Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) play a key role in hepatic fibrogenesis. In injured liver they are the main extracellular matrix protein producing cell type and further perpetuate hepatic injury by secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators. Since LPS-mediated signaling through toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) has been identified as key fibrogenic signal in HSCs we aimed to test TLR4 as potential target of therapy via ligand-binding soluble receptors. Incubation of human HSCs with a fusion protein between the extracellular domain of TLR4 and MD2 which binds LPS inhibited LPS-induced NFkappaB and JNK activation. TLR4/MD2 abolished LPS-induced secretion of IL-6, IL-8, MCP1, and RANTES in HSCs. In addition, TLR4/MD2 fused to human IgG-Fc neutralized LPS activity. Since TLR4 mutant mice are resistant to liver fibrosis, the TLR4/MD2 soluble receptor might represent a new therapeutic molecule for liver fibrogenesis in vivo.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2008.07.150 | DOI Listing |
Medicine (Baltimore)
January 2025
Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Zhongshan City People's Hospital, Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, China.
Rationale: ROS proto-oncogene 1 (ROS1) fusion is a rare but important driver mutation in non-small cell lung cancer, which usually shows significant sensitivity to small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors. With the widespread application of next-generation sequencing (NGS), more fusions and co-mutations of ROS1 have been discovered. Non-muscle myosin heavy chain 9 (MYH9) is a rare fusion partner of ROS1 gene as reported.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Diabetes
January 2025
Joslin Diabetes Center, Affiliated With Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Background: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are established treatment options for type 2 diabetes (T2D). In addition to their glycemic benefit, GLP-1 RAs also induce weight loss by suppressing appetite via hypothalamic pathways. However, it remains unclear whether weight reduction is the primary driver of glycemic improvement.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiol Cell
January 2025
Student Research Committee, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.
Ferroptosis is a type of cell death that multiple mechanisms and pathways contribute to the positive and negative regulation of it. For example, increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) induce ferroptosis. ferroptosis unlike apoptosis, it is not dependent on caspases, but is dependent on iron.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParasitol Res
January 2025
Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán (UADY), Calle 43 S/N entre calle 96 y calle 40 Colonia Inalámbrica, Mérida, Yucatán, C.P. 97069, Mexico.
Chagas disease is a chronic infection caused by the protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, with limited benefits of the currently available anti-parasitic chemotherapeutic approaches to halt the progression of heart disease. Recombinant TSA-1-C4 and Tc24-C4 proteins have been developed as promising antigen candidates for therapeutic vaccines, leading to propose them in combination as a bivalent recombinant protein strategy. In this study, we evaluated the immunomodulatory effect of the combined TSA-1-C4 and Tc24-C4 recombinant proteins by in vitro assays using murine macrophages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVaccines (Basel)
January 2025
Laboratory of Immunology and General Pathology, Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, 21100 Varese, Italy.
Effective cancer therapies must address the tumor microenvironment (TME), a complex network of tumor cells and stromal components, including endothelial, immune, and mesenchymal cells. Durable outcomes require targeting both tumor cells and the TME while minimizing systemic toxicity. Interleukin-2 (IL-2)-based therapies have shown efficacy in cancers such as metastatic melanoma and renal cell carcinoma but are limited by severe side effects.
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