Publications by authors named "Min-Xuan Xu"

Background Aims: As a global health threat, NASH has been confirmed to be a chronic progressive liver disease that is strongly associated with obesity. However, no approved drugs or efficient therapeutic strategies are valid, mainly because its complicated pathological processes is underestimated.

Approach Results: We identified the RING-type E3 ubiquitin transferase-tripartite motif-containing protein 31 (TRIM31), a member of the E3 ubiquitin ligases family, as an efficient endogenous inhibitor of transforming growth factor-beta-activated kinase 1 (mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 7; MAP3K7), and we further confirmed that TRIM31 is an MAP3K7-interacting protein and promotes MAP3K7 degradation by enhancing ubiquitination of K48 linkage in hepatocytes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Research highlights the link between ambient PM exposure and neurological diseases, focusing on the role of the Rhbdf2 gene in inflammation-related conditions.
  • Long-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) led to metabolic disorders in control mice, but Rhbdf2-deficient mice showed improved metabolic parameters.
  • The study suggests that Rhbdf2 contributes to hypothalamic injury and neuronal loss, indicating it could be a potential target for mitigating the effects of air pollution on health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) has been implicated in obesity-associated cardiac remodeling and dysfunction. Inactive rhomboid protein 2 (iRhom2), also known as Rhbdf2, is an inactive member of the rhomboid intramembrane proteinase family, playing an essential role in regulating inflammation. Nevertheless, the role of ERS-meditated iRhom2 pathway in metabolic stress-induced cardiomyopathy remains unknown.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

An increasing number of studies have shown that air pollution containing particulate matter (PM) ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5) plays a significant role in the development of metabolic disorder and other chronic diseases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Research suggests that particulate matter (PM) is a predisposing factor for metabolic syndrome-related systemic inflammation and oxidative stress injury. TNF-α as a major pro-inflammatory cytokine was confirmed to participate in various diseases. Inactive rhomboid protein 2 (iRhom2) was recently determined as a necessary regulator for shedding of TNF-α in immune cells.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The mortality rate of acute liver failure significantly increases due to fatal septicemia. Inactive rhomboid protein 2 (iRhom2) is an essential regulator of shedding TNF-α by trafficking with TNF-α converting enzyme (TACE). Fisetin, a flavonoid present in various fruits and plants, possesses anti-oxidative stress and anti-inflammatory activities.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Accumulating researches reported that particulate matter (PM2.5) is a risk factor for developing various diseases, including metabolic syndrome. Recently, inactive rhomboid protein 2 (iRhom2) was considered as a necessary modulator for shedding of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in immune cells.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

High-fat diet-induced metabolic syndrome followed by chronic kidney disease caused by intestinal endotoxemia have received extensive attention. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and oxidative stress-related Nrf2/Keap1 were regarded as the key target points involved in metabolic inflammation and kidney injury. However, the molecular mechanism of interaction between TLR4/NF-κB and Nrf2 activation in high-fat diet-induced renal injury is not absolutely understood.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Increasing studies demonstrated that air pollution (PM2.5) plays a significant role in metabolic and neurological diseases. Unfortunately, there is no direct testimony of this, and yet the molecular mechanism by which the occurrence remains unclear.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Recent studies suggest that diet-induced fractalkine (FKN) stimulates neuroinflammation in animal models of obesity, yet how it occurs is unclear. This study investigated the role of FKN and it receptor, CX3CR1, in fructose-induced neuroinflammation, and examined curcumin's beneficial effect. Fructose feeding was found to induce hippocampal microglia activation with neuroinflammation through the activation of the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear transcription factor κB (NF-κB) signaling, resulting in the reduction of neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus (DG) of mice.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Betaine has been proven effective in treating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in animal models, however, its molecular mechanisms remain elusive. The aims of this study were to explore the mechanisms mediating the anti-inflammatory and anti-lipogenic actions of betaine in fructose-fed rats. In this study, betaine improved insulin resistance, reduced body weight gain and serum lipid levels, and prevented hepatic lipid accumulation in fructose-fed rats.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Scope: Hypothalamic astrogliosis and inflammation cause neural injury, playing a critical role in metabolic syndrome development. This study investigated whether and how fructose caused hypothalamic astrogliosis and inflammation in vivo and in vitro. The inhibitory effects of betaine on hypothalamic neural injury, astrogliosis, and inflammation were explored to address its improvement of fructose-induced metabolic syndrome.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Backgrounds And Aim: Microglial cells as an important part of central nervous system (CNS) have generally believed to play significant role in the process leading to a number of neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, prion diseases, multiple sclerosis, HIV-dementia, and stroke. Although different diseases have quite different pathogenesis, the activation of microglia was shared with all of them. Recently, the resolvin D1 (RvD1) as an endogenous antiinflammatory lipid mediator has been confirmed to be involved in the treatment of inflammation-related neuronal injury in neurodegenerative diseases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF