Excessive endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress can lead to apoptosis of nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs), a hallmark of intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD). Our study aimed to determine whether bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs-exos) alleviate ER stress-related NPC apoptosis through the delivery of miR-221-3p. Human NPCs were stimulated by advanced glycation end products (AGEs) for 24 h to construct a cellular model of ER stress. Exosomes were isolated from BMSCs transfected with miR-NC and miR-221-3p inhibitor and co-cultured together with AGEs in NPCs. MiR-221-3p expression in NPCs was detected by reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The protein levels of ER stress and apoptosis markers and nuclear factor erythroid 2 p45-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) pathway-related molecules in NPCs were measured by western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. The Nrf2 agonist tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) was used to verify whether exosomal miR-221-3p affected ER stress-mediated apoptosis by regulating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. MiR-221-3p expression was decreased in AGEs-stimulated NPCs, while co-culture with BMSCs-exos rescued such a decline. AGEs-induced reduction in NPC viability and elevation in cell apoptosis and ER stress were overturned by BMSCs-exos treatment, whereas miR-221-3p knockdown further antagonized these effects of BMSCs-exos. MiR-221-3p knockdown reversed the enhancement of BMSCs-exos on Nrf2 and HO-1 levels and Nrf2 nuclear translocation in AGEs-induced NPCs. Importantly, TBHQ abrogated the promotion of Exos-miR-221-3p inhibitor on ER stress and apoptosis in NPCs. BMSCs-exos reduced ER stress-mediated apoptosis in NPCs by promoting the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway through delivering miR-221-3p.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a chronic disease characterized by increased pulmonary vascular resistance, right ventricular overload and systemic repercussions, including disorders in non-target organs. This study aimed to investigate the effects of PAH on the ventral prostate of adult Wistar rats, as well as the role of resistance training (RT) in modulating potential changes caused by the disease. Male rats (n = 32, 60 days old) were divided into four groups: sedentary control, sedentary PAH, RT control and PAH + RT. PAH was induced using two injections of monocrotaline, while rats were submitted to the RT protocol for a month. Afterward, the ventral prostate was collected and analysed for biometric, histopathological and oxidative parameters (CEUA 38/2021). The results showed that PAH significantly reduced the body and prostate weights and increased glandular epithelium and stroma proportions, besides causing epithelium atrophy and inflammatory infiltrates (p < .05). The activity of superoxide dismutase and catalase was lower, culminating in high levels of malondialdehyde and carbonyl proteins (p < .05). The exercise mainly influenced biometric and stereological parameters. The RT protocol minimized the negative effect of PAH regarding catalase activity, epithelium/lumen proportion and inflammatory infiltrate incidence. However, it was ineffective in restoring prostate weight and completely normalizing markers of oxidative stress. In conclusion, PAH induces significant morphofunctional changes in the ventral prostate, including oxidative damage and tissue remodelling. Although RT exerts protective effects, its benefits are limited, highlighting the need for complementary therapies to counteract PAH-induced prostate alterations fully.

With high morbidity and mortality internationally, oesophageal cancer is one of the most common diseases of the digestive system. The most frequent approaches to the treatment of oesophageal cancer are a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Inevitably, some individuals with oesophageal cancer fail to respond favourably to these treatments because of therapeutic resistance, with eventual unfavourable outcomes. Thus, it would be helpful if patients with oesophageal cancer learned more about the pathophysiology of the disease. Discovering early-detection biomarkers could help to identify prognostic markers. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are endogenous RNAs with more than 200 nucleotides that do not code for proteins, and these have been recognised increasingly as being important in cancer. A few of the lncRNAs have been shown to be associated with oesophageal cancer. When target gene expression is inhibited or promoted, lncRNAs can play a role in cell growth, apoptosis and metastasis, among other functions in biology, and are aberrantly produced in oesophageal cancer. Using epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is implicated in the occurrence, development and diagnosis of oesophageal cancer, lncRNAs may regulate the natural history of the disease. Thus in this article we have reviewed the biological and molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs, including their role as suppressors of tumours as well as in malignancy, in relationship to oesophageal cancer. Furthermore, we have extrapolated from this analysis some potential A lncRNA candidates for oesophageal cancer detection, prediction and treatment. Lastly, we debate both the potential and the difficulties about how lncRNAs may influence oesophageal cancer.

