Project description:Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation remains the most efficacious treatment for many hematological malignancies. However, its therapeutic potential is affected by the most prominent side effect graft versus host disease. Despite advances in the treatment of graft versus host disease in recent years, morbidity and mortality remains high, which requires the development of new treatment approaches. We therefore implemented mouse models to assess potential treatment options for graft versus host disease. In in vivo experiments, we had observed a protective effect of LCN2 on graft versus host disease of the gastrointestinal tract. We also observed higher numbers of anti-inflammatory macrophages in the intestinal tissues of these animals. Therefore, we aimed to determine potentially regulated genes in these cells by using an in vitro approach of LCN2-treated macrophages.
Project description:Gut microbiome research is rapidly moving towards the functional characterization of the microbiota by means of shotgun meta-omics. Here, we selected a cohort of healthy subjects from an indigenous and monitored Sardinian population to analyze their gut microbiota using both shotgun metagenomics and shotgun metaproteomics. We found a considerable divergence between genetic potential and functional activity of the human healthy gut microbiota, in spite of a quite comparable taxonomic structure revealed by the two approaches. Investigation of inter-individual variability of taxonomic features revealed Bacteroides and Akkermansia as remarkably conserved and variable in abundance within the population, respectively. Firmicutes-driven butyrogenesis (mainly due to Faecalibacterium spp.) was shown to be the functional activity with the higher expression rate and the lower inter-individual variability in the study cohort, highlighting the key importance of the biosynthesis of this microbial by-product for the gut homeostasis. The taxon-specific contribution to functional activities and metabolic tasks was also examined, giving insights into the peculiar role of several gut microbiota members in carbohydrate metabolism (including polysaccharide degradation, glycan transport, glycolysis and short-chain fatty acid production). In conclusion, our results provide useful indications regarding the main functions actively exerted by the gut microbiota members of a healthy human cohort, and support metaproteomics as a valuable approach to investigate the functional role of the gut microbiota in health and disease.
Project description:RATIONALE: Beclomethasone may be an effective treatment for graft-versus-host disease.
PURPOSE: Phase I/II trial to study the effectiveness of beclomethasone in treating patients who have graft-versus-host disease of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, or colon.
Project description:The effect of tauroursodeoxycholic acid on the development of acute graft-versus-host disease was tested in a murine allogeneic stem cell transplantation model. TUDCA was shown to reduce acute GVHD by reducing intestinal antigen presentation and following apoptosis and increasing the viability of intestinal epithelial cells.
Project description:The aim of this study is to assess the Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) efficacy in the prevention of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) complications and particularly Graft versus Host Disease (GvHD).
The hypothesis of this study is that allogeneic FMT may improve outcomes of these patients.
