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Huang W, Zhou P, Zou X, Liu Y, Zhou L, Zhang Y. Emodin ameliorates myocardial fibrosis in mice by inactivating the ROS/PI3K/Akt/mTOR axis. Clin Exp Hypertens 2024; 46:2326022. [PMID: 38507311 DOI: 10.1080/10641963.2024.2326022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Emodin is a traditional medicine that has been shown to exert anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects. Previous research has indicated that emodin can alleviate myocardial remodeling and inhibit myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis. However, the mechanism by which emodin affects myocardial fibrosis (MF) has not yet been elucidated. METHODS Fibroblasts were treated with ANGII, and a mouse model of MF was established by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Cell proliferation was examined by a Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) assay. Dihydroethidium (DHE) was used to measure reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and Masson and Sirius red staining were used to examine changes in collagen fiber levels. PI3K was over-expressed by lentiviral transfection to verify the effect of emodin on the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling axis. Changes in cardiac function in each group were examined by echocardiography. RESULTS Emodin significantly inhibited fibroblast proliferation, decreased intracellular ROS levels, significantly upregulated collagen II expression, downregulated α-SMA expression, and inhibited PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway activation in vitro. Moreover, the in vivo results were consistent with the in vitro. Emodin significantly decreased ROS levels in heart tissue and reduced collagen fibrillogenesis. Emodin could regulate the activity of PI3K to increase the expression of collagen II and downregulate α-SMA expression in part through the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, and emodin significantly improved cardiac structure and function in mice. CONCLUSIONS This study revealed that emodin targeted the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway to inhibit the development of myocardial fibrosis and may be an antifibrotic agent for the treatment of cardiac fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Huang
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, P.R.China
| | - Peiting Zhou
- Department of biomedical engineer, General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, P.R.China
| | - Xinyun Zou
- Department of Oncology, General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, P.R.China
| | - Yunchuan Liu
- Department of biomedical engineer, General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, P.R.China
| | - Longfu Zhou
- Department of biomedical engineer, General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, P.R.China
| | - Yaolei Zhang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, P.R.China
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Luo S, Huang X, Li S, Chen Y, Zhang X, Zeng X. Homogeneous Polyporus polysaccharide exerts anti-bladder cancer effects via autophagy induction. Pharm Biol 2024; 62:214-221. [PMID: 38353262 PMCID: PMC10868468 DOI: 10.1080/13880209.2024.2316195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
CONTEXT Polyporus polysaccharide (PPS), the leading bioactive ingredient extracted from Polyporus umbellatus (Pers.) Fr. (Polyporaceae), has been demonstrated to exert anti-bladder cancer and immunomodulatory functions in macrophages. OBJECTIVE To explore the effects of homogeneous Polyporus polysaccharide (HPP) on the proliferation and autophagy of bladder cancer cells co-cultured with macrophages. MATERIALS AND METHODS MB49 bladder cancer cells and RAW264.7 macrophages were co-cultured with or without HPP intervention (50, 100, or 200 μg/mL) for 24 h. The cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and 5-ethynyl-2″-deoxyuridine (EdU) staining evaluated MB49 cell proliferation. Monodansylcadaverine (MDC) staining and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observed autophagosomes. Western blotting detected the expression levels of autophagy-related proteins and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway proteins. RESULTS HPP inhibited the proliferation of MB49 cells co-cultured with RAW264.7 cells but not MB49 cells alone. HPP altered the expression of autophagy-related proteins and promoted the formation of autophagosomes in MB49 cells in the co-culture system. Autophagy inhibitors 3-methyladenine (3-MA) and chloroquine (CQ) not only antagonized HPP-induced autophagy but also attenuated the inhibitory effects of HPP on MB49 cell proliferation in the co-culture system. HPP or RAW264.7 alone was not sufficient to induce autophagy in MB49 cells. In addition, HPP suppressed the protein expression of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in MB49 cells in the co-culture system. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS HPP induced bladder cancer cell autophagy by regulating macrophages in the co-culture system, resulting in the inhibition of cancer cell proliferation. The PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway was involved in HPP-induced autophagy in the co-culture system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siwan Luo
- The Second Clinical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Dampness Syndrome of Chinese Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaopeng Huang
- The Second Clinical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Dampness Syndrome of Chinese Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shiqi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Dampness Syndrome of Chinese Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuwen Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Dampness Syndrome of Chinese Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xian Zhang
- The Second Clinical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Dampness Syndrome of Chinese Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xing Zeng
- The Second Clinical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Dampness Syndrome of Chinese Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
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Qiao J, Liu S, Huang Y, Zhu X, Xue C, Wang Y, Xiong H, Yao J. Glycolysis-non-canonical glutamine dual-metabolism regulation nanodrug enhanced the phototherapy effect for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma treatment. J Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 665:477-490. [PMID: 38429120 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.02.141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
Clinical pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) treatment is severely limited by lack of effective KRAS suppression strategies. To address this dilemma, a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive and PDAC-targeted nanodrug named Z/B-PLS was constructed to confront KRAS through dual-blockade of its downstream PI3K/AKT/mTOR and RAF/MEK/ERK for enhanced PDAC treatment. Specifically, photosensitizer zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) and PI3K/mTOR inhibitor BEZ235 (BEZ) were co-loaded into PLS which was constructed by click chemistry conjugating MEK inhibitor selumetinib (SEL) to low molecular weight heparin with ROS-responsive oxalate bond. The BEZ and SEL blocked PI3K/AKT/mTOR and RAF/MEK/ERK respectively to remodel glycolysis and non-canonical glutamine metabolism. ZnPc mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) could enhance drug release through ROS generation, further facilitating KRAS downstream dual-blockade to create treatment-promoting drug delivery-therapeutic positive feedback. Benefiting from this broad metabolic modulation cascade, the metabolic symbiosis between normoxic and hypoxic tumor cells was also cut off simultaneously and effective tumor vascular normalization effects could be achieved. As a result, PDT was dramatically promoted through glycolysis-non-canonical glutamine dual-metabolism regulation, achieving complete elimination of tumors in vivo. Above all, this study achieved effective multidimensional metabolic modulation based on integrated smart nanodrug delivery, helping overcome the therapeutic challenges posed by KRAS mutations of PDAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianan Qiao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Pharmaceutics, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing 211198, PR China
| | - Shuhui Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Pharmaceutics, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing 211198, PR China
| | - Yanfeng Huang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Pharmaceutics, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing 211198, PR China
| | - Xiang Zhu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Pharmaceutics, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing 211198, PR China
| | - Chenyang Xue
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Pharmaceutics, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing 211198, PR China
| | - Yan Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Pharmaceutics, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing 211198, PR China
| | - Hui Xiong
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Pharmaceutics, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing 211198, PR China.
| | - Jing Yao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Pharmaceutics, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing 211198, PR China.
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Kang WC, Lee YS, Park K, Kong CH, Jeon M, Kim MS, Jung SY, Choi JH, Ryu JH. Paeonol alleviates postmenopause-induced neuropsychiatric symptoms through the modulation of GPR30 in ovariectomized mice. J Ethnopharmacol 2024; 327:118063. [PMID: 38493906 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.118063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE The Moutan cortex (MC), the root bark of Paeonia suffruticosa Anderws (Paeoniaceae), has been historically employed in traditional herbal medicine for addressing women's ailments by replenishing kidney Yin. AIM OF THE STUDY We aimed to explore if paeonol, an active constituent of MC, could ameliorate neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, and cognitive impairments, associated with post-menopausal syndrome (PMS) in an ovariectomized (OVX) mouse model. MATERIALS AND METHODS The experimental design comprised 6 groups, including a sham group, OVX group, paeonol administration groups (3, 10 or 30 mg/kg, p.o.), and an estradiol (E2)-treated positive control group. Behavioral tests including the open field, novel object recognition, Y-maze, elevated plus-maze, splash, and forced swimming tests were conducted. In addition, we investigated the effets of paeonol on the phosphorylated levels of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), Akt, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), as well as on the expression levels of G protein-coupled receptor (GPR30) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. RESULTS Paeonol treatment (10 and 30 mg/kg, p.o.) effectively reversed the cognitive decline in OVX mice, measured by the novel object recognition and Y-maze tests, similar to that in the positive control group. Additionally, it alleviated anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors, as evaluated by the elevated plus-maze test, splash test, and forced swimming test. Paeonol restored GPR30 expression levels in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, mirroring the effects of E2 administration. Furthermore, it reversed the reduced expression levels of the PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling pathway in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus and increased BDNF expression in the hippocampus of OVX mice. CONCLUSION This research suggests that paeonol would be beneficial for alleviating PMS-associated cognitive impairment, anxiety and depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Woo Chang Kang
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong Seung Lee
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Keontae Park
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Chang Hyeon Kong
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Mijin Jeon
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Min Seo Kim
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Seo Yun Jung
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung Hye Choi
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea; Department of Oriental Pharmaceutical Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong Hoon Ryu
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea; Department of Oriental Pharmaceutical Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea.
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Qin H, Yu M, Han N, Zhu M, Li X, Zhou J. Antidepressant effects of esketamine via the BDNF/AKT/mTOR pathway in mice with postpartum depression and their offspring. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2024; 132:110992. [PMID: 38484929 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2024.110992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a serious mental health problem that can negatively affect future generations. BDNF/AKT/mTOR signaling in the frontal lobe and hippocampus in mice is associated with depression, but its role in mice with PPD and their offspring is unknown. This study was aimed at investigating the effects of esketamine (ESK), a drug approved for treatment of refractory depression, on the BDNF/AKT/mTOR pathway in mice with PPD and their offspring. A model of chronic unpredictable mild stress with pregnancy was used. ESK was injected into postpartum mice, and behavioral tests were conducted to predict the severity of symptoms at the end of lactation and in the offspring after adulthood. Both mice with PPD and their offspring showed significant anxiety- and depression-like behaviors that were ameliorated with the ESK intervention. ESK enhanced exploratory behavior in unfamiliar environments, increased the preference for sucrose, and ameliorated the impaired BDNF/AKT/mTOR signaling in the frontal and hippocampal regions in mice. Thus, ESK may have great potential in treating PPD and decreasing the incidence of depression in offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Qin
- Department of Anesthesiology, Shengjing Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Miao Yu
- Department of Science Experiment Center, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Nianjiao Han
- Department of Anesthesiology, Shengjing Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Meilin Zhu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Shengjing Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Xia Li
- Department of Gynecology, The First Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
| | - Jing Zhou
- Department of Anesthesiology, Shengjing Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
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Chen X, Cao Y, Guo Y, Liu J, Ye X, Li H, Zhang L, Feng W, Xian S, Yang Z, Wang L, Wang T. microRNA-125b-1-3p mediates autophagy via the RRAGD/mTOR/ULK1 signaling pathway and mitigates atherosclerosis progression. Cell Signal 2024; 118:111136. [PMID: 38471617 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2024.111136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Atherosclerosis is characterised by lipid accumulation and formation of foam cells in arterial walls. Dysregulated autophagy is a crucial factor in atherosclerosis development. The significance of microRNA (miR)-125b-1-3p in cardiovascular disease is well-established; however, its precise role in regulating autophagy and impact on atherosclerosis in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) remain unclear. Here, we observed reduced autophagic activity and decreased miR-125b expression during atherosclerosis progression. miR-125b-1-3p overexpression significantly reduced atherosclerotic plaque development in mice; it also led to decreased lipid uptake and deposition in VSMCs, enhanced autophagy, and suppression of smooth muscle cell phenotypic changes in-vitro. An interaction between miR-125b-1-3p and the RRAGD/mTOR/ULK1 pathway was revealed, elucidating its role in promoting autophagy. Therefore, miR-125b-1-3p plays a pivotal role in enhancing autophagic processes, inhibiting foam cell formation in VSMCs and mitigating atherosclerosis progression, partly through RRAGD/mTOR/ULK1 signaling axis modulation. Thus, miR-125b-1-3p is a promising target for preventive and therapeutic strategies for atherosclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Chen
- Dongguan Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Dongguan, China; Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndromes, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China; Lingnan Medical Research Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yanhong Cao
- Dongguan Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Dongguan, China; Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndromes, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China; Lingnan Medical Research Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yining Guo
- Dongguan Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Dongguan, China; Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndromes, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China; Lingnan Medical Research Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndromes, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China; Lingnan Medical Research Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaohan Ye
- Dongguan Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Dongguan, China; Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Huan Li
- Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndromes, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China; Lingnan Medical Research Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lu Zhang
- Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndromes, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China; Lingnan Medical Research Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenwei Feng
- Dongguan Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Dongguan, China; Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shaoxiang Xian
- Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndromes, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China; Lingnan Medical Research Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhongqi Yang
- Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndromes, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China; Lingnan Medical Research Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lingjun Wang
- Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndromes, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China; Lingnan Medical Research Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Ting Wang
- Dongguan Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Dongguan, China; Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
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Cao X, Zheng S, Zeng Y, Shi Y, Du J, Huang C, Shen Y, Liu P, Guo X, Gao X. Effects of chronic Cr and Ni co-exposure on liver inflammation and autophagy in mice by regulating the TLR4/mTOR pathway. Sci Total Environ 2024; 926:171921. [PMID: 38522525 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2024] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Exposure to Cr and/or Ni can have widespread implications on the environment and health. However, the specific toxic effects of chronic Cr and Ni co-exposure on mice liver have not been reported. To ascertain the combined toxic effects of chronic Cr and Ni co-exposure on liver damage in mice, 80 6-week-old female C57BL/6 J mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: the Con group, Cr group (Cr+6 50 mg/L), Ni group (Ni+2 110 mg/L), and Cr + Ni group (Cr+6 50 mg/L + Ni+2 110 mg/L). The trial period lasted for 16 weeks. The results showed that Cr+6 and/or Ni+2 increased liver weight and liver index (P < 0.05) in mice, caused histological abnormality and ultrastructural damage, and micronutrients imbalance in mice liver. These findings serve as the basis for subsequent experiments. Compared with the individual exposure group, chronic Cr and Ni co-exposure resulted in decreased levels and activities of ALT, AST, MDA, T-AOC, and T-SOD (P < 0.05) in liver tissue, and decreased the mRNA expression levels of the TLR4/mTOR pathway related factors (TLR4, TRAM, TRIF, TBK-1, IRF-3, MyD88, IRAK-4, TRAF6, TAK-1, IKKβ, NF-κB, IL-1β, IL-6, TNFα, ULK1, Beclin 1, LC3) (P < 0.05) and decreased the protein expression levels of the factors (TLR4, MyD88, TRAF6, NF-κB p50, IL-6, TNFα, ULK1, LC3II/LC3I) (P < 0.05). Moreover, factorial analysis revealed the interaction between Cr and Ni, which was manifested as antagonistic effects on Cr concentration, Ni concentration, and TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB, mTOR, LC3, and p62 mRNA expression levels. In conclusion, the TLR4/mTOR pathway as a mechanism through which chronic Cr and Ni co-exposure induce liver inflammation and autophagy in mice, and there was an antagonistic effect between Cr and Ni. The above results provided a theoretical basis for understanding the underlying processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianhong Cao
- Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Animal Health, Institute of Animal Population Health, College of Animal Science and Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China; Ganzhou Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Research Institute, Gannan Academy of Sciences, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China
| | - Shuangyan Zheng
- Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Animal Health, Institute of Animal Population Health, College of Animal Science and Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Yizhou Zeng
- Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Animal Health, Institute of Animal Population Health, College of Animal Science and Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Yan Shi
- School of Computer and Information Engineering, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Jun Du
- Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Animal Health, Institute of Animal Population Health, College of Animal Science and Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Cheng Huang
- Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Animal Health, Institute of Animal Population Health, College of Animal Science and Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Yufan Shen
- Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Animal Health, Institute of Animal Population Health, College of Animal Science and Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Ping Liu
- Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Animal Health, Institute of Animal Population Health, College of Animal Science and Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Xiaoquan Guo
- Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Animal Health, Institute of Animal Population Health, College of Animal Science and Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Xiaona Gao
- Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Animal Health, Institute of Animal Population Health, College of Animal Science and Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
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Wang Z, Huang PE, Wang N, Zhang Q, Kang J, Fang Y, Ning B, Li L. β-asarone inhibits autophagy by activating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in a rat model of depression in Parkinson's disease. Behav Brain Res 2024; 465:114966. [PMID: 38518853 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.114966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE It is unclear whether β-asarone has a good antidepressant effect and what is the main mechanism in Depression in Parkinson's disease (DPD) model rats. METHODS In this study, DPD model rats were screened from 6-OHDA induced rats by sucrose preference test (SPT) and forced swimming test (FST). DPD model rats were divided into eight groups: model group, pramipexole group, β-asarone low-dose group (β-asarone 7.5 group), β-asarone medium-dose group (β-asarone 15 group), β-asarone high-dose group (β-asarone 30 group), 3-MA group, rapamycin group, and PI3K inhibitor group. 28 days after the end of treatment, open field test (OFT), SPT and FST were conducted in rats. The level of α-synuclein (α-syn) in the striatum was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression of Beclin-1, p62 in the striatum was determined by western blot. The expression of PI3K, p-PI3K, Akt, p-Akt, mTOR, p-mTOR, Beclin-1, and p62 in the hippocampus was determined by western blot. The spine density of neurons in the hippocampus was detected by golgi staining. RESULTS The results showed that 4-week oral administration of β-asarone improve the motor and depressive symptoms of DPD model rats, and decrease the content of α-syn in the striatum. β-asarone inhibited the expression of autophagy in the striatum of DPD model rats. Furthermore, β-asarone decreased the levels of Beclin-1 protein, increased the expression of p62, p-PI3K, p-AKT, and p-mTOR, and improved the density of neuron dendritic spine in the hippocampus. CONCLUSIONS We concluded that β-asarone might improve the behavior of DPD model rats by activating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, inhibiting autophagy and protecting neuron.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhifang Wang
- Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ping-E Huang
- Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Nanbu Wang
- Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China; The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | | | - Jian Kang
- Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yongqi Fang
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Baile Ning
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Ling Li
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
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Rhouma MB, Venditti M, Haddadi A, Knani L, Chouchene L, Boughammoura S, Reiter RJ, Minucci S, Messaoudi I. Melatonin counteracts cadmium-induced rat testicular toxicity via the mechanistic target rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. J Exp Zool A Ecol Integr Physiol 2024; 341:470-482. [PMID: 38433718 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
The protective action of melatonin (MLT) against the harmful effects of cadmium (Cd) on testicular activity in rats has been documented previously; however, the involved molecular mechanisms have yet to be elucidated. Herein, we investigate the involvement of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) on the ability of MLT to counteract the damage induced by Cd on the rat testicular activity. Our study confirmed that Cd has harmful effects on the testes of rats and the protective action exerted by MLT. We reported, for the first time, that the addition of rapamycin (Rapa), a specific mTOR inhibitor, to animals co-treated with Cd and MLT completely abolished the beneficial effects exerted by MLT, indicating that the mTOR pathway partially modulates its helpful effects on Cd testicular toxicity. Interestingly, Rapa-alone treatment, provoking mTOR inhibition, produced altered morphological parameters, increased autophagy of germ and somatic cells, and reduced serum testosterone concentration. In addition, mTOR inhibition also reduced protein levels of markers of steroidogenesis (3β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase) and blood-testis barrier integrity (occludin and connexin 43). Finally, Rapa altered sperm parameters as well as the ability of mature spermatozoa to perform a proper acrosome reaction. Although further investigation is needed to better clarify the molecular pathway involved in MLT action, we confirm that MLT alleviating Cd effects can be used as a supplement to enhance testicular function and improve male gamete quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariem B Rhouma
- Laboratoire LR11ES41 Génétique Biodiversité et Valorisation des Bio-ressourcés, Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie de Monastir, Université de Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia
| | - Massimo Venditti
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Sez. Fisiologia Umana e Funzioni Biologiche Integrate "F. Bottazzi", Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Napoli, Italy
| | - Asma Haddadi
- Laboratoire LR11ES41 Génétique Biodiversité et Valorisation des Bio-ressourcés, Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie de Monastir, Université de Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia
| | - Latifa Knani
- Laboratoire LR11ES41 Génétique Biodiversité et Valorisation des Bio-ressourcés, Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie de Monastir, Université de Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia
| | - Lina Chouchene
- Laboratoire LR11ES41 Génétique Biodiversité et Valorisation des Bio-ressourcés, Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie de Monastir, Université de Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia
| | - Sana Boughammoura
- Laboratoire LR11ES41 Génétique Biodiversité et Valorisation des Bio-ressourcés, Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie de Monastir, Université de Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia
| | - Russel J Reiter
- Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Sergio Minucci
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Sez. Fisiologia Umana e Funzioni Biologiche Integrate "F. Bottazzi", Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Napoli, Italy
| | - Imed Messaoudi
- Laboratoire LR11ES41 Génétique Biodiversité et Valorisation des Bio-ressourcés, Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie de Monastir, Université de Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia
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10
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Aljaibeji H, Heydarpour M, Stanton AM, Williams JS, Pojoga LH, Romero JR, Williams GH. Role of Raptor Gene Variants in Hypertension: Influence on Blood Pressure Independent of Salt Intake in White Population. Hypertension 2024; 81:1167-1177. [PMID: 38497230 PMCID: PMC11023780 DOI: 10.1161/hypertensionaha.123.22273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) is an essential regulator of fundamental biological processes. mTOR forms 2 distinct complexes, mTORC1 (mTOR complex 1) when it binds with RAPTOR (Regulatory-associated Protein of mTOR) and mTORC2 (mTOR complex 2) when it associates with RICTOR (Rapamycin-insesitive companion of mTOR). Due to the previous link between the mTOR pathway, aldosterone, and blood pressure (BP), we anticipated that variants in the mTOR complex might be associated with salt-sensitive BP. METHODS BP and other parameters were assessed after a one-week liberal Na+ (200 mmol/d) and a one-week restricted Na+ (10 mmol/d) diet in 608 White subjects from the Hypertensive Pathotype cohort, single-nucleotide variants in MTOR, RPTOR, and RICTOR genes were obtained for candidate genes analyses. RESULTS The analysis revealed a significant association between a single nucleotide variants within the RPTOR gene and BP. Individuals carrying the RPTOR rs9901846 homozygous risk allele (AA) and heterozygous risk allele (GA) exhibited a 5 mm Hg increase in systolic BP on a liberal diet compared with nonrisk allele individuals (GG), but only in women. This single nucleotide variants effect was more pronounced on the restricted diet and present in both sexes, with AA carriers having a 9 mm Hg increase and GA carriers having a 5 mm Hg increase in systolic BP compared with GG. Interestingly, there were no significant associations between MTOR or RICTOR gene variants and BP. CONCLUSIONS The RPTOR gene variation is associated with elevated BP in White participants, regardless of salt intake, specifically in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayat Aljaibeji
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (H.A., M.H., A.M.S., J.S.W., L.H.P., J.R.R., G.H.W.)
| | - Mahyar Heydarpour
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (H.A., M.H., A.M.S., J.S.W., L.H.P., J.R.R., G.H.W.)
| | - Ana Maria Stanton
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (H.A., M.H., A.M.S., J.S.W., L.H.P., J.R.R., G.H.W.)
| | - Jonathan S Williams
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (H.A., M.H., A.M.S., J.S.W., L.H.P., J.R.R., G.H.W.)
| | - Luminita H Pojoga
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (H.A., M.H., A.M.S., J.S.W., L.H.P., J.R.R., G.H.W.)
| | - Jose R Romero
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (H.A., M.H., A.M.S., J.S.W., L.H.P., J.R.R., G.H.W.)
| | - Gordon H Williams
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (H.A., M.H., A.M.S., J.S.W., L.H.P., J.R.R., G.H.W.)
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11
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Liao J, Yang Z, Azarbarzin S, Cullen KJ, Dan H. Differential modulation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR activity by EGFR inhibitors: A rationale for co-targeting EGFR and PI3K in cisplatin-resistant HNSCC. Head Neck 2024; 46:1126-1135. [PMID: 38429897 PMCID: PMC11003831 DOI: 10.1002/hed.27718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE To find a new strategy to treat cisplatin-resistant head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), we investigated the effects of EGFR inhibitors on the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway and determined the efficacy of EGFR inhibitors in combination with PI3K inhibitors to suppress cell proliferation in cisplatin-resistant-HNSCC. METHODS The cisplatin-resistant HNSCC cell lines were treated with four FDA approved EGFR inhibitors, which included Gefitinb or Erlotinib alone, or in combination with the pan-PI3K inhibitor, BKM120. Phosphorylation and total protein levels of cells were assessed by Western blot analysis. Cell proliferation was examined by MTS assay. Apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry. RESULTS Cisplatin-resistant HNSCC cells were also resistant to EGFR inhibitors. However, a combination of EGFR inhibitors with PI3K inhibitor BKM120 dramatically improved the efficacy of EGFR inhibitors to inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis. Furthermore, treatment with EGFR inhibitors differentially affected the phosphorylation of Akt and mTOR, which included partial inhibition, no inhibition, and induction. A combination of EGFR inhibitors and BKM120 completely blocked phosphorylation of EGFR, Akt, and S6K (an mTOR target). CONCLUSION Our data provided a rationale for EGFR inhibitors in combination with PI3K inhibitors to treat cisplatin-resistant HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jipei Liao
- University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Zejia Yang
- University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Shirin Azarbarzin
- University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kevin J. Cullen
- University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Hancai Dan
- University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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12
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Su L, Zhao C, Sun B, Dou L, Wang C, Yang Z, Li T, Jin Y. Effects of exercise on muscle fiber conversion, muscle development and meat quality of Sunit sheep. Meat Sci 2024; 211:109440. [PMID: 38324956 DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2024.109440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the effects of exercise on muscle fiber conversion, muscle development and meat quality in the biceps femoris (BF) muscle of Sunit sheep. Twelve Sunit sheep with similar body weight were divided into two groups: control group (C group) and exercise group (E group), E group lambs underwent 6 km of exercise training per day for 90 d. The findings revealed that compared with the C group, exercise training enhanced the expression of MyHC IIa mRNA, decreased the number ratio of type IIB muscle fibers and the expression of MyHC IIb mRNA (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the E group lamb displayed higher creatine kinase (CK) activity, and lactic acid levels (P < 0.05), while glycogen content and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) activity showed opposite trends (P < 0.05). Exercise significantly up-regulated the mRNA expression of AMP-activated protein kinase α1 (AMPKα1), sirtuin1 (SIRT1), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-α (PGC-1α), cytochrome c oxidase IV (COX IV), protein kinase B (Akt), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and p70 Ribosomal S6 Kinase 1 (p70s6k1) (P < 0.05), suggesting exercise promoted muscle fiber conversion by mediating AMPK/PGC-1α pathway, and improved skeletal muscle development via Akt/mTOR pathway. Besides, backfat thickness and pH45min value in the E group decreased significantly, while the pH24, a*, and shear force value increased significantly (P < 0.05). To conclude, this study suggested that exercise training can be used to alter muscle fiber characteristics and muscle development in lamb production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Su
- Department of Food Science, College of Food Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China; Integrative Research Base of Beef and Lamb Processing Technology, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
| | - Congying Zhao
- Department of Food Science, College of Food Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China; Integrative Research Base of Beef and Lamb Processing Technology, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
| | - Bing Sun
- Saihan District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hohhot 010010, China
| | - Lu Dou
- Department of Food Science, College of Food Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China; Integrative Research Base of Beef and Lamb Processing Technology, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
| | - Chenlei Wang
- Department of Food Science, College of Food Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China; Integrative Research Base of Beef and Lamb Processing Technology, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
| | - Zhihao Yang
- Department of Food Science, College of Food Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China; Integrative Research Base of Beef and Lamb Processing Technology, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
| | - Tianle Li
- Department of Food Science, College of Food Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China; Integrative Research Base of Beef and Lamb Processing Technology, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
| | - Ye Jin
- Department of Food Science, College of Food Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China; Integrative Research Base of Beef and Lamb Processing Technology, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China.
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13
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Niu Z, Zhou Y, Liang M, Su F, Guo Q, Jing J, Xie J, Zhang D, Liu X. Crosstalk between ALK3(BMPR1A) deficiency and autophagy signaling mitigates pathological bone loss in osteoporosis. Bone 2024; 182:117052. [PMID: 38408588 DOI: 10.1016/j.bone.2024.117052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Postmenopausal osteoporosis is recognized to be one of the major skeleton diseases strongly associated with impaired bone formation. Previous reports have indicated that the importance of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling of osteoblast lineage in bone development via classical Smad signaling, however, its critical role in osteoporosis is still not well understood. In the current study, we aim to investigate the pathological role of BMPR1A, a key receptor of BMPs, in osteoporosis and its underlying mechanism. We first found that knockdown of BMPR1A by using Col1a1-creER in osteoblasts mitigated early bone loss of osteoporosis in mice, yet along with late bone maturation defects by reducing mineral adherence rate and bone formation rate in vivo. At the cellular level, we then observed that BMPR1A deficiency promoted the proliferation of pre-osteoblasts under osteoporotic conditions but hindered their late-stage mineralization. We finally elucidated that BMPR1A deficiency compensatorily triggered mTOR-autophagy perturbation by a higher level in early osteoporotic pre-osteoblasts thus resulting in the enhancement of transient cell proliferation but impairment of final mineralization. Taken together, this study indicated the significance of BMPR1A-mTOR/autophagy axis, as a double-edged sword, in osteoporotic bone formation and provided new cues for therapeutic strategies in osteoporosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhixing Niu
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Yumeng Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; Institute of Biomedical Engineering, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Sichuan, China
| | - Muchun Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; Institute of Biomedical Engineering, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Sichuan, China
| | - Fuqiang Su
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; Institute of Biomedical Engineering, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Sichuan, China
| | - Qiang Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Junjun Jing
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Jing Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
| | - Demao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; Institute of Biomedical Engineering, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Sichuan, China.
