Journal: Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research : CR

Article Title: Neutrophil-macrophage crosstalk via NETs–IL-17/VEGF/S100A9 axis promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression

doi: 10.1186/s13046-025-03618-x

Figure Lengend Snippet: The levels of NETs increase in HCC patients, especially in advanced and metastatic stages. A A heatmap illustrating the differential expression patterns of NETs-related genes in normal and HCC samples based on TCGA database analysis. B Box plots depicting the expression differences of NETs-related genes between normal and HCC samples from the TCGA database. C , D Representative images of HE (Hematoxylin and eosin) and IF staining for CD66b (C) and CitH3 (D) in tissue sections from HCs and HCC patients. The mean IOD of CD66b or CitH3 was quantified (Image Pro Plus) from three random regions per section (HC, n = 5; HCC, n = 5) and shown as fold change relative to HCs. E Representative images of IF staining for CitH3 in peripheral blood neutrophils from HC and HCC patient F Western blot analysis of CitH3 expression in peripheral blood neutrophils from HCs ( n = 8) and HCC ( n = 8) patients, with band intensities normalized to β-actin and shown as fold change relative to controls G ELISA analysis of serum MPO-DNA levels in HCs and HCC patients. H ELISA analysis of serum MPO-DNA levels in HCC patients at different TNM stages (I–IV). I ELISA analysis of serum MPO-DNA levels in HCC patients with and without metastasis. J ELISA analysis of serum MPO-DNA levels in HCC patients with intrahepatic metastasis and extrahepatic metastasis. K Western blot analysis of CitH3 expression in peripheral blood neutrophils from HCC patients with ( n = 6) and without ( n = 6) extrahepatic metastasis. Band intensities were normalized to β-actin and quantified relative to the non-metastasis group White and black scale bars: 50 μm. Data are presented as median (IQR) (G-J) and other data are presented as mean ± SD. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001. Student’s t test (C, D, F, K), Mann–Whitney U test (B, G, I, J), Kruskal–Wallis test (H)

Article Snippet: Neutrophils were isolated from the peripheral blood of healthy volunteers and HCC patients using the Human Peripheral Blood Neutrophil Isolation Kit (P9040, Solarbio, China), according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Techniques: Quantitative Proteomics, Expressing, Staining, Western Blot, Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay, MANN-WHITNEY

Journal: Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research : CR

Article Title: Neutrophil-macrophage crosstalk via NETs–IL-17/VEGF/S100A9 axis promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression

doi: 10.1186/s13046-025-03618-x

Figure Lengend Snippet: Activation of IL-17R/NF-κB signaling by NETs-attached IL-17 is responsible for NETs-induced M2 macrophage polarization. A Schematic illustration of the transcriptome sequencing protocol for THP1-M0 under three treatment conditions. The volcano plot shows significantly DEGs for Group B vs. A, Group C vs. A, and Group C vs. B. B KEGG pathway enrichment analysis of DEGs was conducted using the DAVID tool. C FCM analysis of the proportion of CD68 + CD206 + M2 derived from THP-1-M0 following 48-hour co-culture of HuH-7 cells with NETs and (or) AMG827. Quantification of the fold change in the proportion from three independent experiments is shown in the right panel. D Western blot analysis of IL-10 and VEGF expression in cell lysates following the same treatments as in C. Densitometric values were normalized to β-actin and compared to the control group, with quantification shown in the right panel E Western blot analysis of IL-17 expression in extracted and purified NETs from peripheral blood neutrophils of HCs ( n = 8) and HCC patients ( n = 8). F ELISA analysis of IL-17 levels carried by NETs standardized to 50 ng/µL in HCs ( n = 8) and patients with HCC ( n = 8). G Western blot analysis of IL-17 expression in peripheral blood neutrophils from HCs ( n = 8) and HCC ( n = 8) patients. Densitometric values were normalized to β-actin and shown as a fold change relative to HCs. H Representative IF images of IL-17 and NE staining in peripheral blood neutrophils with (lower panel) or without PMA stimulation (upper panel) for 4 h from HCs and HCC patients. I Western blot analysis was conducted to assess the expression levels of p-65 and p-p65(S536) in THP-1-M0 following 48 h co-culture of HuH-7 cells with NETs and (or) AMG827. Densitometric values were normalized to β-actin and shown as fold changes relative to control in the right panel. J FCM was used to analyze the proportion of CD68 + CD206 + M2 derived from THP-1-M0 following 48-hour co-culture of HuH-7 cells with NETs and (or) BAY11-7082. Quantification of the fold change in the proportion from three independent experiments is shown in the right panel. K IF analysis of CD206 + M2 macrophage from the above co-culture systems of J treatment for 48 h. L ELISA analysis of secretion levels of M2d-related cytokines VEGF, IL-10 and TGF-β, in the culture supernatant from the above co-culture systems of J treatment for 48 h White scale bars: 20 μm. Data are presented as mean ± SD. Ns, not significant. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001. One-way ANOVA followed by the Newman-Keuls multiple comparison test (C, D, I, J, L); Student’s t test (F, G)

Article Snippet: Neutrophils were isolated from the peripheral blood of healthy volunteers and HCC patients using the Human Peripheral Blood Neutrophil Isolation Kit (P9040, Solarbio, China), according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Techniques: Activation Assay, Sequencing, Derivative Assay, Co-Culture Assay, Western Blot, Expressing, Control, Purification, Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay, Staining, Comparison

Journal: Nature Communications

Article Title: Autoantibody landscape and functional role of anti-C-C motif chemokine receptor 8 autoantibodies in systemic sclerosis: post-hoc analysis of a B-cell depletion trial

doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-66974-4

Figure Lengend Snippet: A Representative histograms from flow cytometry showing binding of anti-C-C motif chemokine receptor 8 (CCR8)-positive IgG from systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients or healthy controls (HC) to CCR8-overexpressing HEK293 cells. A fluorophore-conjugated anti-human IgG Fc antibody was used for detection. B Quantification of mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) in CCR8-overexpressing cells incubated with anti-CCR8-positive or control IgG, with or without preincubation with blocking anti-CCR8 monoclonal antibody ( n = 4 technical replicates per group). C ERK phosphorylation levels in CCR8-overexpressing HEK293 cells after stimulation with CCL1 in the presence of anti-CCR8-positive or control IgG, as measured by ELISA ( n = 8 biological replicates per group). D Treg migration assay in Transwell culture systems. The number of migrated Tregs in response to CCL1 with anti-CCR8-positive IgG or control IgG ( n = 6 biological replicates per group) are presented. Statistical significance was assessed using Welch’s ANOVA with Dunnett’s T3 multiple comparison adjustment. Error bars are defined as the standard error of the mean. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.

Article Snippet: Tregs were isolated from human peripheral blood using the MACSxpress Whole Blood Treg Isolation Kit (#130-109-557, Miltenyi Biotec, Bergisch Gladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany), following the manufacturer’s instructions with minor modifications.

Techniques: Flow Cytometry, Binding Assay, Fluorescence, Incubation, Control, Blocking Assay, Phospho-proteomics, Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay, Migration, Comparison

Journal: Nature Communications

Article Title: Autoantibody landscape and functional role of anti-C-C motif chemokine receptor 8 autoantibodies in systemic sclerosis: post-hoc analysis of a B-cell depletion trial

doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-66974-4

Figure Lengend Snippet: A Experimental protocol of the skin sclerosis mouse model. Six-week-old female C57BL/6NcrSlc mice (MGI ID: MGI:5295404) received daily subcutaneous injections of bleomycin (BLM, 200 µg) or PBS as a control for two weeks. Mice were also treated intraperitoneally with either control (Ctrl) IgG or anti-C-C motif chemokine receptor 8 (CCR8) antibody (Ab) once on Day 8. Skin biopsies were collected at Week 2 for histological analysis and next-generation sequencing (NGS). This figure was partially created with BioRender ( https://BioRender.com/slxff50 ). Representative histological images and quantitative analyses of dermal fibrosis and Treg infiltration in mouse skin. H&E-stained B and Masson’s trichrome–stained C skin sections show increased dermal thickness and collagen deposition following BLM treatment. Images were captured at ×200 magnification, and scale bars represent 50 μm. D Quantification of dermal thickness and E Foxp3⁺ Treg counts are presented in the accompanying bar graphs ( n = 6 biological replicates for PBS group; n = 5 biological replicates for BLM-treated groups). Statistical significance was assessed using Welch’s ANOVA with Dunnett’s T3 multiple comparison adjustment. Error bars are defined as the standard error of the mean. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.

