Background: Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) represent a spectrum of severe drug-induced cutaneous reactions. These conditions are characterized by widespread and confluent keratinocyte apoptosis, which differentiates them from erythema multiforme (EM). Mounting evidence has implicated the mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis pathway in the pathogenesis of SJS/TEN, but the potential roles and specific mechanisms of these pathways in SJS/TEN remain largely unexplored.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough microplastics have been detected in human blood, placenta and other tissues. In this study, for the first time, we characterized the presence and variation of microplastic deposition patterns in three human skeletal tissues, namely the bone, cartilage, and intervertebral discs. Forty microplastic fragments were observed in 24 samples from the bone, cartilage, and intervertebral disc, ranging from 25.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) manifest life-threatening cutaneous adverse drug reactions characterized by keratinocyte death. Previous studies have indicated that apoptosis and necroptosis are implicated in SJS/TEN pathogeneses. However, other forms of cell death involved in this process remain unidentified.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHypoxic ischemia is the primary cause of brain damage in newborns. Notably, copper supplementation has potential benefits in ischemic brain damage; however, the precise mechanisms underlying this protective effect remain unclear. In the present study, a hypoxic HT22 cell model was developed to examine the mechanism by which copper mitigates hypoxia‑induced oxidative stress.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBrain volume decrease in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) after lead (Pb) exposure has been linked to persistent impairment of attention behavior. However, the precise structural change and molecular mechanism for the Pb-induced ACC alteration and its contribution to inattention have yet to be fully characterized. The present study determined the role of miRNA regulated synaptic structural and functional impairment in the ACC and its relationship to attention deficit disorder in Pb exposed mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Early-life Pb exposure can cause behavioral and cognitive problems and induce symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention in children. Studies showed that blood lead levels were highly correlated with neuropsychiatric disorders, and effects of neurotoxicity might persist and affect the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases, for example Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Objective: To explore possible mechanisms of developmental Pb-induced neuropsychiatric dysfunctions.
The quiescence, activation, and subsequent neurogenesis of neural stem cells (NSCs) play essential roles in the physiological homeostasis and pathological repair of the central nervous system. Previous studies indicate that transmembrane protein Ttyh1 is required for the stemness of NSCs, whereas the exact functions and precise mechanisms are still waiting to be elucidated. By constructing Ttyh1-promoter driven reporter mice, we determined the specific expression of Ttyh1 in quiescent NSCs and niche astrocytes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHypobaric hypoxia (HH) is a typical characteristic of high altitude environment and causes a spectrum of pathophysiological effects, including headaches, gliovascular dysfunction and cognitive retardation. Here, we sought to understand the mechanisms underlying cognitive deficits under HH exposure. Our results showed that hypobaric hypoxia exposure impaired cognitive function and suppressed dendritic spine density accompanied with increased neck length in both basal and apical hippocampal CA1 region neurons in mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Neuroinflammation induced by lead exposure (Pb) is a major cause of neurotoxicity of Pb in the central nervous system (CNS). The NLR family, domain of pyrin containing 3 (NLRP3) involves in various neurological diseases, while the question of whether NLRP3 plays a role in lead-induced neuroinflammation has not yet been reported.
Methods: Developmental and knockout (KO) NLRP3 mice were used to establish two in vivo models, and BV2 cells were used to establish an in vitro model.
