Short-term molecular and cellular effects of ischemia/reperfusion on vascularized lymph node flaps in rats

Vascularized lymph node (VLN) transfer is an emerging strategy to re-establish lymphatic drainage in chronic lymphedema. However, the biological processes underlying lymph node integration remain elusive. This study introduces an experimental approach facilitating the analysis of short-term molecular and cellular effects of ischemia/reperfusion on VLN flaps. Lymph node flaps were dissected pedicled on the lateral thoracic vessels in 44 Lewis rats. VLN flaps were exposed to 45 or 120 minutes ischemia by in situ clamping of the vascular pedicle with subsequent reperfusion for 24 hours. Flaps not exposed to ischemia/reperfusion served as controls. Lymph nodes and the perinodal adipose tissue were separately analyzed by Western blot for the expression of lymphangiogenic and angiogenic growth factors. Moreover, morphology, microvessel density, proliferation, apoptosis and immune cell infiltration of VLN flaps were further assessed by histology and immunohistochemistry. Ischemia for 120 minutes was associated with a markedly reduced cellularity of lymph nodes but not of the perinodal adipose tissue. In line with this, ischemic lymph nodes exhibited a significantly lower microvessel density and an increased expression of VEGF-D and VEGF-A. However, VEGF-C expression was not upregulated. In contrast, analyses of the perinodal adipose tissue revealed a more subtle decrease of microvessel density, while only the expression of VEGF-D was increased. Moreover, after 120 minutes ischemia, lymph nodes but not the perinodal adipose tissue exhibited significantly higher numbers of proliferating and apoptotic cells as well as infiltrated macrophages and neutrophilic granulocytes compared with non-ischemic flaps. Taken together, lymph nodes of VLN flaps are highly susceptible to ischemia/reperfusion injury. In contrast, the perinodal adipose tissue is less prone to ischemia/reperfusion injury

Apolipoprotein C3 induces inflammation and organ damage by alternative inflammasome activation

NLRP3-inflammasome-driven inflammation is involved in the pathogenesis of a variety of diseases. Identification of endogenous inflammasome activators is essential for the development of new anti-inflammatory treatment strategies. Here, we identified that apolipoprotein C3 (ApoC3) activates the NLRP3 inflammasome in human monocytes by inducing an alternative NLRP3 inflammasome via caspase-8 and dimerization of Toll-like receptors 2 and 4. Alternative inflammasome activation in human monocytes is mediated by the Toll-like receptor adapter protein SCIMP. This triggers Lyn/Syk-dependent calcium entry and the production of reactive oxygen species, leading to activation of caspase-8. In humanized mouse models, ApoC3 activated human monocytes in vivo to impede endothelial regeneration and promote kidney injury in an NLRP3- and caspase-8-dependent manner. These data provide new insights into the regulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and the pathophysiological role of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins containing ApoC3. Targeting ApoC3 might prevent organ damage and provide an anti-inflammatory treatment for vascular and kidney diseases

Benchmark Many-Body GW and Bethe–Salpeter Calculations for Small Transition Metal Molecules

International audienceWe study the electronic and optical properties of 39 small molecules containing transition metal atoms and 7 others related to quantum-dots for photovoltaics. We explore in particular the merits of the many-body GW formalism, as compared to the ΔSCF approach within density functional theory, in the description of the ionization energy and electronic affinity. Mean average errors of 0.2–0.3 eV with respect to experiment are found when using the PBE0 functional for ΔSCF and as a starting point for GW. The effect of partial self-consistency at the GW level is explored. Further, for optical excitations, the Bethe–Salpeter formalism is found to offer similar accuracy as time-dependent DFT-based methods with the hybrid PBE0 functional, with mean average discrepancies of about 0.3 and 0.2 eV, respectively, as compared to available experimental data. Our calculations validate the accuracy of the parameter-free GW and Bethe–Salpeter formalisms for this class of systems, opening the way to the study of large clusters containing transition metal atoms of interest for photovoltaic applications