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Gonzalez-Candia A, Figueroa EG, Krause BJ. Pharmacological and molecular mechanisms of miRNA-based therapies for targeting cardiovascular dysfunction. Biochem Pharmacol 2024; 228:116318. [PMID: 38801924 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2024.116318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2024] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Advances in understanding gene expression regulation through epigenetic mechanisms have contributed to elucidating the regulatory mechanisms of noncoding RNAs as pharmacological targets in several diseases. MicroRNAs (miRs) are a class of evolutionarily conserved, short, noncoding RNAs regulating in a concerted manner gene expression at the post-transcriptional level by targeting specific sequences of the 3'-untranslated region of mRNA. Conversely, mechanisms of cardiovascular disease (CVD) remain largely elusive due to their life-course origins, multifactorial pathophysiology, and co-morbidities. In this regard, CVD treatment with conventional medications results in therapeutic failure due to progressive resistance to monotherapy, which overlooks the multiple factors involved, and reduced adherence to poly-pharmacology approaches. Consequently, considering its role in regulating complete gene pathways, miR-based drugs have appreciably progressed into preclinical and clinical testing. This review summarizes the current knowledge about the mechanisms of miRs in cardiovascular disease, focusing specifically on describing how clinical chemistry and physics have improved the stability of the miR molecule. In addition, a comprehensive review of the main miRs involved in cardiovascular disease and the clinical trials in which these molecules are used as active pharmacological molecules is provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Gonzalez-Candia
- Laboratory of Fetal Neuroprogramming (www.neurofetal-lab.cl), Institute of Health Sciences, Universidad de O'Higgins, Rancagua, Chile
| | - Esteban G Figueroa
- Laboratory of Fetal Neuroprogramming (www.neurofetal-lab.cl), Institute of Health Sciences, Universidad de O'Higgins, Rancagua, Chile
| | - Bernardo J Krause
- Institute of Health Sciences, Universidad de O'Higgins, Rancagua, Chile.
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Krause BJ, Paz AA, Garrud TAC, Peñaloza E, Vega-Tapia F, Ford SG, Niu Y, Giussani DA. Epigenetic regulation by hypoxia, N-acetylcysteine and hydrogen sulphide of the fetal vasculature in growth restricted offspring: A study in humans and chicken embryos. J Physiol 2024; 602:3833-3852. [PMID: 38985827 DOI: 10.1113/jp286266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a common outcome in human suboptimal gestation and is related to prenatal origins of cardiovascular dysfunction in offspring. Despite this, therapy of human translational potential has not been identified. Using human umbilical and placental vessels and the chicken embryo model, we combined cellular, molecular, and functional studies to determine whether N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and hydrogen sulphide (H2S) protect cardiovascular function in growth-restricted unborn offspring. In human umbilical and placental arteries from control or FGR pregnancy and in vessels from near-term chicken embryos incubated under normoxic or hypoxic conditions, we determined the expression of the H2S gene CTH (i.e. cystathionine γ-lyase) (via quantitative PCR), the production of H2S (enzymatic activity), the DNA methylation profile (pyrosequencing) and vasodilator reactivity (wire myography) in the presence and absence of NAC treatment. The data show that FGR and hypoxia increased CTH expression in the embryonic/fetal vasculature in both species. NAC treatment increased aortic CTH expression and H2S production and enhanced third-order femoral artery dilator responses to the H2S donor sodium hydrosulphide in chicken embryos. NAC treatment also restored impaired endothelial relaxation in human third-to-fourth order chorionic arteries from FGR pregnancies and in third-order femoral arteries from hypoxic chicken embryos. This NAC-induced protection against endothelial dysfunction in hypoxic chicken embryos was mediated via nitric oxide independent mechanisms. Both developmental hypoxia and NAC promoted vascular changes in CTH DNA and NOS3 methylation patterns in chicken embryos. Combined, therefore, the data support that the effects of NAC and H2S offer a powerful mechanism of human translational potential against fetal cardiovascular dysfunction in complicated pregnancy. KEY POINTS: Gestation complicated by chronic fetal hypoxia and fetal growth restriction (FGR) increases a