The aim of the current study was to explore the effects and possible mechanisms of tripterygium glycosides tablet (TGT) in the treatment of active ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Thirty-six patients with active AS were given a 20 mg TGT treatment three times per day for 12 weeks, and 21 unrelated healthy controls were recruited as the control group. Efficacy measures included the Bath AS disease activity index (BASDAI), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) prior and subsequent to TGT treatment. Serum dickkopf homolog 1 (DKK1) and interleukin-17 (IL-17) levels before and after TGT treatment were assessed using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and ELISA assay. The levels of several serum biomarkers were determined by ELISA, including receptor activator of nuclear factor κ-B ligand (RANKL), osteoprotegerin (OPG), bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP), bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), cross-linked telopeptide of type II collagen (CTX-II), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). After 12 weeks of TGT treatment, the BASDAI score of the patients was significantly reduced (P<0.05), their levels of ESR and CRP were significantly reduced to a normal level (P<0.05, P<0.05), RT-PCR and ELISA showed a significant increase in the level of DKK1 expression (P<0.05) and a significant decreased IL-17 expression (P<0.05), there was a significant increase in the expression of OPG, BAP and BMP-2 (P<0.01, P<0.01, P<0.01) and a significant reduction in the expression levels of RANKL, CTX-II. MMP-3, PGE2, and VEGF (P<0.01, P<0.01, P<0.01, P<0.05, P<0.01) compared with those of the controls. TGT is effective at improving the signs and symptoms of patients with AS through the regulation of serum biomarkers, and the mechanisms may be associated with the anti-inflammatory effect, inhibition of new bone formation and potential bone-protective effects.

Abstract. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible mechanisms of action of Tripterygium glycosides (TG) in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). In total, 20 patients with active AS received treatment with 20 mg TG tablet (TGT) 3 times per day for 6 weeks. In addition, 20 healthy age-and gender-matched individuals were recruited as the control group. The efficacy measures included the Bath AS disease activity index (BASDAI), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. The serum interleukin (IL)-17 levels were measured using ELISA. The expression of CD4 + CD25 + CD127 low regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the peripheral blood was evaluated by flow cytometry.

No abstract

ObjectivesVaricella-zoster virus (VZV) can induce herpes zoster (HZ) and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). Immune cells play an important role in regulating HZ and PHN pathogenesis, but the dynamic immune profiles and molecular mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to screen dynamic immune signatures during HZ progression and elucidate the mechanism of VZV-specific T cells in PHN.MethodsWe used cytometry by time-of-flight (CyTOF) to analyze peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) samples from 45 patients with HZ and eight age-sex-matched healthy controls, eight PHN samples and seven non-PHN samples. Correlations between the immune subsets and clinical pain-related scores were performed. Further, the characteristics of VZV-specific T cells between PHN and non-PHN patients were evaluated by VZV peptide pools stimulation. The expression level of cytokines, including granzyme B, interleukin (IL)-2, interferon (IFN)-γ, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α was performed via cytometric bead array. Finally, we analyzed the alteration of Ca2+ signals in dorsal root ganglion (DRG)-derived cells after TNF-α stimulation.ResultsWe investigated the dynamic characteristics of the immune landscape of peripheral blood samples of patients with HZ and PHN, and depicted two major dynamic signatures in NK, CD4+ and CD8+ T subsets in patients with HZ, which closely correlated with clinical pain-related scores. The frequency of PD-1+CD4+ T cells, VZV-specific PD-1+CD4+ T cells, and the amount of TNF-α produced by VZV-specific T cells were higher in patients with PHN than without PHN. Furthermore, we showed that TNF-α could induce calcium influx in DRG-derived cells in a dose-dependent manner.ConclusionsOur results profiled the dynamic signatures of immune cells in patients with HZ and highlighted the important role of VZV-specific T cells in the pathogenesis of PHN.