Imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) has become a powerful tool to characterize the spatial distribution of biomolecules in thin tissue sections. In the case of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) IMS, homogeneous matrix deposition is critical to produce high-quality ion images, and sublimation in particular has shown to be an excellent matrix deposition method for the imaging of lipids. Matrix deposition by sublimation is, however, a completely solvent-free system, which ought to prevent the mixing of matrix and analytes thought to be necessary for successful MALDI. Using 3D time-of-flight secondary ion imaging mass spectrometry, we have studied the matrix-tissue interface in 3D with high resolution to understand the MALDI process of lipids after matrix deposition by sublimation. There is a strong indication that diffusion is the process by which lipids migrate from the tissue to the matrix layer. We show that triacylglycerols and phospholipids have a delayed migratory trend as compared to diacylglycerols and monoacylglycerols, which is dependent on time and matrix thickness. Additional experiments show that a pure lipid's capacity to migrate into the matrix is dependent on its fluidity at room temperature. Furthermore, it is shown that cholesterol can only migrate in the presence of a (fluid) lipid and appears to fluidize lipids, which could explain its colocalization with the diacylglycerols and monoacylglycerols in the matrix.

Background and Purpose-Alterations of neuroangiogenic response play important roles in the development of aging-related neurodisorders and affect gene-based therapies. We tested brain response to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in aged mice. Methods-Adeno-associated viral vector (AAV)-VEGF, an adeno-associated viral vector expressing VEGF, was injected into the brain of 3-, 12-, and 24-month-old mice. AAV-LacZ-injected mice were used as controls (nϭ6). Before euthanasia at 6 weeks after vector injection, the mice were intraperitoneally injected with 5-bromodeoxyuridine for 3 consecutive days. The vascular density and the number of neuroprogenitors were analyzed.

In this study, we investigated whether phloroglucinol (1, 3, 5 - trihydroxybenzene) has therapeutic effects in cellular and animal model of Parkinson's disease (PD). PD is the second most common, chronic and progressive neurodegenerative disease, and is clinically characterized with motor dysfunctions such as bradykinesia, rigidity, postural instability, gait impairment, and resting tremor. In the brains of PD patients, dopaminergic neuronal loss is observed in the Substantia nigra. Although the exact mechanisms underlying PD are largely unknown, mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress are thought to be critical factors that induce the onset of the disease. Here, phloroglucinol administration was shown to attenuate motor functional deficits evaluated with rota-rod and apomorphine-induced rotation tests in 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced PD animal models. Moreover, phloroglucinol ameliorated the loss of synapses as assessed with protein levels and immunoreactivity against synaptophysin in the midbrain region of the 6-OHDA-lesioned rats. In addition, in SH-SY5Y cultures, the cytotoxicity of 6-OHDA was reduced by pre-treatment with phloroglucinol. The increase in the reactive oxygen species, lipid peroxidation, protein carbonyl formation and 8-hydroxyguanine caused by treatment with 6-OHDA was attenuated by phloroglucinol in SH-SY5Y cells. Furthermore, phloroglucinol treatment rescued the reduced levels of nuclear Nrf2, antioxidant enzymes, i.e., catalase and glutathione peroxidase, in 6-OHDA-treated cells. Taken together, phloroglucinol has a therapeutic potential for treatment of PD.

Objective To evaluate the changes of vaginal microbiota during cervical carcinogenesis in women with high-risk human papillomavirus infection. Materials and methods Vaginal microbiota was analyzed using next-generation sequencing in women with normal, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), or cervical cancer. Results A marked decrease of Lactobacillus crispatus was found in the CIN/cancer groups compared with that in the normal group. The diversity of microorganisms increased in patients with CIN or cervical cancer with HPV infection. Atopobium vaginae (OR 4.33, 95% CI 1.15–16.32), Dialister invisus (OR 4.89, 95% CI 1.20–19.94), Finegoldia magna (OR 6.00, 95% CI 1.08–33.27), Gardnerella vaginalis (OR 7.43, 95% CI 1.78–31.04), Prevotella buccalis (OR 11.00, 95% CI 2.00–60.57), and Prevotella timonensis (OR 6.00, 95% CI 1.46–24.69) were significantly associated with the risk of CIN 2/3 or cervical cancer. Conclusion Women with the CIN and cervical cancer showed a high diversity in vaginal microbiota. Depletion of Lactobacillus crispatus and increased abundance of anaerobic bacteria were detected in women with cervical disease.

Topically administered β-blockers are an effective treatment for superficial IHs that pose few adverse effects and should be considered for primary treatment.

Inflammation is a significant detriment to the engraftment of cells and tissues, particularly for islet transplantation, where a low tolerance for the inflammatory milieu results in significant graft loss. Local treatment with anti-inflammatories, such as glucocorticoids, provides the benefits of site-targeted delivery with minimization of the broad side effects associated with systemic delivery. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is a flexible platform that is capable of providing sustained delivery of hydrophobic drugs. Here, we evaluated the capacity of PDMS constructs loaded with the anti-inflammatory glucocorticoid dexamethasone (Dex) to locally mitigate inflammation in islet grafts. Dex-PDMS constructs, fabricated in rod or disk geometries, demonstrated prolonged and sustained release at therapeutically relevant levels. In vitro, Dex-PDMS constructs inhibited endotoxin-induced human monocyte and macrophage activation, but they did not impair islet viability or function. Dex-PDMS rods, co-transplanted with islet-seeded scaffolds in a murine model, demonstrated suppression of host inflammatory responses during early- and late-phase engraftment, without significantly altering islet graft potency. The facile nature of these glucocorticoid-doped PDMS constructs allows for the optimization of targeted dose delivery with wide applicability in cell and tissue transplantation.

Hepatic lipid accumulation, mainly in the form of triglycerides (TGs), is the hallmark of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). To date, the spatial distribution of individual lipids in NAFLD affected livers is not well characterized. This study aims to map the triglyceride distribution in normal human liver samples and livers with NAFLD and cirrhosis with imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI IMS). Specifically, whether individual triglyceride species differing by fatty acid chain length and degree of saturation correlate with the histopathological features of NAFLD as identified with classical H&E. Using a recently reported sodium doped gold-assisted laser desorption/ionization IMS sample preparation, twenty human liver samples (five normal livers, five samples with simple steatosis, five samples with steatohepatitis, and five samples with cirrhosis) were analyzed at 10 μm lateral resolution. A total of 24 individual lipid species, primarily neutral lipids, were identified (22 TGs and 2 phospholipids). In samples with a low level of steatosis, TGs accumulated around the pericentral zone. In all samples, TGs with different degrees of side-chain saturation and side-chain length demonstrated differential distribution. Furthermore, hepatocytes containing macro lipid droplets were highly enriched in fully saturated triglycerides. This enrichment was also observed in areas of hepatocyte ballooning in samples with steatohepatitis and cirrhosis. In conclusion, macro lipid droplets in NAFLD are enriched in fully saturated triglycerides, indicating a possible increase in de novo lipogenesis that leads to steatohepatitis and cirrhosis.

No abstract