| | - Xiaoheng Liu
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Sichuan, China
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Huang YP, Yeh CA, Ma YS, Chen PY, Lai KC, Lien JC, Hsieh WT. PW06 suppresses cancer cell metastasis in human pancreatic carcinoma MIA PaCa-2 cells via the inhibitions of p-Akt/mTOR/NF-κB and MMP2/MMP9 signaling pathways in vitro. Environ Toxicol 2024; 39:2768-2781. [PMID: 38264921 DOI: 10.1002/tox.24143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
PW06 [(E)-3-(9-ethyl-9H-carbazol-3-yl)-1-(2,5-dimethoxyphenyl) prop-2-en-1-one], a kind of the carbazole derivative containing chalcone moiety, induced cell apoptosis in human pancreatic carcinoma in vitro. There is no investigation to show that PW06 inhibits cancer cell metastasis in human pancreatic carcinoma in vitro. Herein, PW06 (0.1-0.8 μM) significantly exists in the antimetastatic activities of human pancreatic carcinoma MIA PaCa-2 cells in vitro. Wound healing assay shows PW06 at 0.2 μM suppressed cell mobility by 7.45 and 16.55% at 6 and 24 hours of treatments. PW06 at 0.1 and 0.2 μM reduced cell mobility by 14.72 and 21.8% for 48 hours of treatment. Transwell chamber assay indicated PW06 (0.1-0.2 μM) suppressed the cell migration (decreased 26.67-35.42%) and invasion (decreased 48.51-68.66%). Atomic force microscopy assay shows PW06 (0.2 μM) significantly changed the shape of cell morphology. The gelatin zymography assay indicates PW06 decreased MMP2's and MMP9's activities at 48 hours of treatment. Western blotting assay further confirms PW06 reduced levels of MMP2 and MMP9 and increased protein expressions of EGFR, SOS1, and Ras. PW06 also increased the p-JNK, p-ERK, and p-p38. PW06 increased the expression of PI3K, PTEN, Akt, GSK3α/β, and E-cadherin. Nevertheless, results also show PW06 decreased p-Akt, mTOR, NF-κB, p-GSK3β, β-catenin, Snail, N-cadherin, and vimentin in MIA PaCa-2 cells. The confocal laser microscopy examination shows PW06 increased E-cadherin but decreased vimentin in MIA PaCa-2 cells. Together, our findings strongly suggest that PW06 inhibited the p-Akt/mTOR/NF-κB/MMPs pathways, increased E-cadherin, and decreased N-cadherin/vimentin, suppressing the migration and invasion in MIA PaCa-2 cells in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Ping Huang
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Chun-An Yeh
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Shih Ma
- School of Chinese Medicine for Post-Baccalaureate, College of Medicine, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- Department of Chinese Medicine, E-Da Cancer Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Po-Yuan Chen
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, College of Life Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Kuang-Chi Lai
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, College of Medical Technology, Chung Hwa University of Medical Technology, Tainan, Taiwan
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Jin-Cherng Lien
- School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Tsong Hsieh
- Chinese Medicine Research Center, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
- Department of Pharmacology, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
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15
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Li Y, Liu J, Yao D, Guo Z, Jiang X, Zhang C, Qu L, Liu Y, Hu Y, Gao L, Wang Y, Xu Y. Elevated aerobic glycolysis driven by p62-mTOR axis promotes arsenic-induced oncogenic phenotypes in human mammary epithelial cells. Arch Toxicol 2024; 98:1369-1381. [PMID: 38485781 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-024-03709-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
Chronic arsenic exposure is considered to increase the risk of breast cancer. p62 is a multifunctional adaptor protein that controls myriad cellular processes and is overexpressed in breast cancer tissues. Although previous studies have indicated the involvement of p62 accumulation in arsenic tumorigenesis, the underlying mechanism remains obscure. Here, we found that 0.1 µM or 0.5 µM arsenite exposure for 24 weeks induced oncogenic phenotypes in human mammary epithelial cells. Elevated aerobic glycolysis, cell proliferation capacity, and activation of p62-mTOR pathway, as indicated by increased protein levels of p62, phosphorylated-mTOR (p-mTOR) and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α), were observed in chronically arsenite-exposed cells, and of note in advance of the onset of oncogenic phenotypes. Moreover, p62 silencing inhibited acquisition of oncogenic phenotypes in arsenite-exposed cells. The protein levels of p-mTOR and HIF1α, as well as aerobic glycolysis and cell proliferation, were suppressed by p62 knockdown. In addition, re-activation of p‑mTOR reversed the inhibitory effects of p62 knockdown. Collectively, our data suggest that p62 exerts an oncogenic role via mTORC1 activation and acts as a key player in glucose metabolism during arsenite-induced malignant transformation, which provides a new mechanistic clue for the arsenite carcinogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongfang Li
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Stress and Chronic Disease Control & Prevention (China Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Toxic and Biological Effects of Arsenic (China Medical University), Liaoning Province, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiao Liu
- School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Dianqi Yao
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Stress and Chronic Disease Control & Prevention (China Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Toxic and Biological Effects of Arsenic (China Medical University), Liaoning Province, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Zijun Guo
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Stress and Chronic Disease Control & Prevention (China Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Toxic and Biological Effects of Arsenic (China Medical University), Liaoning Province, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Xuheng Jiang
- School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Chengwen Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Stress and Chronic Disease Control & Prevention (China Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Toxic and Biological Effects of Arsenic (China Medical University), Liaoning Province, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Litong Qu
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Stress and Chronic Disease Control & Prevention (China Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Toxic and Biological Effects of Arsenic (China Medical University), Liaoning Province, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuyan Liu
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, the Fourth Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuxin Hu
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Stress and Chronic Disease Control & Prevention (China Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Toxic and Biological Effects of Arsenic (China Medical University), Liaoning Province, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Lanyue Gao
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Stress and Chronic Disease Control & Prevention (China Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Toxic and Biological Effects of Arsenic (China Medical University), Liaoning Province, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi Wang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Stress and Chronic Disease Control & Prevention (China Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Toxic and Biological Effects of Arsenic (China Medical University), Liaoning Province, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuanyuan Xu
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Stress and Chronic Disease Control & Prevention (China Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shenyang, People's Republic of China.
- School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China.
- Key Laboratory of Toxic and Biological Effects of Arsenic (China Medical University), Liaoning Province, Shenyang, People's Republic of China.
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Salaün H, Djerroudi L, Haik L, Schnitzler A, Bataillon G, Deniziaut G, Bièche I, Vincent‐Salomon A, Debled M, Cottu P. The prognosis of patients treated with everolimus for advanced ER-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer is driven by molecular features. J Pathol Clin Res 2024; 10:e12372. [PMID: 38563252 PMCID: PMC10985771 DOI: 10.1002/2056-4538.12372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Everolimus is widely used in patients with advanced ER-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. We looked at alterations in the PIK3CA/AKT/mTOR pathway in a multicenter cohort as potential biomarkers of efficacy. Patients with advanced ER-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer treated with everolimus and endocrine therapy between 2012 and 2014 in two cancer centers were included. Targeted sequencing examined mutations in PIK3CA, ESR1, and AKT1 genes. An immunochemical analysis was conducted to evaluate expression of PTEN, INPP4B, STK11, p4EBP1, and pS6. We analyzed 71 patients (44 primary tumors; 27 metastatic tissues). Median age was 63 years [58-69]. All patients had heavily pretreated advanced disease. A mutation in the PIK3CA pathway was observed in 32 samples (PIK3CA exons 10 and 21 and AKT1 exon 4 in 15.5%, 24.0%, and 5.6% of samples), and in ESR1 in 5 samples (7.0%), respectively. Most samples showed cytoplasmic expression of the PIK3CA pathway proteins. Progression-free survival was longer in patients with a pS6 or p4EBP1 histoscore ≥ median value (6.6 versus 3.7 months, p = 0.037), and in patients with a PTEN histoscore ≤ median value (7.1 versus 5.3 months, p = 0.02). Overall survival was longer in patients with pS6 ≥ 3rd quartile (27.6 versus 19.3 months, p = 0.038) and in patients with any mutation in the PIK3CA/AKT/mTOR pathway (27.6 versus 19.3 months, p = 0.011). The prognosis of patients treated with everolimus for advanced ER-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer appears primarily driven by molecular features associated with the activation of the PIK3CA/AKT/mTOR pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hélène Salaün
- Department of Medical OncologyInstitut CurieParisFrance
| | - Lounes Djerroudi
- Department of Pathology‐Genetics‐ImmunologyInstitut CurieParisFrance
| | - Laura Haik
- Department of Medical OncologyInstitut BergoniéBordeauxFrance
| | - Anne Schnitzler
- Department of Pathology‐Genetics‐ImmunologyInstitut CurieParisFrance
| | - Guillaume Bataillon
- Department of Pathology‐Genetics‐ImmunologyInstitut CurieParisFrance
- Present address:
Department of PathologyIUCT OncopoleToulouseFrance
| | - Gabrielle Deniziaut
- Department of Pathology‐Genetics‐ImmunologyInstitut CurieParisFrance
- Present address:
Department of PathologyCHU Pitié‐SalpêtrièreParisFrance
| | - Ivan Bièche
- Department of Pathology‐Genetics‐ImmunologyInstitut CurieParisFrance
- Paris‐Cité UniversityParisFrance
| | - Anne Vincent‐Salomon
- Department of Pathology‐Genetics‐ImmunologyInstitut CurieParisFrance
- PSL Research UniversityParisFrance
| | - Marc Debled
- Department of Medical OncologyInstitut BergoniéBordeauxFrance
| | - Paul Cottu
- Department of Medical OncologyInstitut CurieParisFrance
- Paris‐Cité UniversityParisFrance
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17
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Yan Q, Wang Q, Nan J, Chen T, Wang J, Zhang Y, Yuan L. Heme oxygenase 1 (HO1) regulates autophagy and apoptosis via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway of yak Sertoli cells. Theriogenology 2024; 220:96-107. [PMID: 38503100 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2024.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Successful male reproduction depends on healthy testes. Autophagy has been confirmed to be active during many cellular events associated with the testes. It is not only crucial for testicular spermatogenesis but is also an essential regulatory mechanism for Sertoli cell (SCs) ectoplasmic specialization integrity and normal function of the blood-testis-barrier. Hypoxic stress induces oxidative damage, apoptosis, and autophagy, negatively affecting the male reproductive system. Cryptorchidism is a common condition associated with infertility. Recent studies have demonstrated that hypoxia-induced miRNAs and their transcription factors are highly expressed in the testicular tissue of infertile patients. Heme oxygenase 1 (HO1) is a heat-shock protein family member associated with cellular antioxidant defense and anti-apoptotic functions. The present study found that the HO1 mRNA and protein are up-regulated in yak cryptorchidism compared to normal testes. Next, we investigated the expression of HO1 in the SCs exposed to hypoxic stress and characterized the expression of key molecules involved in autophagy and apoptosis. The results showed that hypoxic stress induced the upregulation of autophagy of SCs. The down-regulation of HO1 using siRNA increases autophagy and decreases apoptosis, while the over-expression of HO1 attenuates autophagy and increases apoptosis. Furthermore, HO1 regulates autophagy and apoptosis via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. These results will be helpful for further understanding the regulatory mechanisms of HO1 in yak cryptorchidism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiu Yan
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agriculture University, Lanzhou, China; Gansu Key Laboratory of Animal Generational Physiology and Reproductive Regulation, Lanzhou, China
| | - Qi Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agriculture University, Lanzhou, China; Gansu Key Laboratory of Animal Generational Physiology and Reproductive Regulation, Lanzhou, China.
| | - Jinghong Nan
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agriculture University, Lanzhou, China; Gansu Key Laboratory of Animal Generational Physiology and Reproductive Regulation, Lanzhou, China
| | - Tingting Chen
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agriculture University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Juntao Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agriculture University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yong Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agriculture University, Lanzhou, China; Gansu Key Laboratory of Animal Generational Physiology and Reproductive Regulation, Lanzhou, China; College of Life Science and Technology, Gansu Agriculture University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Ligang Yuan
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agriculture University, Lanzhou, China; Gansu Key Laboratory of Animal Generational Physiology and Reproductive Regulation, Lanzhou, China; College of Life Science and Technology, Gansu Agriculture University, Lanzhou, China
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18
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Ying Y, Wang S, Han L, Li H, Wang Y, Lv J, Ge RS, Tang Y. Perfluorotetradecanoic acid exposure to adult male rats stimulates corticosterone biosynthesis but inhibits aldosterone production. Environ Toxicol 2024; 39:2610-2622. [PMID: 38205621 DOI: 10.1002/tox.24135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTeDA) is a novel perfluoroalkyl substance that ubiquitously exists in the environment. However, whether PFTeDA affects adrenal cortex function remains unclear. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (age of 60 days) were daily administered with PFTeDA (0, 1, 5, and 10 mg/kg body weight) through gavage for 28 days. PFTeDA did not change body and adrenal gland weights. PFTeDA markedly elevated serum corticosterone level at 10 mg/kg but lowering serum aldosterone level at this dosage without influencing serum adrenocorticotropic hormone level. PFTeDA thickened zona fasciculata without affecting zona glomerulosa. PFTeDA remarkably upregulated the expression of corticosterone biosynthetic genes (Mc2r, Scarb1, Star, Cyp21, Cyp11b1, and Hsd11b1) and their proteins, whereas downregulating aldosterone biosynthetic enzyme Cyp11b2 and its protein, thereby distinctly altering their serum levels. PFTeDA markedly downregulated the expression of antioxidant genes (Sod1 and Sod2) and their proteins at 10 mg/kg. PFTeDA significantly decreased SIRT1/PGC1α and AMPK signaling while stimulating AKT1/mTOR signaling. Corticosterone significantly inhibited testosterone production by adult Leydig cells at >0.1 μM in vitro; however aldosterone significantly stimulated testosterone production at 0.1 nM. In conclusion, exposure to PFTeDA at male rat adulthood causes corticosterone excess and aldosterone deficiency via SIRT1/PGC1α, AMPK, and AKT1/mTOR signals, which in turn additively leads to testosterone deficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingfen Ying
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Shaowei Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Lu Han
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Huitao Li
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Yiyan Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Jieqiang Lv
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Ren-Shan Ge
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Yunbing Tang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
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Jiang M, Chen R, Hu B, Xiong S, Li S, Fu B, Liu X. FATP2 activates PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway by inhibiting ATF3 and promotes the occurrence and development of bladder cancer. Cell Signal 2024; 117:111087. [PMID: 38316266 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2024.111087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 01/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Bladder cancer (BLCA) is ranked among the main causes of mortality in male cancer patients, and research into targeted therapies guided by its genomics and molecular biology has been a prominent focus in BLCA studies. Fatty acid transporter protein 2 (FATP2), a member of the FATPs family,is a key contributor to the progression of cancers such as hepatocellular carcinomas and melanomas.However,its role in BLCA remains poorly understand. This study delved into the function of FATP2 in BLCA through a succession of experiments in vivo and in vitro, employing techniques as quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), RNA sequencing, transwell assays, immunofluorescence, western blot,and others to dissect its mechanistic actions. The findings revealed that an oncogenic function is executed by FATP2 in bladder cancer, significantly impacting the proliferation and migration capabilities, thereby affecting the prognosis of BLCA patients. Furthermore, A suppression that relies on both time and concentration of BLCA proliferation and migration, trigger of apoptosis, and blockage of the cell cycle at the G2/M phase were observed when the inhibitor of FATP2, Lipofermata, was applied. It was unveiled through subsequent investigations that ATF3 expression is indirectly promoted by Lipofermata through the inhibition of FATP2, ultimately inhibiting the signal transduction of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. This effect was also responsible for the inhibitory impact on BLCA proliferation. Therefore, FATP2 emerges as an auspicious and emerging molecular target with potential applications in precision therapy in BLCA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Jiang
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi,China; Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Sanming First Hospital of Fujian Medical Unerversity, Sanming, Fujian, China
| | - Ru Chen
- Department of Urology, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Bing Hu
- Department of Blood Transfusion, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Situ Xiong
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi,China
| | - Sheng Li
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi,China
| | - Bin Fu
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi,China.
| | - Xiaoqiang Liu
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi,China.
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20
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Saleh AK, El-Mahdy NA, El-Masry TA, El-Kadem AH. Trifluoperazine mitigates cyclophosphamide-induced hepatic oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis in mice by modulating the AKT/mTOR-driven autophagy and Nrf2/HO-1 signaling cascades. Life Sci 2024; 344:122566. [PMID: 38499285 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2024.122566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
AIM This study aims to investigate the hepatoprotective effect of the antipsychotic drug trifluoperazine (TFP) against cyclophosphamide (CPA)-induced hepatic injury by exploring its effect on autophagy and the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway. MAIN METHODS The hepatotoxicity of CPA was assessed by biochemical analysis of the serum hepatotoxicity markers (ALT, AST, and direct bilirubin), histopathological examination, and ultrastructure analysis by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The ELISA technique was used to assess the hepatic content of oxidative stress (MDA and SOD) and inflammatory markers (IL-1β and TNF-α). Immunohistochemical assessment was used to investigate the hepatic expression of NF-κB, Nrf2, caspase-3, as well as autophagy flux markers (p62 and LC3B). The mRNA expression of HO-1 was assessed using RT-qPCR. Western blot assay was used to determine the expression of p-AKT and p-mTOR. KEY FINDINGS TFP improved CPA-induced hepatotoxicity by reducing the elevated hepatotoxicity markers, and alleviating the histopathological changes with improving ultrastructure alterations. It also reduced oxidative stress by reducing MDA content and upregulating SOD activity. In addition, it exhibited anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects by decreasing NF-κB expression, IL-1β, TNF-α levels, and caspase-3 expression. Furthermore, TFP-induced hepatoprotection was mediated by favoring Nrf2 expression and increasing the mRNA level of HO-1. As well, it improved autophagy by increasing LC3B expression concurrently with reducing p62 expression. Moreover, TFP modulated the AKT/mTOR pathway by reducing the expression of p-AKT and p-mTOR. SIGNIFICANCE TFP significantly protected against CPA-induced hepatotoxicity by upregulating Nrf2/HO-1 signaling along with enhancement of protective autophagy via inhibition of the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed K Saleh
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt.
| | - Nageh A El-Mahdy
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt.
| | - Thanaa A El-Masry
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt.
| | - Aya H El-Kadem
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt.
