Sepsis is characterized by a severe and life-threatening host immune response to polymicrobial infection accompanied by organ dysfunction.Studies on the therapeutic effect and mechanism of immunomodulatory drugs on th...Sepsis is characterized by a severe and life-threatening host immune response to polymicrobial infection accompanied by organ dysfunction.Studies on the therapeutic effect and mechanism of immunomodulatory drugs on the sepsis-induced hyperinflammatory or immunosuppression states of various immune cells remain limited.This study aimed to investigate the protective effects and underlying mechanism of artesunate(ART)on the splenic microenvironment of cecal ligation and puncture-induced sepsis model mice using single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq)and experimental validations.The scRNA-seq analysis revealed that ART inhibited the activation of pro-inflammatory macrophages recruited during sepsis.ART could restore neutrophils’chemotaxis and immune function in the septic spleen.It inhibited the activation of T regulatory cells but promoted the cytotoxic function of natural killer cells during sepsis.ART also promoted the differentiation and activity of splenic B cells in mice with sepsis.These results indicated that ART could alleviate the inflammatory and/or immunosuppressive states of various immune cells involved in sepsis to balance the immune homeostasis within the host.Overall,this study provided a comprehensive investigation of the regulatory effect of ART on the splenic microenvironment in sepsis,thus contributing to the application of ART as adjunctive therapy for the clinical treatment of sepsis.展开更多
Triptolide is a key active component of the widely used traditional Chinese herb medicine Tripterygium wilfordii Hook.F.Although triptolide exerts multiple biological activities and shows promising efficacy in treatin...Triptolide is a key active component of the widely used traditional Chinese herb medicine Tripterygium wilfordii Hook.F.Although triptolide exerts multiple biological activities and shows promising efficacy in treating inflammatory-related diseases,its well-known safety issues,especially reproductive toxicity has aroused concerns.However,a comprehensive dissection of triptolide-associated testicular toxicity at single cell resolution is still lacking.Here,we observed testicular toxicity after 14 days of triptolide exposure,and then constructed a single-cell transcriptome map of 59,127 cells in mouse testes upon triptolide-treatment.We identified triptolide-associated shared and cell-type specific differentially expressed genes,enriched pathways,and ligand-receptor pairs in different cell types of mouse testes.In addition to the loss of germ cells,our results revealed increased macrophages and the inflammatory response in triptolide-treated mouse testes,suggesting a critical role of inflammation in triptolide-induced testicular injury.We also found increased reactive oxygen species(ROS)signaling and downregulated pathways associated with spermatid development in somatic cells,especially Leydig and Sertoli cells,in triptolide-treated mice,indicating that dysregulation of these signaling pathways may contribute to triptolide-induced testicular toxicity.Overall,our high-resolution single-cell landscape offers comprehensive information regarding triptolide-associated gene expression profiles in major cell types of mouse testes at single cell resolution,providing an invaluable resource for understanding the underlying mechanism of triptolide-associated testicular injury and additional discoveries of therapeutic targets of triptolide-induced male reproductive toxicity.展开更多
Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is one of most common and deadliest malignancies.Celastrol(Cel),a natural product derived from the Tripterygium wilfordii plant,has been extensively researched for its potential effectiven...Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is one of most common and deadliest malignancies.Celastrol(Cel),a natural product derived from the Tripterygium wilfordii plant,has been extensively researched for its potential effectiveness in fighting cancer.However,its clinical application has been hindered by the unclear mechanism of action.Here,we used chemical proteomics to identify the direct targets of Cel and enhanced its targetability and antitumor capacity by developing a Cel-based liposomes in HCC.We demonstrated that Cel selectively targets the voltage-dependent anion channel 2(VDAC2).Cel directly binds to the cysteine residues of VDAC2,and induces cytochrome C release via dysregulating VDAC2-mediated mitochondrial permeability transition pore(mPTP)function.We further found that Cel induces ROS-mediated ferroptosis and apoptosis in HCC cells.Moreover,coencapsulation of Cel into alkyl glucoside-modified liposomes(AGCL)improved its antitumor efficacy and minimized its side effects.AGCL has been shown to effectively suppress the proliferation of tumor cells.In a xenograft nude mice experiment,AGCL significantly inhibited tumor growth and promoted apoptosis.Our findings reveal that Cel directly targets VDAC2 to induce mitochondria-dependent cell death,while the Cel liposomes enhance its targetability and reduces side effects.Overall,Cel shows promise as a therapeutic agent for HCC.展开更多
