Alterations of the intestinal barrier in caquexia associated with colon cancer.

A caquexia é uma síndrome multifatorial e multiorgânica associada ao câncer e outras doenças crônicas e caracterizada por perda involuntária grave de massa corporal, metabolismo e função imune alteradas, anorexia, fadiga e diminuição da qualidade de vida. A caquexia afeta cerca de 50% dos pacientes com câncer de cólon e é diretamente responsável pela morte de pelo menos 20% de todos os pacientes com câncer. A inflamação sistêmica, resultante da produção de mediadores inflamatórios, é comumente observada na caquexia do câncer. É possível que a inflamação possa derivar em parte da falha da função de barreira intestinal, promovendo uma ativação imunológica persistente. Este estudo envolveu 45 pacientes, divididos em grupos: WSC (câncer de peso estável) e CC (câncer com caquexia) e investigou a inflamação do cólon e a composição da microbiota intestinal na caquexia. Para tanto, realizou-se uma análise histológica por microscopia de luz e quantificação de fatores inflamatórios por Luminex® xMAP em biópsias de cólon retossigmóide (20 cm distantes do sítio tumoral) obtidas de pacientes CC e WSC durante a cirurgia para a retirada de tumor. Adicionalmente, realizou-se o seqüenciamento genético para a análise da composição da microbiota presente nas fezes dos pacientes. O número de agregados linfóides, eosinófilos e fibroblastos foi maior na mucosa do cólon em CC do que em WSC. A expressão da interleucina 7 (IL-7), da interleucina 13 (IL-13) e do fator de crescimento transformador beta 3 (TGF- &#946 3) aumentou significativamente no CC, em comparação com o WSC. Houve uma redução de bactérias dos gêneros Anaerotipes, Dorea e Coprococcus nos pacientes do grupo CC. Por outro lado, houve um aumento de bactérias dos gêneros Gemella e Parvimonas nos pacientes CC, comparado aos pacientes WSC. Os resultados sugerem alterações na barreira intestinal dos pacientes caquéticos, com um aumento do recrutamento de células imunes na mucosa do cólon, resposta inflamatória e de reparo teciduais. Não está claro se as respostas locais podem ser dirigidas pela disbiose ou podem promover a disbiose. Compreender o papel do intestino e da microbiota intestinal na patogênese desta síndrome pode levar ao desenvolvimento de novos alvos terapêuticos, a fim de minimizar a inflamação intestinal e os sintomas da caquexia.Cachexia is a multifactorial and multiorgan syndrome associated with cancer and other chronic diseases and characterised by severe involuntary loss of body weight, disrupted metabolism, altered immune function, anorexia, fatigue and diminished quality of life. Cachexia affects around 50% of patients with colon cancer and is directly responsible for the death of at least 20% of all cancer patients. Systemic inflammation, the result of the production of inflammatory mediators, is commonly observed in cancer cachexia. It is possible that inflammation may partly derive from the failure of gut barrier function, yielding persistent immune activation. This study involved 45 patients, divided into groups: WSC (Weight Stable Cancer) and CC (Cachectic Cancer) and investigated the inflammation of the colon and the composition of the intestinal microbiota in cachexia. For this purpose, we carried out a morphological analysis by light microscopy and quantification of inflammatory factors by Luminex® xMAP in rectosigmoid colon biopsies (20 cm distant from the tumour site) obtained from cachectic (CC) and weight stable (WSC) colon câncer patients, during surgery. In addition, the genetic sequencing was performed to analyze the composition of the microbiota in the faeces of the patients. The number of lymphocytic aggregates, eosinophils and fibroblasts was higher in the mucosa of the colon in CC than in WSC. In regard to inflammatory cytokines, interleukin 7 (IL-7), interleukin 13 (IL-13) and transforming growth factor beta 3 (TGF- &#946 3) protein expression was significantly increased in CC, compared with WSC. There was a reduction of bacteria of the genus Anaerotipes, Dorea and Coprococcus in CC. On the other hand, there was an increase of bacteria of the genus Gemella and Parvimonas in CC patients, compared to WSC patients. The results suggest alterations in the intestinal barrier in cachectic patients, with an increase in the recruitment of immune cells in the mucosa of the colon, orchestrating an inflammatory response and in tissue repair. It is not clear whether local responses can be driven by dysbiosis or if it could promote dysbiosis. Understanding the role of the intestine and intestinal microbiota in the pathogenesis of this syndrome may lead to the development of new therapeutic targets in order to minimize intestinal inflammation and the symptoms of cachexia

