Alexey E. Sazonov

Opisthorchiasis: an overlooked danger

1 Siberian State Medical University, Tomsk, Russian Federation, 2 Tropical Disease Research Laboratory, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand, 3 Laboratory of Molecular Mechanisms of Pathological Processes, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation, 4 Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland, 5 University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland, 6 Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland, 7 Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine, and Research Center for Neglected Diseases of Poverty, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, GeorgeWashington University, Washington, D.C., United States of America, 8 Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands, 9 Department of Chemistry, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russian Federation, 10 Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany, 11 Academic Division of Thoracic Surgery, Royal Brompton Hospital, London, United Kingdom, 12 Population Genetics Laboratory, Research Institute for Medical Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Tomsk, Russian Federation, 13 Department of Natural Sciences, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation, 14 ReMedys Foundation, Geneva, Switzerland, 15 External R&D Innovation, Pfizer Russia, Moscow, Russian Federation, 16 Department of Parasitology and Leiden Parasite Immunology Group, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands

Investigation of the interaction between DNA and cobalt ferrite nanoparticles by FTIR spectroscopy

AbstratctThe interaction of DNA with nanoparticles of cobalt ferrite powder prepared by the mechano-chemical method was studied. It was shown that CoFe2O4 nanoparticles efficiently bind DNA in aqueous solutions (Tris-HCl), forming a bionanocomposite. The adsorption capacity of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles for DNA was evaluated to be 5.25 × 10−3 mol/m2. The desorption of DNA from the surface of the particles was analyzed while changing the pH, the ionic strength, and the chemical content of the medium. The DNA-CoFe2O4 nanocomposite was investigated by FTIR spectroscopy. The block of the data allowed one to consider the mechanism of the interaction between a polynucleotide and CoFe2O4 nanoparticles and to make the assumption that the binding occurred due to the coordination interaction of the phosphate groups and heterocyclic bases of DNA (oxygen atoms of thymine and guanine) with metal ions on the particle surface. The analysis of the IR spectra showed that binding can lead to the partial destabilization of the DNA structure, with the B conformation of a polynucleotide being preserved.

Biliary Microbiota, Gallstone Disease and Infection with Opisthorchis felineus.

Background There is increasing interest in the microbiome of the hepatobiliary system. This study investigated the influence of infection with the fish-borne liver fluke, Opisthorchis felineus on the biliary microbiome of residents of the Tomsk region of western Siberia. Methodology/Principal Findings Samples of bile were provided by 56 study participants, half of who were infected with O. felineus, and all of who were diagnosed with gallstone disease. The microbiota of the bile was investigated using high throughput, Illumina-based sequencing targeting the prokaryotic 16S rRNA gene. About 2,797, discrete phylotypes of prokaryotes were detected. At the level of phylum, bile from participants with opisthorchiasis showed greater numbers of Synergistetes, Spirochaetes, Planctomycetes, TM7 and Verrucomicrobia. Numbers of > 20 phylotypes differed in bile of the O. felineus-infected compared to non-infected participants, including presence of species of the genera Mycoplana, Cellulosimicrobium, Microlunatus and Phycicoccus, and the Archaeans genus, Halogeometricum, and increased numbers of Selenomonas, Bacteroides, Rothia, Leptotrichia, Lactobacillus, Treponema and Klebsiella. Conclusions/Significance Overall, infection with the liver fluke O. felineus modified the biliary microbiome, increasing abundance of bacterial and archaeal phylotypes.

3-Aminopropylsilane-modified iron oxide nanoparticles for contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of liver lesions induced by Opisthorchis felineus

Purpose Liver fluke causes severe liver damage in an infected human. However, the infection often remains neglected due to the lack of pathognomonic signs. Nanoparticle-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers a promising technique for detecting liver lesions induced by parasites. Materials and methods Surface modification of iron oxide nanoparticles produced by coprecipitation from a solution of Fe3+ and Fe2+ salts using 3-aminopropylsilane (APS) was carried out. The APS-modified nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Magnetic resonance properties of MNPs were investigated in vitro and in vivo. Results The amount of APS grafted on the surface of nanoparticles (0.60±0.06 mmol g−1) was calculated based on elemental analysis and infrared spectroscopy data. According to transmission electron microscopy data, there were no essential changes in the structure of nanoparticles during the modification. The APS-modified nanoparticles exhibit high magnetic properties; the calculated relaxivity r2 was 271 mmol−1 s−1. To obtain suspension with optimal hydrodynamic characteristics, amino groups on the surface of nanoparticles were converted into an ionic form with HCl. Cellular uptake of modified nanoparticles by rat hepatoma cells and human monocytes in vitro was 74.1±4.5 and 10.0±3.7 pg [Fe] per cell, respectively. Low cytotoxicity of the nanoparticles was confirmed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide and Annexin V/7-aminoactinomycin D flow cytometry assays. For the first time, magnetic nanoparticles were applied for contrast-enhanced MRI of liver lesions induced by Opisthorchis felineus. Conclusion The synthesized APS-modified iron oxide nanoparticles showed high efficiency as an MRI contrast agent for the evaluation of opisthorchiasis-related liver damage.

