It is well known that vitamin C could protect against influenza infection, but little is known about the mechanisms. This study aimed to investigate the influence and possible mechanisms of vitamin C on pneumonia induced by influenza virus in stressed mice. Results showed that restraint stress significantly increased the mortality and the severity of pneumonia in mice caused by A/FM/1/47(H1N1) virus infection, which was attenuated by oral administration of vitamin C (125 and 250 mg/kg). Moreover, vitamin C administration significantly decreased expression of susceptibility genes, including mitochondrial antiviral signaling (MAVS) and interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3), and increased expression of NF-κB. These work in conjunction to induce type I interferons (IFNs) and elicit innate antiviral response as key factors in RIG-I-mediated signal transduction pathway. The above effects of vitamin C were further found to relate with inhibition of excess CORT synthesis by regulating steroid hydroxylating enzymes in adrenal gland. In conclusion, the protective effects ofvitamin C on influenza virus-caused pneumonia might be related to its inhibition of CORT synthesis, which reduces the susceptibility to influenza viral infection in restraint-stressed mice. These findings provide a new mechanism for the effects of vitamin C on influenza virus-induced pneumonia in restraint-stressed mice.

Regular endurance exercise training induces beneficial functional and health effects in human skeletal muscle. The putative contribution to the training response of the epigenome as a mediator between genes and environment has not been clarified. Here we investigated the contribution of DNA methylation and associated transcriptomic changes in a well-controlled human intervention study. Training effects were mirrored by significant alterations in DNA methylation and gene expression in regions with a homogeneous muscle energetics and remodeling ontology. Moreover, a signature of DNA methylation and gene expression separated the samples based on training and gender. Differential DNA methylation was predominantly observed in enhancers, gene bodies and intergenic regions and less in CpG islands or promoters. We identified transcriptional regulator binding motifs of MRF, MEF2 and ETS proteins in the proximity of the changing sites. A transcriptional network analysis revealed modules harboring distinct ontologies and, interestingly, the overall direction of the changes of methylation within each module was inversely correlated to expression changes. In conclusion, we show that highly consistent and associated modifications in methylation and expression, concordant with observed health-enhancing phenotypic adaptations, are induced by a physiological stimulus.

Growing evidence has demonstrated that the nucleotide‑binding oligomerization domain‑like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP‑3) inflammasome‑mediated inflammatory pathways have been involved in the secondary injury of traumatic brain injury (TBI). In the present study, the authors investigated the effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy on the NLRP‑3 inflammasome pathway following TBI. Following the evaluation of motor deficits and brain edema, the therapeutic effects of HBO on interleukin (IL)‑1β and IL‑18 expression were assessed, as well as NLRP‑3 inflammasome activation following TBI. HBO may improve motor score and reduce brain edema, accompanied with the reduction of IL‑1β and IL‑18 during the 7‑day observation period. Furthermore, HBO suppressed mRNA and protein expression of NLRP‑3‑inflammasome components, especially reducing NLRP‑3 expression in microglia. Thus, these results suggestedthat HBO alleviates the inflammatory response in experimental TBI via modulating microglial NLRP‑3‑inflammasome signaling.