RNA-Seq analysis and functional characterization revealed lncRNA NONRATT007560.2 regulated cardiomyocytes oxidative stress and apoptosis induced by high glucose

The interregulatory circuit between non-coding RNA and apoptotic signaling in diabetic cardiomyopathy

Diabetes mellitus has surged in prevalence, emerging as a prominent epidemic and assuming a foremost position among prevalent medical disorders. Diabetes constitutes a pivotal risk element for cardiovascular maladies, with diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) standing out as a substantial complication encountered by individuals with diabetes. Apoptosis represents a physiological phenomenon observed throughout the aging and developmental stages, giving rise to the programmed cell death, which is implicated in DCM. Non-coding RNAs assume significant functions in modulation of gene expression. Their deviant expression of ncRNAs is implicated in overseeing diverse cellular attributes such as proliferation, apoptosis, and has been postulated to play a role in the progression of DCM. Notably, ncRNAs and the process of apoptosis can mutually influence and cooperate in shaping the destiny of human cardiac tissues. Therefore, the exploration of the interplay between apoptosis and non-coding RNAs holds paramount importance in the formulation of efficacious therapeutic and preventive approaches for managing DCM. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the apoptotic signaling pathways relevant to DCM and subsequently delve into the reciprocal regulation between apoptosis and ncRNAs in DCM. These insights contribute to an enhanced comprehension of DCM and the development of therapeutic strategies.

Epigenetics in diabetic cardiomyopathy

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a critical complication that poses a significant threat to the health of patients with diabetes. The intricate pathological mechanisms of DCM cause diastolic dysfunction, followed by impaired systolic function in the late stages. Accumulating researches have revealed the association between DCM and various epigenetic regulatory mechanisms, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, non-coding RNAs, and other epigenetic molecules. Recently, a profound understanding of epigenetics in the pathophysiology of DCM has been broadened owing to advanced high-throughput technologies, which assist in developing potential therapeutic strategies. In this review, we briefly introduce the epigenetics regulation and update the relevant progress in DCM. We propose the role of epigenetic factors and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) as potential biomarkers and drugs in DCM diagnosis and treatment, providing a new perspective and understanding of epigenomics in DCM.

LncRNA HCG18 affects diabetic cardiomyopathy and its association with miR-9-5p/IGF2R axis

This paper aimed to investigate the role of lncRNA HCG18 (HCG18) in the progression of diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) and potential mechanisms. Streptozocin (STZ) was used to induce DCM model in rats, which was confirmed by blood glucose concentration, body weight, and HE staining. Myocardial apoptosis was detected by TUNEL. H9c2 cardiomyocytes were used to construct cell models of DCM through treatment of high glucose. The results showed that HCG18 was overexpressed in STZ induced DCM rat model and high glucose induced H9c2 cardiomyocytes. Si-HCG18 significantly increased cell viability, reduced cell apoptosis, attenuated activities of myocardial enzymes and enhanced activities of antioxidant enzymes in STZ induced DM model and high glucose induced H9c2 cardiomyocytes, while the results of upregulation of HCG18, in high glucose induced H9c2 cardiomyocytes, were opposite with that of si-HCG18. MiR-9-5p was a target of HCG18, and which was down-regulated in cardiomyocytes of DCM. The overexpression of miR-9-5p could neutralize the high glucose induced cardiomyocyte injury, and the silence of miR-9-5p could reverse the effect of si-HCG18 on high glucose induced cardiomyocytes. MiR-9-5p could directly target to IGF2R, and IGF2R was overexpressed in cardiomyocytes of DCM. Up-regulation of IGF2R can reverse the protective effect of si-HCG18 on cardiomyocytes. Taken together, HCG18 is significantly increased in cardiomyocytes of DCM. Down-regulation of HCG18 can improve cardiomyocyte injury through miR-9-5p/IGF2R axis in DCM.

Effects of non-coding RNAs and RNA-binding proteins on mitochondrial dysfunction in diabetic cardiomyopathy

Vascular complications are the main cause of diabetes mellitus-associated morbidity and mortality. Oxidative stress and metabolic dysfunction underly injury to the vascular endothelium and myocardium, resulting in diabetic angiopathy and cardiomyopathy. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been shown to play an important role in cardiomyopathic disruptions of key cellular functions, including energy metabolism and oxidative balance. Both non-coding RNAs and RNA-binding proteins are implicated in diabetic cardiomyopathy, however, their impact on mitochondrial dysfunction in the context of this disease is largely unknown. Elucidating the effects of non-coding RNAs and RNA-binding proteins on mitochondrial pathways in diabetic cardiomyopathy would allow further insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying diabetic vascular complications and could facilitate the development of new therapeutic strategies. Stem cell-based models can facilitate the study of non-coding RNAs and RNA-binding proteins and their unique characteristics make them a promising tool to improve our understanding of mitochondrial dysfunction and vascular complications in diabetes.

