Publications by authors named "Xiefang Yuan"

Influenza A virus infection mediates the host's excessive immune response, wherein caspase-3-GSDME-mediated pyroptosis of lung alveolar epithelial cells can contribute to inducing cytokine storm, leading to acute lung injury (ALI) or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Numerous studies have shown that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) possess potent immunomodulatory abilities and can mitigate virus-induced cytokine storm and lung injury. However, the role of MSCs in lung pyroptosis remains poorly understood.

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House dust mite (HDM) acts as an environmental antigen that might cause chronic allergic diseases. Neferine (NEF) shows anti-inflammation therapeutic effects. This study is to explore the protection role of NEF against HDM-induced allergic inflammation.

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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a lung inflammatory disease that is associated with environmental allergic component exposure. Cigarette smoke is an environmental toxicant that induces lung malfunction leading to various pulmonary diseases. Astaxanthin (AST) is a carotenoid that shows antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities which might be a promising candidate for COPD therapy.

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Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress regulates mucus hypersecretion, and may activate downstream factors via TBK1 signaling to induce gene expression. However, it remains unclear whether ER stress promotes airway mucus secretion through the TBK1 pathway. We aimed to investigate the role of the TBK1 pathway in the regulation of MUC5AC expression in a mouse model of house dust mite (HDM)-induced allergic asthma.

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Gut-microbiota dysbiosis links to allergic diseases. The mechanism of the exacerbation of food allergy caused by gut-microbiota dysbiosis remains unknown. Regulation of retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARα) signaling is critical for gut immune homeostasis.

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Background: Alteration of commensal microbiota is highly correlated with the prevalence of allergic reactions to food in the gastrointestinal tract. The mechanisms by which microbiota modulate food allergen sensitization in the mucosal site are not fully understood.

Methods: We generate DCs specific knockout of retinoic acid receptor α (Rara) gene mice (DC KO Rara) to evaluate food sensitization.

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With the fast emergence of serious antibiotic resistance and the lagged discovery of novel antibacterial drugs, phage therapy for pathogenic bacterial infections has acquired great attention in the clinics. However, development of therapeutic phages also faces tough challenges, such as laborious screening and time to generate effective phage drugs since each phage may only lyse a narrow scope of bacterial strains. Identifying highly effective phages with broad host ranges is crucial for improving phage therapy.

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IgE and IgG1 production in the type 2 immune response is the characteristic feature of an allergic reaction. However, whether bacterial molecules modulate IgE and IgG1 production remains obscure. Here, we demonstrate that the bacterial quorum sensing molecules acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) induce IgE and IgG1 production by activating the RARE (retinoic acid response element) response in dendritic cells (DCs) in vivo.

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One of the major risk factors for asthma development is exposure to environmental allergens. House dust mites (HDM) can induce DNA damage, resulting in asthma. Resveratrol (RES) produced by several plants, has anti‑apoptotic properties and may affect a variety of biological processes.

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Higher concentrations of reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been associated with epithelial cell damage, cell shedding, and airway hyperresponsiveness. Previous studies have indicated that transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-) mediates ROS production and NADPH oxidase (NOX) activity. In our previous study, we also observed that TGF-3 increases mucus secretion in airway epithelial cells in an autophagy-dependent fashion.

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Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by airflow limitation that is progressive and not fully reversible. Cigarette smoking is one of the most commonly and important risk factors for COPD, which contributes to airway remodeling, the outstanding pathological changes in COPD. One potential mechanism which might be important for airway remodeling is the process called epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).

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Vaccines for have been of longstanding interest to immunologists, bacteriologists, and clinicians, due to the widespread prevalence of hospital-acquired infection. As becomes increasingly antibiotic resistant, there is a dire need for novel treatments and preventive vaccines. Despite intense efforts, there currently remains no vaccine on the market to combat this dangerous pathogen.

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Mucus secretion accumulation in the airways may act as a contributing factor for the development of airflow limitation in severe fetal asthma patients. Accumulated evidences showed that transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) plays a regulatory role in airway remodeling including mucus hyper-secretion in asthma. However, the detailed molecular mechanisms of TGF-β3 induced MUC5AC hyper-expression in airway epithelium remains unclear.

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Constant exposure to allergen triggers destructive type 2 cell-mediated inflammation. The effect of allergen specific immunotherapy (SIT) in maintaining airway epithelial barrier function in asthma remains unknown. In the current study, we showed that SIT maintained airway epithelial homeostasis in mice exposed to dermatophagoides farinae (Der f), which induced increased expression of IL-25, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and airway epithelial apoptosis.

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Unlabelled: Oxidative stress and cell apoptosis play important roles in the pathogenesis of asthma. Specific immunotherapy (SIT) is the only curative approach for asthma and is effective at decreasing asthmatic oxidation and cell apoptosis, but the mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, by using in vivo and in vitro models, we indirectly demonstrated that SIT alleviated the apoptosis and oxidative stress of bronchial epithelial cells in an asthma model through regulating interleukin (IL)-25.

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Allergen specific immunotherapy (SIT) is the only specific treatment of allergic diseases at present. How SIT impacts pulmonary innate immunity against bacteria currently remains unclear. In this study, dust mite extracts (HDM)-sensitized mice were immunized with a subcutaneous injection of HDM.

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In asthma, mucus hypersecretion is thought to be a prominent pathological feature associated with widespread mucus plugging. However, the current treatments for mucus hypersecretion are often ineffective or temporary. The potential therapeutic targets of mucus hypersecretion in asthma remain unknown.

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