Gut Microbiome-Related Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Activation on Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is one of the most prevalent chronic inflammations of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). The gut microbial population, the cytokine milieu, the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) expressed by immune and nonimmune cells and the intrinsic pathway of Th-cell differentiation are implicated in the immunopathology of IBD. AHR activation requires a delicate balance between regulatory and effector T-cells; loss of this balance can cause local gut microbial dysbiosis and intestinal inflammation.

Role of Nrf2 in 1,2-dichloropropane-induced cell proliferation and DNA damage in the mouse liver.

1,2-Dichloropropane (1,2-DCP) is recognized as the causative chemical of occupational cholangiocarcinoma in printing workers in Japan. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of 1,2-DCP-induced carcinogenesis remains elusive. The present study investigated cellular proliferation, DNA damage, apoptosis, and expression of antioxidant and proinflammatory genes in the liver of mice exposed daily to 1,2-DCP for 5 weeks, and the role of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) in these responses.

Role of Macrophages in Cytotoxicity, Reactive Oxygen Species Production and DNA Damage in 1,2-Dichloropropane-Exposed Human Cholangiocytes In Vitro.

1,2-Dichloropropane (1,2-DCP), a synthetic chlorinated organic compound, was extensively used in the past in offset color proof-printing. In 2014, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reclassified 1,2-DCP from its initial Group 3 to Group 1. Prior to the reclassification, cholangiocarcinoma was diagnosed in a group of workers exposed to 1,2 -DCP in an offset color proof-printing company in Japan.

CD9-positive cells in the intermediate lobe migrate into the anterior lobe to supply endocrine cells.

The adenohypophysis is composed of the anterior and intermediate lobes (AL and IL), and secretes important hormones for growth, sexual development, metabolism, and reproduction. In the marginal cell layer (MCL) facing Rathke's cleft between the IL and AL, cluster of differentiation (CD) 9-, CD81-, S100β-, and SOX2-quadruple positive (CD9/CD81/S100β/SOX2-positive) cells in the adult IL are settled as tissue-resident stem/progenitor cells supplying hormone-producing cells to the AL. However, it is unclear how CD9/CD81/S100β/SOX2-positive cells in the IL-side MCL migrate into the AL across Rathke's cleft.

CD9-positive cells in the intermediate lobe of the pituitary gland are important supplier for prolactin-producing cells in the anterior lobe.

A supply of hormone-producing cells from stem/progenitor cells is critical to sustain the endocrine activity of the pituitary gland. In the adenohypophysis composing the anterior and intermediate lobe (AL and IL, respectively), stem/progenitor cells expressing sex-determining region Y-box 2 (SOX2) and S100β are located in the marginal cell layer (MCL) facing Rathke's cleft (primary niche) and the parenchyma of the AL (secondary niche). Our previous studies using mice and rats indicated that the tetraspanin superfamily CD9 and CD81 are expressed in S100β/SOX2-positive cells of primary and secondary niches (named CD9/CD81/S100β/SOX2-positive cell), and the cells located in the AL-side niches exhibit plasticity and multipotency.