Cancer Cells and Metastasis (12)Immune Response and Inflammation (6)MicroRNA in disease regulation (5)Cancer-related molecular mechanisms research (5)Immune Cell Function and Interaction (5)
The development of standardized cross-species evaluation frameworks is urgently needed for absorbable extracellular matrix (ECM) meshes, due to significant variations in safety and efficacy across tissue sources. This study establishes a multi-dimensional assessment system to quantify material-specific bio-functional correlations. Three ECM meshes-human acellular dermis (HAD), porcine acellular dermis (PAD), and porcine small intestinal submucosa (SIS)-were systematically characterized using integrated in vitro and in vivo analyses. Assessments included physicochemical properties (e.g., degradation kinetics via collagenase digestion), immunogenic residues (α-Gal epitopes and DNA quantification), and biocompatibility. In vivo performance was evaluated using rabbit subcutaneous (for degradation and immune response) and rat abdominal defect models (for macrophage polarization: CD206⁺/CD86⁺ ratio and collagen deposition). HAD exhibited superior structural stability (82.3% ± 1.2% residual mass after 7-day collagenase digestion), whereas SIS degraded most rapidly (10.5% ± 0.42%; p < 0.01 vs PAD) but provoked severe foreign body reactions (2.3-fold higher vs HAD at 13 weeks, p = 0.017). Notably, HAD uniquely promoted sustained M2-dominant macrophage polarization (CD206⁺/CD86⁺ ratio = 2.1 vs SIS = 0.7), which reduced inflammation and enhanced collagen remodeling (p < 0.05 vs SIS). Serum metabolomic analysis indicated that ECM mesh implantation induced a reprogramming of host amino acid metabolism, marked by a notable acceleration in L-methionine metabolism. The proposed integrated evaluation framework successfully identifies material-specific correlations among degradation behavior, immune response, and metabolic regulation, providing critical benchmarks for the rational design of immunomodulatory ECM meshes.
Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology •
Alpha-galactosides (oligosaccharides) in nectar and pollen cause honey bee larval rot and worker bloats. Honey bee colonies surviving in forests for a long period have low rates of larval rot and worker bloats; however, the mechanism of oligosaccharide metabolism is unclear. In this study, we used metagenomics and metabolomics to investigate the structure and function of the gut flora and the digestion characteristics of oligosaccharides in the gut of foragers (CN group) that had been in the forest for a long period (continuously for 14 years), and those that had not been pollinated with (N group) after 24 h of consumption of honey. The results revealed that the abundance of up to 24.08%, which can metabolize α-galactoside (α-Gal), was significantly higher ( < 0.05) in the gut of foragers in the CN group than in the N group. Additionally, the gut flora of foragers in the CN group carried a significantly higher ( < 0.05) abundance of genes encoding α-galactosidase (Glycoside hydrolase family 4, GH4) than the N group. Similarly, metabolomic results indicated that the three toxic oligosaccharides in honey were lower in the gut of CN group foragers. These results suggest that the gut flora of , which inhabits oil tea forests for long periods of time, changes and adapts to the predominant ecological niche, enhancing the host's ability to metabolize toxic oligosaccharides. This important discovery provides positive guidance for the subsequent directions for breeding of ( enrichment and GH4 upregulation), specialized in pollinating .
In studies to date, meshes based on extracellular matrix (ECM) have been extensively used in clinical applications. Unfortunately, little is known about the function of the immunogenic residual, absorbable profile during the tissue repair process. Moreover, there needs to be a recognized preclinical animal model to investigate the safety and efficacy of extracellular matrix meshes. Herein, we designed and fabricated a kind of SIS mesh followed by a scanned electron micrograph characterization and tested α-Gal antigen clearance rate and DNA residual. In order to prove the biocompatibility of the SIS mesh, cell viability, chemotaxis assay and local tissue reaction were assessed by MTT and RTCA cytotoxicity test in vitro as well as implantation and degradation experiments in vivo. Furthermore, we developed a stable preclinical animal model in the porcine ventral hernia repair investigation, which using laparoscopic plus open hybridization method to evaluate tissue adhesion, explant mechanical performance, and histologic analysis after mesh implantation. More importantly, we established a semi-quantitative scoring system to examine the ECM degradation, tissue remodeling and regeneration in the modified porcine surgical hernia model for the first time. Our results highlight the application prospect of the improved porcine ventral hernia model for the safety and efficacy investigation of hernia repair meshes.