Apoptosis and long non-coding RNAs: Focus on their roles in Heart diseases

The role of long non-coding RNAs in cardiovascular diseases: A comprehensive review

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, posing significant challenges to healthcare systems. Despite advances in medical interventions, the molecular mechanisms underlying CVDs are not yet fully understood. For decades, protein-coding genes have been the focus of CVD research. However, recent advances in genomics have highlighted the importance of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cardiovascular health and disease. Changes in lncRNA expression specific to tissues may result from various internal or external factors, leading to tissue damage, organ dysfunction, and disease. In this review, we provide a comprehensive discussion of the regulatory mechanisms underlying lncRNAs and their roles in the pathogenesis and progression of CVDs, such as coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis, heart failure, arrhythmias, cardiomyopathies, and diabetic cardiomyopathy, to explore their potential as therapeutic targets and diagnostic biomarkers.

Ferroptosis in Cardiovascular Diseases and Ferroptosis-Related Intervention Approaches

OBJECTIVE

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are major public health problems that threaten the lives and health of individuals. The article has reviewed recent progresses about ferroptosis and ferroptosis-related intervention approaches for the treatment of CVDs and provided more references and strategies for targeting ferroptosis to prevent and treat CVDs.

METHODS

A comprehensive review was conducted using the literature researches.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Many ferroptosis-targeted compounds and ferroptosis-related genes may be prospective targets for treating CVDs and our review provides a solid foundation for further studies about the detailed pathological mechanisms of CVDs.

CONCLUSION

There are challenges and limitations about the translation of ferroptosis-targeted potential therapies from experimental research to clinical practice. It warrants further exploration to pursure safer and more effective ferroptosis-targeted thereapeutic approaches for CVDs.

Importance of long non-coding RNAs in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction (MI), a major global cause of mortality and morbidity, continues to pose a significant burden on public health. Despite advances in understanding its pathogenesis, there remains a need to elucidate the intricate molecular mechanisms underlying MI progression. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as key regulators in diverse biological processes, yet their specific roles in MI pathophysiology remain elusive. Conducting a thorough review of literature using PubMed and Google Scholar databases, we investigated the involvement of lncRNAs in MI, focusing on their regulatory functions and downstream signaling pathways. Our analysis revealed extensive dysregulation of lncRNAs in MI, impacting various biological processes through diverse mechanisms. Notably, lncRNAs act as crucial modulators of gene expression and signaling cascades, functioning as decoys, regulators, and scaffolds. Furthermore, studies identified the multifaceted roles of lncRNAs in modulating inflammation, apoptosis, autophagy, necrosis, fibrosis, remodeling, and ischemia-reperfusion injury during MI progression. Recent research highlights the pivotal contribution of lncRNAs to MI pathogenesis, offering novel insights into potential therapeutic interventions. Moreover, the identification of circulating lncRNA signatures holds promise for the development of non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers. In summary, findings underscore the significance of lncRNAs in MI pathophysiology, emphasizing their potential as therapeutic targets and diagnostic tools for improved patient management and outcomes.

Global Research Trends on Exosome in Cardiovascular Diseases: A Bibliometric-Based Visual Analysis

Background

Exosomes in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have attracted huge attention with substantial value and potential. Our bibliometrics is based on literature from the field of cardiovascular exosomes over the past 30 years, which has been visualized to display the development process, research hotspots, and cutting-edge trends of clinical practices, mechanisms, and management strategies related to psych cardiology.

Methods

We selected articles and reviews on exosomes in CVDs from the core collection of Web of Science, and generated visual charts by using CiteSpace and VOSviewer software.

Results

Our research included 1613 publications. The number of exosome articles in CVD fluctuates slightly, but overall shows an increasing trend. The main research institutions were Tongji University and Nanjing Medical University. The International Journal of Molecular Sciences has the highest publication volume, while the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine has the highest citation count. Among all the authors, Eduardo Marban ranks first in terms of publication volume and H-index. The most common keywords are exosome, extracellular vesicles, and angiogenesis.

