Licochalcone A Potently Inhibits Tumor Necrosis Factor ␣- Induced Nuclear Factor-B Activation through the Direct Inhibition of IB Kinase Complex Activation

ABSTRACT Glycyrrhiza inflata has been used as a traditional medicine with anti-inflammatory activity; however, its mechanism has not been fully understood. Licochalcone A is a major and biogenetically characteristic chalcone isolated from G. inflata. Here, we found that licochalcone A strongly inhibited tumor necrosis (TNF)-␣-induced nuclear localization, DNA binding activity, and the transcriptional activity of nuclear factor-B (NF-B). Whereas licochalcone A had no effect on the recruitment of receptor-interacting protein 1 and IB kinase ␤ (IKK␤) to TNF receptor I by TNF-␣, it significantly inhibited TNF-␣-induced IB kinase complex (IKK) activation and inhibitor of nuclear factor-B degradation. It is interesting that we found that the cysteine residue at position 179 of IKK␤ is essential for licochalcone A-induced IKK inhibition, because licochalcone A failed to affect the kinase activity of the IKK␤ (C179A) mutant. In contrast, a structurally related compound, echinatin, failed to inhibit TNF-␣-induced IKK activation and NF-B activation, suggesting that the 1,1-dimethy-2-propenyl group in licochalcone A is important for the inhibition of NF-B. In addition, TNF-␣-induced expression of inflammatory cytokines CCL2/ monocyte chemotactic protein-1and CXCL1/KC was clearly inhibited by licochalcone A but not echinatin. Taken together, licochalcone A might contribute to the potent anti-inflammatory effect of G. inflata through the inhibition of IKK activation

Generation and characterization of severe combined immunodeficiency rats.

重症免疫不全SCIDラットの作製 : ヒトiPS細胞、がん細胞、肝細胞をラット体内で培養することに成功. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2012-09-14.Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice, the most widely used animal model of DNA-PKcs (Prkdc) deficiency, have contributed enormously to our understanding of immunodeficiency, lymphocyte development, and DNA-repair mechanisms, and they are ideal hosts for allogeneic and xenogeneic tissue transplantation. Here, we use zinc-finger nucleases to generate rats that lack either the Prkdc gene (SCID) or the Prkdc and Il2rg genes (referred to as F344-scid gamma [FSG] rats). SCID rats show several phenotypic differences from SCID mice, including growth retardation, premature senescence, and a more severe immunodeficiency without "leaky" phenotypes. Double-knockout FSG rats show an even more immunocompromised phenotype, such as the abolishment of natural killer cells. Finally, xenotransplantation of human induced pluripotent stem cells, ovarian cancer cells, and hepatocytes shows that SCID and FSG rats can act as hosts for xenogeneic tissue grafts and stem cell transplantation and may be useful for preclinical testing of new drugs

Empagliflozin in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Background The effects of empagliflozin in patients with chronic kidney disease who are at risk for disease progression are not well understood. The EMPA-KIDNEY trial was designed to assess the effects of treatment with empagliflozin in a broad range of such patients. Methods We enrolled patients with chronic kidney disease who had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of at least 20 but less than 45 ml per minute per 1.73 m(2) of body-surface area, or who had an eGFR of at least 45 but less than 90 ml per minute per 1.73 m(2) with a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (with albumin measured in milligrams and creatinine measured in grams) of at least 200. Patients were randomly assigned to receive empagliflozin (10 mg once daily) or matching placebo. The primary outcome was a composite of progression of kidney disease (defined as end-stage kidney disease, a sustained decrease in eGFR to < 10 ml per minute per 1.73 m(2), a sustained decrease in eGFR of & GE;40% from baseline, or death from renal causes) or death from cardiovascular causes. Results A total of 6609 patients underwent randomization. During a median of 2.0 years of follow-up, progression of kidney disease or death from cardiovascular causes occurred in 432 of 3304 patients (13.1%) in the empagliflozin group and in 558 of 3305 patients (16.9%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64 to 0.82; P < 0.001). Results were consistent among patients with or without diabetes and across subgroups defined according to eGFR ranges. The rate of hospitalization from any cause was lower in the empagliflozin group than in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.78 to 0.95; P=0.003), but there were no significant between-group differences with respect to the composite outcome of hospitalization for heart failure or death from cardiovascular causes (which occurred in 4.0% in the empagliflozin group and 4.6% in the placebo group) or death from any cause (in 4.5% and 5.1%, respectively). The rates of serious adverse events were similar in the two groups. Conclusions Among a wide range of patients with chronic kidney disease who were at risk for disease progression, empagliflozin therapy led to a lower risk of progression of kidney disease or death from cardiovascular causes than placebo