Melatonin Promotes Neuroprotection of H2O2-induced Neural Stem Cells via lncRNA MEG3/miRNA-27a-3p/MAP2K4 axis

Natural products modulate phthalate-associated miRNAs and targets

Phthalates are widespread and commonly used plasticizers that lead to adverse health effects. Several natural products provide a protective effect against phthalates. Moreover, microRNAs (miRNAs) are regulated by natural products and phthalates. Therefore, miRNAs' impacts and potential targets may underlie the mechanism of phthalates. However, the relationship between phthalate-modulated miRNAs and phthalate protectors derived from natural products is poorly understood and requires further supporting information. In this paper, we review the adverse effects and potential targets of phthalates on reproductive systems as well as cancer and non-cancer responses. Information on natural products that attenuate the adverse effects of phthalates is retrieved through a search of Google Scholar and the miRDB database. Moreover, information on miRNAs that are upregulated or downregulated in response to phthalates is collected, along with their potential targets. The interplay between phthalate-modulated miRNAs and natural products is established. Overall, this review proposes a straightforward pathway showing how phthalates modulate different miRNAs and targets and cause adverse effects, which are partly attenuated by several natural products, thereby providing a direction for investigating the natural product-miRNA-target axis against phthalate-induced effects.

Systemic mechanism of Panax noteginseng saponins in antiaging based on network pharmacology combined with experimental validation

This study aims to investigate the systemic mechanism of Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) in antiaging using network pharmacology combined with experimental validation. String database and Cytoscape3.7.2 were used to perform the protein-protein interaction (PPI) and construct genes network. The key target genes were analyzed using gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). Then, the aging-related genes were verified by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction in SAM-P/8 mice, and performed molecular docking with the main components of PNS. Moreover, it produced cluster between Hub genes and differential genes. A total of 169 crossover genes were obtained, and the results of GO and KEGG indicated that the antiaging effect of PNS was mediated by apoptosis, cancer, and neurodegeneration and that five of the eight Hub genes had good binding activity with the main components of PNS. In addition, animal experiments reported that MAP2, MAPKK4, RAB6A, and Sortilin-1 have different levels of expression in the brain tissues of aging mice, and bind well docking with the main active components of PNS. However, there was no crossover between the 169 PNS intersecting genes and the four differential genes, while they yielded a link from PPI in which MAP2K4 was only linked to AKT1 and CASP3; MAP2 was only linked to AKT1 and CASP3; RAB6A was only linked to AKT1; but Sortlin-1 did not link to the Hub genes. In summary, the antiaging effect of PNS is associated with the eight Hub genes and four differential genes. All of them consist of a cluster or group that is possibly related to the antiaging effect of PNS.

Melatonin Attenuates H2O2-Induced Oxidative Injury by Upregulating LncRNA NEAT1 in HT22 Hippocampal Cells

More research is required to understand how melatonin protects neurons. The study aimed to find out if and how long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) contributes to melatonin's ability to defend the hippocampus from H2O2-induced oxidative injury. LncRNAs related to oxidative injury were predicted by bioinformatics methods. Mouse hippocampus-derived neuronal HT22 cells were treated with H2O2 with or without melatonin. Viability and apoptosis were detected by Cell Counting Kit-8 and Hoechst33258. RNA and protein levels were measured by quantitative real-time PCR, Western blot, and immunofluorescence. Bioinformatics predicted that 38 lncRNAs were associated with oxidative injury in mouse neurons. LncRNA nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 (NEAT1) was related to H2O2-induced oxidative injury and up-regulated by melatonin in HT22 cells. The knockdown of NEAT1 exacerbated H2O2-induced oxidative injury, weakened the moderating effect of melatonin, and abolished the increasing effect of melatonin on the mRNA and protein level of Slc38a2. Taken together, melatonin attenuates H2O2-induced oxidative injury by upregulating lncRNA NEAT1, which is essential for melatonin stabilizing the mRNA and protein level of Slc38a2 for the survival of HT22 cells. The research may assist in the treatment of oxidative injury-induced hippocampal degeneration associated with aging using melatonin and its target lncRNA NEAT1.

The therapeutic effect and mechanism of melatonin on osteoarthritis: From the perspective of non-coding RNAs

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a slowly progressing and irreversible joint disease. The existing non-surgical treatment can only delay its progress, making the early treatment of OA a research hotspot in recent years. Melatonin, a neurohormone mainly secreted by the pineal gland, has a variety of regulatory functions in different organs, and numerous studies have confirmed its therapeutic effect on OA. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) constitute the majority of the human transcribed genome. Various ncRNAs show significant differentially expressed between healthy people and OA patients. ncRNAs play diverse roles in many cellular processes and have been implicated in many pathological conditions, especially OA. Interestingly, the latest research found a close interaction between ncRNAs and melatonin in regulating the pathogenesis of OA. This review discusses the current understanding of the melatonin-mediated modulation of ncRNAs in the early stage of OA. We also delineate the potential link between rhythm genes and ncRNAs in chondrocytes. This review will serve as a solid foundation to formulate ideas for future mechanistic studies on the therapeutic potential of melatonin and ncRNAs in OA and better explore the emerging functions of the ncRNAs.

