Publications by authors named "Thomas Pilot"

Macrophages are innate immune cells present in all tissues, in which they participate in immune responses and maintenance of tissue homeostasis. They develop either from embryonic precursors or from circulating monocytes, and their functions are in part dictated by their origin. We previously observed robust monocyte recruitment and contribution to the macrophage pool in brown adipose tissue.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates the role of the enzyme ELOVL5 in the biosynthesis of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs) and its implications for liver conditions, specifically MASH (metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease), revealing how enzyme disruption affects liver metabolism.
  • - Research showed that ELOVL5 levels increase during MASH progression and that its absence in mice leads to significant liver issues after a high-fat, high-sucrose diet, including fat accumulation, inflammation, and fibrosis.
  • - The findings suggest that the loss of ELOVL5 disrupts mitochondrial function, contributes to liver damage from dietary factors, and alters fatty acid metabolism, indicating a critical link between enzyme activity and liver health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Monocytes play a crucial role in atherosclerosis by turning into macrophages when they migrate to plaques, and this study explores how their glucose metabolism influences their behavior and contribution to the disease.
  • Researchers found that higher serum glucose levels are linked to increased monocyte numbers, while restricted diets hinder monocytes from switching energy sources, which reduces their presence in the blood.
  • The study highlights that glucose metabolism is vital for maintaining specific monocyte characteristics and functions, but inhibiting glucose uptake alone doesn't prevent atherosclerosis, likely because the remaining monocytes become more migratory.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major global health issue and a significant risk factor for atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis in T2DM patients has been associated with inflammation, insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and oxidative stress. Identifying molecular features of atherosclerotic plaques in T2DM patients could provide valuable insights into the pathogenesis of the disease.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * Mice lacking PLTP (KO) on a high-fat diet experienced more weight gain, insulin resistance, and increased inflammation compared to normal mice (WT), indicating PLTP's protective role against endotoxemia.
  • * When given LPS, PLTP-deficient mice showed higher LPS absorption from the gut and disrupted metabolism of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, suggesting PLTP is crucial for managing LPS effects and preventing diet-induced metabolic issues.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Aims: Diabetes is associated with an accelerated development of atherosclerosis. Specific mechanisms related to diabetes and hyperglycemia may play a role in this process. In particular, alterations of arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism have been reported.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

COVID-19 pneumonia has specific features and outcomes that suggests a unique immunopathogenesis. Severe forms of COVID-19 appear to be more frequent in obese patients, but an association with metabolic disorders is not established. Here, we focused on lipoprotein metabolism in patients hospitalized for severe pneumonia, depending on COVID-19 status.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Purpose: Subset of macrophages within the atheroma plaque displays a high glucose uptake activity. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanisms and the pathophysiological significance of this high glucose need remain unclear. While the role for hypoxia and hypoxia inducible factor 1α has been demonstrated, the contribution of lipid micro-environment and more specifically oxysterols is yet to be explored.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: We have previously shown that 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) selectively kills myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and activates NLRP3 (NOD-leucine rich repeat and pyrin containing protein 3) inflammasome. NLRP3 activation leads to caspase-1 activation and production of IL-1β, which in turn favors secondary tumor growth. We decided to explore the effects of either a heat shock (HS) or the deficiency in heat shock protein (HSP) 70, previously shown to respectively inhibit or increase NLRP3 inflammasome activation in macrophages.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The mechanisms leading to NOD-leucine rich repeat and pyrin containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation are still debated. It is well established that oligomerized NLRP3 interacts with apoptosis associated Speck-like protein containing a CARD domain (ASC) which polymerizes into filaments recruiting procaspase-1, leading to its activation. However, pathways triggering NLRP3 activation, such as potassium efflux, ROS production or lysosomal permeabilization, can be required or not, depending on the activators used.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Along with surgery and radiotherapy, chemotherapeutic agents belong to the therapeutic arsenal in cancer treatment. In addition to their direct cytotoxic effects, these agents also impact the host immune system, which might enhance or counteract their antitumor activity. The platinum derivative compounds family, mainly composed of carboplatin, cisplatin and oxaliplatin, belongs to the chemotherapeutical arsenal used in numerous cancer types.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Colorectal cancer is a highly metastatic disease that could invade various distal organs and also the peritoneal cavity leading to peritoneal carcinomatosis. This is a terminal condition with poor prognosis and only palliative treatments such as cytoreductive surgery and intraperitoneal chemotherapy are proposed to some patients. However, clinicians use different parameters of treatments without any consensus.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF