The potential for preventive and therapeutic applications of H2 have now been confirmed in various disease. However, the effects of H2 on health status have not been fully elucidated. Our previous study reported changes in the body weight and 13 serum biochemical parameters during the six-month hydrogen intervention. To obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the effects of long-term hydrogen consumption, the plasma metabolome and gut microbiota were investigated in this study. Compared with the control group, 14 and 10 differential metabolites (DMs) were identified in hydrogen-rich water (HRW) and hydrogen inhalation (HI) group, respectively. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that HRW intake mainly affected starch and sucrose metabolism, and DMs in HI group were mainly enriched in arginine biosynthesis. 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that HRW intake induced significant changes in the structure of gut microbiota, while no marked bacterial community differences was observed in HI group. HRW intake mainly induced significant increase in the abundance of Lactobacillus, Ruminococcus, Clostridium XI, and decrease in Bacteroides. HI mainly induced decreased abundances of Blautia and Paraprevotella. The metabolic function was determined by metabolic cage analysis and showed that HI decreased the voluntary intake and excretions of rats, while HRW intake did not. The results of this study provide basic data for further research on hydrogen medicine. Determination of the effects of hydrogen intervention on microbiota profiles could also shed light on identification of mechanism underlying the biological effects of molecular hydrogen.
Molecular hydrogen (H2) has emerged as a new therapeutic option in several diseases and is widely adopted by healthy people. However, molecular data to support therapeutic functions attributed to the biological activities of H2 remain elusive. Here, using transcriptomic and metabolomic approaches coupled with biochemistry and micro-CT technics, we evaluated the effect of long-term (6 months) and daily use of H2 on liver function. Rats exposed 2 h daily to H2 either by drinking HRW (H2 dissolved in H2O) or by breathing 4% H2 gas showed reduced lipogenesis and enhanced lipolysis in the liver, which was associated with apparent loss of visceral fat and brown adipose tissue together with a reduced level of serum lipids. Both transcripts and metabolites enriched in H2-treated rats revealed alteration of amino acid metabolism pathways and activation of purine nucleotides and carbohydrate biosynthesis pathways. Analysis of the interaction network of genes and metabolites and correlation tests revealed that NADP is the central regulator of H2 induced metabolic alterations in the liver, which was further confirmed by an increase in the level of components of metabolic pathways that require NADP as substrate. Evidence of immune response regulation activity was also observed in response to exposure to H2. This work is the first to provide metabolomic and transcriptomic data to uncover molecular targets for the effect of prolonged molecular hydrogen treatment on liver metabolism.
Ferroptosis is a newly defined programmed cell death, which by its mechanism differs from other programmed cell death processes such as apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy. It has a unique morphology and biological properties that antioxidants and iron-chelating agents can regulate. Ferroptosis has the characteristics of iron ion deposition and dependence on lipid peroxidation. It can affect the progression of many cancers, including liver cancer, by inducing an intracellular iron-dependent accumulation of reactive oxygen species, providing new possibilities for cancer treatment. At present, great progress has been made in exploring the molecular mechanism of ferroptosis. In this review, we summarize the characteristics, mechanisms, and regulatory factors of ferroptosis in detail, discuss the progress of ferroptosis research in liver cancer, and provide directions and new ideas for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.
There is increasing evidence concerning the occurrence of malignant lymphoma among people suffering from Mikulicz disease, also termed benign lymphoepithelial lesion (BLEL) and immunoglobulin G4-associated disease. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of the malignant transformation remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the gene expression profile between BLEL and malignant lymphoepithelial lesion (MLEL) conditions using tissue microarray analysis, to identify genes and pathways which may be associated with the risk of malignant transformation. Comparing gene expression profiles between BLEL tissues (n=13) and MLEL (n=14), a total of 1,002 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified including 364 downregulated and 638 upregulated DEGs in BLEL. The downregulated DEGs in BLEL were frequently associated with immune-based functions, immune cell differentiation, proliferation and survival, and metabolic functions, whereas the upregulated DEGs were primarily associated with organ, gland and tissue developmental processes. The B cell receptor signaling pathway, the transcription factor p65 signaling pathway, low affinity immunoglobulin γ Fc region receptor II-mediated phagocytosis, the high affinity immunoglobulin ε receptor subunit γ signaling pathway and Epstein-Barr virus infection, and pathways in cancer, were the pathways associated with the downregulated DEGs. The upregulated DEGs were associated with three pathways, including glutathione metabolism, salivary secretion and mineral absorption pathways. These results suggested that the identified signaling pathways and their associated genes may be crucial for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying malignant transformation from BLEL, and they may be considered to be markers for predicting malignancy among the BLEL group.
BackgroundBenign Lymphoepithelial Lesion (BLEL) is a rare disease observed in the adult population. Despite the growing numbers of people suffering from BLEL, the etiology and mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis remain unknown.MethodsIn the present study, we used gene and cytokines expression profiling, western blot and immunohistochemistry to get further insight into the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of BLEL of the lacrimal gland.ResultsThe results showed that Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) was the most highly expressed cytokine in BLEL, and its expression positively correlated with the expression of Th2 and Th17 cells cytokines. MIF was found to regulate biological functions and pathways involved in BLEL pathogenesis, such as proliferation, resistance to apoptosis, MAPK and PI3K/Akt pathways. We also found that MIF promotes fibrosis in BLEL by inducing BLEL fibroblast differentiation into myofibroblasts as well as the synthesis and the deposit of extracellular matrix in BLEL tissues.ConclusionsOur findings demonstrate the contribution of MIF to the pathogenesis of BLEL of the lacrimal gland and suggested MIF as a promising therapeutic target for its treatment.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12964-018-0284-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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