Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are an important class of nanomaterials used as antimicrobial agents for a wide range of medical and industrial applications. However toxicity of AgNPs and impact of their physicochemical characteristics in in vivo models still need to be comprehensively characterized. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of size and coating on tissue distribution and toxicity of AgNPs after intravenous administration in mice, and compare the results with those obtained after silver acetate administration. Male CD-1(ICR) mice were intravenously injected with AgNPs of different sizes (10 nm, 40 nm, 100 nm), citrate-or polyvinylpyrrolidone-coated, at a single dose of 10 mg/kg bw. An equivalent dose of silver ions was administered as silver acetate. Mice were euthanized 24 h after the treatment, and silver quantification by ICP-MS and histopathology were performed on spleen, liver, lungs, kidneys, brain, and blood. For all particle sizes, regardless of their coating, the highest silver concentrations were found in the spleen and liver, followed by lung, kidney, and brain. Silver concentrations were significantly higher in the spleen, lung, kidney, brain, and blood of mice treated with 10 nm AgNPs than those treated with larger particles. Relevant toxic effects (midzonal hepatocellular necrosis, gall bladder hemorrhage) were found in mice treated with 10 nm AgNPs, while in mice treated with 40 nm and 100 nm AgNPs lesions were milder or negligible, respectively. In mice treated with silver acetate, silver concentrations were significantly lower in the spleen and lung, and higher in the kidney than in mice treated with 10 nm AgNPs, and a different target organ of toxicity was identified (kidney). Administration of the smallest (10 nm) nanoparticles resulted in enhanced silver tissue distribution and overt hepatobiliary toxicity compared to larger ones (40 and 100 nm), while coating had no relevant impact. Distinct patterns of tissue distribution and toxicity were observed after silver acetate administration. It is concluded that if AgNPs become systemically available, they behave differently from ionic silver, exerting distinct and size-dependent effects, strictly related to the nanoparticulate form.

Lipoprotein synthesis is controlled by estrogens, but the exact mechanisms underpinning this regulation and the role of the hepatic estrogen receptor α (ERα) in cholesterol physiology are unclear. Utilizing a mouse model involving selective ablation of ERα in the liver, we demonstrate that hepatic ERα couples lipid metabolism to the reproductive cycle. We show that this receptor regulates the synthesis of cholesterol transport proteins, enzymes for lipoprotein remodeling, and receptors for cholesterol uptake. Additionally, ERα is indispensable during proestrus for the generation of high-density lipoproteins efficient in eliciting cholesterol efflux from macrophages. We propose that a specific interaction with liver X receptor α (LXRα) mediates the broad effects of ERα on the hepatic lipid metabolism.

Purpose: Immune-mediated graft-versus-tumor (GVT) effects can occur after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), but GVT is tightly linked to its main complication, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Strategies aimed at modulating GVHD, while maintaining the GVT effect, are needed to improve the cure rate of transplant. Given the emerging role of Janus-activated kinase (JAK) signaling in lymphoproliferative and myeloproliferative diseases and its established function at dictating T-cell differentiation, we postulated that JAKs might be potential therapeutic targets through a pharmacologic approach. Experimental Design: We examined the effect of JAK1/JAK2 modulation by ruxolitinib in a mouse model of fully MHC mismatched bone marrow transplant comprising in vivo tumor inoculation. Results: JAK1/JAK2 inhibition by ruxolitinib improved both overall survival (P = 0.03) and acute GVHD pathologic score at target organs (P ≤ 0.001) of treated mice. In addition, treatment with ruxolitinib was associated with a preserved GVT effect, as evidenced by reduction of tumor burden (P = 0.001) and increase of survival time (P = 0.01). JAK1/JAK2 inhibition did not impair the in vivo acquisition of donor T-cell alloreactivity; this observation may account, at least in part, to the preserved GVT effect. Rather, JAK1/JAK2 inhibition of GVHD was associated with the modulation of chemokine receptor expression, which may have been one factor in the reduced infiltration of donor T cells in GVHD target organs. Conclusions: These data provide further evidence that JAK inhibition represents a new and potentially clinically relevant approach to GVHD prevention. Clin Cancer Res; 21(16); 3740–9. ©2015 AACR.

