Alterations in tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolism are associated with hepatic metabolic disorders. Elevated hepatic acetate concentrations, often attributed to high caloric intake, are recognized as a pivotal factor in the etiology of obesity and metabolic syndrome. Therefore, the assessment of acetate breakdown and TCA cycle activity plays a central role in understanding the impact of diet-induced alterations on liver metabolism. Magnetic resonance-based deuterium metabolic imaging (DMI) could help to unravel the underlying mechanisms involved in disease development and progression, however, the application of conventional deuterated glucose does not lead to substantial enrichment in hepatic glutamine and glutamate. This study aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of DMI for tracking deuterated acetate breakdown via the TCA cycle in lean and diet-induced fatty liver (FL) rats using 3D DMI after an intraperitoneal infusion of sodium acetate-d3 at 9.4T. Localized and nonlocalized liver spectra acquired at 10 time points post-injection over a 130-min study revealed similar intrahepatic acetate uptake in both animal groups (AUCFL = 717.9 ± 131.1 mM▯min-1, AUClean = 605.1 ± 119.9 mM▯min-1, p = 0.62). Metabolic breakdown could be observed in both groups with an emerging glutamine/glutamate (Glx) peak as a downstream metabolic product (AUCFL = 113.6 ± 23.8 mM▯min-1, AUClean = 136.7 ± 41.7 mM▯min-1, p = 0.68). This study showed the viability of DMI for tracking substrate flux through the TCA cycle, underscoring its methodological potential for imaging metabolic processes in the body.
- MeSH
- acetáty metabolismus MeSH
- analýza metabolického toku MeSH
- citrátový cyklus * MeSH
- deuterium * MeSH
- játra * metabolismus diagnostické zobrazování MeSH
- krysa rodu rattus MeSH
- magnetická rezonanční tomografie MeSH
- potkani Sprague-Dawley MeSH
- potkani Wistar MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- krysa rodu rattus MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) play a crucial role in regulating the hepatic function. Endoglin (ENG), a transmembrane glycoprotein, was shown to be related to the development of endothelial dysfunction. In this study, we hypothesized the relationship between changes in ENG expression and markers of liver sinusoidal endothelial dysfunction (LSED) during liver impairment. Male C57BL/6J mice aged 9-12 weeks were fed with 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine (DDC) diet (intrahepatic cholestasis) or choline-deficient l-amino acid defined high-fat diet (CDAA-HFD) (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)). Significant increases in liver enzymes, fibrosis, and inflammation biomarkers were observed in both cholestasis and NASH. Decreased p-eNOS/eNOS and VE-cadherin protein expression and a significant increase in VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 expression were detected, indicating LSED in both mouse models of liver damage. A significant reduction of ENG in the DDC-fed mice, while a significant increase of ENG in the CDAA-HFD group was observed. Both DDC and CDAA-HFD-fed mice showed a significant increase in MMP-14 protein expression, which is related to significantly increased levels of soluble endoglin (sENG) in the plasma. In conclusion, we demonstrated that intrahepatic cholestasis and NASH result in an altered ENG expression, predominantly in LSECs, suggesting a critical role of ENG expression for the proper function of liver sinusoids. Both pathologies resulted in elevated sENG levels, cleaved by MMP-14 expressed predominantly from LSECs, indicating sENG as a liver injury biomarker.
- MeSH
- acetamidy * MeSH
- dieta s vysokým obsahem tuků škodlivé účinky MeSH
- endoglin metabolismus MeSH
- endoteliální buňky metabolismus MeSH
- intrahepatální cholestáza * MeSH
- matrixová metaloproteinasa 14 MeSH
- myši inbrední C57BL MeSH
- myši MeSH
- nealkoholová steatóza jater * patologie MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- myši MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
Using an active targeting approach of chemotherapeutics-loaded nanocarriers (NCs) with monoclonal antibodies is a potential strategy to improve the specificity of the delivery systems and reduce adverse reactions of chemotherapeutic drugs. Specific targeting of the human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2), expressed excessively in HER-2-positive breast cancer cells, can be achieved by conjugating NCs with an anti-HER-2 monoclonal antibody. We constructed trastuzumab-conjugated chitosan iodoacetamide-coated NCs containing doxorubicin (Tras-Dox-CHI-IA-NCs) as a tumor-targeted drug delivery system, during the study. Chitosan-iodoacetamide (CHI-IA) was synthesized and utilized to prepare trastuzumab-conjugated NCs (Tras-NCs). The morphology, physicochemical properties, drug loading, drug release, and biological activities of the NCs were elucidated. The Tras-NCs were spherical, with a particle size of approximately 76 nm, and had a positive zeta potential; after incorporating the drug, the size of the Tras-NC increased. A prolonged, 24-h drug release from the NCs was achieved. The Tras-NCs exhibited high cellular accumulation and significantly higher antitumor activity against HER-2-positive breast cancer cells than the unconjugated NCs and the drug solution. Therefore, Tras-Dox-CHI-IA-NCs could be a promising nanocarrier for HER-2-positive breast cancer.