Tripterygium glycosides tablet(TGT),the classical commercial drug of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook.F.has been effectively used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis,nephrotic syndrome,leprosy,Behcet's syndrome,le...Tripterygium glycosides tablet(TGT),the classical commercial drug of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook.F.has been effectively used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis,nephrotic syndrome,leprosy,Behcet's syndrome,leprosy reaction and autoimmune hepatitis.However,due to its narrow and limited treatment window,TGT-induced organ toxicity(among which liver injury accounts for about 40%of clinical reports)has gained increasing attention.The present study aimed to clarify the cellular and molecular events underlying TGT-induced acute liver injury using single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq)technology.The TGT-induced acute liver injury mouse model was constructed through short-term TGT exposure and further verified by hematoxylin-eosin staining and liver function-related serum indicators,including alanine aminotransferase,aspartate aminotransferase,alkaline phosphatase and total bilirubin.Using the mouse model,we identified 15 specific subtypes of cells in the liver tissue,including endothelial cells,hepatocytes,cholangiocytes,and hepatic stellate cells.Further analysis indicated that TGT caused a significant inflammatory response in liver endothelial cells at different spatial locations;led to marked inflammatory response,apoptosis and fatty acid metabolism dysfunction in hepatocytes;activated hepatic stellate cells;brought about the activation,inflammation,and phagocytosis of liver capsular macrophages cells;resulted in immune dysfunction of liver lymphocytes;disturbed the intercellular crosstalk in liver microenvironment by regulating various signaling pathways.Thus,these findings elaborate the mechanism underlying TGT-induced acute liver injury,provide new insights into the safe and rational applications in the clinic,and complement the identification of new biomarkers and therapeutic targets for liver protection.展开更多
基金support by the Establishment of Sino-Austria“Belt and Road”Joint Laboratory on Traditional Chinese Medicine for Severe Infectious Diseases and Joint Research,China(Grant No.:2020YFE0205100)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant Nos.:2020YFA0908000,2022YFC2303600)+9 种基金the Distinguished Expert Project of Sichuan Province Tianfu Scholar(Grant No.:CW202002)the Innovation Team and Talents Cultivation Program of National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine,China(Grant No.:ZYYCXTD-C-202002)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.:82141001,82274182,82074098,82173914)the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences(CACMS)Innovation Fund,China(Grant Nos.:CI2021A05101,CI2021A05104)the Scientific and Technological Innovation Project of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences(Grant No.:CI2021B014)the Science and Technology Foundation of Shenzhen,China(Grant No.:JCYJ20210324115800001)the Science and Technology Foundation of Shenzhen,China(Shenzhen Clinical Medical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases),the National Key R&D Program of China Key Projects for International Cooperation on Science,Technology and Innovation(Grant No.:2020YFE0205100)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Public Welfare Research Institutes,China(Grant Nos.:ZZ14-YQ-050,ZZ14-YQ-051,ZZ14-YQ-052,ZZ14-FL-002,ZZ14-ND-010,ZZ15-ND-10),Shenzhen Governmental Sustainable Development Fund,China(Grant No.:KCXFZ20201221173612034)Shenzhen key Laboratory of Kidney Diseases,China(Grant No.:ZDSYS201504301616234)Shenzhen Fund for Guangdong Provincial High-level Clinical Key Specialties,China(Grant No.:SZGSP001).
文摘Sepsis is characterized by a severe and life-threatening host immune response to polymicrobial infection accompanied by organ dysfunction.Studies on the therapeutic effect and mechanism of immunomodulatory drugs on the sepsis-induced hyperinflammatory or immunosuppression states of various immune cells remain limited.This study aimed to investigate the protective effects and underlying mechanism of artesunate(ART)on the splenic microenvironment of cecal ligation and puncture-induced sepsis model mice using single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq)and experimental validations.The scRNA-seq analysis revealed that ART inhibited the activation of pro-inflammatory macrophages recruited during sepsis.ART could restore neutrophils’chemotaxis and immune function in the septic spleen.It inhibited the activation of T regulatory cells but promoted the cytotoxic function of natural killer cells during sepsis.ART also promoted the differentiation and activity of splenic B cells in mice with sepsis.These results indicated that ART could alleviate the inflammatory and/or immunosuppressive states of various immune cells involved in sepsis to balance the immune homeostasis within the host.Overall,this study provided a comprehensive investigation of the regulatory effect of ART on the splenic microenvironment in sepsis,thus contributing to the application of ART as adjunctive therapy for the clinical treatment of sepsis.
