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Colostrum oligosaccharides are known to exhibit prebiotic and immunomodulatory properties. Oligosaccharide composition is species-specific, and equine colostrum has been reported to contain unique oligosaccharides. Therefore, equine oligosaccharides (EMOS) from colostrum from different horse breeds were analyzed by CE-LIF, CE-MSn, HILIC-MSn, and exoglycosidase degradation. Sixteen EMOS were characterized and quantified, of which half were neutral and half were acidic. EMOS showed about 63% structural overlap with human milk oligosaccharides, known for their bioactivity. Seven EMOS were not reported before in equine oligosaccharides literature: neutral Gal(beta 1-4)HexNAc, Gal(beta 1-4)Hex-Hex, beta 4'-galactosyllactose, and lactose-N- hexaose, as well as acidic 6'-Sialyl-Hex-Ac-HexNAc, sialyllacto-N-tetraose-a, and disialylacto-N-tetraose (isomer not further specified). In all colostrum samples, the average oligosaccharide concentration ranged from 2.12 to 4.63 g/L; with beta 6'and 3'- galactosyllactose, 3'-sialyllactose, and disialyllactose as the most abundant of all oligosaccharides (27-59, 16-37, 1-8, and 1-6%, respectively). Differences in presence and in abundance of specific EMOS were evident not only between the four breeds but also within the breed

Characterizing microbiota-independent effects of oligosaccharides on intestinal epithelial cells: insight into the role of structure and size: Structure–activity relationships of non-digestible oligosaccharides

Purpose: The direct effects of galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), including Vivinal® GOS syrup (VGOS) and purified Vivinal® GOS (PGOS), on the epithelial integrity and corresponding interleukin-8 (IL-8/CXCL8) release were examined in a Caco-2 cell model for intestinal barrier dysfunction. To investigate structure–activity relationships, the effects of individual DP fractions of VGOS were evaluated. Moreover, the obtained results with GOS were compared with Caco-2 monolayers incubated with fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin. Methods: Caco-2 monolayers were pretreated (24 h) with or without specific oligosaccharides or DP fractions of VGOS (DP2 to DP6) before being exposed for 12 or 24 h to the fungal toxin deoxynivalenol (DON). Transepithelial electrical resistance and lucifer yellow permeability were measured to investigate barrier integrity. A calcium switch assay was used to study the reassembly of tight junction proteins. Release of CXCL8, a typical marker for inflammation, was quantified by ELISA. Results: In comparison with PGOS, FOS and inulin, VGOS showed the most pronounced protective effect on the DON-induced impairment of the monolayer integrity, acceleration of the tight junction reassembly and the subsequent CXCL8 release. DP2 and DP3 in concentrations occurring in VGOS prevented the DON-induced epithelial barrier disruption, which could be related to their high prevalence in VGOS. However, no effects of the separate DP GOS fractions were observed on CXCL8 release. Conclusions: This comparative study demonstrates the direct, microbiota-independent effects of oligosaccharides on the intestinal barrier function and shows the differences between individual galacto- and fructo-oligosaccharides. This microbiota-independent effect of oligosaccharides depends on the oligosaccharide structure, DP length and concentration

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of bone marrow-derived cell therapies on hind limb perfusion

Preclinical and clinical studies on the administration of bone marrow-derived cells to restore perfusion show conflicting results. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on preclinical studies to assess the efficacy of bone marrow-derived cells in the hind limb ischemia model and identify possible determinants of therapeutic efficacy. In vivo animal studies were identified using a systematic search in PubMed and EMBASE on 10 January 2022. 85 studies were included for systematic review and meta-analysis. Study characteristics and outcome data on relative perfusion were extracted. The pooled mean difference was estimated using a random effects model. Risk of bias was assessed for all included studies. We found a significant increase in perfusion in the affected limb after administration of bone marrow-derived cells compared to that in the control groups. However, there was a high heterogeneity between studies, which could not be explained. There was a high degree of incomplete reporting across studies. We therefore conclude that the current quality of preclinical research is insufficient (low certainty level as per GRADE assessment) to identify specific factors that might improve human clinical trials

Effects of Separate and Concomitant TLR-2 and TLR-4 Activation in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Newborn and Adult Horses

