Colchicine is an antimitotic drug which binds to tubulin and at high doses results in cytoskeleton disruption. Colchicine is believed to be an anti-inflammatory agent, though its modulatory effects on the level and transcriptional activity of genes is still a matter of debate. There is growing evidence that alterations in the cytoskeleton exert specific effects on the expression of various genes. This study was undertaken to analyze whether disrupting the microtubule cytoskeleton by colchicine modulates transcriptional levels of MEFV, NF-κB p65, NLRP3, HMGB1, and caspase-3 in neutrophils from patients with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) and healthy subjects. In the present study, colchicine caused increased expression of NLRP3 (p=0.007) and MEFV (p=0.03), but had no effect on caspase-3, NF-κB p65 and HMGB1 genes in healthy neutrophils. FMF neutrophils were less responsive to the drug treatment. This study supports the hypothesis that, being an anti-inflammatory agent, colchicine at relatively high concentrations might lead to the activation of pro-inflammatory signalling pathways in neutrophils.
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Biol Trace Elem Res
January 2025
Hebei Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Hebei Reproductive Health Hospital, Shijiazhuang 050071, Hebei, China.
Male infertility is a common complication of diabetes. Diabetes leads to the decrease of zinc (Zn) content, which is a necessary trace element to maintain the normal structure and function of reproductive organs and spermatogenesis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of metformin combined with zinc on testis and sperm in diabetic mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArch Dermatol Res
January 2025
Department of Genetics & Biotechnology, Graduate School of Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Youngin, 17104, Republic of Korea.
Abnormal melanin synthesis within melanocytes can result in pigmentary skin disorders. Although pigmentation alterations associated with inflammation are frequently observed, the precise reason for this clinical observation is still unknown. More specifically, although many cytokines are known to be critical for inflammatory skin processes, it is unclear how they affect epidermal melanocyte function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell Mol Life Sci
January 2025
Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, Unitat de Farmacologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII 27-31, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
Nuclear growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) reduces the binding of the mothers' against decapentaplegic homolog (SMAD) complex to its DNA-binding elements. However, the stimuli that control this process are unknown. Here, we examined whether saturated fatty acids (FA), particularly palmitate, regulate nuclear GDF15 levels and the activation of the SMAD3 pathway in human skeletal myotubes and mouse skeletal muscle, where most insulin-stimulated glucose use occurs in the whole organism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Neuroblastoma is a heterogeneous disease with adrenergic (ADRN)- and therapy resistant mesenchymal (MES)-like cells driven by distinct transcription factor networks. Here, we investigate the expression of immunotherapeutic targets in each neuroblastoma subtype and propose pan-neuroblastoma and cell state specific targetable cell-surface proteins.
Methods: We characterized cell lines, patient-derived xenografts, and patient samples as ADRN-dominant or MES-dominant to define subtype-specific and pan-neuroblastoma gene sets.
FASEB J
January 2025
National Key Laboratory of Space Medicine, China Astronaut Research and Training Center, Beijing, China.
Microgravity-induced cardiac remodeling and dysfunction present significant challenges to long-term spaceflight, highlighting the urgent need to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms and develop precise countermeasures. Previous studies have outlined the important role of miRNAs in cardiovascular disease progression, with miR-199a-3p playing a crucial role in myocardial injury repair and the maintenance of cardiac function. However, the specific role and expression pattern of miR-199a-3p in microgravity-induced cardiac remodeling remain unclear.
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