基金supported by grants from the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant Nos.:2020YFA0908000,2022YFC2303600)the Innovation Team and Talents Cultivation Program of National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine(Grant No.:ZYYCXTD-C-202002)+7 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.:82201786,82141001,82274182,82074098,82173914)the CACMS Innovation Fund(Grant Nos.:CI2021A05101,CI2021A05104)the Scientific and Technological Innovation Project of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences(Grant No.:CI2021B014)the Science and Technology Foundation of Shenzhen(Grant Nos.:JCYJ20220818102613029,JCYJ20210324114014039,JCYJ20210324115800001)Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation(Grant Nos.:2020A1515110549,2021A1515110646)the Science and Technology Foundation of Shenzhen(Shenzhen Clinical Medical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases)the National Key R&D Program of China Key projects for international cooperation on science,technology and innovation(Grant No.:2020YFE0205100)and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Public Welfare Research Institutes(Grant Nos.:ZZ14-YQ-050,ZZ14-YQ-051,ZZ14-YQ-052,ZZ14-FL-002,ZZ14-ND-010,ZZ15-ND-10).
文摘Triptolide is a key active component of the widely used traditional Chinese herb medicine Tripterygium wilfordii Hook.F.Although triptolide exerts multiple biological activities and shows promising efficacy in treating inflammatory-related diseases,its well-known safety issues,especially reproductive toxicity has aroused concerns.However,a comprehensive dissection of triptolide-associated testicular toxicity at single cell resolution is still lacking.Here,we observed testicular toxicity after 14 days of triptolide exposure,and then constructed a single-cell transcriptome map of 59,127 cells in mouse testes upon triptolide-treatment.We identified triptolide-associated shared and cell-type specific differentially expressed genes,enriched pathways,and ligand-receptor pairs in different cell types of mouse testes.In addition to the loss of germ cells,our results revealed increased macrophages and the inflammatory response in triptolide-treated mouse testes,suggesting a critical role of inflammation in triptolide-induced testicular injury.We also found increased reactive oxygen species(ROS)signaling and downregulated pathways associated with spermatid development in somatic cells,especially Leydig and Sertoli cells,in triptolide-treated mice,indicating that dysregulation of these signaling pathways may contribute to triptolide-induced testicular toxicity.Overall,our high-resolution single-cell landscape offers comprehensive information regarding triptolide-associated gene expression profiles in major cell types of mouse testes at single cell resolution,providing an invaluable resource for understanding the underlying mechanism of triptolide-associated testicular injury and additional discoveries of therapeutic targets of triptolide-induced male reproductive toxicity.
基金support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grants No.82304827,82074098,81841001)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central public welfare research institutes(ZZ13-ZD-07),the National Key Research and Development Programof China(2020YFA0908000,2022YFC2303600)+7 种基金the Innovation Team and Talents Cultivation Program of National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine(No:ZYYCXTD-C-202002)The Shenzhen Medical Research Fund of Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation(B2302051)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Public Welfare Research Institutes(Grants No.ZZ13-YQ-108)the Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission(Grants No.JCYJ20210324115800001)the Science and Technology Foundation of Shenzhen(Shenzhen Clinical Medical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases),the Distinguished Expert Project of Sichuan Province Tianfu Scholar(CW202002)Supported by Shenzhen Governmental Sustainable Development Fund(KCXFZ20201221173612034)Supported by Shenzhen key Laboratory of Kidney Diseases(ZDSYS201504301616234)Supported by Shenzhen Fund for Guangdong Provincial High-level Clinical Key Specialties(NO.SZGSP001).