Article Snippet: Tregs were isolated from human peripheral blood using the MACSxpress Whole Blood Treg Isolation Kit (#130-109-557, Miltenyi Biotec, Bergisch Gladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany), following the manufacturer’s instructions with minor modifications.

Techniques: Control, Next-Generation Sequencing, Staining, Comparison

Journal: Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)

Article Title: Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Dermcidin-Containing Migrasomes enhance LC3-Associated Phagocytosis of Pulmonary Macrophages and Protect against Post-Stroke Pneumonia.

doi: 10.1002/advs.202206432

Figure Lengend Snippet: Figure 7. DCD is beneficial to AIS recovery and DCD-containing BM-MSC-derived migrasome effectively promotes phagocytosis of macrophages. A– G) Peripheral blood of AIS patients (acute phase, 0–3d after disease onset, n = 16) and healthy controls (HC, n = 8) were collected. (A) Plasma DCD concentration was assessed with ELISA. *p < 0.05, compared with HC by Student’s t-test (mean ± standard deviation). (B) Correlation of clinic parameters and plasma DCD concentration was assessed with Spearman correlation analysis and Point-biserial correlations. *p < 0.05. DM, diabetes mellitus, CHD, coronary heart disease. (C) Representative images of the magnetic resonance diffusion weighted imaging (MR-DWI) of AIS patients with low plasma DCD concentration (DCD ≤3.33 ng ml−1) or high plasma DCD concentration (DCD > 3.33 ng ml−1). (D) Association between plasma DCD concentration with infarct scale was estimated with Spearman correlation analysis. (E) Association between plasma DCD concentration with delta NIHSS (NIHSS at 7d minus NIHSS at 1d) was estimated with Spearman correlation analysis. (F) Representative images of the chest Computed Tomography (CT) of AIS patients with low plasma DCD concentration (DCD ≤3.39 ng ml−1, median of the cohort) or high plasma DCD concentration (DCD > 3.39 ng ml−1, median of the cohort). (G) Pie charts showing the occurrence of post-stroke pneumonia in AIS patients with low and high plasma DCD concentrations. H) DCD (1 ng ml−1), PBS-migrasomes (PBS-M, 50 μg ml−1) or E. Coli-migrasomes (E. Coli-M, 50 μg ml−1) labeled with Dil (red) were treated to BMDM (15 min). Immunostaining of WGA (green) and DCD (withe) in migrasome-treated BMDM was performed. Experiments were repeated for three times. I,J) BMDM were first pre-stimulated with DCD (1 ng ml−1), PBS-M (50 μg ml−1), or E. Coli-M (50 μg ml−1) for overnight then treated with E. Coli (E. Coli : BMDM = 20:1, 1 h). Phagocytic efficiency of BMDM to GFP expressing E. Coli was assessed with flow cytometry (I) and immunostaining (J). Experiments were repeated three times. **p < 0.01, compared with PBS-treated group by one-way ANOVA (mean ± standard deviation).

Article Snippet: Human Monocyte Enrichment and Macrophage Differentiation: Mononucleus cells were isolated from peripheral blood of healthy adults (age = 18–40y) with human peripheral blood monocyte isolation Solution kit (Solarbio, P8680).