prenatal origin of cardiovascular disease in offspring, increasing interest in antenatal therapy to prevent against a fetal origin of cardiovascular dysfunction. We investigated the effects between N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and hydrogen sulphide (H2S) in the vasculature in FGR human pregnancy and in chronically hypoxic chicken embryos. Combining cellular, molecular, epigenetic and functional studies, we show that the vascular expression and synthesis of H2S is enhanced in hypoxic and FGR unborn offspring in both species and this acts to protect their vasculature. Therefore, the NAC/H2S pathway offers a powerful therapeutic mechanism of human translational potential against fetal cardiovascular dysfunction in complicated pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernardo J Krause
- Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile
| | - Adolfo A Paz
- Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile
| | - Tessa A C Garrud
- Department of Physiology, Development & Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Estefanía Peñaloza
- Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile
| | - Fabian Vega-Tapia
- Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile
| | - Sage G Ford
- Department of Physiology, Development & Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Youguo Niu
- Department of Physiology, Development & Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Dino A Giussani
- Department of Physiology, Development & Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- BHF Cardiovascular Centre for Research Excellence, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Strategic Research Initiative in Reproduction, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Mukosera GT, Principe P, Mata-Greenwood E, Liu T, Schroeder H, Parast M, Blood AB. Iron nitrosyl complexes are formed from nitrite in the human placenta. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102078. [PMID: 35643317 PMCID: PMC9257420 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Placental nitric oxide (NO) is critical for maintaining perfusion in the maternal-fetal-placental circulation during normal pregnancy. NO and its many metabolites are also increased in pregnancies complicated by maternal inflammation such as preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction, gestational diabetes, and bacterial infection. However, it is unclear how increased levels of NO or its metabolites affect placental function or how the placenta deals with excessive levels of NO or its metabolites. Since there is uncertainty over the direction of change in plasma levels of NO metabolites in preeclampsia, we measured the levels of these metabolites at the placental tissue level. We found that NO metabolites are increased in placentas from patients with preeclampsia compared to healthy controls. We also discovered by ozone-based chemiluminescence and electron paramagnetic resonance that nitrite is efficiently converted into iron nitrosyl complexes (FeNOs) within the human placenta and also observed the existence of endogenous FeNOs within placentas from sheep and rats. We show these nitrite-derived FeNOs are relatively short-lived, predominantly protein-bound, heme-FeNOs. The efficient formation of FeNOs from nitrite in the human placenta hints toward the importance of both nitrite and FeNOs in placental physiology or pathology. As iron nitrosylation is an important posttranslational modification that affects the activity of multiple iron-containing proteins such as those in the electron transport chain, or those involved in epigenetic regulation, we conclude that FeNOs merit increased study in pregnancy complications.
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Affiliation(s)
- George T Mukosera
- Lawrence D Longo Center for Perinatal Biology, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California, USA
| | - Patricia Principe
- Lawrence D Longo Center for Perinatal Biology, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California, USA
| | - Eugenia Mata-Greenwood
- Lawrence D Longo Center for Perinatal Biology, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California, USA
| | - Taiming Liu
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California, USA
| | - Hobe Schroeder
- Lawrence D Longo Center for Perinatal Biology, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California, USA
| | - Mana Parast
- Department of Pathology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Arlin B Blood
- Lawrence D Longo Center for Perinatal Biology, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California, USA; Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California, USA.