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21
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Jiang Y, Xu S, Guo M, Lu Z, Wei X, An F, Xin X. DMC triggers MDA-MB-231 cells apoptosis via inhibiting protective autophagy and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway by enhancing ROS level. Toxicol In Vitro 2024; 97:105809. [PMID: 38521250 DOI: 10.1016/j.tiv.2024.105809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
DMC, a kind of compound derived from the dry flower buds of Cleistocalyx operculatus, has been shown to inhibit the growth of various cancer cells, but research on triple-negative breast cancer cells remains scarce. To explore this issue, MDA-MB-231 cells were selected, and the results showed that DMC has strong proliferation inhibit effects on this kind of cells. The inhibit rate of 30 μM DMC incubated for 24 h was 56.25%, and 40.6% cells were arrested under the G2/M phase. The levels of pro-apoptosis protein Bax and active caspase-3, cleaved PARP and cell cycle related proteins, such as p21 and p27 increased, but apoptosis regulators, like Bcl-2, Cdc 2, Cyclin B1, and LC3 II decreased dramatically. In addition, DMC induced the accumulation of autophagosomes and autophagic substrates, and the combination of DMC with CQ promoted apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells, which suggested that DMC induced apoptosis partly by blocking autophagy flow. Moreover, the phosphorylation levels of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (AKT), and its mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase (mTOR) were also decreased after 30 μM DMC incubating for 24 h. The proteins play a critical role in cell proliferation, apoptosis, and autophagy modulation. The inhibition of autophagy flow and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway could be reversed after being treated with ROS scavenger NAC. Altogether, the results of the present study suggest that DMC effectively induces apoptosis and growth inhibition in MDA-MB-231 cells through blocking autophagy flow and regulating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway by increasing ROS level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Sunjie Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Miaomiao Guo
- Key Laboratory of Cosmetic, China National Light Industry, Beijing Technology and Business University, No. 11/33, Fucheng Road, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Zhi Lu
- Technology Center, Shanghai Inoherb Cosmetics Co. Ltd., 121 Chengyin Road, Shanghai 200083, China
| | - Xing Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Faliang An
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China; Marine Biomedical Science and Technology Innovation Platform of Lin-gang Special Area, No.4 Lane 218, Haiji Sixth Road, Shanghai 201306, China.
| | - Xiujuan Xin
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China.
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22
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Wan X, Li C, Tan YH, Zuo SQ, Deng FM, Sun J, Liu YL. Dihydroartemisinin eliminates senescent cells by promoting autophagy-dependent ferroptosis via AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway. Cell Biol Int 2024; 48:726-736. [PMID: 38439187 DOI: 10.1002/cbin.12143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 12/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
Cellular senescence is an irreversible cell-cycle arrest in response to a variety of cellular stresses, which contribute to the pathogenesis of a variety of age-related degenerative diseases. However, effective antisenescence strategies are still lacking. Drugs that selectively target senescent cells represent an intriguing therapeutic strategy to delay aging and age-related diseases. Thus, we thought to investigate the effects of dihydroartemisinin (DHA) on senescent cells and elucidated its mechanisms underlying aging. Stress-induced premature senescence (SIPS) model was built in NIH3T3 cells using H2O2 and evaluated by β-galactosidase staining. Cells were exposed to DHA and subjected to cellular activity assays including viability, ferroptosis, and autophagy. The number of microtubule-associated protein light-chain 3 puncta was detected by immunofluorescence staining. The iron content was assessed by spectrophotometer and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was measured by fluorescent probe dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate. We found that DHA triggered senescent cell death via ferroptosis. DHA accelerated ferritin degradation via promoting autophagy, increasing the iron contents, promoting ROS accumulation, thus leading to ferroptotic cell death in SIPS cells. In addition, autophagy inhibitor BafA1 preconditioning inhibited ferroptosis induced by DHA. Moreover, Atg5 silencing and autophagy inhibitor BafA1 preconditioning inhibited ferroptosis induced by DHA. We also revealed that the expression of p-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and p-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in senescent cells was downregulated. These results suggested that DHA may be a promising drug candidate for clearing senescent cells by inducing autophagy-dependent ferroptosis via AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing Wan
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Clinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
- Department of Pediatrics, Chengdu Third People's Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Can Li
- Deep Underground Space Medical Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yue Hao Tan
- Department of Inspection Technology, Sichuan Nursing Vocational College, Chengdu, China
| | - Shi Qi Zuo
- Cancer Center, Integrated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Feng Mei Deng
- Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, China
| | - Jing Sun
- Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, China
| | - Yi Lun Liu
- Department of Clinical Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, China
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23
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Xia Y, Tang Y, Huang Z, Ke N, Zheng Y, Zhuang W, Zhang Y, Yin X, Tu M, Chen J, Wang Y, Huang Y. Artesunate-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles resist esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by inducing Ferroptosis through inhibiting the AKT/mTOR signaling. Cell Signal 2024; 117:111108. [PMID: 38369266 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2024.111108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a severe malignancy with high incidence and mortality rate in China, while the application of standard chemotherapeutic drugs for ESCC meets the barriers of high toxicity and multiple drug resistance (MDR). In recent years, the anticancer effects of artesunate (ART), a Chinese medicine monomer have gained extensive attentions due to its characteristics of low toxicity, high potency, and reversal of MDR. In this study, we develop the artesunate-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNART) to overcome the poor water solubility and bioavailability of ART, further improving the efficiency of ART on ESCC treatment. Especially mentioned, SLNART is shown to present marked inhibitory effects on ESCC development based on the induction of ferroptosis by two pathways included upregulating TFR to increase Fe2+ ions and inhibiting the AKT/mTOR signaling to downregulate GPX4. Collectively, this study is the first to pave a promising approach for ESCC therapy based on a strategy of developing SLNART to induce ferroptosis by mediating Fe2+ ions and AKT/mTOR signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Xia
- College of Integrative Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou 350000, China; Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou 350001, China
| | - Yixin Tang
- College of Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China; Engineering Research Center of Advanced Manufacturing Technology for Fine Chemicals, College of Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China
| | - Zhixin Huang
- College of Integrative Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou 350000, China; Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou 350001, China
| | - Nantian Ke
- Shengli Clinical Medical College, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350001, China; Department of Clinical Laboratory, Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou 350001, China
| | - Yue Zheng
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou 350001, China; Shengli Clinical Medical College, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350001, China
| | - Wanzhen Zhuang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou 350001, China; Shengli Clinical Medical College, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350001, China
| | - Yi Zhang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou 350001, China; Shengli Clinical Medical College, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350001, China
| | - Xiaoqing Yin
- College of Integrative Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou 350000, China; Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou 350001, China
| | - Mingshu Tu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou 350001, China; Shengli Clinical Medical College, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350001, China
| | - Jianlin Chen
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou 350001, China; Shengli Clinical Medical College, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350001, China
| | - Yingshu Wang
- College of Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China; Engineering Research Center of Advanced Manufacturing Technology for Fine Chemicals, College of Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China
| | - Yi Huang
- College of Integrative Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou 350000, China; Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou 350001, China; Shengli Clinical Medical College, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350001, China; Central Laboratory, Center for Experimental Research in Clinical Medicine, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou 350001, China; Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Critical Care Medicine, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuzhou 350001, China.
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24
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Ye J, Chang T, Zhang X, Wei D, Wang Y. Mefenamic acid exhibits antitumor activity against osteosarcoma by impeding cell growth and prompting apoptosis in human osteosarcoma cells and xenograft mice model. Chem Biol Interact 2024; 393:110931. [PMID: 38423378 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2024.110931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
The study investigates the anticancer activity of mefenamic acid against osteosarcoma, shedding light on its underlying mechanisms and therapeutic potential. Mefenamic acid exhibited robust inhibitory effects on the proliferation of MG-63, HOS, and H2OS osteosarcoma cells in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, mefenamic acid induced cellular toxicity in MG63 cells, as evidenced by LDH leakage, reflecting its cytotoxic impact. Furthermore, mefenamic acid effectively suppressed the migration and invasion of MG-63 cells. Mechanistically, mefenamic acid induced apoptosis in MG-63 cells through mitochondrial depolarization, activation of caspase-dependent pathways, and modulation of the Bcl-2/Bax axis. Additionally, mefenamic acid promoted autophagy and inhibited the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, further contributing to its antitumor effects. The molecular docking studies provide compelling evidence that mefenamic acid interacts specifically and strongly with key proteins in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, suggesting a novel mechanism by which mefenamic acid could exert anti-osteosarcoma effects. In vivo studies using a xenograft mouse model demonstrated significant inhibition of MG-63 tumor growth without adverse effects, supporting the translational potential of mefenamic acid as a safe and effective therapeutic agent against osteosarcoma. Immunohistochemistry staining corroborated the in vivo findings, highlighting mefenamic acid's ability to suppress tumor proliferation and inhibit the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway within the tumor microenvironment. Collectively, these results underscore the promising therapeutic implications of mefenamic acid in combating osteosarcoma, warranting further investigation for clinical translation and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junwu Ye
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, China
| | - Tianmin Chang
- Clinical Skills Training Center, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, China
| | - Xihai Zhang
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, China
| | - Daiqing Wei
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, China
| | - Yuanhui Wang
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, China.
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Zhao N, Wang Y, Qu B, Zhu H, Yang D, Zhang X, Zhao J, Wang Y, Meng Y, Chen Z, Li P, Di T. Jianpi-Yangxue-Jiedu decoction improves the energy metabolism of psoriasis mice by regulating the electron transfer of oxidative phosphorylation. J Ethnopharmacol 2024; 324:117714. [PMID: 38184027 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.117714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/08/2024]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE The inflammatory skin condition psoriasis is immune-related. The decoction of Jianpi-Yangxue-Jiiedu (JPYX) is a useful medication for psoriasis. However, the underlying mechanics of JPYX have not yet been clarified. AIM OF THE STUDY The objective of this study was to investigate the mechanism underlying the efficacy of JPYX in the treatment of psoriasis in the context of a high-fat diet. MATERIALS AND METHODS This work generated a high-fat feeding model of imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis-like lesion mice. The blood composition of JPYX was examined using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The mechanism of JPYX decoction for treating psoriasis was predicted using methods of network pharmacology, metabolomics, and transcriptomics. RESULTS JPYX prevented the release of inflammatory cytokines, decreased keratinocyte proliferation, enhanced the percentage of Treg cells in the skin, lymph nodes, and thymus, and greatly alleviated psoriatic lesions. Network pharmacology predicted that IL-1β, TNF, STAT3, and EGFR may be potential targets, and KEGG results showed that PI3K-AKT-mTOR may be a potential mechanism of action. Verification of experimental data demonstrated that the JPYX decoction dramatically decreased mTOR and AKT phosphorylation. According to metabolomics analysis, amino acids and their metabolites, benzene and its substitutes, aldehyde ketone esters, heterocyclic compounds, etc. were the primary metabolites regulated by JPYX. KEGG enrichment analysis of differential metabolites was performed. Fatty acid biosynthesis, Type I polyketide structures, Steroid hormone biosynthesis, Biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acid, etc. Transcriptomic results showed that JPYX significantly regulated skin development, keratinocyte differentiation, and oxidative phosphorylation. Further experimental data verification showed that JPYX decoction significantly reduced the mRNA levels of mt-Nd4, mt-Nd5, mt-Nd1, Ifi205, Ifi211, and mt-Atp8. CONCLUSIONS JPYX may improve psoriasis by regulating the metabolic pathways of fatty acids and electron transport of oxidative phosphorylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Zhao
- Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing Institute of Chinese Medicine, Beijing Key Laboratory of Clinic and Basic Research with Traditional Chinese Medicine on Psoriasis, Beijing, People's Republic of China; Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, People's Republic of China.
| | - YaZhuo Wang
- Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing Institute of Chinese Medicine, Beijing Key Laboratory of Clinic and Basic Research with Traditional Chinese Medicine on Psoriasis, Beijing, People's Republic of China; Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, People's Republic of China
| | - BaoQuan Qu
- Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - HaoYue Zhu
- Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing Institute of Chinese Medicine, Beijing Key Laboratory of Clinic and Basic Research with Traditional Chinese Medicine on Psoriasis, Beijing, People's Republic of China; Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, People's Republic of China
| | - DanYang Yang
- Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing Institute of Chinese Medicine, Beijing Key Laboratory of Clinic and Basic Research with Traditional Chinese Medicine on Psoriasis, Beijing, People's Republic of China; Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, People's Republic of China
| | - XiaWei Zhang
- Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing Institute of Chinese Medicine, Beijing Key Laboratory of Clinic and Basic Research with Traditional Chinese Medicine on Psoriasis, Beijing, People's Republic of China; Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, People's Republic of China
| | - JingXia Zhao
- Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing Institute of Chinese Medicine, Beijing Key Laboratory of Clinic and Basic Research with Traditional Chinese Medicine on Psoriasis, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan Wang
- Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing Institute of Chinese Medicine, Beijing Key Laboratory of Clinic and Basic Research with Traditional Chinese Medicine on Psoriasis, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - YuJiao Meng
- Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing Institute of Chinese Medicine, Beijing Key Laboratory of Clinic and Basic Research with Traditional Chinese Medicine on Psoriasis, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhaoxia Chen
- Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing Institute of Chinese Medicine, Beijing Key Laboratory of Clinic and Basic Research with Traditional Chinese Medicine on Psoriasis, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Ping Li
- Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing Institute of Chinese Medicine, Beijing Key Laboratory of Clinic and Basic Research with Traditional Chinese Medicine on Psoriasis, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
| | - TingTing Di
- Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing Institute of Chinese Medicine, Beijing Key Laboratory of Clinic and Basic Research with Traditional Chinese Medicine on Psoriasis, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
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Yang J, Deng J, Wang K, Wang A, Chen G, Chen Q, Ye M, Wu X, Wang X, Lin D. Tetrahydropalmatine promotes random skin flap survival in rats via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. J Ethnopharmacol 2024; 324:117808. [PMID: 38280663 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.117808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Flap necrosis is the most common complication after flap transplantation, but its prevention remains challenging. Tetrahydropalmatine (THP) is the main bioactive component of the traditional Chinese medicine Corydalis yanhusuo, with effects that include the activation of blood circulation, the promotion of qi, and pain relief. Although THP is widely used to treat various pain conditions, its impact on flap survival is unknown. AIM OF THE STUDY To explore the effect and mechanism of THP on skin flap survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this study, we established a modified McFarlane flap model, and the flap survival rate was calculated after 7 days of THP treatment. Angiogenesis and blood perfusion were evaluated using lead oxide/gelatin angiography and laser Doppler, respectively. Flap tissue obtained from zone II was evaluated histopathologically, by hematoxylin and eosin staining, and in assays for malondialdehyde content and superoxide dismutase activity. Immunofluorescence was performed to detect interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α, Bcl-2, Bax, caspase-3, caspase-9, SQSTM1/P62, Beclin-1, and LC3 expression, and Western blot to assess PI3K/AKT signaling pathway activation and Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression. The role played by the autophagy pathway in flap necrosis was examined using rapamycin, a specific inhibitor of mTOR. RESULTS Experimentally, THP improved the survival rate of skin flaps, promoted angiogenesis, and improved blood perfusion. THP administration reduced the inflammatory response, oxidative stress, and apoptosis in addition to inhibiting autophagy via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Rapamycin partially reversed these effects. CONCLUSION THP promotes skin flap survival via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jialong Yang
- Department of Hand and Plastic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, The Second School of Medicine, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, China
| | - Jiapeng Deng
- Department of Hand and Plastic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, The Second School of Medicine, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, China
| | - Kaitao Wang
- Department of Hand and Plastic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, The Second School of Medicine, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, China
| | - An Wang
- Department of Hand and Plastic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, The Second School of Medicine, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, China
| | - Guodong Chen
- Department of Hand and Plastic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, The Second School of Medicine, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, China
| | - Qingyu Chen
- Department of Hand and Plastic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, The Second School of Medicine, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, China
| | - Minle Ye
- Department of Hand and Plastic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, The Second School of Medicine, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, China
| | - Xinyu Wu
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, The First School of Clinical Medical, Wenzhou Medical, China
| | - Xinye Wang
- Department of Hand and Plastic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, The Second School of Medicine, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, China
| | - Dingsheng Lin
- Department of Hand and Plastic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, The Second School of Medicine, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, China.