Porcine respiratory disease complex (PRDC) is a common syndrome in the modern swine industry worldwide, and its pathogenesis remains unclear to date. Our study aimed to investigate PRDC-induced pulmonary fibrosis and sphingolipid metabolism, and their relationship. Mouse and cell line (A549 and 3D4/21) models exposed to bleomycin and/or transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) were developed. Histopathological and immunohistochemical staining, colorimetry, lipidomics analysis and pharmacologic intervention assays were used to analyse lung fibrosis and sphingolipid profiles. PRDC was validated by the presence of alveolar epithelial cell (AEC) injury and hyperplasia, inflammatory infiltrates, asymmetric macrophage polarization and mast cell phenotypic changes, TGF-β1 and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) overproduction, extensive collagen deposition, foci of fibroblast/myofibroblast with stress fibres (α-SMA, γ-SMA and γ2 actin), cell interaction with increasing frequency, proliferation, apoptosis and autophagy dysregulation, and mucin 6 release-all of which are characteristics of pulmonary fibrosis. Based on the sphingolipidomics and pharmacologic interventions data-the dysregulated sphingolipids, including sphingomyelin (SM), ceramide (Cer), sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and cerebroside (Cb), possibly due to serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT; SPTLC1), ceramide synthase (CerS; CerS2, CerS4), sphingomyelin synthase (SMS; SMS1), neutral sphingomyelinase (NSMase), acid sphingomyelinase (ASMase; SMPDL3B) and sphingosine kinase (SphK; SphK1, SphK2), were found to be closely related to pulmonary fibrosis. Furthermore, d18:1 24:1 SM and 18:1 S1P may be conserved biomarkers and tiamulin fumarate (TF) changes have anti-fibrotic activity. Overall, PRDC induces pulmonary fibrosis, related to the aberrant sphingolipid metabolism, where conserved sphingolipid biomarkers and anti-fibrotic candidates have been found.

Gastric cancer (GC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) may play a role in certain cases of GC. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of EBV in the gastric tissue of both gastric cancer patients and non-cancer patients in Shiraz, Iran. In this cross-sectional study, 159 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues from gastric cancer patients and 137 from non-cancer patients were assessed. All samples were assessed using PCR on the β-globin gene. The nested PCR method was used to investigate the presence of the EBNA-1-EBV gene. The results were analysed using chi-squared statistical tests. The mean age of the GC group and the control group was 62.08 ± 13.45 and 63.97 ± 9.13. In the GC and control groups, 33.33% (53/159) and 35.04% (48/137) were female. The results showed that in the cancer group, 1.88% (3/159) of tissue samples were positive for EBV, while this statistic was 22.62% (31/137) for non-cancer samples (p < .0001). All EBV-positive cancer patients were female with a mean age of 64.66 ± 7.37 while in the control group, 20.83% (10/48) of females and 23.59% (21/89) of males were positive for EBV, which was not statistically significant (p = .832). The low frequency of EBV infection in GC tissue might indicate the 'hit and run' mechanism of EBV in GC carcinogenesis. Additionally, the abundance of B lymphocytes in the inflamed samples of the healthy control group might influence the high frequency of EBV in this group. More investigations are recommended to verify these results.

Ketone bodies (KBs), which include β-hydroxybutyric acid (β-HB) and acetoacetic acid (AcAc), play critical roles in organismal energy homeostasis; however, their effects on atherosclerosis remain unknown. In this study, we investigated the role of β-HB and AcAc on proliferation and lipid accumulation in macrophages by the uptake of oxidized LDL (Ox-LDL), causing the formation of atherosclerotic plaques, using mouse macrophage J774A.1 cells. Both β-HB and AcAc reduced cell proliferation, and AcAc increased lipid accumulation in Ox-LDL-treated J774A.1 cells. Western blotting showed that Ox-LDL decreased the protein expression of two KB-specific receptors, GPR41 and GPR43, both of which are known as potent modulators of inflammation, but had negligible effects on that of the β-HB-specific GPR109A in the cells. These results suggest that Ox-LDL may induce inflammatory responses by decreasing the protein expression of GPR41 and GPR43 in macrophages, and that AcAc, but not β-HB, may exacerbate Ox-LDL-caused atherosclerosis.

Tendinopathy or tendon overuse injury is a major clinical problem for individuals and has a significant socio-economic cost. Its pathophysiology is not yet fully understood and involves multiple factors, including mechanical, cellular and molecular factors. The circadian rhythm has been shown to be a major regulator of extracellular matrix (ECM) homeostasis in several connective tissues, including tendon. Very recently, the human patellar tendon has been established as a peripheral clock tissue that exhibits dampening with chronic tendinopathy, and this has important translational and clinical relevance. This review summarises what is currently known about the role of the tendon circadian clock in collagen and tendon ECM homeostasis and proposes a role for circadian clock disruption in tendinopathy. A better understanding of the mechanisms that regulate tendon clock synchronisation could guide the development of new therapeutic strategies for managing tendon overuse injuries.