- MeSH
- chitosan * chemie MeSH
- doxorubicin chemie MeSH
- jodacetamid MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- monoklonální protilátky chemie MeSH
- nádory prsu * farmakoterapie MeSH
- nanočástice * chemie MeSH
- nosiče léků chemie MeSH
- systémy cílené aplikace léků MeSH
- trastuzumab MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
The molecular mechanisms linking obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) to obesity and the development of metabolic diseases are still poorly understood. The role of hypoxia (a characteristic feature of OSA) in excessive fat accumulation has been proposed. The present study investigated the possible effects of hypoxia (4% oxygen) on de novo lipogenesis by tracking the major carbon sources in differentiating 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Gas-permeable cultuware was employed to cultivate 3T3-L1 adipocytes in hypoxia (4%) for 7 or 14 days of differentiation. We investigated the contribution of glutamine, glucose or acetate using 13C or 14C labelled carbons to the newly synthesized lipid pool, changes in intracellular lipid content after inhibiting citrate- or acetate-dependent pathways and gene expression of involved key enzymes. The results demonstrate that, in differentiating adipocytes, hypoxia decreased the synthesis of lipids from glucose (44.1 ± 8.8 to 27.5 ± 3.0 pmol/mg of protein, p < 0.01) and partially decreased the contribution of glutamine metabolized through the reverse tricarboxylic acid cycle (4.6% ± 0.2-4.2% ± 0.1%, p < 0.01). Conversely, the contribution of acetate, a citrate- and mitochondria-independent source of carbons, increased upon hypoxia (356.5 ± 71.4 to 649.8 ± 117.5 pmol/mg of protein, p < 0.01). Further, inhibiting the citrate- or acetate-dependent pathways decreased the intracellular lipid content by 58% and 73%, respectively (p < 0.01) showing the importance of de novo lipogenesis in hypoxia-exposed adipocytes. Altogether, hypoxia modified the utilization of carbon sources, leading to alterations in de novo lipogenesis in differentiating adipocytes and increased intracellular lipid content.
- MeSH
- acetáty * metabolismus farmakologie MeSH
- buněčná diferenciace * účinky léků MeSH
- buňky 3T3-L1 * MeSH
- citrátový cyklus MeSH
- glukosa * metabolismus MeSH
- glutamin * metabolismus MeSH
- hypoxie buňky MeSH
- lipidy biosyntéza MeSH
- lipogeneze * účinky léků MeSH
- metabolismus lipidů účinky léků MeSH
- myši MeSH
- tukové buňky * metabolismus účinky léků MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- myši MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are major causes of hospital-acquired infections and sepsis. Due to increasing antibiotic resistance, new treatments are needed. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have antimicrobial effects, which can be enhanced by preconditioning with antibiotics. This study investigated using antibiotics to strengthen MSCs against MRSA and P. aeruginosa. MSCs were preconditioned with linezolid, vancomycin, meropenem, or cephalosporin. Optimal antibiotic concentrations were determined by assessing MSC survival. Antimicrobial effects were measured by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and antimicrobial peptide (AMP) gene expression. Optimal antibiotic concentrations for preconditioning MSCs without reducing viability were 1 μg/mL for linezolid, meropenem, and cephalosporin and 2 μg/mL for vancomycin. In MIC assays, MSCs preconditioned with linezolid, vancomycin, meropenem, or cephalosporin inhibited MRSA or P. aeruginosa growth at lower concentrations than non-preconditioned MSCs (p ≤ 0.001). In MBC assays, preconditioned MSCs showed enhanced bacterial clearance compared to non-preconditioned MSCs, especially when linezolid and vancomycin were used against MRSA (p ≤ 0.05). Preconditioned MSCs showed increased expression of genes encoding the antimicrobial peptide genes hepcidin and LL-37 compared to non-preconditioned MSCs. The highest hepcidin expression was seen with linezolid and vancomycin preconditioning (p ≤ 0.001). The highest LL-37 expression was with linezolid preconditioning (p ≤ 0.001). MSCs' preconditioning with linezolid, vancomycin, meropenem, or cephalosporin at optimal concentrations enhances their antimicrobial effects against MRSA and P. aeruginosa without compromising viability. This suggests preconditioned MSCs could be an effective adjuvant treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections. The mechanism may involve upregulation of AMP genes.