Deficient innate and adaptive immune responses cause newborn mammals to be more susceptible to bacterial infections than adult individuals. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are known to play a pivotal role in bacterial recognition and subsequent immune responses. Several studies have indicated that activation of certain TLRs, in particular TLR-2, can result in suppression of inflammatory pathology. In this study, we isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from adult and newborn horses to investigate the influence of TLR-2 activation on the inflammatory response mediated by TLR-4. Data were analysed in a Bayesian hierarchical linear regression model, accounting for variation between horses. In general, cytokine responses were lower in PBMCs derived from foals compared with PBMCs from adult horses. Whereas in foal PBMCs expression of TLR-2, TLR-4, and TLR-9 was not influenced by separate and concomitant TLR-2 and TLR-4 activation, in adult horse PBMCs, both TLR ligands caused significant up-regulation of TLR-2 and down-regulation of TLR-9. Moreover, in adult horse PBMCs, interleukin-10 protein production and mRNA expression increased significantly following concomitant TLR-2 and TLR-4 activation (compared with sole TLR-4 activation). In foal PBMCs, this effect was not observed. In both adult and foal PBMCs, the lipopolysaccharide-induced pro-inflammatory response was not influenced by pre-incubation and co-stimulation with the specific TLR-2 ligand Pam3-Cys-Ser-Lys4. This indicates that the published data on other species cannot be translated directly to the horse, and stresses the necessity to confirm results obtained in other species in target animals. Future research should aim to identify other methods or substances that enhance TLR functionality and bacterial defence in foals, thereby lowering susceptibility to life-threatening infections during the first period of life

TCF21 hypermethylation regulates renal tumor cell clonogenic proliferation and migration

We recently identified hypermethylation at the gene promoter of transcription factor 21 (TCF21) in clear cell sarcoma of the kidney (CCSK), a rare pediatric renal tumor. TCF21 is a transcription factor involved in tubular epithelial development of the kidney and is a candidate tumor suppressor. As there are no in vitro models of CCSK, we employed a well-established clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) cell line, 786-O, which also manifests high methylation at the TCF21 promoter, with consequent low TCF21 expression. The tumor suppressor function of TCF21 has not been functionally addressed in ccRCC cells; we aimed to explore the functional potential of TCF21 expression in ccRCC cells in vitro. 786-O clones stably transfected with either pBABE-TCF21-HA construct or pBABE vector alone were functionally analyzed. We found that ectopic expression of TCF21 in 786-O cells results in a trend toward decreased cell proliferation (not significant) and significantly decreased migration compared with mock-transfected 786-O cells. Although the number of colonies established in colony formation assays was not different between 786-O clones, colony size was significantly reduced in 786-O cells expressing TCF21. To investigate whether the changes in migration were due to epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition changes, we interrogated the expression of selected epithelial and mesenchymal markers. Although we observed upregulation of mRNA and protein levels of epithelial marker E-cadherin in clones overexpressing TCF21, this did not result in surface expression of E-cadherin as measured by fluorescence-activated cell sorting and immunofluorescence. Furthermore, mRNA expression of the mesenchymal markers vimentin (VIM) and SNAI1 was not significantly decreased in TCF21-expressing 786-O cells, while protein levels of VIM were markedly decreased. We conclude that re-expression of TCF21 in renal cancer cells that have silenced their endogenous TCF21 locus through hypermethylation results in reduced clonogenic proliferation, reduced migration, and reduced mesenchymal-like characteristics, suggesting a tumor suppressor function for transcription factor 21

The mycotoxin deoxynivalenol facilitates allergic sensitization to whey in mice

Intestinal epithelial stress or damage may contribute to allergic sensitization against certain food antigens. Hence, the present study investigated whether impairment of intestinal barrier integrity by the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) contributes to the development of whey-induced food allergy in a murine model. C3H/HeOuJ mice, orally exposed to DON plus whey once a week for 5 consecutive weeks, showed whey-specific IgG1 and IgE in serum and an acute allergic skin response upon intradermal whey challenge, although early initiating mechanisms of sensitization in the intestine appeared to be different compared with the widely used mucosal adjuvant cholera toxin (CT). Notably, DON exposure modulated tight-junction mRNA and protein levels, and caused an early increase in IL-33, whereas CT exposure affected intestinal γδ T cells. On the other hand, both DON- and CT-sensitized mice induced a time-dependent increase in the soluble IL-33 receptor ST2 (IL-1R1) in serum, and enhanced local innate lymphoid cells type 2 cell numbers. Together, these results demonstrate that DON facilitates allergic sensitization to food proteins and that development of sensitization can be induced by different molecular mechanisms and local immune responses. Our data illustrate the possible contribution of food contaminants in allergic sensitization in humans.Mucosal Immunology advance online publication, 17 February 2016; doi:10.1038/mi.2016.13