Exercise has an important impact on skeletal muscle quality, emerging as an adjuvant therapy to ameliorate muscle inflammation and fibrosis in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The aim of the present study was to investigate the benefit of exercise alone or in association with corticoid and omega-3 therapy in the middle aged mdx mouse model of DMD, Mdx mice (12 months of age) performed treadmill exercise (12.4 m/min, for 15 min, twice a week) for 4 weeks. Exercised mdx received deflazacort (1.2 mg/kg; gavage) alone or combined with omega-3 (300 mg/kg; gavage). Sedentary mdx, C57BL/10 and exercised mdx received mineral oil and served as control. At the endpoint (14 months of age), muscle function, respiratory function, electrocardiography (ECG), blood markers of myonecrosis (creatine kinase, CK; alanine aminotransferase, ALT; and aspartate aminotransferase, AST), muscle biomarkers of inflammation and fibrosis (western blot), area of fibrosis and histopathology of tibialis anterior, biceps brachii and diaphragm muscles were evaluated. Exercise and exercise-associated therapies improved behavioural activity (open field), muscle function (grip strength, four limb hanging test, hanging wire test and rotarod), VO2 consumption, VCO2 production and ECG. Functional benefits correlated with reduced myonecrosis (decreased CK, ALT, AST) and fibrosis. The muscles studied showed a reduction in inflammation biomarkers (NF-κB, IL-6 and TNF-α) and fibrosis (TGF-β and fibronectin) and an increase in calsequestrin (calcium buffering protein) and PGC1-α (muscle integrity marker). In conclusion, exercise alone or associated with corticosteroid/omega-3 therapy benefited limb, diaphragm and cardiac dystrophic muscles in middle-aged mdx mice.

Contributions made by the dystrophin-associated glycoprotein complex (DGC) to cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions are vital in development, homeostasis and pathobiology. This review explores how DGC functions may extend to skeletal pathophysiology by appraising the known roles of its major ECM ligands, and likely associated DGC signalling pathways, in regulating cartilage and bone cell behaviour and emergent skeletal phenotypes. These considerations will be contextualised by highlighting the potential of studies into the role of the DGC in isolated chondrocytes, osteoblasts and osteoclasts, and by fuller deliberation of skeletal phenotypes that may emerge in very young mice lacking vital, yet diverse core elements of the DGC. Our review points to roles for individual DGC components-including the glycosylation of dystroglycan itself-beyond the establishment of membrane stability which clearly accounts for severe muscle phenotypes in muscular dystrophy. It implies that the short stature, low bone mineral density, poor bone health and greater fracture risk in these patients, which has been attributed due to primary deficiencies in muscle-evoked skeletal loading, may instead arise due to primary roles for the DGC in controlling skeletal tissue (re)modelling.

Cardiac hypertrophy refers to an abnormal increase in the thickness of the heart muscle. Our study explores the role of Krüppel-like factor 9 (KLF9) in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM)-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, providing new targets for the treatment of HOCM. Cardiomyocytes were treated with isoproterenol (ISO). The levels of natriuretic peptide B (BNP)/natriuretic peptide A (ANP)/KLF9/long non-coding RNA urothelial carcinoma-associated 1 (lncRNA UCA1)/p27 were measured. Cell surface area and protein/DNA ratio were tested. The binding between KLF9 and the lncRNA UCA1 promoter and between zeste homologue 2 (EZH2) and lncRNA UCA1 was verified. The enrichment of histone H3 lysine 27 tri-methylation (H3K27me3) and EZH2 on the p27 promoter was analysed. ISO treatment increased KLF9 and lncRNA UCA1 expression and decreased p27 expression in cardiomyocytes. KLF9 knockdown inhibited ISO-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, reduced ANP and BNP expression, and alleviated cardiomyocyte damage. KLF9 activated lncRNA UCA1 expression. LncRNA UCA1 recruited EZH2 to the p27 promoter region, increasing the enrichment of H3K27me3, thereby epigenetically suppressing p27 expression. LncRNA UCA1 overexpression or p27 downregulation reduced the protective effect of KLF9 downregulation on cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. In conclusion, KLF9 activates lncRNA UCA1 expression, and lncRNA UCA1 epigenetically suppresses p27 expression, thereby exacerbating cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in HOCM.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to play a critical role in the progression and metastasis of osteosarcoma. Recently, long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 689 (linc00689) has been shown to be involved in glioma. However, the precise role of linc00689 in osteosarcoma is unknown. In this study, our data demonstrated that silencing linc00689 by siRNA markedly suppressed the proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of MG63 and SAOS-2 cells. Bioinformatics analysis and dual-luciferase reporter assay revealed that linc00689 could bind to miR-129-5p. Moreover, NUSAP1 was a target of miR-129-5p and positively regulated by linc00689. Further, NUSAP1 overexpression enhanced MG63 cell behaviour and abolished the inhibitory effects of linc00689 knockdown on the proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT of MG63 cells. In conclusion, linc00689 exerts an oncogenic role in the progression of osteosarcoma, which works via the miR-129-5p/NUSAP1 axis.