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Hassan YR, El-Shiekh RA, El Hefnawy HM, Mohamed OG, Abu-Elfotuh K, Hamdan AM, Darwish A, Gowifel AMH, Tripathi A, Michael CG. A mechanistic exploration of the metabolome of African mango seeds and its potential to alleviate cognitive impairment induced by high-fat/high-carbohydrate diets: Involvement of PI3K/AKT/GSK-3β/CREB, PERK/CHOP/Bcl-2, and AMPK/SIRT-1/mTOR Axes. J Ethnopharmacol 2024; 324:117747. [PMID: 38218500 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.117747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Irvingia gabonensis (Aubry-Lecomte ex O'Rorke) Baill., also known as "African mango" or "bush mango", belonging to family Irvingiaceae, has been mostly used as food and traditional medicine for weight loss and to enhance the health. AIM OF THE STUDY The overconsumption of high-fat and high-carbohydrate (HFHC) food induces oxidative stress, leading to neurological and cognitive dysfunction. Consequently, there is an immediate need for effective treatment. Hence, this study explored the efficacy of orlistat, metformin, and I. gabonensis seeds' total aqueous extract (IG SAE) in addressing HFHC-induced cognitive impairment by mitigating oxidative stress and their underlying mechanistic pathways. MATERIALS AND METHODS Initially, the secondary metabolite profile of IG SAE is determined using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a mass detector (UHPLC/MS). The in vivo study involves two phases: an established model phase with control (10 rats on a standard diet) and HFHC diet group (50 rats) for 3 months. In the study phase, HFHC is divided into 5 groups. The first subgroup receives HFHC diet only, while the remaining groups each receive HFHC diet with either Orlistat, metformin, or IG SAE at doses of 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg, respectively, for 28 days. RESULTS More than 150 phytoconstituents were characterized for the first holistic approach onto IG metabolome. Characterization of IG SAE revealed that tannins dominate metabolites in the plant. Total phenolics and flavonoids were estimated to standardize our extract (77.12 ± 7.09 μg Gallic acid equivalent/mg extract and 8.039 ± 0.53 μg Rutin equivalent/mg extract, respectively). Orlistat, metformin, and IG SAE successfully reduced the body weight, blood glucose level, lipid profile, oxidative stress and neurotransmitters levels leading to improved behavioral functions as well as histological alternation. Also, IG SAE halted inflammation, apoptosis, and endoplasmic reticulum stress, together with promoting autophagy, via modulation of PI3K/AKT/GSK-3β/CREB, PERK/CHOP/Bcl-2 and AMPK/SIRT-1/m-TOR pathways. CONCLUSION Metformin, orlistat, and IG SAE offer a promising multi-target therapy to mitigate HFHC diet-induced oxidative stress, addressing cognitive function. This involves diverse molecular mechanisms, particularly the modulation of inflammation, ER stress, and both PI3K/AKT/GSK-3β/CREB and AMPK/SIRT-1/m-TOR pathways. Furthermore, the higher dose of IG SAE demonstrated effects comparable to orlistat and metformin across most studied parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Riham A El-Shiekh
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
| | - Hala M El Hefnawy
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Osama G Mohamed
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt; Natural Products Discovery Core, Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Karema Abu-Elfotuh
- Clinical Pharmacy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt; Al-Ayen Iraqi University, Thi-Qar, 64001, Iraq
| | - Ahmed M Hamdan
- Pharmacy Practice Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71491, Saudi Arabia
| | - Alshaymaa Darwish
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt.
| | - Ayah M H Gowifel
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Modern University for Technology and Information (MTI), Cairo, 11571, Egypt.
| | - Ashootosh Tripathi
- Natural Products Discovery Core, Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA; Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
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He J, Jiang P, Ma L, Liu F, Fu P, Du X, Xu Z, Xu J, Cheng L, Wang Z, Li C, Liu D. Intravenous immunoglobulin protects the integrity of the intestinal epithelial barrier and inhibits ferroptosis induced by radiation exposure by activating the mTOR pathway. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 131:111908. [PMID: 38518594 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.111908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024]
Abstract
Radiation exposure often leads to serious health problems in humans. The intestinal epithelium is sensitive to radiation damage, and radiation causes destruction of the intestinal epithelial barrier, which leads to radiation enteritis (RE), the loss of fluids, and the translocation of intestinal bacteria and toxins; radiation can even threaten survival. In this study, we aimed to explore the influence of IVIg on the integrity of the intestinal epithelial barrier after RE. Using a RE mouse model, we investigated the protective effects of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) on the epithelial junctions of RE mice and validated these findings with intestinal organoids cultured in vitro. In addition, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), western blotting (WB) and immunostaining were used to further investigate changes in intestinal epithelial ferroptosis and related signaling pathways. When RE occurs, the intestinal epithelial barrier is severely damaged. IVIg treatment significantly ameliorated this damage to epithelial tight junctions both in vivo and in vitro. Notably, IVIg alleviated RE by inhibiting intestinal epithelial ferroptosis in RE mice. Mechanistically, IVIg promoted activation of the mTOR pathway and inhibited ferroptosis in the intestinal epithelium of mice. Rapamycin, which is a potent inhibitor of the mTOR protein, significantly abolished the protective effect of IVIg against radiation-induced damage to intestinal epithelial tight junctions. Overall, IVIg can prevent RE-induced damage to the intestinal epithelial barrier and inhibit ferroptosis by activating the mTOR pathway; this study provides a new treatment strategy for patients with RE caused by radiotherapy or accidental nuclear exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia He
- Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan Province 610052, China
| | - Peng Jiang
- Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan Province 610052, China
| | - Li Ma
- Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan Province 610052, China
| | - Fengjuan Liu
- Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan Province 610052, China
| | - Ping Fu
- Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan Province 610052, China
| | - Xi Du
- Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan Province 610052, China
| | - Zhenni Xu
- Radiation Oncology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sichuan Cancer Center, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan Province 610041, China
| | - Jun Xu
- Shanghai RAAS Blood Products Co., Ltd., Shanghai 201401, China
| | - Lu Cheng
- Shanghai RAAS Blood Products Co., Ltd., Shanghai 201401, China
| | - Zongkui Wang
- Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan Province 610052, China.
| | - Changqing Li
- Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan Province 610052, China.
| | - Dengqun Liu
- Radiation Oncology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sichuan Cancer Center, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan Province 610041, China.
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Zhang J, Liu Z, Ni Y, Yu Y, Guo F, Lu Y, Wang X, Hao H, Li S, Wei P, Yu W, Hu W. Branched-chain amino acids promote occurrence and development of cardiovascular disease dependent on triglyceride metabolism via activation of the mTOR/SREBP-1/betatrophin pathway. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2024; 584:112164. [PMID: 38262527 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2024.112164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolism is associated with triglyceride (TG) metabolism and the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the underlying mechanism remains uncertain. This study included 1302 subjects and followed for 4-5 years. A hyperbranched-chain aminoacidemia rat model was induced by high fructose diet (HFTD). The relationship between BCAAs and TG level and its regulatory mechanism was investigated in vitro. As results, as baseline BCAA percentile increased, subjects had higher prevalence and incidence of T2DM, NAFLD, and CVD risk (P < 0.05). In animal model, the accumulation of BCAAs and TG and betatrophin expression were significantly elevated in the HFTD group when comparing with those in the SD group(P < 0.05). Immunofluorescence and Masson's trichrome staining revealed that the area of interstitial fibrosis was significantly increased in the HFTD group compared with control group. Met treatment significantly decreased TG levels and betatrophin expression and reversed myocardial fibrosis (P < 0.05). In vitro, LO2 cells, stimulated with 0.1-5 mM BCAAs, displayed a significant dose-dependent increase in betatrophin expression (P < 0.05). And 5 mM BCAAs stimulation significantly increased the p-mTOR and SREBP-1 expression (P < 0.05). However, this effect could be reversed by using the corresponding inhibitor or siRNAs. In conclusions, BCAAs promote occurrence and development of cardiovascular disease dependent on TG metabolism via activation of the mTOR/SREBP-1/betatrophin pathway. The study provides a new theory for the pathogenesis of CVD caused by amino acid metabolism disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhang
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Huai'an Hospital Affiliated to Xuzhou Medical University, No. 62, Huaihai South Road, Qingjiangpu District, Huai'an, 223002, China
| | - Ziyu Liu
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Huai'an Hospital Affiliated to Xuzhou Medical University, No. 62, Huaihai South Road, Qingjiangpu District, Huai'an, 223002, China
| | - Yaojun Ni
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical College and Huai'an First People's Hospital, No. 6, Beijing West Road, Huaiyin District, Huai'an, 223021, China
| | - Yang Yu
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Huai'an Hospital Affiliated to Xuzhou Medical University, No. 62, Huaihai South Road, Qingjiangpu District, Huai'an, 223002, China
| | - Fei Guo
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Huai'an Hospital Affiliated to Xuzhou Medical University, No. 62, Huaihai South Road, Qingjiangpu District, Huai'an, 223002, China
| | - Yanwen Lu
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Huai'an Hospital Affiliated to Xuzhou Medical University, No. 62, Huaihai South Road, Qingjiangpu District, Huai'an, 223002, China
| | - Xiaoqing Wang
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Huai'an Hospital Affiliated to Xuzhou Medical University, No. 62, Huaihai South Road, Qingjiangpu District, Huai'an, 223002, China
| | - Hairong Hao
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Huai'an Hospital Affiliated to Xuzhou Medical University, No. 62, Huaihai South Road, Qingjiangpu District, Huai'an, 223002, China
| | - Shayan Li
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Huai'an Hospital Affiliated to Xuzhou Medical University, No. 62, Huaihai South Road, Qingjiangpu District, Huai'an, 223002, China
| | - Pan Wei
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Huai'an Hospital Affiliated to Xuzhou Medical University, No. 62, Huaihai South Road, Qingjiangpu District, Huai'an, 223002, China
| | - Weinan Yu
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Huai'an Hospital Affiliated to Xuzhou Medical University, No. 62, Huaihai South Road, Qingjiangpu District, Huai'an, 223002, China
| | - Wen Hu
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Huai'an Hospital Affiliated to Xuzhou Medical University, No. 62, Huaihai South Road, Qingjiangpu District, Huai'an, 223002, China.
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Dong J, Wang Q, Gu T, Liu G, Petrov YV, Baulin VE, Yu Tsivadze A, Jia D, Zhou Y, Yuan H, Li B. Rapamycin functionalized carbon Dots: Target-oriented synthesis and suppression of vascular cell senescence. J Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 660:534-544. [PMID: 38266335 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.01.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Suppression of vascular cell senescence is of great significance in preventing cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and atherosclerosis. The oxidative stress damage caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) can lead to cellular senescence. Rapamycin (Rapa) is well known to suppress cell senescence via mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. However, poor water solubility and lack of ROS scavenging ability limit the further development of Rapa. To improve the solubility of Rapa and endow with ROS scavenging ability, Rapa functionalized carbon dots (Rapa-CDs) are target-oriented synthesized via free radical polymerization combination with hydrothermal carbonization. Rapa-CDs improve the solubility of Rapa and show ROS scavenging abilities. The solubility of Rapa-CDs with 9.41 g is improved 3.6 × 104 times higher than that of Rapa (2.6 × 10-4 g). The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of Rapa-CDs toward hydroxyl radical (•OH) and 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical (DPPH•) are 0.18 and 0.17 mg/mL, respectively. Rapa-CDs show anti-oxidative stress effect in HEVECs (Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells) via reducing ROS levels by 87 %. Rapa-CDs alleviate HUVECs senescence by suppressing mTOR overactivation, attenuate the expression of P53, P21 and P16. The study demonstrates the target-oriented synthesis of drugs functionalized CDs with anti-senescence via dual-pathway of anti-oxidative stress and mTOR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaxin Dong
- Institute for Advanced Ceramics, State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, PR China
| | - Qi Wang
- Department of Ophthalmology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, PR China
| | - Tingting Gu
- Institute for Advanced Ceramics, State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, PR China
| | - Guanxiong Liu
- Institute for Advanced Ceramics, State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, PR China
| | - Yuri V Petrov
- Laboratory of Dynamics and Extreme Characteristics of Promising Nanostructured Materials, Saint Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia
| | - Vladimir E Baulin
- Institute of Physiologically Active Compounds, Russian Academy of Sciences, Chernogolovka, 142432, Russia; Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119071, Russia
| | - Aslan Yu Tsivadze
- Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119071, Russia
| | - Dechang Jia
- Institute for Advanced Ceramics, State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, PR China
| | - Yu Zhou
- Institute for Advanced Ceramics, State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, PR China
| | - Huiping Yuan
- Department of Ophthalmology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, PR China.
| | - Baoqiang Li
- Institute for Advanced Ceramics, State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, PR China; Laboratory of Dynamics and Extreme Characteristics of Promising Nanostructured Materials, Saint Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia.
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Zhang H, Luan L, Li X, Sun X, Yang K. DNA damage-regulated autophagy modulator 1 prevents glioblastoma cells proliferation by regulating lysosomal function and autophagic flux stability. Exp Cell Res 2024; 437:114016. [PMID: 38537746 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2024.114016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive and life-threatening brain tumor, characterized by its highly malignant and recurrent nature. DNA damage-regulated autophagy modulator 1 (DRAM-1) is a p53 target gene encoding a lysosomal protein that induces macro-autophagy and damage-induced programmed cell death in tumor growth. However, the precise mechanisms underlying how DRAM-1 affects tumor cell proliferation through regulation of lysosomal function and autophagic flux stability remain incompletely understood. We found that DRAM-1 expressions were evidently down-regulated in high-grade glioma and recurrent GBM tissues. The upregulation of DRAM-1 could increase mortality of primary cultured GBM cells. TEM analysis revealed an augmented accumulation of aberrant lysosomes in DRAM-1-overexpressing GBM cells. The assay for lysosomal pH and stability also demonstrated decreasing lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP) and impaired lysosomal acidity. Further research revealed the detrimental impact of lysosomal dysfunction, which impaired the autophagic flux stability and ultimately led to GBM cell death. Moreover, downregulation of mTOR phosphorylation was observed in GBM cells following upregulation of DRAM-1. In vivo and in vitro experiments additionally illustrated that the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin increased GBM cell mortality and exhibited an enhanced antitumor effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongqiang Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, PR China
| | - Lan Luan
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, PR China
| | - Xinyu Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, PR China
| | - Xu Sun
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, PR China
| | - Kang Yang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, PR China.