文摘Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is one of most common and deadliest malignancies.Celastrol(Cel),a natural product derived from the Tripterygium wilfordii plant,has been extensively researched for its potential effectiveness in fighting cancer.However,its clinical application has been hindered by the unclear mechanism of action.Here,we used chemical proteomics to identify the direct targets of Cel and enhanced its targetability and antitumor capacity by developing a Cel-based liposomes in HCC.We demonstrated that Cel selectively targets the voltage-dependent anion channel 2(VDAC2).Cel directly binds to the cysteine residues of VDAC2,and induces cytochrome C release via dysregulating VDAC2-mediated mitochondrial permeability transition pore(mPTP)function.We further found that Cel induces ROS-mediated ferroptosis and apoptosis in HCC cells.Moreover,coencapsulation of Cel into alkyl glucoside-modified liposomes(AGCL)improved its antitumor efficacy and minimized its side effects.AGCL has been shown to effectively suppress the proliferation of tumor cells.In a xenograft nude mice experiment,AGCL significantly inhibited tumor growth and promoted apoptosis.Our findings reveal that Cel directly targets VDAC2 to induce mitochondria-dependent cell death,while the Cel liposomes enhance its targetability and reduces side effects.Overall,Cel shows promise as a therapeutic agent for HCC.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant Nos.:2020YFA0908000,2022YFC2303600)the Establishment of Sino-Austria“Belt and Road”Joint Laboratory on Traditional Chinese Medicine for Severe Infectious Diseases and Joint Research(Grant No.:2020YFE0205100)+13 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.:82104480,82004248,82141001,82274182,82074098,82173914)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central public welfare research institutes(Grant Nos.:ZZ14-YQ-055,ZZ14-YQ-059,ZZ14-YQ-060,ZXKT19018,ZXKT19021,ZXKT19022,ZZ14-YQ-050,ZZ14-YQ-051,ZZ14-YQ-052,ZZ14-FL-002,ZZ14-ND-010,ZZ15-ND-10,ZZ16-ND-10-19)the Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation(Grant No.:7214287)the Innovation Team and Talents Cultivation Program of National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine(Grant No.:ZYYCXTD-C-202002)the Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by CACM(Grant No.:2021QNRC2B29)the CACMS Innovation Fund(Grant Nos.:CI2021A05101,CI2021A05104)the Scientific and Technological Innovation Project of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences(Grant No.:CI2021B014)the Science and Technology Foundation of Shenzhen(Grant No.:JCYJ20210324115800001)the Science and Technology Foundation of Shenzhen(Shenzhen Clinical Medical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases)Shenzhen Governmental Sustainable Development Fund(Grant No.:KCXFZ20201221173612034)Shenzhen key Laboratory of Kidney Diseases(Grant No.:ZDSYS201504301616234)Shenzhen Fund for Guangdong Provincial High-level Clinical Key Specialties(Grant No.:SZGSP001)the Distinguished Expert Project of Sichuan Province Tianfu Scholar(Grant No.:CW202002)the State Key Laboratory of New-tech for Chinese Medicine Pharmaceutical Process Open Fund(Grant No.:SKL2020Z0302).
文摘Tripterygium glycosides tablet(TGT),the classical commercial drug of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook.F.has been effectively used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis,nephrotic syndrome,leprosy,Behcet's syndrome,leprosy reaction and autoimmune hepatitis.However,due to its narrow and limited treatment window,TGT-induced organ toxicity(among which liver injury accounts for about 40%of clinical reports)has gained increasing attention.The present study aimed to clarify the cellular and molecular events underlying TGT-induced acute liver injury using single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq)technology.The TGT-induced acute liver injury mouse model was constructed through short-term TGT exposure and further verified by hematoxylin-eosin staining and liver function-related serum indicators,including alanine aminotransferase,aspartate aminotransferase,alkaline phosphatase and total bilirubin.Using the mouse model,we identified 15 specific subtypes of cells in the liver tissue,including endothelial cells,hepatocytes,cholangiocytes,and hepatic stellate cells.Further analysis indicated that TGT caused a significant inflammatory response in liver endothelial cells at different spatial locations;led to marked inflammatory response,apoptosis and fatty acid metabolism dysfunction in hepatocytes;activated hepatic stellate cells;brought about the activation,inflammation,and phagocytosis of liver capsular macrophages cells;resulted in immune dysfunction of liver lymphocytes;disturbed the intercellular crosstalk in liver microenvironment by regulating various signaling pathways.Thus,these findings elaborate the mechanism underlying TGT-induced acute liver injury,provide new insights into the safe and rational applications in the clinic,and complement the identification of new biomarkers and therapeutic targets for liver protection.
