Pathogenesis of liver injury in Takayasu arteritis: advanced understanding leads to new horizons

Liver injury in Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a rare phenomenon. Most symptoms are nonspecific, and the exact pathogenesis remains to be elucidated. Early diagnosis and new treatment methods are important for an improved prognosis. A summary of the clinical information and mechanistic analyses may contribute to making an early diagnosis and development of new treatment methods. A PubMed search was conducted using the specific key words “Takayasu arteritis” and “liver” or “hepatitis” or “hepatic”. Symptoms and treatment of TA with an accompanying liver injury were reviewed retrospectively. Many factors are presumed to be involved in the mechanism of TA with liver injury, including the immune response, genes, infections, and gut microbiota. There are several lines of evidence indicating that immune dysfunction is the main pathogenic factor that triggers granuloma formation in TA patients. However, the role of genetics and infections has not been fully confirmed. Recently, the gut microbiota has emerged as an essential component in the process. We reviewed in detail the current concepts that support the complex pathogenesis of TA accompanied by liver injury, and we presented recent theories from the literature. Finally, we discussed future research directions of liver injury in TA.     

Peptide encapsulation regulated by the geometry of carbon nanotubes

In this work the encapsulation of an α-helical peptide in single carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with similar diameter and length but different geometry (armchair and zigzag) was investigated through molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations. Our simulation results showed that in vacuo it makes no evident difference whether the investigated peptide is encapsulated in armchair or zigzag CNTs; however, in aqueous solution the armchair CNT encapsulates the peptide remarkably easier than the zigzag CNT does. A detailed analysis revealed that the equilibrium conformation of the water molecules inside the CNTs with varying geometry mediates the peptide encapsulation. It suggests that the water molecules play an important role in regulating behaviors of biomolecules in bio-systems. Then the impact of the CNT geometry on the conformational changes of the confined peptide was studied. Analyses of secondary structures showed the α-helix of the peptide could be better maintained in the zigzag CNT.