ssc-microRNA-132 targets DACH1 to exert anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects in Clostridium perfringens beta2 toxin-treated porcine intestinal epithelial cells

Structural characteristics of polysaccharide isolated from Potentilla anserina L. and its mitigating effect on Zearalenone-induced oxidative stress in Sertoli cells

The present study aims to characterize the structural features of a natural polysaccharide called PAP-1b extracted from the roots of Potentilla anserina L. and to evaluate its antioxidant activity. Structural characterization indicated that PAP-1b with a molecular weight of 1.22 × 104 Da was primarily composed of glucose and galactose. Methylation and NMR analyses showed that PAP-1b mainly consisted of →4)-α-D-Glcp-(1→, →4,6)-β-D-Glcp-(1→, →3,4)-α-Glcp-(1→ and α-D-Glcp-(1→). Subsequently, we evaluated the antioxidant activity of PAP-1b using zearalenone (ZEA)-induced oxidative stress in porcine Sertoli cells (SCs) as a model. Cellular experiments revealed that PAP-1b significantly attenuated ZEA-induced oxidative stress in SCs via the mitochondrial pathway, as evidenced by the increase in cell viability, the enhancement of antioxidant enzyme activities, and the reduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, as well as stabilization of the mitochondrial membrane potential and the reduction of apoptosis rate. These results suggest that Potentilla anserina L. polysaccharides can serve as a promising natural antioxidant for applications in the field of functional foods.

DACH1 attenuated PA-induced renal tubular injury through TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB and TGF-β/Smad signalling pathway

BACKGROUND

Palmitic acid (PA), the major saturated fatty acid in the blood, often induces the initiation and progression of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. DACH1 is an important regulator of kidney functions. Herein, we investigated the roles of DACH1 in PA-induced kidney injury.

METHODS

Clinical data from the NHANES database were subjected to analyse the association between serum PA (sPA), blood glucose and kidney function. Molecular docking of PA was performed with DACH1. Immunohistochemistry, cell viability, annexin V/7-AAD double staining, TUNEL assay, immunofluorescent staining, autophagic flux analysis, qRT-PCR and western blot were performed.

RESULTS

Clinical data confirmed that sPA was increased significantly in the pathoglycemia individuals compared with controls and correlated negatively with renal function. Our findings suggested that PA could dock with DACH1. DACH1 enhances cell viability by inhibiting apoptosis and attenuating autophagy blockage induced by PA. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that DACH1 ameliorated inflammation and fibrosis through TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB and TGF-β/Smad signalling pathway in PA-treated renal tubular epithelial cell line (HK-2).

CONCLUSIONS

This study proved that sPA presents a risk factor for kidney injuries and DACH1 might serve as a protective target against renal function deterioration in diabetic patients.

S100A9 plays a key role in Clostridium perfringens beta2 toxin-induced inflammatory damage in porcine IPEC-J2 intestinal epithelial cells

BACKGROUND

As an important regulator of autoimmune responses and inflammation, S100A9 may serve as a therapeutic target in inflammatory diseases. However, the role of S100A9 in Clostridium perfringens type C infectious diarrhea is poorly studied. The aim of our study was to screen downstream target genes regulated by S100A9 in Clostridium perfringens beta2 (CPB2) toxin-induced IPEC-J2 cell injury. We constructed IPEC-J2 cells with S100A9 knockdown and a CPB2-induced cell injury model, screened downstream genes regulated by S100A9 using RNA-Seq technique, and performed functional enrichment analysis. The function of S100A9 was verified using molecular biology techniques.

RESULTS

We identified 316 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), of which 221 were upregulated and 95 were downregulated. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that the DEGs were significantly enriched in cilium movement, negative regulation of cell differentiation, immune response, protein digestion and absorption, and complement and coagulation cascades. The key genes of immune response were TNF, CCL1, CCR7, CSF2, and CXCL9. When CPB2 toxin-induced IPEC-J2 cells overexpressed S100A9, Bax expression increased, Bcl-2 expression and mitochondrial membrane potential decreased, and SOD activity was inhibited.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, S100A9 was involved in CPB2-induced inflammatory response in IPEC-J2 cells by regulating the expression of downstream target genes, namely, TNF, CCL1, CCR7, CSF2, and CXCL9; promoting apoptosis; and aggravating oxidative cell damage. This study laid the foundation for further study on the regulatory mechanism underlying piglet diarrhea.