Determination of zearalenone and its metabolites in endometrial cancer by coupled separation techniques

This study presents a selective method of isolation of zearalenone (ZON) and its metabolite, α-zearalenol (α-ZOL), in neoplastically changed human tissue by accelerated solvent and ultrasonic extractions using a mixture of acetonitrile/water (84/16% v/v) as the extraction solvent. Extraction effectiveness was determined through the selection of parameters (composition of the solvent mixture, temperature, pressure, number of cycles) with tissue contamination at the level of nanograms per gram. The produced acetonitrile/water extracts were purified, and analytes were enriched in columns packed with homemade molecularly imprinted polymers. Purified extracts were determined by liquid chromatography (LC) coupled with different detection systems (diode array detection - DAD and mass spectrometry - MS) involving the Ascentis RP-Amide as a stationary phase and gradient elution. The combination of UE-MISPE-LC (ultrasonic extraction - molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction - liquid chromatography) produced high (R ≈ 95–98%) and repeatable (RSD < 3%) recovery values for ZON and α-ZOL

In vitro assessment of adsorbents aiming to prevent deoxynivalenol and zearalenone mycotoxicoses

The high prevalence of the Fusarium mycotoxins, deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZON) in animal feeds in mild climatic zones of Europe and North America results in considerable economic losses, as these toxins affect health and productivity particularly of pigs from all age groups. The use of mycotoxin adsorbents as feed additives is one of the most prominent approaches to reduce the risk for mycotoxicoses in farm animals, and to minimise carry-over of mycotoxins from contaminated feeds into foods of animal origin. Successful aflatoxin adsorption by means of different substances (phyllosilicate minerals, zeolites, activated charcoal, synthetic resins or yeast cell-wall-derived products) has been demonstrated in vivo and in vitro. However, attempts to adsorb DON and ZON have been less encouraging. Here we describe the adsorption capacity of a variety of potential binders, including compounds that have not been evaluated before, such as humic acids. All compounds were tested at realistic inclusion levels for their capacity to bind ZON and DON, using an in vitro method that resembles the different pH conditions in the gastro-intestinal tract of pigs. Mycotoxin adsorption was assessed by chemical methods and distinct bioassays, using specific markers of toxicity as endpoints of toxicity in cytological assays. Whereas none of the tested substances was able to bind DON in an appreciable percentage, some of the selected smectite clays, humic substances and yeast-wall derived products efficiently adsorbed ZON (>70%). Binding efficiency was indirectly confirmed by the reduction of toxicity in the in vitro bioassays. In conclusion, the presented test protocol allows the rapid screening of potential mycotoxin binders. Like other in vitro assays, the presented protocol combining chemical and biological assays cannot completely simulate the conditions of the gastro-intestinal tract, and hence in vivo experiments remain mandatory to assess the efficacy of mycotoxin binders under practical conditions

Massive-Scale RNA-Seq Analysis of Non Ribosomal Transcriptome in Human Trisomy 21

Hybridization- and tag-based technologies have been successfully used in Down syndrome to identify genes involved in various aspects of the pathogenesis. However, these technologies suffer from several limits and drawbacks and, to date, information about rare, even though relevant, RNA species such as long and small non-coding RNAs, is completely missing. Indeed, none of published works has still described the whole transcriptional landscape of Down syndrome. Although the recent advances in high-throughput RNA sequencing have revealed the complexity of transcriptomes, most of them rely on polyA enrichment protocols, able to detect only a small fraction of total RNA content. On the opposite end, massive-scale RNA sequencing on rRNA-depleted samples allows the survey of the complete set of coding and non-coding RNA species, now emerging as novel contributors to pathogenic mechanisms. Hence, in this work we analysed for the first time the complete transcriptome of human trisomic endothelial progenitor cells to an unprecedented level of resolution and sensitivity by RNA-sequencing. Our analysis allowed us to detect differential expression of even low expressed genes crucial for the pathogenesis, to disclose novel regions of active transcription outside yet annotated loci, and to investigate a plethora of non-polyadenilated long as well as short non coding RNAs. Novel splice isoforms for a large subset of crucial genes, and novel extended untranslated regions for known genes—possibly novel miRNA targets or regulatory sites for gene transcription—were also identified in this study. Coupling the rRNA depletion of samples, followed by high-throughput RNA-sequencing, to the easy availability of these cells renders this approach very feasible for transcriptome studies, offering the possibility of investigating in-depth blood-related pathological features of Down syndrome, as well as other genetic disorders