Recent insights into the microRNA and long non-coding RNA-mediated regulation of stem cell populations

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that have multi-lineage differentiation. The transition from self-renewal to differentiation requires rapid and extensive gene expression alterations. Since different stem cells exhibit diverse non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) expression profiles, the critical roles of ncRNAs in stem cell reprogramming, pluripotency maintenance, and differentiation have been widely investigated over the past few years. Hence, in this current review, the two main categories of ncRNAs, microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), are discussed. While the primary way by which miRNAs restrict mRNA transcription is through miRNA-mRNA interaction, lncRNAs have a wide range of effects on mRNA functioning, including interactions with miRNAs. Both of these ncRNAs participate in the post-transcriptional regulation of crucial biological mechanisms, such as cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, aging, and cell fate decisions. These findings shed light on a previously unknown aspect of gene regulation in stem cell fate determination and behavior. Overall, we summarized the key roles of miRNAs (including exosomal miRNAs) and lncRNAs in the regulation of stem cell populations, such as cardiac, hematopoietic, mesenchymal, neural, and spermatogonial, as well ncRNAs' influence on malignancy through modulating cancer stem cells, which might significantly contribute to clinical stem cell therapy and in regenerative medicine.

LncRNA: a new perspective on the study of neurological diseases

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNA with a length greater than 200 nt. It has a mRNA-like structure, formed by splicing after transcription, and contains a polyA tail and a promoter, of whom promoter plays a role by binding transcription factors. LncRNAs' sequences are low in conservation, and other species can only find a handful of the same lncRNAs as humans, and there are different splicing ways during the differentiation of identical species, with spatiotemporal expression specificity. With developing high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics, found that more and more lncRNAs associated with nervous system disease. This article deals with the regulation of certain lncRNAs in the nervous system disease, by mean of to understand its mechanism of action, and the pathogenesis of some neurological diseases have a fresh understanding, deposit a foundation for resulting research and clinical treatment of disease.

LncRNA MEG3 inhibits the proliferation of neural stem cells after ischemic stroke via the miR-493-5P/MIF axis

OBJECTIVE

The proliferation of neural stem cells (NSCs1), or lack thereof, can have profound effects on brain tissue remodeling for ischemic stroke (IS2). In this study, we aimed to reveal the influence of the lncRNA MEG3/miR-493-5p/MIF axis on NSC proliferation after IS.

METHODS

We established an oxygen glucose-deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R3) in vitro model of IS in NSCs. We evaluated NSC isolation efficiency and proliferation by NESTIN, SOX2, and PCNA immunofluorescence staining. MEG3 and miR-493-5P levels were assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR4). Changes in MIF protein expression levels were analyzed using Western blotting. We then evaluated the role of MEG3 and miR-493-5p by transfection of si-MEG3, a miR-493-5p mimic, or miR-493-5p inhibitor. NSC proliferation was quantified using Cell Counting Kit-8 analysis.

RESULTS

NESTIN and SOX2 were co-expressed in endogenous NSCs. Following OGD/R, MEG3 and miR-493-5P were significantly upregulated in NSCs, while MIF levels decreased and proliferation was inhibited. Knockdown of MEG3 inhibited miR-493-5p and rescued expression of MIF and PCNA, restoring cellular proliferation levels. In NSCs transfected with a miR-493-5p mimic or inhibitor, MIF levels were down- or upregulated, respectively. Consistently, transfection of a miR-493-5p mimic reduced NSC proliferation, while transfection with a miR-493-5p inhibitor or si-MEG3 rescued the inhibitory effect of OGD/R on NSC proliferation. After co-transfection of si-MEG3 and a miR-493-5p mimic of OGD/R-induced NSCs, levels of PCNA, an indicator of cellular proliferation, were significantly reduced. Conclusion MEG3 inhibits NSC proliferation of after IS via positive regulation of miR-493-5p and potential subsequent downregulation of MIF.

Melatonin and regulation of miRNAs: novel targeted therapy for cancerous and noncancerous disease

miRNAs, small noncoding RNAs with crucial diagnostic and prognostic capabilities, play essential therapeutic roles in different human diseases. These biomarkers are involved in several biological mechanisms and are responsible for the regulation of multiple genes expressions in cells. miRNA-based therapy has shown a very bright future in the case of clinical interventions. Melatonin, the main product of the pineal gland, is a multifunctional neurohormone with numerous therapeutic potentials in human diseases. Melatonin is able to regulate miRNAs in different pathologies such as malignant and nonmalignant diseases, which can be considered as a novel kind of targeted therapy. Herein, this review discusses possible therapeutic utility of melatonin for the regulation of miRNAs in various pathological conditions.