Lead (Pb) can cause a significant neurotoxicity in both adults and children, leading to the impairment to brain function. Pb exposure plays a key role in the impairment of learning and memory through synaptic neurotoxicity, resulting in the cognitive function. Researches have demonstrated that Pb exposure plays an important role in the etiology and pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a specific neurodegenerative disease, imposed increased economic and utilizations burden on the healthcare system, especially with the progress of the diseases severity. However, the economic burden on Chinese ALS patients remained unclear. This study therefore was aimed to investigate medical cost and healthcare utilization for Chinese ALS patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrevious studies reported perturbed expressing of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) under lead (Pb) exposure. However, researches on XIAP expression mainly focused on its transcriptional and post-translational regulation, rarely involving post-transcriptional mechanism manipulated by certain indispensable microRNAs (miRNAs). Interestingly, we unveiled that miR-106b-5p, a widely expressed miRNA in various tissues, is up-regulated by Pb-induced stress.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Though lead (Pb)-gasoline has been banned for decades in China, Pb continues to be a vital risk factor for various diseases. Traditional studies, without large sample size, were unable to identify explicitly the associations among Pb, its disease profile, and the related medical burden. This study was designed to investigate: 1) current status of blood Pb levels; 2) Pb-associated disease profile, medical burden, as well as impact factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCentral nervous system (CNS) inflammation and autophagy dysfunction are known to be involved in the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases. Manganese (Mn), a neurotoxic metal, has the potential to induce microglia-mediated neuroinflammation as well as autophagy dysfunction. NLRP3 (NLR family, pyrin domain containing 3)- CASP1 (caspase 1) inflammasome-mediated neuroinflammation in microglia has specific relevance to neurological diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLead (Pb) is a ubiquitous environmental and industrial pollutant. It induces neurotoxicity and cell death by disrupting the pro- and anti-oxidative balance; however, the mechanisms of its toxicity have yet to be fully understood. The soy-derived isoflavonoid, genistein (GEN), was reported to possess neuroprotective and antioxidative properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCB) plays a critical role in the maintenance of optimal brain function. Tricellulin (TRIC), a protein localized at the tricellular contact sites of epithelial cells is involved in the formation of tight junctions in various epithelial barriers. However, little is known about its expression in the choroidal epithelial cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe inhibitor of apoptosis protein XIAP (X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein) is a well-documented protein that is located in cytoplasm acting as a potent regulator of cell apoptosis. Here, we showed that expressing XIAP with RING (Really Interesting New Gene) domain deletion (XIAP△RING) in cancer cells promoted cancer cell anchorage-independent growth and G1/S phase transition companied with increasing cyclin e transcription activity and protein expression. Further studies revealed that XIAP△RING was mainly localized in nuclear with increased binding with E2F1, whereas XIAP with BIR (Baculoviral IAP Repeat) domains deletion (XIAP△BIRs) was entirely presented in cytoplasma with losing its binding with E2F1, suggesting that RING domain was able to inhibit BIR domains nuclear localization, by which impaired BIRs binding with E2F1 in cellular nucleus in intact cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFmiRNAs have been found to contribute to normal brain functions, nervous system diseases, as well as neurotoxicities induced by external agents. However, whether they are involved in lead-induced neurotoxicities is still not clear. To identify that, a lead-induced chronic neurotoxicity model of rats was built.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSelective activation of Rho GTPase cascade requires the release of Rho from RhoGDI (GDP-dissociation inhibitors) complexes. Our previous studies identified RhoGDIα SUMOylation at Lys-138 and its function in the regulation of cancer cell invasion. In the current study, we demonstrate that RhoGDIα SUMOylation has a crucial role in the suppression of cancer cell anchorage-independent growth as well as the molecular mechanisms underlying this suppression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIsorhapontigenin (ISO) is a new derivative of stilbene compound that was isolated from the Chinese herb Gnetum Cleistostachyum and has been used for treatment of bladder cancers for centuries. In our current studies, we have explored the potential inhibitory effect and molecular mechanisms underlying isorhapontigenin anticancer effects on anchorage-independent growth of human bladder cancer cell lines. We found that isorhapontigenin showed a significant inhibitory effect on human bladder cancer cell growth and was accompanied with related cell cycle G(0)-G(1) arrest as well as downregulation of cyclin D1 expression at the transcriptional level in UMUC3 and RT112 cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) is a well known potent inhibitor of apoptosis; however, it is also involved in other cancer cell biological behavior. In the current study, we discovered that XIAP and its E3 ligase played a crucial role in regulation of cyclin D1 expression in cancer cells. We found that deficiency of XIAP expression resulted in a marked reduction in cyclin D1 expression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe etiological role of dysregulated autophagy in neurodegenerative diseases has been a subject of intense investigation. While manganese (Mn) is known to cause dopaminergic (DAergic) neurodegeneration, it has yet to be determined whether the dysregulation of autophagy plays a role in Mn-induced neuronal injury. In this study, we investigated the effect of Mn on autophagy in a rat model of manganism, a neurodegenerative disease associated with excessive exposure to Mn.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIncreasing evidence indicates that neuroinflammation plays an important role in neurotoxins-induced neurodegenerations. Microglia are a type of glial cells in the brain and play as the first and main form of active immune defense in the central nervous system. Accumulated data suggest that the activation of microglia plays a critical role in neurotoxicities induced by environmental toxicants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To study the inhibition effect of equol on MDA-MB-231 cells, a human breast cancer cell line with estrogen-independent receptor.
Methods: Cultured MDA-MB-231 cells were treated with different contents of equol. The cell viability was assessed with MTT method.
Wei Sheng Yan Jiu
March 2009
Objective: To investigate the effects of dietary genistein on the development of young rats.
Methods: SD rats aged three-week were randomly divided into three groups according to their weight (eight male and eight female). Each group was fed a diet containing genistein at levels of 0, 20 and 100 mg/kg.