PURPOSE Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpes virus (KSHV)-associated primary effusion lymphomas (PEL) have extremely poor prognosis when treated with conventional chemotherapy. KSHV-encoded viral FLICE-inhibitory protein (vFLIP) K13 binds to the IkappaB kinase (IKK) complex to constitutively activate the NF-κB pathway, which has been shown to be essential for the survival and proliferation of PEL c...

Tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) receptor-associated factor 2 (TRAF2) regulates activation of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)/c-Jun and the inhibitor of κB kinase (IKK)/nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling cascades in response to TNF-α stimulation. Gene knockout studies have revealed that TRAF2 inhibits TNF-α-induced cell death but promotes oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. Here we report tha...

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative condition characterized by chronic inflammation. Nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) is a family of inducible transcription factors that are expressed in a wide variety of cells and tissues, including microglia, astrocytes, and neurons, and the classical NF-κB pathway plays a key role in the activation and regulation of inflammatory mediator production duri...

Excessive accumulation of a collagen-rich extracellular matrix (ECM) by myofibroblasts is a characteristic feature of fibrosis, a pathological state leading to serious organ dysfunction. Transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFβ1) is a strong inducer of myofibroblast formation and subsequent collagen production. Currently, there are no remedies for the treatment of fibrosis. Activation of the nucl...

Autophagy can protect cells while also contributing to cell damage, but the precise interplay between apoptosis and autophagy and the contribution of autophagy to cell death are still not clear. Previous studies have shown that supranutritional doses of sodium selenite promote apoptosis in human leukemia NB4 cells. Here, we report that selenite treatment triggers opposite patterns of autophagy ...

Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases, and can lead to serious damage and dysfunction of the myocardial tissue. Previous studies have demonstrated that berberine exhibits ameliorative effects on cardiovascular disease. The present study further investigated the efficacy and potential mechanism underlying the effects of berberine on ischemia-rep...

Naringin has been reported to have an anti-atherosclerosis effect but the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of naringin on the TNF-α-induced expressions of cell adhesion molecules, chemokines and NF-κB signaling pathway in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The experiments revealed that naringin, at concentrations with...

RNA virus infections are detected by the RIG-I family of receptors, which signal through the adaptor molecule mitochondrial antiviral signaling (MAVS). MAVS then recruits the adaptor's tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor (TRAF) 3 and TRAF6, which in turn activate IRF3 and NF-κB, respectively, to induce interferons (IFNs) and inflammatory responses. Here we show that the biotin-cont...

Pancreatic acinar-to-ductal metaplasia (ADM) has been identified as an initiating event that can progress to pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) or pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Acini transdifferentiation can be induced by persistent inflammation. Notably, compelling evidence has emerged that chronic alcohol exposure may trigger an inflammatory response of macrophages/monocy...