Background:Cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury will cause a large amount of cardiomyocyte loss and cascade reactions such as apoptosis, mitochondrial dysfunction, and excessive autophagy. ...Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are promising therapeutic tools to replace damaged cardiomyocytes, but the underlying mechanism is still unknown.Methods and Results:Exosomes contain many microRNAs and protein, which are believed to have multiple biological functions. This study explored the role of bone marrow MSCs (BMMSCs)-derived exosomes under different oxidation levels in heart protection and miRNA-related mechanisms. Exosomes extracted from BMMSCs contained a high level of miR-29c, and its expression level changed after cells were treated under hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) conditions. In vivo I/R experiments also confirmed an expression change of miR-29c, and PTEN-Akt-mTOR is one of the predominant pathways that regulate autophagic change during this process.Conclusions:This study highlighted the role of miR-29c in regulating autophagy under cardiac I/R injury, which also extended existing mechanisms of a stem cell and its derivative to explore potential therapeutic interventions in ischemic heart diseases.
Doxorubicin (DOX) is a highly effective antineoplastic anthracycline drug; however, the adverse effect of the cardiotoxicity has limited its widespread application. Fibroblast growth factor 21 ...(FGF21), as a well-known regulator of glucose and lipid metabolism, was recently shown to exert cardioprotective effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible protective effects of FGF21 against DOX-induced cardiomyopathy. We preliminarily established DOX-induced cardiotoxicity models in H9c2 cells, adult mouse cardiomyocytes, and 129S1/SyImJ mice, which clearly showed cardiac dysfunction and myocardial collagen accumulation accompanying by inflammatory, oxidative stress, and apoptotic damage. Treatment with FGF21 obviously attenuated the DOX-induced cardiac dysfunction and pathological changes. Its effective anti-inflammatory activity was revealed by downregulation of inflammatory factors (tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6) via the IKK/IκBα/nuclear factor-κB pathway. The anti-oxidative stress activity of FGF21 was achieved via reduced generation of reactive oxygen species through regulation of nuclear transcription factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 transcription. Its anti-apoptotic activity was shown by reductions in the number of TUNEL-positive cells and DNA fragments along with a decreased ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 expression. In a further mechanistic study, FGF21 enhanced sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) binding to liver kinase B1 (LKB1) and then decreased LKB1 acetylation, subsequently inducing AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation, which improved the cardiac inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. These alterations were significantly prohibited by SIRT1 RNAi. The present work demonstrates for the first time that FGF21 obviously prevented DOX-induced cardiotoxicity via the suppression of oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis through the SIRT1/LKB1/AMPK signaling pathway.
Doxorubicin (DOX) is an anthracycline chemotherapy drug used in the treatment of various types of cancer. However, short-term and long-term cardiotoxicity limits the clinical application of DOX. ...Currently, dexrazoxane is the only approved treatment by the United States Food and Drug Administration to prevent DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. However, a recent study found that pre-treatment with dexrazoxane could not fully improve myocardial toxicity of DOX. Therefore, further targeted cardioprotective prophylaxis and treatment strategies are an urgent requirement for cancer patients receiving DOX treatment to reduce the occurrence of cardiotoxicity. Accumulating evidence manifested that Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) could play a crucially protective role in heart diseases. Recently, numerous studies have concentrated on the role of SIRT1 in DOX-induced cardiotoxicity, which might be related to the activity and deacetylation of SIRT1 downstream targets. Therefore, the aim of this review was to summarize the recent advances related to the protective effects, mechanisms, and deficiencies in clinical application of SIRT1 in DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. Also, the pharmaceutical preparations that activate SIRT1 and affect DOX-induced cardiotoxicity have been listed in this review.
Doxorubicin (DOX) is a highly effective chemotherapeutic drug, but its long-term use can cause cardiotoxicity and drug resistance. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that p53 is directly involved in ...DOX toxicity and resistance. One of the primary causes for DOX resistance is the mutation or inactivation of p53. Moreover, because the non-specific activation of p53 caused by DOX can kill non-cancerous cells, p53 is a popular target for reducing toxicity. However, the reduction in DOX-induced cardiotoxicity (DIC) via p53 suppression is often at odds with the antitumor advantages of p53 reactivation. Therefore, in order to increase the effectiveness of DOX, there is an urgent need to explore p53-targeted anticancer strategies owing to the complex regulatory network and polymorphisms of the p53 gene. In this review, we summarize the role and potential mechanisms of p53 in DIC and resistance. Furthermore, we focus on the advances and challenges in applying dietary nutrients, natural products, and other pharmacological strategies to overcome DOX-induced chemoresistance and cardiotoxicity. Lastly, we present potential therapeutic strategies to address key issues in order to provide new ideas for increasing the clinical use of DOX and improving its anticancer benefits.