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Wang Y, Chen Z, Li J, Wan T, Hu R, Zhang L, Qin L, Zang L, Gu W, Chen R, Liu C, Li R. Gestational exposure to PM 2.5 disrupts fetal development by suppressing placental trophoblast syncytialization via progranulin/mTOR signaling. Sci Total Environ 2024; 921:171101. [PMID: 38387595 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Recent epidemiological and animal studies have indicated that ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure during pregnancy is closely associated with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). However, the underlying mechanisms remain to be revealed. In this study, we found that gestational exposure to PM2.5 significantly decreased fetal weight and crown-rump length in mice, accompanied by insufficient placental trophoblast syncytialization and increased expression of progranulin (PGRN) in mice placenta. Administering PGRN neutralizing antibody to pregnant mice alleviated growth restriction and insufficient placental trophoblast syncytialization caused by PM2.5, accompanied with suppressed activation of the mTOR signaling pathway. Furthermore, in vitro experiments using human placental BeWo cells showed that 10 μg·mL-1 PM2.5 activated PGRN/mTOR signaling and suppressed forskolin-induced cell fusion, which was blocked by knockdown of PGRN. Taken together, our results demonstrated that PM2.5 exposure during pregnancy inhibited placental trophoblast syncytialization by activating PGRN/mTOR signaling, leading to abnormal placental development and IUGR. This study reveals a novel mechanism underlying the developmental toxicity of PM2.5 exposure during pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yirun Wang
- School of Public Health, Zhejiang International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Air Pollution and Health, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhuan Chen
- School of Public Health, Zhejiang International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Air Pollution and Health, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jie Li
- School of Public Health, Zhejiang International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Air Pollution and Health, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Teng Wan
- School of Public Health, Zhejiang International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Air Pollution and Health, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Renjie Hu
- School of Public Health, Zhejiang International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Air Pollution and Health, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lu Zhang
- School of Public Health, Zhejiang International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Air Pollution and Health, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Li Qin
- School of Public Health, Zhejiang International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Air Pollution and Health, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lu Zang
- School of Public Health, Zhejiang International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Air Pollution and Health, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Weijia Gu
- School of Public Health, Zhejiang International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Air Pollution and Health, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Rucheng Chen
- School of Public Health, Zhejiang International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Air Pollution and Health, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Cuiqing Liu
- School of Public Health, Zhejiang International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Air Pollution and Health, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Ran Li
- School of Public Health, Zhejiang International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Air Pollution and Health, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
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Banjac K, Obradovic M, Zafirovic S, Essack M, Gluvic Z, Sunderic M, Nedic O, Isenovic ER. The involvement of Akt, mTOR, and S6K in the in vivo effect of IGF-1 on the regulation of rat cardiac Na +/K +-ATPase. Mol Biol Rep 2024; 51:517. [PMID: 38622478 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-024-09451-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We previously demonstrated that insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) regulates sodium/potassium adenosine triphosphatase (Na+/K+-ATPase) in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) via phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K). Taking into account that others' work show that IGF-1 activates the PI3K/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway in many different cells, we here further questioned if the Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/ribosomal protein p70 S6 kinase (S6K) pathway stimulates Na+/K+-ATPase, an essential protein for maintaining normal heart function. METHODS AND RESULTS There were 14 adult male Wistar rats, half of whom received bolus injections of IGF-1 (50 μg/kg) for 24 h. We evaluated cardiac Na+/K+-ATPase expression, activity, and serum IGF-1 levels. Additionally, we examined the phosphorylated forms of the following proteins: insulin receptor substrate (IRS), phosphoinositide-dependent kinase-1 (PDK-1), Akt, mTOR, S6K, and α subunit of Na+/K+-ATPase. Additionally, the mRNA expression of the Na+/K+-ATPase α1 subunit was evaluated. Treatment with IGF-1 increases levels of serum IGF-1 and stimulates Na+/K+-ATPase activity, phosphorylation of α subunit of Na+/K+-ATPase on Ser23, and protein expression of α2 subunit. Furthermore, IGF-1 treatment increased phosphorylation of IRS-1 on Tyr1222, Akt on Ser473, PDK-1 on Ser241, mTOR on Ser2481 and Ser2448, and S6K on Thr421/Ser424. The concentration of IGF-1 in serum positively correlates with Na+/K+-ATPase activity and the phosphorylated form of mTOR (Ser2448), while Na+/K+-ATPase activity positively correlates with the phosphorylated form of IRS-1 (Tyr1222) and mTOR (Ser2448). CONCLUSION These results indicate that the Akt/mTOR/S6K signalling pathway may be involved in the IGF-1 regulating cardiac Na+/K+-ATPase expression and activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarina Banjac
- Department of Radiobiology and Molecular Genetics, "VINCA" Institute of Nuclear Sciences - National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, P.O.Box 522, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia
| | - Milan Obradovic
- Department of Radiobiology and Molecular Genetics, "VINCA" Institute of Nuclear Sciences - National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, P.O.Box 522, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia.
| | - Sonja Zafirovic
- Department of Radiobiology and Molecular Genetics, "VINCA" Institute of Nuclear Sciences - National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, P.O.Box 522, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia
| | - Magbubah Essack
- Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Zoran Gluvic
- Clinic of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University Clinical-Hospital Centre Zemun-Belgrade, University of Belgrade, Vukova 9, Belgrade, 11080, Serbia
| | - Milos Sunderic
- Institute for the Application of Nuclear Energy, Department for Metabolism, University of Belgrade, Banatska 31b, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Olgica Nedic
- Institute for the Application of Nuclear Energy, Department for Metabolism, University of Belgrade, Banatska 31b, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Esma R Isenovic
- Department of Radiobiology and Molecular Genetics, "VINCA" Institute of Nuclear Sciences - National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, P.O.Box 522, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia
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Zheng Z, Zhou H, Yang L, Zhang L, Guo M. Selective disruption of mTORC1 and mTORC2 in VTA astrocytes induces depression and anxiety-like behaviors in mice. Behav Brain Res 2024; 463:114888. [PMID: 38307148 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.114888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
Dysfunction of the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway is implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders including depression and anxiety. Most studies have been focusing on neurons, and the function of mTOR signaling pathway in astrocytes is less investigated. mTOR forms two distinct complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2, with key scaffolding protein Raptor and Rictor, respectively. The ventral tegmental area (VTA), a vital component of the brain reward system, is enrolled in regulating both depression and anxiety. In the present study, we aimed to examine the regulation effect of VTA astrocytic mTOR signaling pathway on depression and anxiety. We specifically deleted Raptor or Rictor in VTA astrocytes in mice and performed a series of behavioral tests for depression and anxiety. Deletion of Raptor and Rictor both decreased the immobility time in the tail suspension test and the latency to eat in the novelty suppressed feeding test, and increased the horizontal activity and the movement time in locomotor activity. Deletion of Rictor decreased the number of total arm entries in the elevated plus-maze test and the vertical activity in locomotor activity. These data suggest that VTA astrocytic mTORC1 plays a role in regulating depression-related behaviors and mTORC2 is involved in both depression and anxiety-related behaviors. Our results indicate that VTA astrocytic mTOR signaling pathway might be new targets for the treatment of psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziteng Zheng
- Department of Psychology, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, the First School of Clinical Medicine of Binzhou Medical University, Binzhou, Shandong 256603, China; Medical Research Center, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, the First School of Clinical Medicine of Binzhou Medical University, Binzhou, Shandong 256603, China
| | - Han Zhou
- Department of Psychology, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, the First School of Clinical Medicine of Binzhou Medical University, Binzhou, Shandong 256603, China; Medical Research Center, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, the First School of Clinical Medicine of Binzhou Medical University, Binzhou, Shandong 256603, China
| | - Lu Yang
- Department of Psychology, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, the First School of Clinical Medicine of Binzhou Medical University, Binzhou, Shandong 256603, China; Medical Research Center, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, the First School of Clinical Medicine of Binzhou Medical University, Binzhou, Shandong 256603, China
| | - Lanlan Zhang
- Department of Psychology, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, the First School of Clinical Medicine of Binzhou Medical University, Binzhou, Shandong 256603, China
| | - Ming Guo
- Department of Psychology, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, the First School of Clinical Medicine of Binzhou Medical University, Binzhou, Shandong 256603, China; Medical Research Center, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, the First School of Clinical Medicine of Binzhou Medical University, Binzhou, Shandong 256603, China.
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35
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Nahar A, Becker J, Pasquariello R, Herrick J, Rogers H, Zhang M, Schoolcraft W, Krisher RL, Yuan Y. FGF2, LIF, and IGF-1 supplementation improves mouse oocyte in vitro maturation via increased glucose metabolism†. Biol Reprod 2024; 110:672-683. [PMID: 38263524 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioae014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Chemically defined oocyte maturation media supplemented with FGF2, LIF, and IGF-1 (FLI medium) enabled significantly improved oocyte quality in multiple farm animals, yet the molecular mechanisms behind such benefits were poorly defined. Here, we first demonstrated that FLI medium enhanced mouse oocyte quality assessed by blastocyst formation after in vitro fertilization and implantation and fetal development after embryo transfer. We then analyzed the glucose concentrations in the spent media; reactive oxygen species concentrations; mitochondrial membrane potential; spindle morphology in oocytes; and the abundance of transcripts of endothelial growth factor-like factors, cumulus expansion factors, and glucose metabolism-related genes in cumulus cells. We found that FLI medium enabled increased glucose metabolism through glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, and hexosamine biosynthetic pathway, as well as more active endothelial growth factor-like factor expressions in cumulus cells, resulting in improved cumulus cell expansion, decreased spindle abnormality, and overall improvement in oocyte quality. In addition, the activities of MAPK1/3, PI3K/AKT, JAK/STAT3, and mTOR signaling pathways in cumulus cells were assessed by the phosphorylation of MAPK1/3, AKT, STAT3, and mTOR downstream target RPS6KB1. We demonstrated that FLI medium promoted activations of all these signaling pathways at multiple different time points during in vitro maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asrafun Nahar
- Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, Lone Tree, CO, USA
| | - John Becker
- Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, Lone Tree, CO, USA
| | - Rolando Pasquariello
- Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, Lone Tree, CO, USA
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Jason Herrick
- Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, Lone Tree, CO, USA
- Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Heather Rogers
- Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, Lone Tree, CO, USA
| | - Mingxiang Zhang
- Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, Lone Tree, CO, USA
| | | | - Rebecca L Krisher
- Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, Lone Tree, CO, USA
- Genus Plc, DeForest, WI, USA
| | - Ye Yuan
- Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, Lone Tree, CO, USA
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Zhao G, Forn-Cuní G, Scheers M, Lindenbergh PP, Yin J, van Loosen Q, Passarini L, Chen L, Snaar-Jagalska BE. Simultaneous targeting of AMPK and mTOR is a novel therapeutic strategy against prostate cancer. Cancer Lett 2024; 587:216657. [PMID: 38336289 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2024.216657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Metastatic colonization by circulating cancer cells is a highly inefficient process. To colonize distant organs, disseminating cancer cells must overcome many obstacles in foreign microenvironments, and only a small fraction of them survives this process. How these disseminating cancer cells cope with stress and initiate metastatic process is not fully understood. In this study, we report that the metastatic onset of prostate cancer cells is associated with the dynamic conversion of metabolism signaling pathways governed by the energy sensors AMPK and mTOR. While in circulation in blood flow, the disseminating cancer cells display decreased mTOR and increased AMPK activities that protect them from stress-induced death. However, after metastatic onset, the mTOR-AMPK activities are reversed, enabling mTOR-dependent tumor growth. Suppression of this dynamic conversion by co-targeting of AMPK and mTOR signaling significantly suppresses prostate cancer cell and tumor organoid growth in vitro and experimental metastasis in vivo, suggesting that this can be a therapeutic approach against metastasizing prostate cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gangyin Zhao
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Gabriel Forn-Cuní
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Marvin Scheers
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | | | - Jie Yin
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Quint van Loosen
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Leonardo Passarini
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Lanpeng Chen
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC, Leiden, the Netherlands; Department of Hematology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - B Ewa Snaar-Jagalska
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC, Leiden, the Netherlands.
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Xiong QW, Jiang K, Shen XW, Ma ZR, Yan XM, Xia H, Cao X. The requirement of the mitochondrial protein NDUFS8 for angiogenesis. Cell Death Dis 2024; 15:253. [PMID: 38594244 PMCID: PMC11004167 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-024-06636-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Mitochondria are important for the activation of endothelial cells and the process of angiogenesis. NDUFS8 (NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase core subunit S8) is a protein that plays a critical role in the function of mitochondrial Complex I. We aimed to investigate the potential involvement of NDUFS8 in angiogenesis. In human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and other endothelial cell types, we employed viral shRNA to silence NDUFS8 or employed the CRISPR/Cas9 method to knockout (KO) it, resulting in impaired mitochondrial functions in the endothelial cells, causing reduction in mitochondrial oxygen consumption and Complex I activity, decreased ATP production, mitochondrial depolarization, increased oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and enhanced lipid oxidation. Significantly, NDUFS8 silencing or KO hindered cell proliferation, migration, and capillary tube formation in cultured endothelial cells. In addition, there was a moderate increase in apoptosis within NDUFS8-depleted endothelial cells. Conversely, ectopic overexpression of NDUFS8 demonstrated a pro-angiogenic impact, enhancing cell proliferation, migration, and capillary tube formation in HUVECs and other endothelial cells. NDUFS8 is pivotal for Akt-mTOR cascade activation in endothelial cells. Depleting NDUFS8 inhibited Akt-mTOR activation, reversible with exogenous ATP in HUVECs. Conversely, NDUFS8 overexpression boosted Akt-mTOR activation. Furthermore, the inhibitory effects of NDUFS8 knockdown on cell proliferation, migration, and capillary tube formation were rescued by Akt re-activation via a constitutively-active Akt1. In vivo experiments using an endothelial-specific NDUFS8 shRNA adeno-associated virus (AAV), administered via intravitreous injection, revealed that endothelial knockdown of NDUFS8 inhibited retinal angiogenesis. ATP reduction, oxidative stress, and enhanced lipid oxidation were detected in mouse retinal tissues with endothelial knockdown of NDUFS8. Lastly, we observed an increase in NDUFS8 expression in retinal proliferative membrane tissues obtained from human patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Our findings underscore the essential role of the mitochondrial protein NDUFS8 in regulating endothelial cell activation and angiogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian-Wei Xiong
- Department of Urology Surgery, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Kun Jiang
- Vascular Surgery Department, Kunshan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Kunshan, China
| | - Xiao-Wei Shen
- Department of General Surgery, QingPu Branch of Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, QingPu District Central Hospital Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhou-Rui Ma
- Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Xiang-Ming Yan
- Department of Urology Surgery, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
| | - Hao Xia
- Department of Pediatric Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Xin Hua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Xu Cao
- Department of Urology Surgery, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
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Reda GK, Ndunguru SF, Csernus B, Knop R, Lugata JK, Szabó C, Czeglédi L, Lendvai ÁZ. Dietary restriction reveals sex-specific expression of the mTOR pathway genes in Japanese quails. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8314. [PMID: 38594358 PMCID: PMC11004124 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58487-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Limited resources affect an organism's physiology through the conserved metabolic pathway, the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR). Males and females often react differently to nutritional limitation, but whether it leads to differential mTOR pathway expression remains unknown. Recently, we found that dietary restriction (DR) induced significant changes in the expression of mTOR pathway genes in female Japanese quails (Coturnix japonica). We simultaneously exposed 32 male and female Japanese quails to either 20%, 30%, 40% restriction or ad libitum feeding for 14 days and determined the expression of six key genes of the mTOR pathway in the liver to investigate sex differences in the expression patterns. We found that DR significantly reduced body mass, albeit the effect was milder in males compared to females. We observed sex-specific liver gene expression. DR downregulated mTOR expression more in females than in males. Under moderate DR, ATG9A and RPS6K1 expressions were increased more in males than in females. Like females, body mass in males was correlated positively with mTOR and IGF1, but negatively with ATG9A and RS6K1 expressions. Our findings highlight that sexes may cope with nutritional deficits differently and emphasise the importance of considering sexual differences in studies of dietary restriction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gebrehaweria K Reda
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, Institute of Animal Science, Biotechnology and Nature Conservation, University of Debrecen, 4032, Debrecen, Hungary.