Using a model of UV-killed E. coli driven dermal inflammation in healthy human volunteers, we originally reported that following inflammatory resolution there was infiltration of macrophages, which, through prostanoids including prostaglandin (PG) E2, imprints long-term tissue immunity. In addition to the prostanoids, data on levels of Specialised Pro-Resolution Lipid Mediators (SPMs) throughout inflammatory onset, resolution and post-resolution phases of this model were presented, but as illustrations rather than as primary data. Therefore, in response to a request for increased transparency, a subset of the original data from our human UV-killed E. coli model was re-analysed by two experts from an independent laboratory alongside a review of the methodology used. The prostanoids were detected robustly following re-analysis but the areas of the chromatographic peaks of the SPM lipid mediators were too small to yield amounts that could be reliably detected and/or quantified using community standards. Importantly, with prostanoids including PGE2 being robustly detected, this re-analysis does not alter the original report that post-resolution PGs imprint tissue immunity. Here we show the outcome of this re-analysis and review the biology surrounding SPMs as a result.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a condition that is widely prevalent and causes joint pain and disability, with programmed cell death (PCD) playing a role in its pathogenesis. This study aimed to identify biomarkers associated with PCD in OA and explore their potential roles. Three RNA-sequencing datasets (GSE114007, GSE51588 and GSE220243) related to OA were analysed. Differential expression and weighted gene co-expression network identified key differentially expressed PCD-related genes (DE-PRMGs). Potential biomarkers were identified and validated through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, correlation analyses, gene set enrichment analysis, single-cell expression and RT-qPCR. A total of 45 DE-PRMGs were identified, affecting pathways like TNF signalling and RNA degradation. BCL3, TREM2 and NRP2 were prioritized as potential OA biomarkers, which are associated with ribosome function and immune cell infiltration and potentially linked to PCD. The functional role of one of the molecules identified, BCL3, was explored further using a cell model of inflammation induced chondrocytes. BCL3 was significantly down regulated in OA samples from the public dataset and clinical samples analysed by RT-qPCR. BCL3 overexpression reduced apoptosis in chondrocytes stimulated with inflammatory cytokines. Thus the functional studies highlighted the anti-apoptotic role of BCL3 in chondrocytes and provide new insights into OA pathogenesis with potential for future therapeutic development.

Lead (Pb) exposure during perinatal development alters testosterone (T) concentrations and delays puberty in children and laboratory rodents. In addition, exposure to the metal during adult life decreases T and libido in men and affects male reproductive behaviour (MRB) in rats. MRB is regulated by various brain nuclei including the medial preoptic area (MPOa) and the medial amygdala (MeA), in which T and oestradiol (E2) act through their respective androgen (AR) and oestrogen (ER) receptors. However, the mechanism by which MRB is affected by Pb exposure is not known. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate whether perinatal Pb exposure affects MRB and the number of cells immunoreactive to AR and ERα in the MPOa and the MeA. Male Wistar rats exposed to Pb (320 ppm) in drinking water from the beginning of pregnancy until weaning were used. The experimental group experienced significant alterations in MRB, an important decrease in T and E2 concentrations, and a significant increase in Pb concentrations in the blood, MPOa (hypothalamus) and MeA. In addition, in the studied areas the number of cells immunoreactive to AR and ERα, or detected using the Nissl technique, decreased significantly. These results show that perinatal exposure to Pb alters MRB. This event may be related to a decrease in both the concentrations of sex hormones and the number of cells that express their receptors as well as in the neuronal Nissl staining population. This ultimately affects the quality of life of the individual.