University of Macau / Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences

Des études de liaison et d’association génétiques ont permis d’identifier certains des facteurs de risque génétiques aux maladies inflammatoires de l’intestin (MII) dans la région chromosomique 3p21. Dans cette région, le polymorphisme nucléotidique simple (SNP) codant non-synonyme du gène MST1, rs3197999, encodant pour la mutation R689C, a été associé et répliqué à la fois à la colite ulcéreuse (CU) et à la maladie de Crohn (MC). Un autre SNP, corrélé à des SNP codants non-synonymes du gène MST1R, a également été associé à la MC. Afin de déterminer si d’autres variantes des gènes MST1 et MST1R sont associés à la CU, nous avons testé pour association des SNP de ces gènes. Seul un proxy de R689C a montré un signal d’association significatif aux MII, ce qui suggère que R689C est la variante causale aux MII dans le gène MST1. En cherchant à déterminer si la région 3p21 contenait plusieurs signaux d’association mutuellement indépendants, trois SNP ont été identifiés comme possible facteurs de risque indépendants, et ont été génotypés dans des cas de CU et de MC et des témoins, puis nos résultats d’association ont été combinés à ceux provenant de trois autres cohortes indépendantes. Les trois SNP, R689C (MST1), rs6802890 et rs7629936 (CDHR4), sont associés aux MII, mais une étude d’association conditionnelle suggère qu’il existe en fait deux signaux d’association mutuellement indépendants dans la région 3p21. Le signal principal provient de R689C, une mutation de la protéine MSP. Cette protéine a un rôle dans l’inflammation chez les macrophages murins, et la migration, la cicatrisation et la survie chez les cellules épithéliales. Dans cette étude, le rôle de la MSP a été investigué dans des modèles de macrophages humains et de cellules épithéliales de côlon, et seule la phosphorylation d’AKT, un acteur dans la voie de signalisation de la survie cellulaire, a été modulée par la MSP dans nos modèles. Ce projet a donc permis d’apporter des connaissances sur les facteurs de risques génétiques aux MII dans la région 3p21, en identifiant 2 signaux d’association indépendants, et en nous informant sur le rôle de MST1, duquel provient le signal d’association principal, chez les cellules humaines. / Linkage studies and association studies allowed the discovery of some of the genetic risk factors of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the chromosomal region 3p21. In this region, the non-synonymous coding single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs3197999, situated in the gène MST1 and encoding for the mutation R689C, has been associated to UC and CD multiple times, and an other SNP, correlated to non-synonymous coding SNPs in the gene MST1R, has also been associated to CD. In order to verify if other variants of MST1 and MST1R are associatied to UC, we tested the association of some of their SNPs. Apart from R689C, only its proxy showed a significative association signal to IBD. It suggests that R689C might be the causal variant of IBD in the region 3p21. In the aim to determine if the region 3p21 has multiple independant association signals, 3 SNPs have been identified, from the results of a published meta-analysis of UC genome-wide association studies, as being possibly independant risk factors for UC based on their correlation. Their association to IBD and their independance have been tested by genotyping them in a cohort composed of controls, and UC and CD cases. The results of the association tests have been combined, in a meta-analysis, to the results of 3 other independent association studies. The 3 SNPs, R689C (MST1), rs6802890 and rs7629936 (CDHR4) are associated to IBD, but the results of the subsequent conditional association tests suggest that there is only 2 independant association signals in the region 3p21. The main signal is raising from R689C, a mutation of the protein MSP. According to published studies, this protein has a function in the inflammation in murine macrophages, and also in the scattering, wound healing and survival of epithelial cells. In this thesis, we investigated the role of MSP in human macrophage models and in human côlon epithelial cells, and it has been show that MSP modulates the phosphorylation of AKT, an actor in the pathway of cellular survival. This project brought some knowledges about the IBD genetic risk factors in the region 3p21. We identified 2 independent association signals to IBD in this region, and the main signal is coming from a SNP in MST1, a gene which has a role, based on our results, in the survival in human colon epithelial cells.