We have reported that sulforaphane (SFN) prevented diabetic cardiomyopathy in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) animal models via the upregulation of nuclear transcription factor erythroid ...2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and metallothionein (MT). In this study, we tested whether SFN protects the heart from T2DM directly through Nrf2, MT, or both. Using Nrf2-knockout (KO), MT-KO, and wild-type (WT) mice, T2DM was induced by feeding a high-fat diet for 3 months followed by a small dose of streptozotocin. Age-matched controls were given a normal diet. Both T2DM and control mice were then treated with or without SFN for 4 months by continually feeding a high-fat or normal diet. SFN prevented diabetes-induced cardiac dysfunction as well as diabetes-associated cardiac oxidative damage, inflammation, fibrosis, and hypertrophy, with increases in Nrf2 and MT expressions in the WT mice. Both Nrf2-KO and MT-KO diabetic mice exhibited greater cardiac damage than WT diabetic mice. SFN did not provide cardiac protection in Nrf2-KO mice, but partially or completely protected the heart from diabetes in MT-KO mice. SFN did not induce MT expression in Nrf2-KO mice, but stimulated Nrf2 function in MT-KO mice. These results suggest that Nrf2 plays the indispensable role for SFN cardiac protection from T2DM with significant induction of MT and other antioxidants. MT expression induced by SFN is Nrf2 dependent, but is not indispensable for SFN-induced cardiac protection from T2DM.
Quercetin is a natural flavonoid widely found in natural fruits and vegetables. Recent studies have shown that quercetin mediates multiple beneficial effects in a variety of organ damage and ...diseases, and is considered a healthcare supplement with health-promoting potential. Male infertility is a major health concern, and testicular damage from multiple causes is an important etiology. Previous studies have shown that quercetin has a protective effect on reproductive function. This may be related to the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic biological activities of quercetin. Therefore, this paper reviews the mechanisms by which quercetin exerts its pharmacological activity and its role in testicular damage induced by various etiologies. In addition, this paper compiles the application of quercetin in clinical trials, demonstrating its practical effects in regulating blood pressure and inhibiting cellular senescence in human patients. However, more in-depth experimental studies and clinical trials are needed to confirm the true value of quercetin for the prevention and protection against testicular injury.
Abstract Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)-induced cardiomyopathy is associated with cardiac oxidative stress, inflammation, and remodeling. Sulforaphane (SFN), an isothiocyanate naturally presenting ...in widely consumed vegetables, particularly broccoli, plays an important role in cardiac protection from diabetes. We investigated the effect of SFN on T2DM-induced cardiac lipid accumulation and subsequent cardiomyopathy. Male C57BL/6J mice were fed a high-fat diet for 3 months to induce insulin resistance, followed by a treatment with 100 mg/kg body-weight streptozotocin to induce hyperglycemia; we referred to it as the T2DM mouse model. Other age-matched mice were fed a normal diet as control. T2DM and control mice were treated with or without 4-month SFN at 0.5 mg/kg daily five days a week. At the study's end, cardiac function was assessed. SFN treatment significantly attenuated cardiac remodeling and dysfunction induced by T2DM. SFN treatment also significantly inhibited cardiac lipid accumulation, measured by Oil Red O staining, and improved cardiac inflammation oxidative stress and fibrosis, shown by down-regulating diabetes-induced PAI-1, TNF-α, CTGF, TGF-β, 3-NT, and 4-HNE expression. Elevated 4-HNE resulted in the increase of 4-HNE-LKB1 adducts that should inhibit LKB1 and subsequent AMPK activity. SFN upregulated the expression of Nrf2 and its downstream genes, NQO1 and HO-1, decreased 4-HNE-LKB1 adducts and then reversed diabetes-induced inhibition of LKB1/AMPK and its downstream targets, including sirtuin 1, PGC-1α, phosphorylated acetyl-CoA carboxylase, carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1, ULK1, and light chain-3 II. These results suggest that SFN treatment to T2DM mice may attenuate the cardiac oxidative stress-induced inhibition of LKB1/AMPK signaling pathway, thereby preventing T2DM-induced lipotoxicity and cardiomyopathy.
