d-Pinitol protects against endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis in hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury via modulation of AFT4-CHOP/GRP78 and caspase-3 signaling pathways

An emerging double‑edged sword role of ferroptosis in cardiovascular disease (Review)

The pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is complex and presents a serious threat to human health. Cardiomyocyte loss serves a pivotal role in both the onset and progression of CVD. Among various forms of programmed cell death, ferroptosis, along with apoptosis, autophagy and pyroptosis, is closely linked to the advancement of CVD. Ferroptosis, a mechanism of cell death, is driven by the buildup of oxidized lipids and excess iron. This pathway is modulated by lipid, amino acid and iron metabolism. Key characteristics of ferroptosis include disrupted iron homeostasis, increased peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids due to reactive oxygen species, decreased glutathione levels and inactivation of glutathione peroxidase 4. Treatments targeting ferroptosis could potentially prevent or alleviate CVD by inhibiting the ferroptosis pathway. Ferroptosis is integral to the pathogenesis of several types of CVD and inhibiting its occurrence in cardiomyocytes could be a promising therapeutic strategy for the future treatment of CVD. The present review provided an in‑depth analysis of advancements in understanding the mechanisms underlying ferroptosis. The present manuscript summarized the interplay between ferroptosis and CVDs, highlighting its dual roles in these conditions. Additionally, potential therapeutic targets within the ferroptosis pathway were discussed, alongside the current limitations and future directions of these novel treatment strategies. The present review may offer novel insights into preventive and therapeutic approaches for CVDs.

Repaglinide Elicits a Neuroprotective Effect in Rotenone-Induced Parkinson's Disease in Rats: Emphasis on Targeting the DREAM-ER Stress BiP/ATF6/CHOP Trajectory and Activation of Mitophagy

Repaglinide, a meglitinide insulinotropic antidiabetic, was unraveled as a promising therapeutic agent for Huntington's disease by targeting the neuronal calcium sensor downstream regulatory element antagonist modulator (DREAM). However, its mechanistic profile in Parkinson's disease (PD) especially its impact on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, mitophagy, and their interconnections is poorly elucidated. This study is the first to examine the neuroprotective potential of repaglinide in rotenone-induced PD in rats by exploring its effects on DREAM, BiP/ATF6/CHOP ER stress pathway, apoptosis, mitophagy/autophagy, oxidative stress, astrogliosis/microgliosis, and neuroinflammation. Male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to four groups: groups 1 and 2 received the vehicle or repaglinide (0.5 mg/kg/day p.o). Groups 3 and 4 received rotenone (1.5 mg/kg/48 h s.c) for 21 days; meanwhile, group 4 additionally received repaglinide (0.5 mg/kg/day p.o) for 15 days starting from day 11. Interestingly, repaglinide lessened striatal ER stress and apoptosis as evidenced by reduced BiP/ATF6/CHOP and caspase-3 levels; however, it augmented striatal DREAM mRNA expression. Repaglinide triggered the expression of the mitophagy marker PINK1 and the autophagy protein beclin1 and alleviated striatal oxidative stress through escalating catalase activity. In addition, repaglinide halted astrocyte/microglial activation and neuroinflammation in the striatum as expressed by reducing glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and ionized calcium-binding adaptor protein 1 (Iba1) immunostaining and decreasing interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β levels. Repaglinide restored striatum morphological alterations, intact neuron count, and neurobehavioral motor performance in rats examined by an open field, grip strength, and footprint gait analysis. Conclusively, repaglinide modulates the DREAM-ER stress BiP/ATF6/CHOP cascade, increases mitophagy/autophagy, inhibits apoptosis, and lessens oxidative stress, astrocyte/microglial activation, and neuroinflammation in PD.

Pharmacological effects of D-Pinitol - A comprehensive review

In recent years, the application of phytochemicals to prevent or treat diseases has received greater attention. These phytochemicals have little or no toxicity against healthy tissues and are thus considered as ideal compounds. An impressive number of modern drugs are obtained from natural sources based on their traditional value. D-Pinitol is a natural compound that is derived from soy and soy products. It is a potentially active molecule that belongs to the class of inositols. D-pinitol has been pharmacologically evaluated for its potent antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, renoprotective, neuroprotective, immunosuppressive, and anti-osteoporotic efficacies. This review is an attempt to validate the plausible pharmacological effects of D-pinitol using various in vivo and in vitro studies. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The consumption of plant-based products has been significantly increased all over the world. The active phytochemicals that are found in plants are stated to have numerous health promoting functions for the treatment of diabetes, cancer, inflammation, cardiac diseases, liver dysfunction, and many other. D-Pinitol is abundantly present in soybeans that possess notable therapeutic activities. Understanding the effects of D-Pinitol would potentially help in applying this compound in clinical research for the treatment of different disorders.

D-Pinitol-Active Natural Product from Carob with Notable Insulin Regulation

Carob is one of the major food trees for peoples of the Mediterranean basin, but it has also been traditionally used for medicinal purposes. Carob contains many nutrients and active natural products, and D-Pinitol is clearly one of the most important of these. D-Pinitol has been reported in dozens of scientific publications and its very diverse medicinal properties are still being studied. Presently, more than thirty medicinal activities of D-Pinitol have been reported. Among these, many publications have reported the strong activities of D-Pinitol as a natural antidiabetic and insulin regulator, but also as an active anti-Alzheimer, anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory, and is also immune- and hepato-protective. In this review, we will present a brief introduction of the nutritional and medicinal importance of Carob, both traditionally and as found by modern research. In the introduction, we will present Carob’s major active natural products. The structures of inositols will be presented with a brief literature summary of their medicinal activities, with special attention to those inositols in Carob, as well as D-Pinitol’s chemical structure and its medicinal and other properties. D-Pinitol antidiabetic and insulin regulation activities will be extensively presented, including its proposed mechanism of action. Finally, a discussion followed by the conclusions and future vision will summarize this article.

The molecular mechanisms of ferroptosis and its role in cardiovascular disease

Ferroptosis is a programmed iron-dependent cell death characterized by accumulation of lipid peroxides (LOOH) and redox disequilibrium. Ferroptosis shows unique characteristics in biology, chemistry, and gene levels, compared to other cell death forms. The metabolic disorder of intracellular LOOH catalyzed by iron causes the inactivity of GPX4, disrupts the redox balance, and triggers cell death. Metabolism of amino acid, iron, and lipid, including associated pathways, is considered as a specific hallmark of ferroptosis. Epidemiological studies and animal experiments have shown that ferroptosis plays an important character in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease such as atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction (MI), ischemia/reperfusion (I/R), heart failure (HF), cardiac hypertrophy, cardiomyopathy, and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). This review systematically summarized the latest research progress on the mechanisms of ferroptosis. Then we report the contribution of ferroptosis in cardiovascular diseases. Finally, we discuss and analyze the therapeutic approaches targeting for ferroptosis associated with cardiovascular diseases.