Asprosin inhibits macrophage lipid accumulation and reduces atherosclerotic burden by up-regulating ABCA1 and ABCG1 expression via the p38/Elk-1 pathway

Background

Asprosin, a newly discovered adipokine, is a C-terminal cleavage product of profibrillin. Asprosin has been reported to participate in lipid metabolism and cardiovascular disease, but its role in atherogenesis remains elusive.

Methods

Asprosin was overexpressed in THP-1 macrophage-derived foam cells and apoE^−/− mice using the lentiviral vector. The expression of relevant molecules was determined by qRT-PCR and/or western blot. The intracellular lipid accumulation was evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography and Oil red O staining. HE and Oil red O staining was employed to assess plaque burden in vivo. Reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) efficiency was measured using [³H]-labeled cholesterol.

Results

Exposure of THP-1 macrophages to oxidized low-density lipoprotein down-regulated asprosin expression. Lentivirus-mediated overexpression of asprosin promoted cholesterol efflux and inhibited lipid accumulation in THP-1 macrophage-derived foam cells. Mechanistic analysis revealed that asprosin overexpression activated p38 and stimulated the phosphorylation of ETS-like transcription factor (Elk-1) at Ser383, leading to Elk-1 nuclear translocation and the transcriptional activation of ATP binding cassette transporters A1 (ABCA1) and ABCG1. Injection of lentiviral vector expressing asprosin diminished atherosclerotic lesion area, increased plaque stability, improved plasma lipid profiles and facilitated RCT in apoE^−/− mice. Asprosin overexpression also increased the phosphorylation of p38 and Elk-1 as well as up-regulated the expression of ABCA1 and ABCG1 in the aortas.

Conclusion

Asprosin inhibits lipid accumulation in macrophages and decreases atherosclerotic burden in apoE^−/− mice by up-regulating ABCA1 and ABCG1 expression via activation of the p38/Elk-1 signaling pathway.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12967-022-03542-0.

Midkine: A multifaceted driver of atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis constitutes the pathological basis of life-threatening events, including heart attack and stroke. Midkine is a heparin-binding growth factor and forms a small protein family with pleiotrophin. Under inflammatory or hypoxic conditions, midkine expression is up-regulated. Upon binding to its receptors, midkine can activate multiple signal pathways to regulate cell survival and migration, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and oncogenesis. Circulating midkine levels are significantly increased in patients with essential hypertension, obesity or severe peripheral artery disease. Importantly, midkine exerts a proatherogenic effect by altering multiple pathophysiological processes involving atherogenesis, including macrophage lipid accumulation, vascular inflammation, neointima formation, insulin resistance and macrophage apoptosis. Midkine represents a potential therapeutic target for atherosclerosis-associated diseases. This review described the structure characteristics, expression patterns and signal transduction pathways of midkine with an emphasis on its role in atherosclerosis.

CTRP12 ameliorates atherosclerosis by promoting cholesterol efflux and inhibiting inflammatory response via the miR-155-5p/LXRα pathway

C1q tumor necrosis factor-related protein 12 (CTRP12), a conserved paralog of adiponectin, is closely associated with cardiovascular disease. However, little is known about its role in atherogenesis. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of CTRP12 on atherosclerosis and explore the underlying mechanisms. Our results showed that lentivirus-mediated CTRP12 overexpression inhibited lipid accumulation and inflammatory response in lipid-laden macrophages. Mechanistically, CTRP12 decreased miR-155-5p levels and then increased its target gene liver X receptor α (LXRα) expression, which increased ATP binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1)- and ABCG1-dependent cholesterol efflux and promoted macrophage polarization to the M2 phenotype. Injection of lentiviral vector expressing CTRP12 decreased atherosclerotic lesion area, elevated plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, promoted reverse cholesterol transport (RCT), and alleviated inflammatory response in apolipoprotein E-deficient (apoE-/-) mice fed a Western diet. Similar to the findings of in vitro experiments, CTRP12 overexpression diminished miR-155-5p levels but increased LXRα, ABCA1, and ABCG1 expression in the aortas of apoE-/- mice. Taken together, these results suggest that CTRP12 protects against atherosclerosis by enhancing RCT efficiency and mitigating vascular inflammation via the miR-155-5p/LXRα pathway. Stimulating CTRP12 production could be a novel approach for reducing atherosclerosis.