Techniques: Derivative Assay, Clinical Proteomics, Concentration Assay, Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay, Standard Deviation, Imaging, Computed Tomography, Labeling, Immunostaining, Expressing, Cytometry

Journal: bioRxiv

Article Title: UBA1 Mutations Drive RIPK1-Mediated Cell Death and Monocyte Dysfunction in VEXAS Syndrome

doi: 10.1101/2025.10.06.680650

Figure Lengend Snippet: Regulated cell death pathways are activated in myeloid cells from VEXAS patients. ( A ) Leucocytes, neutrophils, monocytes, lymphocytes count from patients with VEXAS and elderly gender-matched healthy controls (HC). Panels show individual data (dots) and means ± SEM (histograms). P values were determined by the Mann-Whitney test. ( B ) Hematoxylin-eosin staining of UBA1-mutated Sweet-like lesion revealing karyorrhectic nuclei and apoptotic debris in VEXAS (arrows). Illustrative picture is shown (Magnification x10 and x40, scale bar 100 μm and 50µm). ( C ) Representative immunofluorescence images of pMLKL (green) staining on CD14+ sorted cells form 3 active VEXAS patients and 3 elderly gender-matched HC. Nuclei are stained in blue with Hoechst. Percentage of pMLKL cell surface area per CD14+ cells, data are shown and means (Histograms) ± SEM. Forty cells were quantified for each patient. ( D ) Multiplex Immunofluorescence of skin biopsy samples from VEXAS skin lesion showing the co-expression of cleaved GSDMD, MLKL, cleaved caspase-3 and phosphorylated RIPK1 within CD68+ infiltrates in VEXAS. ( E ) Gene set enrichment analysis of apoptosis (KEGG), necroptosis (GOBP) and pyroptosis (GOBP) pathways enriched in VEXAS lesional skin (n=6) versus non lesional skin from HC (n=5) adapted form from dataset GSE245639. *P□<□0.05; **P□<□0.01; ***P□<□0.001, ****P□<□0.0001. SEM, HC, Healthy Control; Standard Error of the Mean; VEXAS, Vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-linked, Autoinflammatory, Somatic; WT, Wild-Type.

Article Snippet: For CD14+ cells form patients, cells were sorted from 2mL fresh Whole Blood collected in EDTA tube and sorted using StraightFrom® Whole Blood CD14 MicroBeads and Whole Blood column kit (Milteny Biotec, #130-090-879) according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Techniques: MANN-WHITNEY, Staining, Immunofluorescence, Multiplex Assay, Expressing, Control

Journal: Nutrients

Article Title: Investigation of Antibacterial and Antiinflammatory Activities of Proanthocyanidins from Pelargonium sidoides DC Root Extract

doi: 10.3390/nu11112829

Figure Lengend Snippet: The effect of Pelargonium sidoides root extract (PSRE) and proanthocyanidins from PSRE (PACN) on ( a ) interleukin-8 (IL-8) and ( b ) prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) secretion from gingival fibroblasts, and ( c ) interleukin-6 (IL-6) secretion from peripheral blood mononuclear cells after LPS treatment. Fifty and 100 represent the concentrations (μg/mL). The data are presented as means and standard deviations of seven experiments. *—significant difference compared to untreated control, #—significant difference compared to LPS only treatment and &—significant difference compared to LPS plus a 50 μg/mL PSRE treatment, p < 0.05.

Article Snippet: Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were purchased from ATCC (ATCC ® PCS-800-011TM, Manassas, VA, USA).

Techniques: Control

Journal: Nutrients

Article Title: Investigation of Antibacterial and Antiinflammatory Activities of Proanthocyanidins from Pelargonium sidoides DC Root Extract

doi: 10.3390/nu11112829

Figure Lengend Snippet: The effect of Pelargonium sidoides root extract (PSRE) and proanthocyanidins from PSRE (PACN) on proinflammatory gene expression in bone marrow-derived macrophages ( a – c ) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells ( d – f ) after LPS or LPS and IFN- stimulation. ( a , d ) IL-1β ( a , b ) iNOS, ( c , f ) TNF- and ( e ) COX-2. The data are expressed as a fold change of glucose-6-phosphate isomerase gene transcription and presented as mean ± SD of three independent measurements. *—significantly different from the LPS-treated samples (ANOVA followed by a Tukey’s multiple comparison test, p < 0.05).

Article Snippet: Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were purchased from ATCC (ATCC ® PCS-800-011TM, Manassas, VA, USA).

Techniques: Gene Expression, Derivative Assay, Comparison