Expression of adenosine receptors in monocytes from patients with bronchial asthma

Adenosine is generated from adenosine triphosphate, which is released by stressed and damaged cells. Adenosine levels are significantly increased in patients with bronchial asthma (BA) and mediate mast cell degranulation and bronchoconstriction. Over the last decade, increasing evidence has shown that adenosine can modulate the innate immune response during monocytes differentiation towards mature myeloid cells. These adenosine-differentiated myeloid cells, characterized by co-expression of monocytes/macrophages and dendritic cell markers such as CD14 and CD209, produce high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, thus contributing to the pathogenesis of BA and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We found that expression of ADORA2A and ADORA2B are increased in monocytes obtained from patients with BA, and are associated with the generation of CD14(pos)CD209(pos) pro-inflammatory cells. A positive correlation between expression of ADORA2B and IL-6 was identified in human monocytes and may explain the increased expression of IL-6 mRNA in asthmatics. Taken together, our results suggest that monocyte-specific expression of A2 adenosine receptors plays an important role in pro-inflammatory activation of human monocytes, thus contributing to the progression of asthma.

Evaluation of the Resistance of DNA Immobilized on Ferrimagnetic Particles of Cobalt Ferrite Nanopowder against Nuclease Cleavage

DNA was immobilized on ferrimagnetic particles of cobalt ferrite nanopowder (CoFe2O4) and its resistance to endonuclease (DNase I) hydrolysis was studied. Immobilization on cobalt ferrite nanoparticles prevented enzymatic cleavage of DNA. This process was not associated with enzyme inactivation under the effect of nanosize cobalt ferrite and was presumably determined by lesser availability of the DNA molecule as a result of its interaction with nanoparticles.

Evaluation of Regenerative Potential of Cryopreserved Adenosine-Modified Monocytes on the Model of Burn Wounds

We studied viability of adenosine-modified monocytes after cryopreservation and their regenerative potential. The optimal method of cell cryopreservation was the use of serum-free medium followed by storage in liquid nitrogen. Injections of adenosine-modified monocytes after 12-week cryopreservation around grade IIIB burn wound accelerated healing of the skin defect and significantly improved the histological pattern of the damage area at delayed terms.

Magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy for differential assessment of liver abnormalities induced by Opisthorchis felineus in an animal model

Background European liver fluke Opisthorchis felineus, causing opisthorchiasis disease, is widespread in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and sporadically detected in the EU countries. O. felineus infection leads to hepatobiliary pathological changes, cholangitis, fibrosis and, in severe cases, malignant transformation of bile ducts. Due to absence of specific symptoms, the infection is frequently neglected for a long period. The association of opisthorchiasis with almost incurable bile duct cancer and rising international migration of people that increases the risk of the parasitic etiology of liver fibrosis in non-endemic regions determine high demand for development of approaches to opisthorchiasis detection. Methodology/Principal findings In vivo magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy (MRI and MRS) were applied for differential assessment of hepatic abnormalities induced by O. felineus in an experimental animal model. Correlations of the MR-findings with the histological data as well as the data of the biochemical analysis of liver tissue were found. MRI provides valuable information about the severity of liver impairments induced by opisthorchiasis. An MR image of O. felineus infected liver has a characteristic pattern that differs from that of closely related liver fluke infections. 1H and 31P MRS in combination with biochemical analysis data showed that O. felineus infection disturbed hepatic metabolism of the host, which was accompanied by cholesterol accumulation in the liver. Conclusions A non-invasive approach based on the magnetic resonance technique is very advantageous and may be successfully used not only for diagnosing and evaluating liver damage induced by O. felineus, but also for investigating metabolic changes arising in the infected organ. Since damages induced by the liver fluke take place in different liver lobes, MRI has the potential to overcome liver biopsy sampling variability that limits predictive validity of biopsy analysis for staging liver fluke-induced fibrosis.

Stimulation of adenosine receptors on myeloid cells enhances leukocyte migration at the site of burn injury

Adenosine, endogenous purine nucleoside, is an ATP metabolite that also acts as an extracellular signaling molecule. The concentration of extracellular adenosine rises during hypoxia and cell damage leading to numerous pleiotropic effects. Although it has been shown that local adenosine concentrations are significantly increased during burn injury their effects at the site of the damage remain poorly investigated. Circulating myeloid cells express surface specific adenosine receptors and during burn injury they migrate to the damaged site. We have shown that during stimulation of the myeloid cells adenosine receptors for 72 h an alternative antigenic phenotype developed, which differed from that of (adenosine) unstimulated cells: the expression of the monocyte marker CD14 was preserved with already expressed dendritic cell markers (CD209, CD1a). These cells had also higher levels of mRNA expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemoattractants (IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β). Being injected into the site of the burn injury the adenosine modified myeloid cells increased the bulk density of the mixed cellular infiltrate (granulocytes, monocytes, fibroblasts) by day 7. Thus, we have found that one of the effects of adenosine at the site of burn injury consists in increased migration of granulocytes and monocytes in response to the increased production of paracrine factors by myeloid cells.