IN ENGLISH Drug dependency in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), is a specific disease phenotype which determines disease prognosis and hence may be used as a prognostic marker for treatment management. Drug dependency in IBD has been well described in corticosteroid treatment and recently also in infliximab (IFX) therapy. The aims of this thesis were: 1) to assess the occurrence of IFX dependency in paediatric and adult patients with CD; further to search for clinical and genetic predictors of IFX outcome and to evaluate the impact of IFX dependency on surgical rate; 2) to assess in CD patients the outcome of the first course of 5-ASA monotherapy with emphasis on 5-ASA dependency and to define clinical predictors of 5-ASA treatment outcome. We found that 66% of children and 29% of adults with CD became IFX dependent. The high frequency in paediatrics is in agreement with previously published studies, while the finding in adult patients indicates a lower rate of IFX dependency in the only study to date. Perianal disease and no bowel surgery prior to IFX start were predicative of IFX dependency in paediatric patients. In adult cohort, 2 genetic variants LTA c.207 A>G and CASP9 c.93 C>T were associated with IFX outcome, whereas no relevant clinical...

Pacientes com retocolite ulcerativa inespecífica,quando submetidos à colectomia, apresentam aumento na freqüência de cálculos vesiculares de colesterol. A hipomotilidade da vesícula biliar tem sido apontada como um importante fator na formação dos cálculos vesiculares de colesterol, ao lado da supersaturação biliar de colesterol e da nucleação dos cristais de colesterol (fatores nucleantes e antinucleantes). A estase vesicular aumenta o tempo de reabsorção de água pela mucosa da vesícula biliar com conseqüente superconcentração dos solutos, além de gerar o tempo necessário para a nucleação do colesterol, retenção e fusão dos cristais e,finalmente,formação dos cálculos. Embora a composição biliar já tenha sido estudada em pacientes colectornizados, não há informações sobre o comportamento da motilidade da vesícula biliar em pacientes com retocolite ulcerativa inespecífica com e sem colectomia. No presente trabalho,o esvaziamento vesicular foi estudado através do método ultra-sonográfico e após ingestão de dieta líqüida gordurosa em indivíduos controles (n=40), pacientes com retocolite ulcerativa inespecífica sem (n=30) e com colectomia (n =20). Como o esvaziamento gástrico pode interferir no vesicular, o tempo de esvaziamento gástrico, medido por método ultra-sonográfico, foi calculado nos três grupos. O esvaziamento vesicular foi significantemente diminuído nos pacientes com retocolite ulcerativa inespecífica com colectomia e após estímulo alimentar: esta alteração não foi conseqüência de esvaziamento gástrico retardado pois o tempo de esvaziamento gástrico foi semelhante nos três grupos. Ademais, a redução da motilidade vesicular nos pacientes colectomizados relacionou-se com a colectomia propriamente dita, uma vez que indivíduos controles e pacientes com retocolite ulcerativa inespecífica sem colectomia apresentaram esvaziamentos vesiculares semelhantes. Além disso,os resultados desta investigação reforçam a relevância do papel da motilidade vesicular na colelitíase e sua participação, juntamente com a diminuição do \"pool\" de ácidos biliares,na patogênese da calculo se vesicular de colesterol em pacientes com retocolite ulcerativa inespecífica submetidos à colectomia. / Patients with ulcerative colitis, who have their colon removed, are at increased risk of developing cholesterol gallstones. Gallbladder hypomotility has been quoted as being an important factor for cholesterol gallstone formation, together with biliary supersaturation of cholesterol and nucleation of cholesterol crystals (nucleating and antinucleating factors). Gallbladder stasis increases the time for water reabsorption by the gallbladder mucosa with ensuing solute superconcentration; moreover, gallbladder stasis renders enough time for cholesterol nucleation. crystal retention and fusion, and finally, stone formation. Although bile composition, in these patients, has already been studied, there is no information concerning the nature of gallbladder motility in patients with ulcerative colitis with or without colectomy. ln the present work, gallbladder emptying was studied by means of ultrasound examination, and after ingestion of a standard liquid fatty