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Zhang X, Hasan AA, Wu H, Gaballa MMS, Zeng S, Liu L, Xie L, Jung T, Grune T, Krämer BK, Kleuser B, Li J, Hocher B. High-fat, sucrose and salt-rich diet during rat spermatogenesis lead to the development of chronic kidney disease in the female offspring of the F2 generation. FASEB J 2022; 36:e22259. [PMID: 35294083 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202101789rr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Revised: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Effects of feeding male rats during spermatogenesis a high-fat, high-sucrose and high-salt diet (HFSSD) over two generations (F0 and F1) on renal outcomes are unknown. Male F0 and F1 rats were fed either control diet (F0CD+F1CD) or HFSSD (F0HD+F1HD). The outcomes were glomerular filtration rate and urinary albumin excretion in F1 and F2 offspring. If both outcomes were altered a morphological and molecular assessment was done. F2 offspring of both sexes had a decreased GFR. However, increased urinary albumin excretion was only observed in female F2 F0HD+F1HD offspring compared with controls. F0HD+F1HD female F2 offspring developed glomerulosclerosis (+31%; p < .01) and increased renal interstitial fibrosis (+52%; p < .05). RNA sequencing followed by qRT-PCR validation showed that four genes (Enpp6, Tmem144, Cd300lf, and Actr3b) were differentially regulated in the kidneys of female F2 offspring. lncRNA XR-146683.1 expression decreased in female F0HD+F1HD F2 offspring and its expression was (r = 0.44, p = .027) correlated with the expression of Tmem144. Methylation of CpG islands in the promoter region of the Cd300lf gene was increased (p = .001) in female F2 F0HD+F1HD offspring compared to controls. Promoter CpG island methylation rate of Cd300lf was inversely correlated with Cd300lf mRNA expression in F2 female offspring (r = -0.483, p = .012). Cd300lf mRNA expression was inversely correlated with the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio in female F2 offspring (r = -0.588, p = .005). Paternal pre-conceptional unhealthy diet given for two generations predispose female F2 offspring to chronic kidney disease due to epigenetic alterations of renal gene expression. Particularly, Cd300lf gene promotor methylation was inversely associated with Cd300lf mRNA expression and Cd300lf mRNA expression itself was inversely associated with urinary albumin excretion in F2 female offspring whose fathers and grandfathers got a pre-conceptional unhealthy diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoli Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Study and Discovery of Small Targeted Molecules of Hunan Province, School of Medicine, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China.,Institute of Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Fifth Department of Medicine (Nephrology/Endocrinology/Rheumatology), University Medical Centre Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ahmed A Hasan
- Institute of Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Fifth Department of Medicine (Nephrology/Endocrinology/Rheumatology), University Medical Centre Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Hongwei Wu
- Fifth Department of Medicine (Nephrology/Endocrinology/Rheumatology), University Medical Centre Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Nephrology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Mohamed M S Gaballa
- Fifth Department of Medicine (Nephrology/Endocrinology/Rheumatology), University Medical Centre Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.,Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University, Toukh, Egypt
| | - Suimin Zeng
- The First Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yiyang, China
| | - Liping Liu
- Key Laboratory of Study and Discovery of Small Targeted Molecules of Hunan Province, School of Medicine, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Li Xie
- Key Laboratory of Study and Discovery of Small Targeted Molecules of Hunan Province, School of Medicine, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Tobias Jung
- Department of Molecular Toxicology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE), Nuthetal, Germany
| | - Tilman Grune
- Department of Molecular Toxicology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE), Nuthetal, Germany.,Department of Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Bernhard K Krämer
- Fifth Department of Medicine (Nephrology/Endocrinology/Rheumatology), University Medical Centre Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Burkhard Kleuser
- Institute of Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jian Li
- Key Laboratory of Study and Discovery of Small Targeted Molecules of Hunan Province, School of Medicine, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Berthold Hocher
- Key Laboratory of Study and Discovery of Small Targeted Molecules of Hunan Province, School of Medicine, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China.,Fifth Department of Medicine (Nephrology/Endocrinology/Rheumatology), University Medical Centre Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.,Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya, Changsha, China.,Institute of Medical Diagnostics, IMD Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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