR-9 mimic and miR-9 inhibitor, were stimulated with 6-mer HA in presence/absence of a specific NF-kB inhibitor. 6-mer HA induced a significant increase of TLR-4, CD44, IL-8, IL-18, MMP-9, ADAMTS-5, BAX and BCL-2 mRNAs expression and the related proteins, as well as NF-kB activation, associated with a significant up regulation of miR-9.

MAO-A Inhibition by Metaxalone Reverts IL-1β-Induced Inflammatory Phenotype in Microglial Cells.

Experimental and clinical studies have suggested that several neurological disorders are associated with the occurrence of central nervous system neuroinflammation. Metaxalone is an FDA-approved muscle relaxant that has been reported to inhibit monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A). The aim of this study was to investigate whether metaxalone might exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in HMC3 microglial cells.

Expression and Change of miRs 145, 221 and 222 in Hypertensive Subjects Treated with Enalapril, Losartan or Olmesartan.

miR profile could be associated to CV risk, and also to prognosis/outcome in response to therapeutic approach. We aimed to evaluate if anti-hypertensive drugs enalapril, losartan or olmesartan have effects on monocyte miR profile in essential hypertensives without target organ involvement. For this purpose, 82 hypertensives and 49 controls were included; we evaluated SBP/DBP, lipid profile, glucose, CRP, fibrinogen, arterial stiffness indices (PWV; AIx), and cIMT at baseline (T0) and after 24 weeks of treatment (T1).

Endocan, a novel inflammatory marker, is upregulated in human chondrocytes stimulated with IL-1 beta.

Endocan is a circulating proteoglycan, involved in immunity, inflammation, and endothelial function. It has been recently suggested as a biomarker of inflammation, increased angiogenesis, and cancer. In vitro studies have shown that endocan expression could be upregulated by inflammatory cytokines and proangiogenic molecules.

Quantitative polymerase Chain reaction profiling of microRNAs in peripheral lymph-monocytes from MGUS subjects.

Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is a pre-malignant abnormality of plasma cells, with increased serum levels of immunoglobulins. Patients with MGUS may evolve to multiple myeloma through a multistep process including deregulated gene expression. microRNAs are small non-coding RNA molecules involved in post-transcriptional regulation of crucial biological processes, such as morphogenesis, cell differentiation, apoptosis, and cancer.

Hyaluronan oligosaccharides modulate inflammatory response, NIS and thyreoglobulin expression in human thyrocytes.

Autoimmune thyroid diseases, such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis, are characterized by lymphocytic infiltration and altered function of the thyroid. During inflammation, it has been reported a decreased expression in Tg and NIS, accompanied by an increase in HA production that accumulates in the gland. HA fragments produced in different pathological states can modulate gene expression in a variety of cell types and may prime inflammatory response by interacting with the TLR-2, TLR-4 and CD44 that, in turn, induce NF-kB activation finally responsible of inflammatory mediator transcription, such as IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6.

miR146a up-regulation is involved in small HA oligosaccharides-induced pro-inflammatory response in human chondrocytes.

Background: Small HA fragments are produced during cartilage degradation and their role seems to be preponderant during pathologies in which cartilage injury contribute to trigger and perpetuate the inflammatory mechanism. Several reports have increasingly shown that MicroRNAs (miRs), a small non-coding mRNAs are involved in the regulation of multiple biological processes, including cell proliferation and inflammation response in different pathologies, among them miR146a seems to be involved in inflammatory processes.

Methods: Starting by these evidences we investigated the levels of miR146a and its correlation with inflammatory mediators in an experimental model of 6-mer HA-induced inflammatory response in human cultured chondrocytes.

Altered Long Noncoding RNA Expression Profile in Multiple Myeloma Patients with Bisphosphonate-Induced Osteonecrosis of the Jaw.

Bisphosphonates (BPs) are inhibitors of osteoclast-mediated bone resorption used for the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) patients with osteolytic lesions. Bisphosphonate-induced osteonecrosis of the jaw (BONJ) is an infrequent drug-caused adverse event of these agents. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a set of more than 200 base pairs, noncoding RNA molecules, which are critical posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression.

β-Caryophyllene Inhibits Cell Proliferation through a Direct Modulation of CB2 Receptors in Glioblastoma Cells.

Glioblastomas are aggressive cancers characterized by uncontrolled proliferation and inflammation. b-caryophyllene (BCP) is a cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) agonist that showed an important anti-inflammatory effect through the interaction of CB2 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARg) receptors. BCP effects were investigated in an in vitro model of glioblastoma.

Physical Exercise Affects Serotoninergic System in Horse Leukocytes.

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT]) may induce metabolic effects in different cell types, including leukocytes. In horses, 5-HT is involved in physiological and behavioral functions. Physical exercise is known to increase the amounts of 5-HT both in brain and periphery, but so far, the signal mechanism in response to exercise is not known.

Selenium exerts protective effects against oxidative stress and cell damage in human thyrocytes and fibroblasts.

Purpose: Selenium, incorporated into specific seleno-enzymes, is essential to proper thyroid function and protect cells from oxidative damage induced by HO during thyroid hormone synthesis. Several studies indicated that low selenium levels are associated with thyroid autoimmunity and related disorders, but real effectiveness of selenium supplementation in such diseases is still controversial. We evaluated the effect of selenium on oxidative damage in human thyrocytes and thyroid fibroblasts in vitro.

Exploiting Curcumin Synergy With Natural Products Using Quantitative Analysis of Dose-Effect Relationships in an Experimental Model of Osteoarthritis.

Drug combination is widely used to treat chronic inflammatory diseases. A similar strategy might be worth of interest to design plant-derived natural products to treat inflammatory conditions. Curcumin is a natural phenolic compound which shares anti-inflammatory activity with both flavocoxid, a flavonoid mixture of baicalin and catechin, and β-caryophyllene, a bicyclic sesquiterpene.

Hyaluronan Fragmentation During Inflammatory Pathologies: A Signal that Empowers Tissue Damage.

The mechanisms that modulate the response to tissue injury are not fully understood. Abnormalities in the repair response are associated with a variety of chronic disease states characterized by inflammation, followed subsequently by excessive ECM deposition. As cell-matrix interactions are able to regulate cellular homeostasis, modification of ECM integrity appears to be an unspecific factor in promoting the onset and progression of inflammatory diseases.