- MeSH
- antibakteriální látky farmakologie terapeutické užití MeSH
- antimikrobiální peptidy MeSH
- cefalosporiny farmakologie MeSH
- hepcidiny farmakologie terapeutické užití MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- linezolid farmakologie terapeutické užití MeSH
- meropenem farmakologie terapeutické užití MeSH
- methicilin rezistentní Staphylococcus aureus * MeSH
- mezenchymální kmenové buňky * MeSH
- mikrobiální testy citlivosti MeSH
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa genetika MeSH
- stafylokokové infekce * mikrobiologie MeSH
- vankomycin MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Pneumonie patří v dětském věku mezi častá infekční onemocnění. Jejich průběh může být nekomplikovaný, avšak mohou také vést k respiračnímu selhání, které vyžaduje hospitalizaci na jednotce intenzivní a resuscitační péče. Součástí léčby respiračního selhání je podpora či náhrada plicních funkcí pomocí oxygenoterapie, neinvazivní a invazivní umělé plicní ventilace a dále postupy zahrnující aplikaci inhalačního oxidu dusnatého, či pronační polohu. V případech, kdy tyto metody selhávají, je nezbytná mimotělní podpora životních funkcí. V následující kazuistice popisujeme komplikovaný průběh pneumonie u šestiletých dvojčat, jejichž zdravotní stav vyžadoval z důvodu kritických plicních funkcí připojení na mimotělní oběh s membránovou oxygenací.
Pneumonia is a common infectious disease in childhood. Its course may be uncomplicated, but it can also lead to respiratory failure requiring hospitalisation in the paediatric intensive care unit. The treatment of respiratory insufficiency includes support or replacement of lung function by oxygen therapy, non-invasive and invasive mechanical ventilation, and procedures such as inhaled nitric oxide or prone positioning. In situations where these methods fail, extracorporeal life support is necessary. In the following case report, we discuss the complicated course of pneumonia in six-year-old twins whose medical condition required connection to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation due to critical lung function.
- MeSH
- ceftriaxon farmakologie terapeutické užití MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- dvojčata MeSH
- infekce respiračními syncytiálními viry diagnóza farmakoterapie klasifikace komplikace MeSH
- koinfekce etiologie klasifikace mikrobiologie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- linezolid farmakologie terapeutické užití MeSH
- mimotělní membránová oxygenace * metody MeSH
- pneumonie pneumokoková diagnóza farmakoterapie komplikace MeSH
- pneumonie * diagnóza etiologie farmakoterapie klasifikace mikrobiologie MeSH
- rentgendiagnostika hrudníku metody MeSH
- respirační insuficience diagnóza etiologie komplikace terapie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- kazuistiky MeSH
BACKGROUND: Circulating-tumor DNA (ctDNA) and prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) ligand positron-emission tomography (PET) enable minimal-invasive prostate cancer (PCa) detection and survival prognostication. The present study aims to compare their tumor discovery abilities and prognostic values. METHODS: One hundred thirty men with confirmed PCa (70.5 ± 8.0 years) who underwent [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT (184.8 ± 19.7 MBq) imaging and plasma sample collection (March 2019-August 2021) were included. Plasma-extracted cell-free DNA was subjected to whole-genome-based ctDNA analysis. PSMA-positive tumor lesions were delineated and their quantitative parameters extracted. ctDNA and PSMA PET/CT discovery rates were compared, and the prognostic value for overall survival (OS) was evaluated. RESULTS: PSMA PET discovery rates according to castration status and PSA ranges did differ significantly (P = 0.013, P < 0.001), while ctDNA discovery rates did not (P = 0.311, P = 0.123). ctDNA discovery rates differed between localized and metastatic disease (P = 0.013). Correlations between ctDNA concentrations and PSMA-positive tumor volume (PSMA-TV) were significant in all (r = 0.42, P < 0.001) and castration-resistant (r = 0.65, P < 0.001), however not in hormone-sensitive patients (r = 0.15, P = 0.249). PSMA-TV and ctDNA levels were associated with survival outcomes in the Logrank (P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001) and multivariate Cox regression analysis (P = 0.0023, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that PSMA PET imaging outperforms ctDNA analysis in detecting prostate cancer across the whole spectrum of disease, while both modalities are independently highly prognostic for survival outcomes.