meal in controls (n=40), ulcerative colitis patients without colectomy (n=30) and with colectomy (n=20). Also, in order to rule out the influence of gastric emptying on gallbladder motility, the gastric emptying time was calculated, in the three groups, using the ultrasound method. Gallbladder emptying was significantly impaired in patients with ulcerative colitis with colectomy after a fatty-meal stimulus. and this abnormality was not a consequence of delayed gastric ernptying. since gastric emptying time was similar in the three groups. Furthermore. impaired gallbladder motility in ulcerative colitis patients with colectomy was related to the colectorny itself, since controls and ulcerative colitis

Les maladies inflammatoires intestinales (MII), maladie de Crohn (MC) et colite ulcéreuse (CU), représentent un problème de santé publique majeur en raison de leur prévalence, de leur chronicité et de l’absence de traitement curatif disponible. La physiopathologie de ces maladies implique des facteurs de prédisposition génétique, des facteurs environnementaux et une réponse anormale du système immunitaire. De par leur position à l’interface entre les facteurs environnementaux, les cellules épithéliales et les cellules de l’immunité adaptative, les cellules de l’immunité innée (phagocytes monocucléés (MNPs) et granulocytes) sont des acteurs importants dans l’initiation et le maintien de l’inflammation intestinale. Largement étudiés chez la souris, leur investigation chez l’humain restait parcellaire, souvent contradictoire dans le colon et rarement étudiée dans le ganglion mésentérique (MLN). Nous avons caractérisé par des méthodes de cytométrie de flux multi-couleurs, de cytométrie de masse (CyTOF) et de séquencage de l’ARN (total et à l’échelon de la cellule unique), les MNPs de la muqueuse colique et des ganglions mésentériques chez les patients atteints de MC et de CU. Nous avons également évalué la fonction des MNPs et des basophiles sur les réponses mémoires T CD4+ autologues tissulaires. Notre travail a mis en évidence des similitudes et des différences entre la MC et la CU, dans la distribution des MNPs et le profil de la réponse mémoire T CD4+ dans le colon et le ganglion. La sous-population de MNPs HLADR+SIRPα+CD14+CD64+CD163- qualifiée de monocytes inflammatoires, et non les macrophages HLADR+SIRPα+CD14+CD64+CD163+, s’accumule dans la muqueuse inflammatoire des patients atteints de MC et de CU, et promeut les réponses mémoires de type Th17 et Th17/Th1 d’une manière dépendante de l’IL-1β. La fréquence de cette population corrèle avec le score de sévérité endoscopique en MC. Cependant, la distribution des MNPs ganglionnaires diffère entre la MC et la CU. Nous montrons que, dans les ganglions des patients atteints de CU, les MNPs HLADR+SIRPα+CD14+CD64+ sont enrichis en cellules CD163+, qui incluent principalement des cellules ‘monocyte-like’ HLA-DRdim en plus de macrophages HLA-DRhi. Parmi les cellules dendritiques (DCs) HLADR+SIRPα+CD14-CD64-, les DCs plasmocytoides prédominent dans les deux MII, avec une fréquence supérieure en MC qu’en CU. Par ailleurs, l’IL-1β dans la MC et l’IL-12 dans la CU favorisent un profil pathogénique dans les lymphocytes T CD4+ (IFN-γ, TNF-α, GM-CSF, IL-6) de la muqueuse colique. Par sérendipité, nous avons aussi mis en évidence que l’IL-12 et les monocytes inflammatoires tissulaires induisent la production d’IL-8 par les lymphocytes T CD4+ mémoires de la muqueuse intestinale et des MLNs dans la CU mais pas dans la MC. Au cours de cette étude, nous avons également observé l’accumulation de basophiles, mais pas de mastocytes, dans la muqueuse colique et le MLN en MC et en CU, et montré qu’ils favorisaient également les réponses Th17 et Th17/Th1 et non Th1 dans les lymphocytes T CD4+ mémoires exprimant CCR7. En conclusion, la caractérisation des MNPs de la muqueuse intestinale et des MLNs dans les maladies inflammatoires intestinales (MII) permet de mieux appréhender la physiopathologie de la maladie, dans l’espoir d’optimiser la stratification des MII et de permettre ainsi une prise en charge thérapeutique personnalisée. / Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), two common forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), represent a major public health problem because of their prevalence, chronicity and lack of available curative treatment. The pathophysiology of these diseases involves predisposing genetic factors, environmental