Zn ²⁺ , Mg ²⁺ , and Ca ²⁺ are essential minerals required for a plethora of metabolic processes and signaling pathways. Different categories of cation-selective channels and transporters are therefore required to tightly control the cellular levels of individual metals in a cell-specific manner. However, the mechanisms responsible for the organismal balance of these essential minerals are poorly understood. Herein, we identify a central and indispensable role of the channel-kinase TRPM7 for organismal mineral homeostasis. The function of TRPM7 was assessed by single-channel analysis of TRPM7, phenotyping of TRPM7-deficient cells in conjunction with metabolic profiling of mice carrying kidney- and intestine-restricted null mutations in Trpm7 and animals with a global “kinase-dead” point mutation in the gene. The TRPM7 channel reconstituted in lipid bilayers displayed a similar permeability to Zn ²⁺ and Mg ²⁺ . Consistently, we found that endogenous TRPM7 regulates the total content of Zn ²⁺ and Mg ²⁺ in cultured cells. Unexpectedly, genetic inactivation of intestinal rather than kidney TRPM7 caused profound deficiencies specifically of Zn ²⁺ , Mg ²⁺ , and Ca ²⁺ at the organismal level, a scenario incompatible with early postnatal growth and survival. In contrast, global ablation of TRPM7 kinase activity did not affect mineral homeostasis, reinforcing the importance of the channel activity of TRPM7. Finally, dietary Zn ²⁺ and Mg ²⁺ fortifications significantly extended the survival of offspring lacking intestinal TRPM7. Hence, the organismal balance of divalent cations critically relies on one common gatekeeper, the intestinal TRPM7 channel.

The melastatin-like transient-receptor-potential-7 protein (TRPM7), harbouring a cation channel and a serine/threonine kinase, has been implicated in thymopoiesis and cytokine expression. Here we show, by analysing TRPM7 kinase-dead mutant (Trpm7^R/R) mice, that the enzymatic activity of the receptor is not essential for thymopoiesis, but is required for CD103 transcription and gut-homing of intra-epithelial lymphocytes. Defective T cell gut colonization reduces MHCII expression in intestinal epithelial cells. Mechanistically, TRPM7 kinase activity controls TGF-β-induced CD103 expression and pro-inflammatory T helper 17, but not regulatory T, cell differentiation by modulating SMAD2. Notably, we find that the TRPM7 kinase activity promotes gut colonization by alloreactive T cells in acute graft-versus-host disease. Thus, our results unravel a function of TRPM7 kinase in T cell activity and suggest a therapeutic potential of kinase inhibitors in averting acute graft-versus-host disease.

Atypical chemokine receptors (ACKRs) are regulators of leukocyte traffic, inflammation, and immunity. ACKR2 is a scavenger for most inflammatory CC chemokines and is a negative regulator of inflammation. Here we report that ACKR2 is expressed in hematopoietic precursors and downregulated during myeloid differentiation. Genetic inactivation of ACKR2 results in increased levels of inflammatory chemokine receptors and release from the bone marrow of neutrophils with increased anti-metastatic activity. In a model of NeuT-driven primary mammary carcinogenesis ACKR2 deficiency is associated with increased primary tumor growth and protection against metastasis. ACKR2 deficiency results in neutrophil-mediated protection against metastasis in mice orthotopically transplanted with 4T1 mammary carcinoma and intravenously injected with B16F10 melanoma cell lines. Thus, ACKR2 is a key regulator (checkpoint) of mouse myeloid differentiation and function and its targeting unleashes the anti-metastatic activity of neutrophils in mice.