Thanatogenomic Investigation of the Hydroxymethylome and Mitochondrial Genome of Cadaveric Cardiomyocytes: Proposal for a Proof-of-Concept Study

Targeting PAR-2-driven inflammatory pathways in colorectal cancer: mechanistic insights from atorvastatin and rosuvastatin treatment in cell line models

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a growing health concern globally and in regions such as the United Arab Emirates, where risk factors like obesity and hyperlipidaemia are prevalent. Chronic inflammation, driven by pathways involving protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR-2), plays a pivotal role in CRC progression, creating a tumour-promoting microenvironment. The overexpression of PAR-2 has been associated with increased tumour aggressiveness and drug resistance. While previous studies have focused on broad inflammatory modulation, this study explores the selective targeting of PAR-2 by atorvastatin (ATV) and rosuvastatin (RSV), highlighting their specificity by assessing minimal impact on PAR-1 expression, which serves as a control.

Methods

HT-29 and Caco-2 CRC cell lines were employed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of ATV and RSV. Inflammation was induced with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), followed by treatment with varying concentrations of ATV and RSV. Western blotting and real-time polymerase chain reaction for quantification (qPCR) were performed to quantify PAR-2 and TNF-α at both the protein and mRNA levels. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the secretion of TNF-α. Calcium signalling, which plays a crucial role in inflammation, was analysed using Fluo-4 AM dye, with fluorescence imaging capturing the effects of statin treatment on intracellular calcium influx.

Results

LPS treatment significantly upregulated PAR-2 and TNF-α expression in both cell lines, validating the inflammatory model. Co-treatment with ATV or RSV reduced PAR-2 and TNF-α expression in a dose-dependent manner. The higher concentrations of ATV (50 µg/mL) and RSV (20 µg/mL) produced the most significant reduction in these inflammatory markers at both the protein and mRNA levels. Importantly, the treatment did not substantially alter PAR-1 expression, underlining the specificity of ATV and RSV in modulating PAR-2-mediated pathways. Additionally, statin treatment attenuated LPS-induced calcium influx, with fluorescence intensity decreasing markedly at higher concentrations of both statins.

Conclusions

This study provides novel insights into the selective targeting of PAR-2 by ATV and RSV, distinguishing their effects from PAR-1. The reduction in PAR-2 expression and TNF-α secretion, along with the suppression of calcium signalling, underscores the potential of these statins as targeted anti-inflammatory agents in CRC. The findings highlight the therapeutic value of ATV and RSV in modulating inflammation through PAR-2-specific pathways, which may contribute to reduced cancer progression. These results pave the way for further preclinical and clinical evaluations to explore statins as adjunctive therapies in the management of CRC.

Reconnoitering the Role of Long-Noncoding RNAs in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: A Descriptive Review

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common form of hereditary cardiomyopathy. It is characterized by an unexplained non-dilated hypertrophy of the left ventricle with a conserved or elevated ejection fraction. It is a genetically heterogeneous disease largely caused by variants of genes encoding for cardiac sarcomere proteins, including MYH7, MYBPC3, ACTC1, TPM1, MYL2, MYL3, TNNI3, and TNNT23. Preclinical evidence indicates that the enhanced calcium sensitivity of the myofilaments plays a key role in the pathophysiology of HCM. Notably, this is not always a direct consequence of sarcomeric variations but may also result from secondary mutation-driven alterations. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a large class of transcripts ≥200 nucleotides in length that do not encode proteins. Compared to coding mRNAs, most lncRNAs are not as well-annotated and their functions are greatly unexplored. Nevertheless, increasing evidence shows that lncRNAs are involved in a variety of biological processes and diseases including HCM. Accumulating evidence has indicated that lncRNAs are dysregulated in HCM, and closely related to sarcomere construction, calcium channeling and homeostasis of mitochondria. In this review, we have summarized the known regulatory and functional roles of lncRNAs in HCM.