Adipose tissue fibrosis in human cancer cachexia: the role of TGFβ pathway

Abstract Background Cancer cachexia is a multifactorial syndrome that dramatically decreases survival. Loss of white adipose tissue (WAT) is one of the key characteristics of cachexia. WAT wasting is paralleled by microarchitectural remodeling in cachectic cancer patients. Fibrosis results from uncontrolled ECM synthesis, a process in which, transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) plays a pivotal role. So far, the mechanisms involved in adipose tissue (AT) re-arrangement, and the role of TGFβ in inducing AT remodeling in weight-losing cancer patients are poorly understood. This study examined the modulation of ECM components mediated by TGFβ pathway in fibrotic AT obtained from cachectic gastrointestinal cancer patients. Methods After signing the informed consent form, patients were enrolled into the following groups: cancer cachexia (CC, n = 21), weight-stable cancer (WSC, n = 17), and control (n = 21). The total amount of collagen and elastic fibers in the subcutaneous AT was assessed by histological analysis and by immunohistochemistry. TGFβ isoforms expression was analyzed by Multiplex assay and by immunohistochemistry. Alpha-smooth muscle actin (αSMA), fibroblast-specific protein (FSP1), Smad3 and 4 were quantified by qPCR and/or by immunohistochemistry. Interleukin (IL) 2, IL5, IL8, IL13 and IL17 content, cytokines known to be associated with fibrosis, was measured by Multiplex assay. Results There was an accumulation of collagen and elastic fibers in the AT of CC, as compared with WSC and controls. Collagens type I, III, VI, and fibronectin expression was enhanced in the tissue of CC, compared with both WSC and control. The pronounced expression of αSMA in the surrounding of adipocytes, and the increased mRNA content for FSP1 (20-fold) indicate the presence of activated myofibroblasts; particularly in CC. TGFβ1 and TGFβ3 levels were up-regulated by cachexia in AT, as well in the isolated adipocytes. Smad3 and Smad4 labeling was found to be more evident in the fibrotic areas of CC adipose tissue. Conclusions Cancer cachexia promotes the development of AT fibrosis, in association with altered TGFβ signaling, compromising AT organization and function

Sytemic inflammation in cachexia - is tumour cytokine expression profile the culprit?

Cachexia affects about 80 percent of gastrointestinal cancer patients. This multifactorial syndrome resulting in involuntary and continuous weight loss is accompanied by systemic inflammation and immune cell infiltration in various tissues. Understanding the interactions between tumor, immune cells and peripheral tissues could help attenuating systemic inflammation. Therefore, we investigated inflammation in the subcutaneous adipose tissue and in the tumor, in weight stable and cachectic cancer patients with same diagnosis, in order to establish correlations between tumor microenvironment and secretory pattern with adipose tissue and systemic inflammation. Infiltrating monocyte phenotypes of subcutaneous and tumor vascular-stromal fraction were identified by flow cytometry. Gene and protein expression of inflammatory and chemotactic factors was measured with qRT-PCR and Multiplex Magpix® system, respectively. Subcutaneous vascular-stromal fraction exhibited no differences in regard to macrophage subtypes, while in the tumor, the percentage of M2 macrophages was decreased in the cachectic patients, in comparison to weight-stable counterparts. CCL3, CCL4 and IL-1β expression was higher in the adipose tissue and tumor tissue in cachectic group. In both tissues chemotactic factors were positively correlated with IL-1β. Furthermore, positive correlations were found for the content of chemoattractants and cytokines in the tumor and adipose tissue. The results strongly suggest that the crosstalk between the tumor and peripheral tissues is more pronounced in cachectic patients, compared to weight-stable patients with the same tumor diagnosis

NEOTROPICAL ALIEN MAMMALS: a data set of occurrence and abundance of alien mammals in the Neotropics

Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown. In this data set, we make available occurrence and abundance data on mammal species that (1) transposed a geographical barrier and (2) were voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into the Neotropics. Our data set is composed of 73,738 historical and current georeferenced records on alien mammal species of which around 96% correspond to occurrence data on 77 species belonging to eight orders and 26 families. Data cover 26 continental countries in the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico and its frontier regions (southern Florida and coastal-central Florida in the southeast United States) to Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay, and the 13 countries of Caribbean islands. Our data set also includes neotropical species (e.g., Callithrix sp., Myocastor coypus, Nasua nasua) considered alien in particular areas of Neotropics. The most numerous species in terms of records are from Bos sp. (n = 37,782), Sus scrofa (n = 6,730), and Canis familiaris (n = 10,084); 17 species were represented by only one record (e.g., Syncerus caffer, Cervus timorensis, Cervus unicolor, Canis latrans). Primates have the highest number of species in the data set (n = 20 species), partly because of uncertainties regarding taxonomic identification of the genera Callithrix, which includes the species Callithrix aurita, Callithrix flaviceps, Callithrix geoffroyi, Callithrix jacchus, Callithrix kuhlii, Callithrix penicillata, and their hybrids. This unique data set will be a valuable source of information on invasion risk assessments, biodiversity redistribution and conservation-related research. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this data paper when using the data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us on how they are using the data