triggers, and a dysfunctional immune response. Innate immune cells, including mononuclear phagocytes (MNPs) and granulocytes, are important players in the initiation and maintenance of intestinal inflammation due to their position at the interface between the external environment, epithelium and adaptive immune cells. Although widely studied in mice, their investigation in humans remains fragmentary, often with contradictory findings reported in the colon, and they are rarely studied in the mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs). MNPs from the colon and MLNs of patients with CD and UC were characterized by multi-color flow cytometry, mass cytometry (CyTOF) and RNA sequencing (bulk and single cell). The function of MNPs and basophils on autologous memory CD4+ T cell responses was also assessed. The results presented here highlight similarities and differences in the distribution of MNPs between CD and UC, and the profile of memory CD4+ T cell response in colon and MLNs. HLADR+SIRPα+CD14+CD64+CD163- MNPs, defined as inflammatory monocytes, but not HLADR+SIRPα+CD14+CD64+CD163+ macrophages, accumulated in the inflammatory mucosa of CD and UC patients, and promoted Th17 and Th17/Th1 memory responses in an IL-1β dependent manner. The frequency of this subpopulation correlated with endoscopic severity in CD. In contrast, the distribution of these two MNP populations in the MLNs differs between CD and UC. HLADR+SIRPα+CD14+CD64+ MNPs were enriched in CD163+ cells that predominantly included HLA-DRdim monocytes-like cells over HLA-DRhi macrophages in UC patients only. Among HLADR+SIRPα+CD14-CD64- dendritic cells (DCs), plasmocytoid DCs predominated in both UC and CD, with higher frequency in CD versus UC. IL-1β in CD and IL-12 in UC favor a pathogenic CD4+ T cell profile (IFN-γ, TNF-α, GM-CSF, IL-6 expression/production) in the colonic mucosa. It was also demonstrated that IL-12 and inflammatory tissue monocytes induced IL-8 production by memory CD4+ T cells in intestinal mucosa and MLNs of UC but not CD. In this study, it was also observed that basophils and not mast cells accumulated, in the colonic mucosa and MLNs of CD and UC patients, and favored Th17 and Th17/Th1, but not Th1, responses in CCR7+ memory CD4+ T cells. In conclusion, characterization of MNPs in the intestinal mucosa and MLNs of IBD patients contributes to a better understanding of IBD pathophysiology and opens avenues to optimize patient stratification, and thus, personalized treatment of IBD patients.

La clairance des cellules apoptotiques par les macrophages est à l’origine d’un microenvironnement pro-résolutif composé de différents facteurs solubles, permettant de stopper la réaction inflammatoire et d’engager la réparation tissulaire. La résolution de l’inflammation est parfois défaillante et concourt au développement de pathologies inflammatoires chroniques, comme les maladies inflammatoires chroniques de l’intestin (MICI), qui regroupent la maladie de Crohn (MC) et la rectocolite hémorragique (RCH). Dans ce contexte, nous proposons d’évaluer l’efficacité thérapeutique de l’injection de ces facteurs pro-résolutifs dans le traitement des MICI. Ce produit issu de la culture de macrophages avec des cellules apoptotiques, appelé SuperMApo (Supernatant issued from Macrophage Apoptotic cell culture) (Brevet # WO2014106666-A1, 2013) contient des facteurs pro-résolutifs semblables à ce qu’on retrouve dans le processus physiologique de résolution de l’inflammation, et qui peuvent être absents ou inefficaces chez ces patients.Lors de ce travail, nous avons mise en évidence une efficacité thérapeutique de SuperMApo à l’aide de deux modèles expérimentaux de colite. Pour évaluer la pertinence de ces modèles par rapport à la pratique clinique, nous avons mise en place la vidéo-endoscopie souple. On a montré que l’efficacité de SuperMApo se traduit par diminution du score clinique, endoscopique et histologique des souris colitiques, accompagnée d’une amélioration de la perméabilité intestinale, et de la cicatrisation muqueuse. Cette efficacité thérapeutique est liée en partie à une reprogrammation des cellules présentatrices d’antigènes (APC) notamment de cDC et de macrophages qui présentent moins de réponse aux ligands de TLR, favorisent l’induction de Treg et inhibent la production de Th1. Par ailleurs, SuperMApo induit une cicatrisation nette de la muqueuse intestinale associée à la fois à une activation des myofibroblastes (la forme active des fibroblastes) et des cellules intestinales épithéliales (IEC). Concrètement, SuperMApo augmente les propriétés de migration, de prolifération et de cicatrisation de ces deux types cellulaire. Cet effet dépend en partie des facteurs de croissance au sein de SuperMApo comme le TGF-β, l’IGF-I et le VEGF. Finalement des résultats préliminaires montrent que SuperMApo induit un profil réparateur sur des fibroblastes issus de patients atteints de MICI. L’ensemble de ces résultats montrent, que l’injection de ces facteurs pro-résolutifs permet de mettre en œuvre des mécanismes capables de mettre en place un processus de résolution de l’inflammation et ouvre vers une utilisation clinique de cette approche dans le traitement de MICI. / Inflammation is a natural body defence reaction in response to injuries. The clearance of apoptotic cells by macrophages is at the origin of a pro-resolving microenvironment composed of various soluble factors, allow the arrest of the inflammatory response and to initiate tissue repair. The resolution of inflammation is sometimes defective and contributes to the development of chronic inflammatory diseases, such as chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which include Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). In this context, we propose to evaluate the therapeutic effect of these pro-resolving factors in the treatment of IBD. This factors derived from the culture of macrophages with apoptotic cells, and called SuperMApo (Supernatant issued from Macrophage Apoptotic cell culture) (Patent # WO2014106666-A1, 2013) contains pro-resolving factors similar to those found in the physiological process of inflammatory resolution, and which may be absent or ineffective in these patients.In this work, we have demonstrated the therapeutic effect of SuperMApo using two experimental models of colitis. To assess the relevance of these models to clinical practice, we have implemented flexible video endoscopy. The therapeutic effect of SuperMApo has been shown to decrease the clinical, endoscopic and histological score of colitis mice, accompanied by improved intestinal permeability and mucosal healing in vivo. This therapeutic effect is related in part to reprogramming of antigen presenting cells (APC), in particular cDC and macrophages, which exhibit less response to TLR ligands, promote induction of Treg and inhibit Th1 production. In addition, SuperMApo induces a marked tissue repair of the intestinal mucosa associated with activation of myofibroblasts, the active form of fibroblasts, and the epithelial intestinal cells (IEC). In particular, SuperMApo increases the migration, proliferation and wound healing properties of these two cell types. This effect depends in part on the growth factors contained in SuperMApo such as TGF-β, IGF-I and VEGF. Finally, preliminary results show that SuperMApo induces a repairing state on fibroblasts from patients with IBD. This opens widely the use of SuperMApo as a clinically approach to propose this new therapeutic option to refractory patients suffering from IBD

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) represents a group of multifactorial illnesses with increasing incidence worldwide. Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are the two most thoroughly defined phenotypes of IBD. IBD associated with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) - a progressive biliary disease leading to cirrhosis and liver failure - is considered as specific IBD phenotype (also referred to as 'PSC - IBD') due to its clinical and pathophysiological characteristics. The aim of the experimental part of this thesis was to define specific features of PSC - IBD in the key areas of IBD pathogenesis. These are: microbiota composition, gut - barrier failure, genetic predisposition and aberrant cellular and antibody immune response. Furthermore, the other goals were to describe relation of IBD status and activity to liver transplantation (LTx) and carcinogenesis based on thorough analysis of clinical data in patients under surveillance at the liver transplantation unit. Using the next-generation parallel sequencing technology, we discovered specific bacterial and mycobial features of gut microbiota composition in PSC - IBD which significantly differed from UC and healthy controls recruited from Czech general population. Moreover, we identified numerous seral biomarkers distinguishing CD, UC...