- MeSH
- cirkulující nádorová DNA * krev genetika MeSH
- EDTA * analogy a deriváty MeSH
- izotopy gallia * MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- nádory prostaty * diagnostické zobrazování genetika krev MeSH
- oligopeptidy MeSH
- PET/CT * MeSH
- prognóza MeSH
- průřezové studie MeSH
- radioizotopy galia * MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- srovnávací studie MeSH
BACKGROUND: Predicting response to exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) in active Crohn's disease (CD) could lead to therapy personalization and pretreatment optimization. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore the ability of pretreatment parameters to predict fecal calprotectin (FCal) levels at EEN completion in a prospective study in children with CD. METHODS: In children with active CD, clinical parameters, dietary intake, cytokines, inflammation-related blood proteomics, and diet-related metabolites, metabolomics and microbiota in feces, were measured before initiation of 8 wk of EEN. Prediction of FCal levels at EEN completion was performed using machine learning. Data are presented with medians (IQR). RESULTS: Of 37 patients recruited, 15 responded (FCal < 250 μg/g) to EEN (responders) and 22 did not (nonresponders). Clinical and immunological parameters were not associated with response to EEN. Responders had lesser (μmol/g) butyrate [responders: 13.2 (8.63-18.4) compared with nonresponders: 22.3 (12.0-32.0); P = 0.03], acetate [responders: 49.9 (46.4-68.4) compared with nonresponders: 70.4 (57.0-95.5); P = 0.027], phenylacetate [responders: 0.175 (0.013-0.611) compared with nonresponders: 0.943 (0.438-1.35); P = 0.021], and a higher microbiota richness [315 (269-347) compared with nonresponders: 243 (205-297); P = 0.015] in feces than nonresponders. Responders consumed (portions/1000 kcal/d) more confectionery products [responders: 0.55 (0.38-0.72) compared with nonresponders: 0.19 (0.01-0.38); P = 0.045]. A multicomponent model using fecal parameters, dietary data, and clinical and immunological parameters predicted response to EEN with 78% accuracy (sensitivity: 80%; specificity: 77%; positive predictive value: 71%; negative predictive value: 85%). Higher taxon abundance from Ruminococcaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Bacteroides and phenylacetate, butyrate, and acetate were the most influential variables in predicting lack of response to EEN. CONCLUSIONS: We identify microbial signals and diet-related metabolites in feces, which could comprise targets for pretreatment optimization and personalized nutritional therapy in pediatric CD.
- MeSH
- acetáty MeSH
- butyráty MeSH
- Crohnova nemoc * terapie metabolismus MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- enterální výživa MeSH
- fenylacetáty MeSH
- indukce remise MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- metabolom MeSH
- mikrobiota * MeSH
- prospektivní studie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
Multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria are recognized to be one of the most important problems in public health. The outer membrane permeability is a critical intrinsic mechanism of bacterial resistance. In addition, bacteria produce a small number of dormant persister cells causing multidrug tolerance that reduces antimicrobial efficacy. This study aimed to evaluate the inhibitory effects of the combination of aromatic isothiocyanates (ITCs) with membrane-active agents on bacterial persisters and MDR Gram-negative bacteria. Our study demonstrated that membrane-active agents, particularly ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) synergistically enhanced the inhibitory activity of aromatic benzyl ITC and phenethyl ITC against most Gram-negative bacteria strains with fractional inhibitory concentration index values ranging from 0.18 to 0.5 and 0.16 to 0.5, respectively, and contributed to an 8- to 64-fold minimal inhibitory concentration reduction compared with those of aromatic ITCs alone. The EDTA-aromatic ITCs combination effectively reduced the survival rates of tested bacteria and significantly eradicated bacterial persisters (p = 0.033 and 0.037, respectively). The growth kinetics analysis also supported the enhanced inhibitory effect of EDTA-aromatic ITCs combination against tested bacteria. Our results suggested an alternate treatment strategy against Gram-negative bacteria, promoting the entry of aromatic ITCs into bacterial cytoplasm to facilitate bacterial clearance and thus preventing the development of bacterial resistance.
- MeSH
- antibakteriální látky * farmakologie MeSH
- EDTA * farmakologie MeSH
- gramnegativní bakterie * účinky léků MeSH
- isothiokyanatany * farmakologie MeSH
- mikrobiální testy citlivosti * MeSH
- mikrobiální viabilita účinky léků MeSH
- mnohočetná bakteriální léková rezistence * účinky léků MeSH
- permeabilita buněčné membrány účinky léků MeSH
- synergismus léků MeSH
- vnější bakteriální membrána účinky léků MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