- Doctoral School of Animal Science, University of Debrecen, 4032, Debrecen, Hungary.
- Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, 4032, Debrecen, Hungary.
| | - Sawadi F Ndunguru
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, Institute of Animal Science, Biotechnology and Nature Conservation, University of Debrecen, 4032, Debrecen, Hungary
- Doctoral School of Animal Science, University of Debrecen, 4032, Debrecen, Hungary
- Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, 4032, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Brigitta Csernus
- Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, 4032, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Renáta Knop
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, Institute of Animal Science, Biotechnology and Nature Conservation, University of Debrecen, 4032, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - James K Lugata
- Doctoral School of Animal Science, University of Debrecen, 4032, Debrecen, Hungary
- Department of Animal Nutrition and Physiology, Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, 4032, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Csaba Szabó
- Department of Animal Nutrition and Physiology, Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, 4032, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Levente Czeglédi
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, Institute of Animal Science, Biotechnology and Nature Conservation, University of Debrecen, 4032, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Ádám Z Lendvai
- Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, 4032, Debrecen, Hungary
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Hatae R, Kyewalabye K, Yamamichi A, Chen T, Phyu S, Chuntova P, Nejo T, Levine LS, Spitzer MH, Okada H. Enhancing CAR-T cell metabolism to overcome hypoxic conditions in the brain tumor microenvironment. JCI Insight 2024; 9:e177141. [PMID: 38386420 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.177141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy has been limited against brain tumors to date. CAR-T cells infiltrating syngeneic intracerebral SB28 EGFRvIII gliomas revealed impaired mitochondrial ATP production and a markedly hypoxic status compared with ones migrating to subcutaneous tumors. Drug screenings to improve metabolic states of T cells under hypoxic conditions led us to evaluate the combination of the AMPK activator metformin and the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin (Met+Rap). Met+Rap-pretreated mouse CAR-T cells showed activated PPAR-γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) through mTOR inhibition and AMPK activation, and a higher level of mitochondrial spare respiratory capacity than those pretreated with individual drugs or without pretreatment. Moreover, Met+Rap-pretreated CAR-T cells demonstrated persistent and effective antiglioma cytotoxic activities in the hypoxic condition. Furthermore, a single intravenous infusion of Met+Rap-pretreated CAR-T cells significantly extended the survival of mice bearing intracerebral SB28 EGFRvIII gliomas. Mass cytometric analyses highlighted increased glioma-infiltrating CAR-T cells in the Met+Rap group, with fewer Ly6c+CD11b+ monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells in the tumors. Finally, human CAR-T cells pretreated with Met+Rap recapitulated the observations with murine CAR-T cells, demonstrating improved functions under in vitro hypoxic conditions. These findings advocate for translational and clinical exploration of Met+Rap-pretreated CAR-T cells in human trials.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Su Phyu
- Department of Neurological Surgery
| | | | | | - Lauren S Levine
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Matthew H Spitzer
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA
- The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Hideho Okada
- Department of Neurological Surgery
- The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, California, USA
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Yang J, Qin L, Zhou S, Li J, Tu Y, Mo M, Liu X, Huang J, Qin X, Jiao A, Wei W, Yang P. Network pharmacology, molecular docking and experimental study of CEP in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. J Ethnopharmacol 2024; 323:117667. [PMID: 38159821 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2023.117667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE The Stephania cephalantha Hayata is an important traditional medicinal plant widely used in traditional medicine to treat cancer. Cepharanthine (CEP) was extracted from the roots of Stephania cephalantha Hayata. It has been found to exhibit anticancer activity in different types of cancer cells. Nevertheless, the activity of CEP against nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and its underlying mechanism warrant further investigation. AIMS OF THE STUDY NPC is an invasive and highly metastatic malignancy that affects the head and neck region. This research aimed to investigate the pharmacological properties and underlying mechanism of CEP against NPC, aiming to offer novel perspectives on treating NPC using CEP. MATERIALS AND METHODS In vitro, the pharmacological activity of CEP against NPC was evaluated using the CCK-8 assay. To predict and elucidate the anticancer mechanism of CEP against NPC, we employed network pharmacology, conducted molecular docking analysis, and performed Western blot experiments. In vivo validation was performed through a nude mice xenograft model of human NPC, Western blot and immunohistochemical (IHC) assays to confirm pharmacological activity and the mechanism. RESULTS In a dose-dependent manner, the proliferation and clonogenic capacity of NPC cells were significantly inhibited by CEP. Additionally, NPC cell migration was suppressed by CEP. The results obtained from network pharmacology experiments revealed that anti-NPC effect of CEP was associated with 8 core targets, including EGFR, AKT1, PIK3CA, and mTOR. By performing molecular docking, the binding capacity of CEP to the candidate core proteins (EGFR, AKT1, PIK3CA, and mTOR) was predicted, resulting in docking energies of -10.0 kcal/mol for EGFR, -12.4 kcal/mol for PIK3CA, -10.8 kcal/mol for AKT1, and -8.6 kcal/mol for mTOR. The Western blot analysis showed that CEP effectively suppressed the expression of EGFR and the phosphorylation levels of downstream signaling proteins, including PI3K, AKT, mTOR, and ERK. After CEP intervention, a noteworthy decrease in tumor size, without inducing any toxicity, was observed in NPC xenograft nude mice undergoing in vivo treatment. Additionally, IHC analysis demonstrated a significant reduction in the expression levels of EGFR and Ki-67 following CEP treatment. CONCLUSION CEP exhibits significant pharmacological effects on NPC, and its mechanistic action involves restraining the activation of the EGFR/PI3K/AKT pathway. CEP represents a promising pharmaceutical agent for addressing and mitigating NPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangping Yang
- Pharmaceutical College, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China
| | - Liujie Qin
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China
| | - Shouchang Zhou
- Life Sciences Institute, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China
| | - Jixing Li
- Pharmaceutical College, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China
| | - Yu Tu
- Pharmaceutical College, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China
| | - Minfeng Mo
- Pharmaceutical College, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China
| | - Xuenian Liu
- Pharmaceutical College, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China
| | - Jinglun Huang
- Pharmaceutical College, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China
| | - Xiumei Qin
- Pharmaceutical College, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China
| | - Aijun Jiao
- Pharmaceutical College, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China; Life Sciences Institute, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China.
| | - Wei Wei
- Pharmaceutical College, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China.
| | - Peilin Yang
- Pharmaceutical College, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China.
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Dong J, Qian Y, Zhang W, Xu J, Wang L, Fan Z, Jia M, Wei L, Yang H, Luo X, Wang Y, Jiang Y, Huang Z, Wang Y. Tenacissoside H repressed the progression of glioblastoma by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Eur J Pharmacol 2024; 968:176401. [PMID: 38331340 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2024.176401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most common intracranial primary malignancies with the highest mortality rate, and there is a lack of effective treatments. In this study, we examined the anti-GBM activity of Tenacissoside H (TH), an active component isolated from the traditional Chinese medicine Marsdenia tenacissima (Roxb.) Wight & Arn (MT), and investigated the potential mechanism. Firstly, we found that TH decreased the viability of GBM cells by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, and inhibited the migration of GBM cells. Furthermore, combined with the Gene Expression Omnibus database (GEO) and network pharmacology as well as molecular docking, TH was shown to inhibit GBM progression by directly regulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, which was further validated in vitro. In addition, the selective PI3K agonist 740 y-p partially restored the inhibitory effects of TH on GBM cells. Finally, TH inhibited GBM progression in an orthotopic transplantation model by inactivating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in vivo. Conclusively, our results suggest that TH represses GBM progression by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo, and provides new insight for the treatment of GBM patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianhong Dong
- Department of Clinical Research Center, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310053, Zhejiang, China; School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Elemene Class Anti-Cancer Chinese Medicines, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yiming Qian
- Department of Clinical Research Center, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310053, Zhejiang, China; School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Elemene Class Anti-Cancer Chinese Medicines, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Elemene Class Anti-Cancer Chinese Medicines, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jiayun Xu
- School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Elemene Class Anti-Cancer Chinese Medicines, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, China
| | - Lipei Wang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 310030, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ziwei Fan
- Department of Orthopedics (Spine Surgery), The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, Zhejiang, China
| | - Mengxian Jia
- Department of Orthopedics (Spine Surgery), The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, Zhejiang, China
| | - Lijia Wei
- School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Elemene Class Anti-Cancer Chinese Medicines, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, China
| | - Hui Yang
- School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Elemene Class Anti-Cancer Chinese Medicines, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xuan Luo
- School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Elemene Class Anti-Cancer Chinese Medicines, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yongjie Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Elemene Class Anti-Cancer Chinese Medicines, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yuanyuan Jiang
- School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Elemene Class Anti-Cancer Chinese Medicines, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhihui Huang
- School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Elemene Class Anti-Cancer Chinese Medicines, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Ying Wang
- Department of Clinical Research Center, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310053, Zhejiang, China.
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Yang X, Liu S, Wang C, Fan H, Zou Q, Pu Y, Cai Z. Dietary salt promotes cognition impairment through GLP-1R/mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathway. Sci Rep 2024; 14:7970. [PMID: 38575652 PMCID: PMC10995169 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-57998-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Dietary salt has been associated with cognitive impairment in mice, possibly related to damaged synapses and tau hyperphosphorylation. However, the mechanism underlying how dietary salt causes cognitive dysfunction remains unclear. In our study, either a high-salt (8%) or normal diet (0.5%) was used to feed C57BL/6 mice for three months, and N2a cells were cultured in normal medium, NaCl medium (80 mM), or NaCl (80 mM) + Liraglutide (200 nM) medium for 48 h. Cognitive function in mice was assessed using the Morris water maze and shuttle box test, while anxiety was evaluated by the open field test (OPT). Western blotting (WB), immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemistry were utilized to assess the level of Glucagon-like Peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) and mTOR/p70S6K pathway. Electron microscope and western blotting were used to evaluate synapse function and tau phosphorylation. Our findings revealed that a high salt diet (HSD) reduced the level of synaptophysin (SYP) and postsynaptic density 95 (PSD95), resulting in significant synaptic damage. Additionally, hyperphosphorylation of tau at different sites was detected. The C57BL/6 mice showed significant impairment in learning and memory function compared to the control group, but HSD did not cause anxiety in the mice. In addition, the level of GLP-1R and autophagy flux decreased in the HSD group, while the level of mTOR/p70S6K was upregulated. Furthermore, liraglutide reversed the autophagy inhibition of N2a treated with NaCl. In summary, our study demonstrates that dietary salt inhibits the GLP-1R/mTOR/p70S6K pathway to inhibit autophagy and induces synaptic dysfunction and tau hyperphosphorylation, eventually impairing cognitive dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Yang
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Sichuan, 646000, People's Republic of China
- Department of Neurology, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing university, No. 118, Xingguang Avenue, Liangjiang New Area, Chongqing, 401147, People's Republic of China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Chongqing No. 312, Zhongshan First Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400013, People's Republic of China
| | - Shu Liu
- Department of Neurology, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing university, No. 118, Xingguang Avenue, Liangjiang New Area, Chongqing, 401147, People's Republic of China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Chongqing No. 312, Zhongshan First Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400013, People's Republic of China
| | - Chuanling Wang
- Department of Neurology, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing university, No. 118, Xingguang Avenue, Liangjiang New Area, Chongqing, 401147, People's Republic of China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Chongqing No. 312, Zhongshan First Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400013, People's Republic of China
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, No. 1 Yixueyuan Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400016, People's Republic of China
| | - Haixia Fan
- Department of Neurology, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing university, No. 118, Xingguang Avenue, Liangjiang New Area, Chongqing, 401147, People's Republic of China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Chongqing No. 312, Zhongshan First Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400013, People's Republic of China
| | - Qian Zou
- Department of Neurology, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing university, No. 118, Xingguang Avenue, Liangjiang New Area, Chongqing, 401147, People's Republic of China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Chongqing No. 312, Zhongshan First Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400013, People's Republic of China
| | - Yingshuang Pu
- Department of Neurology, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing university, No. 118, Xingguang Avenue, Liangjiang New Area, Chongqing, 401147, People's Republic of China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Chongqing No. 312, Zhongshan First Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400013, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhiyou Cai
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Sichuan, 646000, People's Republic of China.
- Department of Neurology, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing university, No. 118, Xingguang Avenue, Liangjiang New Area, Chongqing, 401147, People's Republic of China.
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Chongqing No. 312, Zhongshan First Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400013, People's Republic of China.
- Department of Neurology, Chongqing General Hospital, No. 312 Zhongshan First Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400013, People's Republic of China.
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Wang W, Ma X, Du W, Lin R, Li Z, Jiang W, Wang LY, Worley PF, Xu T. Small G-Protein Rheb Gates Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Signaling to Regulate Morphine Tolerance in Mice. Anesthesiology 2024; 140:786-802. [PMID: 38147625 DOI: 10.1097/aln.0000000000004885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Analgesic tolerance due to long-term use of morphine remains a challenge for pain management. Morphine acts on μ-opioid receptors and downstream of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling pathway to activate the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. Rheb is an important regulator of growth and cell-cycle progression in the central nervous system owing to its critical role in the activation of mTOR. The hypothesis was that signaling via the GTP-binding protein Rheb in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord is involved in morphine-induced tolerance. METHODS Male and female wild-type C57BL/6J mice or transgenic mice (6 to 8 weeks old) were injected intrathecally with saline or morphine twice daily at 12-h intervals for 5 consecutive days to establish a tolerance model. Analgesia was assessed 60 min later using the tail-flick assay. After 5 days, the spine was harvested for Western blot or immunofluorescence analysis. RESULTS Chronic morphine administration resulted in the upregulation of spinal Rheb by 4.27 ± 0.195-fold (P = 0.0036, n = 6), in turn activating mTOR by targeting rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). Genetic overexpression of Rheb impaired morphine analgesia, resulting in a tail-flick latency of 4.65 ± 1.10 s (P < 0.0001, n = 7) in Rheb knock-in mice compared to 10 s in control mice (10 ± 0 s). Additionally, Rheb overexpression in spinal excitatory neurons led to mTORC1 signaling overactivation. Genetic knockout of Rheb or inhibition of mTORC1 signaling by rapamycin potentiated morphine-induced tolerance (maximum possible effect, 52.60 ± 9.56% in the morphine + rapamycin group vs. 16.60 ± 8.54% in the morphine group; P < 0.0001). Moreover, activation of endogenous adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase inhibited Rheb upregulation and retarded the development of morphine-dependent tolerance (maximum possible effect, 39.51 ± 7.40% in morphine + metformin group vs. 15.58 ± 5.79% in morphine group; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS This study suggests spinal Rheb as a key molecular factor for regulating mammalian target of rapamycin signaling. EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenying Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaqing Ma
- Department of Anesthesiology, Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenjie Du
- Department of Anesthesiology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Raozhou Lin
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Zhongping Li
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Wei Jiang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Lu-Yang Wang
- Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Paul F Worley
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Tao Xu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Department of Anesthesiology, Suzhou Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Suzhou, China; and Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
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Lin M, Xiao Y, Dai Y, Mao Y, Xu L, Zhang Q, Chen Z. Chloroxine inhibits pancreatic cancer progression through targeted antagonization of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Clin Transl Oncol 2024; 26:951-965. [PMID: 37848695 DOI: 10.1007/s12094-023-03328-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with pancreatic cancer have a dismal prognosis due to tumor cell infiltration and metastasis. Many reports have documented that EMT and PI3K-AKT-mTOR axis control pancreatic cancer cell infiltration and metastasis. Chloroxine is an artificially synthesized antibacterial compound that demonstrated anti-pancreatic cancer effects in our previous drug-screening trial. We have explored the impact of chloroxine on pancreatic cancer growth, infiltration, migration, and apoptosis. METHODS The proliferation of pancreatic cancer cell lines (PCCs) treated with chloroxine was assessed through real-time cell analysis (RTCA), colony formation assay, CCK-8 assay, as well as immunofluorescence. Chloroxine effects on the infiltrative and migratory capacities of PCCs were assessed via Transwell invasion and scratch experiments. To assess the contents of EMT- and apoptosis-associated proteins in tumor cells, we adopted Western immunoblotting as well as immunofluorescence assays, and flow cytometry to determine chloroxine effects on PCCs apoptosis. The in vivo chloroxine antineoplastic effects were explored in nude mice xenografts. RESULTS Chloroxine repressed pancreatic cancer cell growth, migration, and infiltration in vitro, as well as in vivo, and stimulated apoptosis of the PCCs. Chloroxine appeared to inhibit PCC growth by Ki67 downregulation; this targeted and inhibited aberrant stimulation of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling cascade, triggered apoptosis in PCC via mitochondria-dependent apoptosis, and modulated the EMT to inhibit PCC infiltration and migration. CONCLUSIONS Chloroxine targeted and inhibited the PI3K-AKT-mTOR cascade to repress PCCs growth, migration, as well as invasion, and triggered cellular apoptosis. Therefore, chloroxine may constitute a potential antineoplastic drug for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miaomiao Lin
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanyi Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Hepato-Pancreatic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Top Key Discipline in Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Yile Dai
- Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Hepato-Pancreatic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Top Key Discipline in Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Yefan Mao
- Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Hepato-Pancreatic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Top Key Discipline in Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Liming Xu
- Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Hepato-Pancreatic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Top Key Discipline in Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiyu Zhang
- Department for Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China.
| | - Zhe Chen
- Department for Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China.
