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Shen J, Hu N, Wang Z, Yang L, Chen R, Zhang L, Wang X. Ghrelin alleviates placental dysfunction by down-regulating NF-κB phosphorylation in LPS-induced rat model of preeclampsia. Eur J Pharmacol 2024; 972:176569. [PMID: 38593930 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2024.176569] [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: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
In our previous study, we uncovered that ghrelin promotes angiogenesis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro by activating the Jagged1/Notch2/VEGF pathway in preeclampsia (PE). However, the regulatory effects of ghrelin on placental dysfunction in PE are unclear. Therefore, we applied Normal pregnant Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), to establish a PE-like rat model. The hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining method and immunohistochemistry (IHC) technology were used to detect morphological features of the placenta. IHC and Western blot were applied to examine Bax and Bcl-2 expression levels. The concentrations of serum soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt1) and placental growth factor (PIGF) were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. In addition, the apoptosis rates of JEG-3 and HTR-8/SVneo trophoblast cells were determined by Annexin V-FITC/PI apoptosis detection kit. Cell migratory capacities were assessed by scratch-wound assay, and RNA-sequencing assay was used to determine the mechanism of ghrelin in regulating trophoblast apoptosis. It has been found that ghrelin significantly reduced blood pressure, urinary protein, and urine creatinine in rats with PE, at the meanwhile, ameliorated placental and fetal injuries. Second, ghrelin clearly inhibited placental Bax expression and circulating sFlt-1 as well as elevated placental Bcl-2 expression and circulating PIGF, restored apoptosis and invasion deficiency of trophoblast cells caused by LPS in vitro. Finally, transcriptomics indicated that nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) was the potential downstream pathway of ghrelin. Our findings illustrated that ghrelin supplementation significantly improved LPS-induced PE-like symptoms and adverse pregnancy outcomes in rats by alleviating placental apoptosis and promoting trophoblast migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayu Shen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200240, China; Department of Central Laboratory, Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Ningning Hu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Zetian Wang
- Department of Trauma-Emergency & Critical Care Medicine, Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Lina Yang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200240, China; Department of Central Laboratory, Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Rujun Chen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Liwen Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
| | - Xiaoqin Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
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