HMGB1 is a key late inflammatory mediator upregulated during air-pollution-induced oxidative stress. Extracellular HMGB1 accumulation in the airways and lungs plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory lung injury. Decreasing extracellular HMBG1 levels may restore innate immune cell functions to protect the lungs from harmful injuries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSupraphysiological concentrations of oxygen (hyperoxia) can compromise host defense and increase susceptibility to bacterial and viral infections, causing ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Compromised host defense and inflammatory lung injury are mediated, in part, by high extracellular concentrations of HMGB1, which can be decreased by GTS-21, a partial agonist of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR). Here, we report that a novel α7nAChR agonistic positive allosteric modulator (ago-PAM), GAT107, at 3.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClinical studies have shown a significant positive correlation between age and the likelihood of being infected with SARS-CoV-2. This increased susceptibility is positively correlated with chronic inflammation and compromised neurocognitive functions. Postmortem analyses suggest that acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), with systemic and lung hyperinflammation, can cause significant morbidity and mortality in COVID-19 patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects almost 7 million people worldwide and is increasing in incidence. While the precise pathogenesis of IBD remains unknown, the production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines play a central role. We have previously found that N, N-dimethylacetamide (DMA), a widely used non-toxic drug excipient, suppresses cytokine and chemokine secretion and prevents inflammation-induced preterm birth .
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