Fenofibrate (FF), as a peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) agonist, has been used clinically for decades to lower lipid levels. In the present study, we examined whether FF can be ...repurposed to prevent the pathogenesi of the heart in Type 1 diabetes and to describe the underlying mechanism of its action. Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice and their age-matched control mice were treated with vehicle or FF by gavage every other day for 3 or 6 months. FF prevented diabetes-induced cardiac dysfunction (e.g. decreased ejection fraction and hypertrophy), inflammation and remodelling. FF also increased cardiac expression of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) and sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) in non-diabetic and diabetic conditions. Deletion of FGF21 gene (FGF21-KO) worsened diabetes-induced pathogenic effects in the heart. FF treatment prevented heart deterioration in the wild-type diabetic mice, but could not do so in the FGF21-KO diabetic mice although the systemic lipid profile was lowered in both wild-type and FGF21-KO diabetic mice. Mechanistically, FF treatment prevented diabetes-impaired autophagy, reflected by increased microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3, in the wild-type diabetic mice but not in the FGF21-KO diabetic mice. Studies with H9C2 cells in vitro demonstrated that exposure to high glucose (HG) significantly increased inflammatory response, oxidative stress and pro-fibrotic response and also significantly inhibited autophagy. These effects of HG were prevented by FF treatment. Inhibition of either autophagy by 3-methyladenine (3MA) or Sirt1 by sirtinol (SI) abolished FF's prevention of HG-induced effects. These results suggested that FF could prevent Type 1 diabetes-induced pathological and functional abnormalities of the heart by increasing FGF21 that may up-regulate Sirt1-mediated autophagy.
This study aims to examine the anti-diabetic properties of insoluble and soluble dietary fibers from kiwifruit (KIDF and KSDF) in rats with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) resulting from a high-fat ...diet (HFD) and streptozotocin (STZ). Both KIDF and KSDF treatments for four weeks remarkably decreased body weight and increased satiety. In addition, the blood glucose level and circulatory lipopolysaccharide (LPS) content were decreased, while the insulin resistance, inflammatory status, and lipid profiles improved. These anti-diabetic effects might be related to the regulation of gut microbiota and increased SCFA content. The key microbial communities of KIDF and KSDF were different. Furthermore, the KIDF treatment increased the level of total SCFAs and isobutyric acid, while KSDF increased the levels of total SCFAs and butyric acid. The association between critical species and SCFA and between SCFA and biochemical parameters indicated that the mechanisms of KIDF and KSDF on T2DM might be different.
Vascular complications are common pathologies associated with type 1 diabetes. In recent years, histone deacetylation enzyme (HDAC) inhibitors have been shown to be successful in preventing ...atherosclerosis. To investigate the mechanism for HDAC3 inhibition in preventing diabetic aortic pathologies, male OVE26 type 1 diabetic mice and age-matched wild-type (FVB) mice were given the HDAC3-specific inhibitor RGFP-966 or vehicle for 3 mo. These mice were then euthanized immediately or maintained for an additional 3 mo without treatment. Levels of aortic inflammation and fibrosis and plasma and fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) levels were determined. Because the liver is the major organ for FGF21 synthesis in diabetic animals, the effects of HDAC3 inhibition on hepatic FGF21 synthesis were examined. Additionally, hepatic miR-200a and kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) expression and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) nuclear translocation were measured. HDAC3 inhibition significantly reduced aortic fibrosis and inflammation in OVE26 mice at both 3 and 6 mo. Plasma FGF21 levels were significantly higher in RGFP-966-treated OVE26 mice compared with vehicle-treated mice at both time points. It also significantly reduced hepatic pathologies associated with diabetes, accompanied by increased FGF21 mRNA and protein expression. HDAC3 inhibition also increased miR-200a expression, reduced Keap1 protein levels, and increased Nrf2 nuclear translocation with an upregulation of antioxidant gene and FGF21 transcription. Our results support a model where HDAC3 inhibition may promote Nrf2 activity by increasing miR-200a expression with a concomitant decrease in Keap1 to preserve hepatic FGF21 synthesis. The preservation of hepatic FGF21 synthesis ultimately leads to a reduction in diabetes-induced aorta pathologies.