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Moldvai D, Sztankovics D, Dankó T, Vetlényi E, Petővári G, Márk Á, Patonai A, Végső G, Piros L, Hosszú Á, Pápay J, Krencz I, Sebestyén A. Tumorigenic role of tacrolimus through mTORC1/C2 activation in post-transplant renal cell carcinomas. Br J Cancer 2024; 130:1119-1130. [PMID: 38341510 PMCID: PMC10991560 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-024-02597-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) face an increased risk of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), in which the immunosuppressive regimen plays an important role. This study aimed to identify intracellular signalling alterations associated with post-transplant (post-tx) tumour formation. METHODS Expression of mTOR-related proteins were analysed in kidneys obtained from end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and RCCs developed in KTRs or non-transplant patients. The effects of tacrolimus (TAC) and rapamycin (RAPA) on mTOR activity, proliferation, and tumour growth were investigated through different in vitro and in vivo experiments. RESULTS Elevated mTORC1/C2 activity was observed in post-tx RCCs and in kidneys of TAC-treated ESRD patients. In vitro experiments demonstrated that TAC increases mTOR activity in a normal tubular epithelial cell line and in the investigated RCC cell lines, moreover, promotes the proliferation of some RCC cell line. In vivo, TAC elevated mTORC1/C2 activity in ischaemic kidneys of mice and enhanced tumour growth in xenograft model. CONCLUSIONS We observed significantly increased mTOR activity in ischaemic kidneys and post-tx RCCs, which highlights involvement of mTOR pathway both in the healing or fibrotic processes of kidney and in tumorigenesis. TAC-treatment further augmented the already elevated mTOR activity of injured kidney, potentially contributing to tumorigenesis during immunosuppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorottya Moldvai
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Üllői út 26., H-1085, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Dániel Sztankovics
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Üllői út 26., H-1085, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Titanilla Dankó
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Üllői út 26., H-1085, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Enikő Vetlényi
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Üllői út 26., H-1085, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gábor Petővári
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Üllői út 26., H-1085, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ágnes Márk
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Üllői út 26., H-1085, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Attila Patonai
- Department of Surgery, Transplantation and Gastroenterology, Semmelweis University, Üllői út 78., H-1082, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gyula Végső
- Department of Surgery, Transplantation and Gastroenterology, Semmelweis University, Üllői út 78., H-1082, Budapest, Hungary
| | - László Piros
- Department of Surgery, Transplantation and Gastroenterology, Semmelweis University, Üllői út 78., H-1082, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ádám Hosszú
- Department of Paediatrics (Bókay street Unit), Semmelweis University, Üllői út. 26, H-1085, Budapest, Hungary
- MTA-SE Lendulet Diabetes Research Group, Bókay János utca 53-54., H-1083, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Judit Pápay
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Üllői út 26., H-1085, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ildikó Krencz
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Üllői út 26., H-1085, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Anna Sebestyén
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Üllői út 26., H-1085, Budapest, Hungary.
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Davoody S, Asgari Taei A, Khodabakhsh P, Dargahi L. mTOR signaling and Alzheimer's disease: What we know and where we are? CNS Neurosci Ther 2024; 30:e14463. [PMID: 37721413 PMCID: PMC11017461 DOI: 10.1111/cns.14463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the great body of research done on Alzheimer's disease, the underlying mechanisms have not been vividly investigated. To date, the accumulation of amyloid-beta plaques and tau tangles constitutes the hallmark of the disease; however, dysregulation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) seems to be significantly involved in the pathogenesis of the disease as well. mTOR, as a serine-threonine protein kinase, was previously known for controlling many cellular functions such as cell size, autophagy, and metabolism. In this regard, mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) may leave anti-aging impacts by robustly inhibiting autophagy, a mechanism that inhibits the accumulation of damaged protein aggregate and dysfunctional organelles. Formation and aggregation of neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid-beta plaques seem to be significantly regulated by mTOR signaling. Understanding the underlying mechanisms and connection between mTOR signaling and AD may suggest conducting clinical trials assessing the efficacy of rapamycin, as an mTOR inhibitor drug, in managing AD or may help develop other medications. In this literature review, we aim to elaborate mTOR signaling network mainly in the brain, point to gaps of knowledge, and define how and in which ways mTOR signaling can be connected with AD pathogenesis and symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samin Davoody
- Student Research Committee, School of MedicineShahid Beheshti University of Medical SciencesTehranIran
| | - Afsaneh Asgari Taei
- Neuroscience Research CenterShahid Beheshti University of Medical SciencesTehranIran
| | - Pariya Khodabakhsh
- Department of NeurophysiologyInstitute of Physiology, Eberhard Karls University of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Leila Dargahi
- Neurobiology Research CenterShahid Beheshti University of Medical SciencesTehranIran
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Zhang W, Tang X, Peng Y, Xu Y, Liu L, Liu S. GBP2 enhances paclitaxel sensitivity in triple‑negative breast cancer by promoting autophagy in combination with ATG2 and inhibiting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Int J Oncol 2024; 64:34. [PMID: 38334171 PMCID: PMC10901536 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2024.5622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Chemoresistance is a major challenge in treating triple‑negative breast cancer (TNBC); chemotherapy remains the primary approach. The present study aimed to elucidate the role of guanylate‑binding protein 2 (GBP2) in activating autophagy in TNBC and its impact on the sensitivity of TNBC cells to paclitaxel (PTX). Transfection with lentivirus was performed to establish TNBC cell lines with stable, high GBP2 expression. The mRNA and protein levels of GBP2 expression were evaluated utilizing reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR and western blotting, respectively. Autophagy in TNBC cells was evaluated using immunoblotting, transmission electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy. The PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway proteins and their phosphorylation were detected by immunoblotting, and fluorescence co‑localization analysis was performed to evaluate the association between GBP2 and autophagy‑related protein 2 (ATG2). BALB/c NUDE mice were subcutaneously injected with GBP2 wild‑type/overexpressing MDA‑MB‑231 cells. Low GBP2 expression was detected in TNBC, which was associated with a poor prognosis. Overexpression of GBP2 suppressed cell growth, and especially enhanced autophagy in TNBC. Forced expression of GBP2 significantly increased the PTX sensitivity of TNBC cells, and the addition of autophagy inhibitors reversed this effect. GBP2 serves as a prognostic marker and exerts a notable inhibitory impact on TNBC. It functions as a critical regulator of activated autophagy by co‑acting with ATG2 and inhibiting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, which contributes to increasing sensitivity of TNBC cells to PTX. Therefore, GBP2 is a promising therapeutic target for enhancing TNBC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weidan Zhang
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China
- Department of General Surgery, The People's Hospital of Tongliang, Chongqing 402560, P.R. China
| | - Xin Tang
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The People's Hospital of Tongliang, Chongqing 402560, P.R. China
| | - Yang Peng
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China
| | - Yingkun Xu
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China
| | - Li Liu
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China
| | - Shengchun Liu
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China
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Lee SH, Kim JR, Shin JK, Lee JS, Kim YM, Kwak JH, Kim HS. Dendropanoxide Attenuates High Glucose-induced Oxidative Damage in NRK-52E Cells via AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathway. Planta Med 2024; 90:256-266. [PMID: 38040033 DOI: 10.1055/a-2220-9301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
Hyperglycemia is a potent risk factor for the development and progression of diabetes-induced nephropathy. Dendropanoxide (DPx) is a natural compound isolated from Dendropanax morbifera (Araliaceae) that exerts various biological effects. However, the role of DPx in hyperglycemia-induced renal tubular cell injury remains unclear. The present study explored the protective mechanism of DPx on high glucose (HG)-induced cytotoxicity in kidney tubular epithelial NRK-52E cells. The cells were cultured with normal glucose (5.6 mM), HG (30 mM), HG + metformin (10 µM), or HG + DPx (10 µM) for 48 h, and cell cycle and apoptosis were analyzed. Malondialdehyde (MDA), advanced glycation end products (AGEs), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured. Protein-based nephrotoxicity biomarkers were measured in both the culture media and cell lysates. MDA and AGEs were significantly increased in NRK-52E cells cultured with HG, and these levels were markedly reduced by pretreatment with DPx or metformin. DPx significantly reduced the levels of kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), selenium-binding protein 1 (SBP1), or neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in NRK-52E cells cultured under HG conditions. Furthermore, treatment with DPx significantly increased antioxidant enzyme activity. DPx protects against HG-induced renal tubular cell damage, which may be mediated by its ability to inhibit oxidative stress through the protein kinase B/mammalian target of the rapamycin (AKT/mTOR) signaling pathway. These findings suggest that DPx can be used as a new drug for the treatment of high glucose-induced diabetic nephropathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Hee Lee
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Seobu-ro 2066, Kyunggi-Do, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Ju Ri Kim
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Seobu-ro 2066, Kyunggi-Do, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Joo Kyung Shin
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Seobu-ro 2066, Kyunggi-Do, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin-Sol Lee
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Seobu-ro 2066, Kyunggi-Do, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Mi Kim
- College of Pharmacy, Duksung Women's University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong Hwan Kwak
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Seobu-ro 2066, Kyunggi-Do, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyung Sik Kim
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Seobu-ro 2066, Kyunggi-Do, Suwon, Republic of Korea
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Browne IM, André F, Chandarlapaty S, Carey LA, Turner NC. Optimal targeting of PI3K-AKT and mTOR in advanced oestrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. Lancet Oncol 2024; 25:e139-e151. [PMID: 38547898 DOI: 10.1016/s1470-2045(23)00676-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
The growing availability of targeted therapies for patients with advanced oestrogen receptor-positive breast cancer has improved survival, but there remains much to learn about the optimal management of these patients. The PI3K-AKT and mTOR pathways are among the most commonly activated pathways in breast cancer, whose crucial role in the pathogenesis of this tumour type has spurred major efforts to target this pathway at specific kinase hubs. Approvals for oestrogen receptor-positive advanced breast cancer include the PI3K inhibitor alpelisib for PIK3CA-mutated tumours, the AKT inhibitor capivasertib for tumours with alterations in PIK3CA, AKT1, or PTEN, and the mTOR inhibitor everolimus, which is used irrespective of mutation status. The availability of different inhibitors leaves physicians with a potentially challenging decision over which of these therapies should be used for individual patients and when. In this Review, we present a comprehensive summary of our current understanding of the pathways and the three inhibitors and discuss strategies for the optimal sequencing of therapies in the clinic, particularly after progression on a CDK4/6 inhibitor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iseult M Browne
- Breast Cancer Now Research Centre, Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK; Ralph Lauren Centre for Breast Cancer Research and Breast Unit, The Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Fabrice André
- Department of Medical Oncology, INSERM U981, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | | | - Lisa A Carey
- University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Nicholas C Turner
- Breast Cancer Now Research Centre, Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK; Ralph Lauren Centre for Breast Cancer Research and Breast Unit, The Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
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Wang F, Xu WQ, Zhang WQ, Xu RC, Sun JL, Zhang GC, Liu ZY, Qi ZR, Dong L, Weng SQ, Shen XZ, Liu TT, Fang Y, Zhu JM. Transferrin receptor 1 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression and metastasis by activating the mTOR signaling pathway. Hepatol Int 2024; 18:636-650. [PMID: 37982952 DOI: 10.1007/s12072-023-10607-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Aberrant iron metabolism is commonly observed in multiple tumor types, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, as the key regulator of iron metabolism involved in iron absorption, the role of transferrin receptor (TFRC) in HCC remains elusive. METHODS The mRNA and protein expression of TFRC were evaluated in paired HCC and adjacent non-tumor specimens. The correlation between TFRC level and clinicopathological features or prognostic significance was also analyzed. The role of TFRC on biological functions was finally studied in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS The TFRC level was remarkably upregulated in HCC tissues compared to paired peritumor tissues. Overexpressed TFRC positively correlated with serum alpha-fetoprotein, carcinoembryonic antigen, and poor tumor differentiation. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that upregulated TFRC was an independent predictive marker for poorer overall survival and disease-free survival in HCC patients. Loss of TFRC markedly impaired cell proliferation and migration in vitro and notably suppressed HCC growth and metastasis in vivo, while overexpression of TFRC performed an opposite effect. Mechanistically, the mTOR signaling pathway was downregulated with TFRC knockdown, and the mTOR agonist MHY1485 completely reversed the biological inhibition in HCC cells caused by TFRC knockdown. Furthermore, exogenous ferric citrate (FAC) or iron chelator reversed the changed biological functions and signaling pathway expression of HCC cells caused by TFRC knockdown or overexpression, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Our study indicates that TFRC exerts an oncogenic role in HCC and may become a promising therapeutic target to restrain HCC progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fu Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Shanghai Institute of Liver Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Rd., Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Wei-Qi Xu
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, Shanghai Cancer Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wan-Qin Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Shanghai Institute of Liver Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Rd., Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Ru-Chen Xu
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Shanghai Institute of Liver Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Rd., Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Jia-Lei Sun
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Shanghai Institute of Liver Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Rd., Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Guang-Cong Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Shanghai Institute of Liver Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Rd., Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Zhi-Yong Liu
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Shanghai Institute of Liver Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Rd., Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Zhuo-Ran Qi
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Shanghai Institute of Liver Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Rd., Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Ling Dong
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Shanghai Institute of Liver Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Rd., Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Shu-Qiang Weng
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Shanghai Institute of Liver Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Rd., Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Xi-Zhong Shen
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Shanghai Institute of Liver Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Rd., Shanghai, 200032, China
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, 138 Yixueyuan Rd., Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Tao-Tao Liu
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Shanghai Institute of Liver Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Rd., Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Ying Fang
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Shanghai Institute of Liver Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Rd., Shanghai, 200032, China.
| | - Ji-Min Zhu
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Shanghai Institute of Liver Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Rd., Shanghai, 200032, China.
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