Conclusion

This is a bibliometric study on the research hotspots and trends of exosomes in CVD. Exosome research in the field of cardiovascular medicine is on the rise. Some exosome treatment methods may become the focus of future research.

Galanin Coordinates Macrophage-Associated Fibro-Inflammatory Response and Mitochondrial Integrity in Myocardial Infarction Reperfusion Injury

Myocardial infarction activates an intense fibro-inflammatory reaction that is essential for cardiac remodeling and heart failure (HF). Bioactive peptide galanin plays a critical role in regulating cardiovascular homeostasis; however, its specific functional relevance in post-infarction fibro-inflammatory reprogramming remains obscure. Here, we show that galanin coordinates the fibro-inflammatory trajectory and mitochondrial integrity in post-infarction reperfusion injury. Aberrant deposition of collagen was associated with a marked increase in CD68-positive macrophage infiltration in cardiac tissue in mice subjected to myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) for 14 days compared to sham controls. Furthermore, we found that the myocardial expression level of a specific marker of M2 macrophages, CD206, was significantly down-regulated in I/R-challenged mice. In contrast, galanin treatment started during the reperfusion phase blunted the fibro-inflammatory responses and promoted the expression of CD206 in I/R-remodeled hearts. In addition, we found that the anti-apoptotic and anti-hypertrophic effects of galanin were associated with the preservation of mitochondrial integrity and promotion of mitochondrial biogenesis. These findings depict galanin as a key arbitrator of fibro-inflammatory responses to cardiac I/R injury and offer a promising therapeutic trajectory for the treatment of post-infarct cardiovascular complications.

Toxicity of Ammonia Stress on the Physiological Homeostasis in the Gills of Litopenaeus vannamei under Seawater and Low-Salinity Conditions

Ammonia is a major water quality factor influencing the survival and health of shrimp, among which the gill is the main effector organ for ammonia toxicity. In this study, we chose two types of Litopenaeus vannamei that were cultured in 30‱ seawater and domesticated in 3‱ low salinity, respectively, and then separately subjected to ammonia stress for 14 days under seawater and low-salinity conditions, of which the 3‱ low salinity-cultured shrimp were domesticated from the shrimp cultured in 30‱ seawater after 27 days of gradual salinity desalination. In detail, this study included four groups, namely the SC group (ammonia-N 0 mg/L, salinity 30‱), SAN group (ammonia-N 10 mg/L, salinity 30‱), LC group (ammonia-N 0 mg/L, salinity 3‱), and LAN group (ammonia-N 10 mg/L, salinity 3‱). The ammonia stress lasted for 14 days, and then the changes in the morphological structure and physiological function of the gills were explored. The results show that ammonia stress caused the severe contraction of gill filaments and the deformation or even rupture of gill vessels. Biochemical indicators of oxidative stress, including LPO and MDA contents, as well as T-AOC and GST activities, were increased in the SAN and LAN groups, while the activities of CAT and POD and the mRNA expression levels of antioxidant-related genes (nrf2, cat, gpx, hsp70, and trx) were decreased. In addition, the mRNA expression levels of the genes involved in ER stress (ire1 and xbp1), apoptosis (casp-3, casp-9, and jnk), detoxification (gst, ugt, and sult), glucose metabolism (pdh, hk, pk, and ldh), and the tricarboxylic acid cycle (mdh, cs, idh, and odh) were decreased in the SAN and LAN groups; the levels of electron-transport chain-related genes (ndh, cco, and coi), and the bip and sdh genes were decreased in the SAN group but increased in the LAN group; and the level of the ATPase gene was decreased but the cytc gene was increased in the SAN and LAN groups. The mRNA expression levels of osmotic regulation-related genes (nka-β, ca, aqp and clc) were decreased in the SAN group, while the level of the ca gene was increased in the LAN group; the nka-α gene was decreased in both two groups. The results demonstrate that ammonia stress could influence the physiological homeostasis of the shrimp gills, possibly by damaging the tissue morphology, and affecting the redox, ER function, apoptosis, detoxification, energy metabolism, and osmoregulation.