Objectifs : La maladie de Crohn (MC) et la colite ulcéreuse (CU) sont associées à un fardeau socio-économique important. Au Canada, les analyses de coûts-utilité (ACU) sont privilégiées afin d’assurer l’allocation optimale des ressources. La mesure d’utilité est essentielle pour réaliser une ACU. L’objectif de ce projet visait à identifier les mesures d’utilité et d’estimer l’impact de ces mesures sur le ratio coût-utilité incrémental (RCUI) des traitements indiqués pour la MC. Méthodes : Un arbre décisionnel a été développé pour mesurer l’impact des valeurs d’utilité du EQ-5D, de l’échelle visuelle analogue (VAS), de l’arbitrage temporel (TTO) et du pari standard (SG), sur le RCUI d’Infliximab (IFX) + Traitements standards (TS) (prednisone, mesalazine (MZ), azathioprine (AZA), 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP)) vs Placébo + TS. Le modèle a porté sur un horizon temporel d’un an, selon les perspectives du système de soins et sociétale. Les moyennes pondérées des mesures d’utilité ont été estimées à partir d’une revue systématique de la littérature. Des analyses de sensibilités déterministes et probabilistes ont également été effectuées. Résultats : L’ensemble des RCUIs, variaient entre 67 068 $/QALY (TTO) et 268 385 $/QALY (EQ-5D). À un seuil de propension à payer de 50 000 $/QALY, la probabilité qu’IFX + TS soit coût efficace était nulle pour l’ensemble des analyses, à l’exception de celle du TTO (4,0%). Conclusion : La variabilité des mesures d’utilité a un impact considérable sur les RCUIs et nécessite une attention particulière de la part des preneurs de décisions, plus précisément au niveau des analyses de sensibilité. / Objectives: Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis are both associated with a high socioeconomic burden. In Canada, cost-utility analyses (CUA) are privileged in order to allocate healthcare spending efficiently. Since utility measures are essential for CUA, the objective of this study was to assess the impact utility values on the incremental cost-utility ratio (ICUR) of CD treatments. Methods: A decision-tree model was developed to assess the impact of utility values derived from the EQ-5D, the visual analogue scale (VAS), the time trade off (TTO) and the standard gamble (SG), on the resulted ICUR of Infliximab (IFX) + Standard of Care (SoC) (prednisone, mesalazine (MZ), azathioprine (AZA), 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP)) versus Placebo (Pbo) + SoC. The model was conducted over a one-year time horizon from the Canadian healthcare and societal perspectives. The weighted averages of utility values were estimated based on a systematic literature evaluation. Both deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were also conducted. Results: The ICURs ranged from $67,068/QALY (TTO) to $268,385/QALY (EQ-5D). At a $50,000/QALY threshold, the probability of IFX + SoC of being cost-effective was of 0% in most analyses except for the TTO method (4.0%). Conclusion: The variability of utility measures has a considerable impact on the ICURs and requires a special attention from decision-makers, in regards of sensitivity analyses.

No description available.

IN ENGLISH Drug dependency in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), is a specific disease phenotype which determines disease prognosis and hence may be used as a prognostic marker for treatment management. Drug dependency in IBD has been well described in corticosteroid treatment and recently also in infliximab (IFX) therapy. The aims of this thesis were: 1) to assess the occurrence of IFX dependency in paediatric and adult patients with CD; further to search for clinical and genetic predictors of IFX outcome and to evaluate the impact of IFX dependency on surgical rate; 2) to assess in CD patients the outcome of the first course of 5-ASA monotherapy with emphasis on 5-ASA dependency and to define clinical predictors of 5-ASA treatment outcome. We found that 66% of children and 29% of adults with CD became IFX dependent. The high frequency in paediatrics is in agreement with previously published studies, while the finding in adult patients indicates a lower rate of IFX dependency in the only study to date. Perianal disease and no bowel surgery prior to IFX start were predicative of IFX dependency in paediatric patients. In adult cohort, 2 genetic variants LTA c.207 A>G and CASP9 c.93 C>T were associated with IFX outcome, whereas no relevant clinical...