Background Ganoderma lucidum ( G. lucidum ), has been documented as a medicinal herb in classical texts and officially recognized in both Eastern and Western pharmacopeias. G. lucidum spore oil (GLSO), a lipid substance extracted from sporoderm-broken spores, has shown potential in enhancing immune function and prolonging the survival of tumor patients. However, the mechanisms underlying GLSO’s immunomodulatory effects remain poorly unknown. Methods The effect of psychological stress on tumor progression and macrophage phagocytosis was analyzed by an in vivo small animal imaging system and flow cytometry. The effect of psychological stress on phospholipid composition in mice was investigated by LC–MS/MS based lipidomic analysis. The effectiveness of GLSO in tumor-bearing mice subjected to restraint stress was observed by tumor burden and phagocytosis of macrophages. Finally, the underlying mechanism of GLSO on macrophage phagocytosis in mice subjected to psychological stress was explored by RNA-seq, and the FcγR/SYK-mediated macrophage phagocytosis pathway was confirmed by qPCR, Western blotting, and confocal laser technology. Results Our study discovered that psychological stress-triggered tumor progression is contributed to by liposoluble components-impaired macrophage phagocytosis. Lipidomics analysis further identified lysophosphatidylinositol [LPI (18:0)] as a key factor suppressing macrophage phagocytic capacity under psychological stress. GLSO was shown to mitigate psychological stress-evoked tumor progression by enhancing macrophage-mediated phagocytosis of tumor cells in vivo . Mechanistically, transcriptomics analysis revealed that the LPI-mediated FcγR phagocytosis pathway is a crucial axis driving the therapeutic effect of GLSO under psychological stress. Conclusion Our findings illustrate that psychological stress-promoted cancer progression is contributed by the critical liposoluble components LPI (18:0)-mediated FcγR phagocytosis signaling inhibition. GLSO alleviates the dampened phagocytosis of macrophages caused by stress through regulating LPI/FcγR-mediated phagocytosis-related pathways, underscoring its potential as a therapeutic intervention for stress-related tumor progression. Graphical
Liu Yang,Hao Wu,Congcong Luo,Yang Zhao,Rongbo Dai,Zhiqing Li,Xu Zhang,Ze Gong,Zeyu Cai,Yicong Shen,Fang Yu,Wei Li,Hongmei Zhao,Tao Zhang,Junming Zhu,Yi Fu,Jing Wang,Wei Kong
Background:Thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection (TAAD) is a highly lethal vascular disease without effective drug therapy. Whether elevated serum concentrations of uric acid are involved in TAAD development remains unclear.Methods:Serum uric acid levels were detected in different TAAD mouse models and patients. The urate-lowering drug allopurinol was administered in the drinking water of TAAD mice. Adenine diet–induced mice were established to investigate the role of hyperuricemia in TAAD formation and RNA-sequencing of thoracic aortas from these mice was performed.Results:We found serum uric acid levels were elevated in various mouse TAAD models, including mice fed a β-aminopropionitrile diet, Marfan mice with fibrillin-1 haploinsufficiency (Fbn1C1041G/+), and ApoE−/− mice infused with Ang II (angiotensin II), as well as in patients with TAAD. Administration of urate-lowering drug allopurinol in the drinking water significantly alleviated TAAD formation in β-aminopropionitrile–treated mice, Fbn1C1041G/+ mice, and Ang II–infused ApoE−/− mice. Moreover, an adenine diet was used to induce hyperuricemia in mice. Intriguingly, a 4-week adenine diet feeding directly induced TAAD formation characterized by increased maximal thoracic aortic diameters and severe elastin degradation, which were ameliorated by allopurinol. Unbiased RNA-sequencing in mouse thoracic aortas suggested that FcγR (Fc gamma receptor) was upregulated upon adenine diet, but reciprocally repressed by allopurinol. Mechanistically, hyperuricemia activated FcγR-mediated ERK1/2 (extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2) phosphorylation to induce macrophage inflammation and TAAD development, which was abrogated by allopurinol or FcγR deficiency.Conclusions:This study uncovered an important and previously unrecognized role of hyperuricemia in mediating the pathogenesis of TAAD, and uric acid–lowering drug may represent a promising therapeutic approach for TAAD.