Efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells in treating tracheoesophageal fistula via the TLR4/NF-κb pathway in beagle macrophages.

Background: Tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) remains a rare but significant clinical challenge, mainly due to the absence of established, effective treatment approaches. The current focus of therapeutic strategy is mainly on fistula closure. However, this approach often misses important factors, such as accelerating fistula contraction and fostering healing processes, which significantly increases the risk of disease recurrence.

The FF-ATP synthase α subunit of induces inflammatory responses by controlling amino acid catabolism.

Sepsis is a leading cause of fatality in invasive candidiasis. The magnitude of the inflammatory response is a determinant of sepsis outcomes, and inflammatory cytokine imbalances are central to the pathophysiological processes. We previously demonstrated that a FF-ATP synthase α subunit deletion mutant was nonlethal to mice.

The δ subunit of FF-ATP synthase is required for pathogenicity of Candida albicans.

Fungal infections, especially candidiasis and aspergillosis, claim a high fatality rate. Fungal cell growth and function requires ATP, which is synthesized mainly through oxidative phosphorylation, with the key enzyme being FF-ATP synthase. Here, we show that deletion of the Candida albicans gene encoding the δ subunit of the FF-ATP synthase (ATP16) abrogates lethal infection in a mouse model of systemic candidiasis.

Deletion of the Gene in Blocks Its Escape From Macrophage Clearance.

Macrophages provide the first-line defense against invasive fungal infections and, therefore, escape from macrophage becomes the basis for the establishment of invasive infection. Here, we found that deletion of (Δ/Δ) in resulted in a dramatic decrease from 69.2% (WT) to 1.

The fungal-specific subunit i/j of F1FO-ATP synthase stimulates the pathogenicity of Candida albicans independent of oxidative phosphorylation.

Unlabelled: Invasive fungal infections are a major cause of human mortality due in part to a very limited antifungal drug arsenal. The identification of fungal-specific pathogenic mechanisms is considered a crucial step to current antifungal drug development and represents a significant goal to increase the efficacy and reduce host toxicity. Although the overall architecture of F1FO-ATP synthase is largely conserved in both fungi and mammals, the subunit i/j (Su i/j, Atp18) and subunit k (Su k, Atp19) are proteins not found in mammals and specific to fungi.

ADH1 promotes Candida albicans pathogenicity by stimulating oxidative phosphorylation.

Objective: Alcohol dehydrogenase I is encoded by ADH1 in Candida albicans, and is one of the key enzymes in fungal metabolism by which it catalyzes the conversion from acetaldehyde to ethanol. The role of the associated protein Adh1p, encoded by ADH1 in fungal pathogenicity has not been thoroughly studied despite its near ubiquity in the fungal kingdom. Using C.

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Alleviate Drought Stress in C () and C () Grasses via Altering Antioxidant Enzyme Activities and Photosynthesis.

As one of the most important limiting factors of grassland productivity, drought is predicted to increase in intensity and frequency. Greenhouse studies suggest that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can improve plant drought resistance. However, whether AMF can improve plant drought resistance in field conditions and whether the effects of AMF on drought resistance differ among plants with different photosynthetic pathways remain unclear.

Tetrandrine enhances the antifungal activity of fluconazole in a murine model of disseminated candidiasis.

Background: Tetrandrine (TET), a bis-benzylisoquinoline alkaloid isolated from the Chinese medicinal herb Stephaniae tetrandrae, has a long history in Chinese clinical applications as an anti-inflammatory or anti-arrhythmic agent in the treatment of diverse diseases. In our previous study, TET exhibited the synergisitic action on azoles against pathogenic fungi.

Purpose: In the current study, we examined whether TET can enhance the antifungal activity of FLC against disseminated candidiasis in mice.

Synergistic Effects of Tetrandrine with Posaconazole Against Aspergillus fumigatus.

In our earlier in vitro and in vivo studies, synergistic effects were observed when itraconazole or voriconazole were combined with tetrandrine (TET) against Aspergillus fumigatus, and the synergistic mechanism was related to inhibition of the drug efflux pump. Posaconazole (PCZ) is a broad-spectrum triazole antifungal agent used for the treatment of diverse fungal infections, including aspergillosis and candidiasis. Herein, the antifungal effects of TET are further investigated in vitro and in vivo alone or combined with PCZ against 20 clinical isolates of A.

An in vitro and in vivo study on the synergistic effect and mechanism of itraconazole or voriconazole alone and in combination with tetrandrine against Aspergillus fumigatus.

In this study, we investigated the in vitro antifungal effects of itraconazole/voriconazole (ITR/VRC) alone and in combination with tetrandrine (TET) against 23 clinical isolates of A. fumigatus using a chequerboard microdilution method. The dynamic antifungal effects of TET with ITR/VRC against A.

Alcohol dehydrogenase I expression correlates with CDR1, CDR2 and FLU1 expression in Candida albicans from patients with vulvovaginal candidiasis.

Background: The most critical mechanism governing drug resistance in Candida albicans (C. albicans) involves efflux pumps, the functionality of which largely depends on energy metabolism. Alcohol dehydrogenase I (ADH1) plays an important role in intracellular energy metabolism.