[Clinical analysis of 384 cases of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo]

Objective:To study the disease characteristics in cases with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo(BPPV).Method:The characteristics and clinical features of 384 cases with BPPV were retrospectively analyzed,and all cases were treated with repositioning maneuver.The treatment outcomes were observed and analyzed during the follow-up period. Result:①Of the 384 cases,331(86.20%) cases were PC-BPPV, 47(12.24%) cases were HC-BPPV and 3(0.78%) cases were AC-BPPV, 3(0.78%) cases were combined semicircular canal BPPV. ②All cases underwent repositioning maneuver, PC-BBPV cases first efficiency was 93.66%, long-term (six months) efficiency was 96.68%; HC-BBPV cases first efficiency was 91.49%, long-term (six months) efficiency was 95.74%;AC-BPPV cases first efficiency and long-term efficiency were 66.67%;combined semicircular canal BPPV cases first efficiency and long-term efficiency were 66.67%.③Among 331 cases with PC-BBPV, cases diagnosed duct stones accounted for 96.37%,cases diagnosed crest stones accounted for 3.63%. Among 47 cases with HC-BBPV, cases diagnosed duct stones accounted for 78.72%，cases diagnosed crest stones accounted for 21.28%.④During the follow-up of six months,the recurrence rate was 12.76%(49/384). Conclusion:①In BPPV cases of Guangxi,the ratio of male and female,age of onset and the incidence of BPPV in each semicircular canal are consistent with other literatures.Geographical and ethnic factors do not affect the above results.②Repositioning maneuver is an simple and effective treatment for cases with BPPV.③There is higher recurrence rate in cases with BPPV after repositioning maneuver.

[Status and related factors of self-reported pain among working-age population in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region]

Objective: To describe the status and related factors of self-reported pain among working-age population in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (Inner Mongolia). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Data was from the Inner Mongolia fifth health services survey. SPSS 19.0 software package was used for data analysis and χ² test was to compare the prevalence of self-reported pain in population with different characteristics. Unconditional logistic regression model was used to analyze the related factors on self-reported pain. Results: A total of 11 480 working-age population was involved in this survey, with prevalence of self-reported pain among working age population as 12.3%. The prevalence rates of moderate and severe pain were 11.6% and 0.7%, respectively. Results from the unconditional logistic regression analysis showed that, in the economically poor population, the risk of self-reported pain was 1.718 times of the relatively rich people (OR=1.718, 95%CI: 1.381-2.831). In the rural areas, the risk of self-reported pain was higher than that in the urban population (OR=2.506, 95%CI: 2.030-3.092) and people with chronic illnesses had 2.880 times higher risk than those who did not have the diseases (OR=2.880, 95% CI: 2.474-3.352). There was an interaction noticed between gender and age. Women at or above 45 years old were more likely to develop self-report pain (OR=1.300, 95% CI: 1.072-1.577). Again, factors as people who were current or former smokers, who were suffering from anxiety or depression, being skinny etc. appeared as independently related to the self-reported pain. Conclusion: In working age population of Inner Mongolia, a high prevalence of self-reported pain was seen. Data showed that people who were poor, age at 45 or older, having history of smoking, with chronic diseases and anxiety/depression were risk factors related to self-reported pain.

[Determination of trace Sn in geosamples by flow injection on-line co-precipitation hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry]

It is reported that a FI on-line co-precipitation technique for the pre-concentration of trace amount of Sn with the precipitate of Mg(OH)2 as carrier is hyphenated with AFS determination. The co-precipitation is carried out in NaOH medium and the precipitate is collected in a precipitation collector. The precipitate is then dissolved by HCl and reacted with NaBH4, the hydride is transferred directly into the atomizer. The relative standard deviation is 5.15% for 10 determinations of 30 ng.mL-1 Sn and the detection limit of 0.21 ng.g-1 is obtained. The developed method has been applied to the determination of trace Sn in geosamples with satisfactory results.

[Study of surgical instruments contamination by bacteria from air during the operation]

Routinely sterilized surgical instruments were divided into two groups and put on the same instrument table, one group was covered with dressing and the other was exposed to the air. The samples were collected at 30 min, 60 min, and 90 min respectively after operation began and bacterium culture was done. The results showed that the general air contamination rate of the exposed group was 1.18 times higher than that of the covered one. The exposure time had a positive correlation with bacterium contamination rate. This study gave the laboratory evidence for controlling the infection in the operation room.