Transforming growth factor-beta(1) (TGF-beta(1)) functions as an important immunomodulatory cytokine in human kidney. Evidence suggests that connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is an important downstream mediator of the profibrotic effects of TGF-beta(1). However, the role of CTGF in TGF-beta(1)-induced chemokine production remains unknown. This study was undertaken to determine whether CTGF is involved in mediating TGF-beta(1)-induced chemokine production in renal proximal tubular (HK-2) cells. Interleukin-8 (IL-8) and macrophage chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) were measured. TGF-beta(1) induced an increase in IL-8 and MCP-1 (both P < 0.05) compared with control levels. CTGF was effectively silenced using small interference RNA (siRNA) in HK-2 cells. RT-PCR and real-time PCR confirmed a 94% reduction in CTGF mRNA. In the CTGF-silenced cells, TGF-beta(1)-stimulated IL-8 and MCP-1 secretion was not altered compared with control cells. Similarly, basal secretion of IL-8 and MCP-1 was not changed in CTGF-silenced cells. The direct effect of CTGF (20, 200, and 400 ng/ml) on IL-8 and MCP-1 was assessed at 24-, 48-, and 72-h time points and no stimulation was observed. Our studies further demonstrate that in the CTGF gene-silenced cells, CTGF partially mediates TGF-beta(1)-induced fibronectin and collagen IV secretion. These data suggest that TGF-beta(1) induced IL-8 and MCP-1 via CTGF-independent pathway. TGF-beta mediates both fibrosis and chemokine production in the proximal tubule of the kidney. However, CTGF plays a more specific role as a downstream mediator of TGF-beta(1)-induced fibrosis.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/ajprenal.00254.2005 | DOI Listing |
Am J Cancer Res
December 2024
Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is a lethal endocrine malignancy. It has been shown that tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) contribute to the aggressiveness of ATC. However, stimulatory factors that could facilitate the induction and infiltration of TAMs in the ATC tumor microenvironment (TME) are not fully elucidated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis
December 2024
Unit of Nutrition and Cancer, Cancer Epidemiology Research Programme, Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain.
Backgrounds And Aim: To prospectively evaluate the associations between changes in (poly)phenol intake, body weight(BW), and physical activity(PA) with changes in an inflammatory score after 1-year.
Methods And Results: This is a prospective observational analysis involving 484 participants from the PREDIMED-Plus with available inflammatory measurements. (Poly)phenol intake was estimated using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire and the Phenol-Explorer database.
J Ethnopharmacol
January 2025
Jiangsu Clinical Medicine Innovation Center for Obstetrics and Reproduction, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China; Department of Gynecology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China. Electronic address:
Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Jiawei Ermiao Granules (JWEMGs), a traditional Chinese herbal formulation, has been widely used in China for the treatment of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. However, the underlying mechanisms through which it exerts its antiviral effects remain poorly understood.
Aim Of The Study: This study aimed to investigate the potential mechanisms by which JWEMGs modulate vaginal microecology and clear HPV infections, utilizing clinical trials, metagenomic sequencing, and in vitro models.
Br J Pharmacol
January 2025
Department of Biothermodynamics and Drug Design, Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania.
Background And Purpose: Tumour hypoxia frequently presents a major challenge in the treatment of neuroblastoma (NBL). The neuroblastoma cells produce carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX), an enzyme crucial for the survival of cancer cells in low-oxygen environments.
Experimental Approach: We designed and synthesised a novel high-affinity inhibitor of CA IX.
Molecules
December 2024
Cellular and Molecular Immunology Research Unit, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok 65000, Thailand.
Moringa leaves provide numerous health benefits due to their anti-inflammatory properties. This study presents the first evidence that endothelial cell inflammation can potentially be ameliorated by moringa leaf extract. Here, we established an experimental human blood vessel cell model of inflammation using EA.
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