Clinical Relevance of lncRNA and Mitochondrial Targeted Antioxidants as Therapeutic Options in Regulating Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial Function in Vascular Complications of Diabetes

Metabolic imbalances and persistent hyperglycemia are widely recognized as driving forces for augmented cytosolic and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) in diabetes mellitus (DM), fostering the development of vascular complications such as diabetic nephropathy, diabetic cardiomyopathy, diabetic neuropathy, and diabetic retinopathy. Therefore, specific therapeutic approaches capable of modulating oxidative milieu may provide a preventative and/or therapeutic benefit against the development of cardiovascular complications in diabetes patients. Recent studies have demonstrated epigenetic alterations in circulating and tissue-specific long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) signatures in vascular complications of DM regulating mitochondrial function under oxidative stress. Intriguingly, over the past decade mitochondria-targeted antioxidants (MTAs) have emerged as a promising therapeutic option for managing oxidative stress-induced diseases. Here, we review the present status of lncRNA as a diagnostic biomarker and potential regulator of oxidative stress in vascular complications of DM. We also discuss the recent advances in using MTAs in different animal models and clinical trials. We summarize the prospects and challenges for the use of MTAs in treating vascular diseases and their application in translation medicine, which may be beneficial in MTA drug design development, and their application in translational medicine.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy: The role of microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is on the rise, necessitating the development of novel therapeutic and preventive strategies to mitigate the disease's debilitating effects. Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCMP) is among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients globally. DCMP manifests as cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, apoptosis, and myocardial interstitial fibrosis before progressing to heart failure. Evidence suggests that non-coding RNAs, such as long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs), regulate diabetic cardiomyopathy-related processes such as insulin resistance, cardiomyocyte apoptosis and inflammation, emphasizing their heart-protective effects. This paper reviewed the literature data from animal and human studies on the non-trivial roles of miRNAs and lncRNAs in the context of DCMP in diabetes and demonstrated their future potential in DCMP treatment in diabetic patients.

Unveiling the Vital Role of Long Non-Coding RNAs in Cardiac Oxidative Stress, Cell Death, and Fibrosis in Diabetic Cardiomyopathy

Diabetes mellitus is a burdensome public health problem. Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in diabetes patients. The pathogenesis of DCM is multifactorial and involves metabolic abnormalities, the accumulation of advanced glycation end products, myocardial cell death, oxidative stress, inflammation, microangiopathy, and cardiac fibrosis. Evidence suggests that various types of cardiomyocyte death act simultaneously as terminal pathways in DCM. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a class of RNA transcripts with lengths greater than 200 nucleotides and no apparent coding potential. Emerging studies have shown the critical role of lncRNAs in the pathogenesis of DCM, along with the development of molecular biology technologies. Therefore, we summarize specific lncRNAs that mainly regulate multiple modes of cardiomyopathy death, oxidative stress, and cardiac fibrosis and provide valuable insights into diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers and strategies for DCM.

Research status and trends of the diabetic cardiomyopathy in the past 10 years (2012–2021): A bibliometric analysis

Background

Diabetic cardiomyopathy is one of the most life-threatening diabetic complications. However, the previous studies only discuss a particular aspect or characteristic of DCM, the current state and trends were explored by limited research. We aimed to perform a systemically bibliometric study of DCM research progress status in the past decade, visualize the internal conceptual structure and potential associations, and further explore the prospective study trends.

Methods

Articles related to DCM published from January 2012 to December 2021 were collected in the Web of Science core collection (WoSCC) database on June 24, 2022. We exported all bibliographic records, including titles, abstracts, keywords, authorship, institutions, addresses, publishing sources, references, citation times, and year of publication. In addition, the journal Impact Factor and Hirsch index were obtained from the Journal Citation Report. We conducted the data screening, statistical analysis, and visualization via the Bibliometrix R package. VOS viewer software was employed to generate the collaboration network map among countries and institutions for better performance in visualization.

Results

In total, 1,887 original research articles from 2012 to 2021 were identified. The number of annual publications rapidly increased from 107 to 278, and a drastic increase in citation times was observed in 2017–2019. As for global contributions, the United States was the most influential country with the highest international collaboration, while China was the most productive country. Professor Cai Lu was the most prolific author. Shandong University published the most articles. Cardiovascular Diabetology journal released the most DCM-related articles. “Metabolic Stress-induced Activation of FoxO1 Triggers Diabetic Cardiomyopathy in Mice” Battiprolu PK et al., J Clin Invest, 2012. was the most top-cited article regarding local citations. The top three keywords in terms of frequency were apoptosis, oxidative stress, and fibrosis. The analysis of future topic trends indicated that “Forkhead box protein O1,” “Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction,” “Dapagliflozin,” “Thioredoxin,” “Mitochondria dysfunction,” “Glucose,” “Pyroptosis,” “Cardiac fibroblast” and “Long non-coding RNA” could be promising hotspots.

Conclusion

This study provides meaningful insights into DCM, which is expected to assist cardiologists and endocrinologists in exploring frontiers and future research directions in the domain through a refined and concise summary.

HMGCS2 silencing attenuates high glucose-induced in vitro diabetic cardiomyopathy by increasing cell viability, and inhibiting apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a diabetic mellitus-related complications and progression of DCM may eventually lead to heart failure, while mechanisms related to DCM pathophysiology remain unclear. The study was undertaken to identify possible hub genes associated with DCM progression through bioinformatics analysis and to validate the role of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase 2 (HMGCS2) in DCM progression using a cellular model of high glucose (HG)-induced DCM. The common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between GSE173884 and GSE161827 were used for PPI network analysis. Our results identified 17 common DEGs between GSE173384 and GSE161827. Further analysis of the protein–protein interaction network identified nine hub genes and HMGCS2. The in vitro functional assays showed that HG induced up-regulation of HMGCS2, suppressed cardiomyocyte viability, enhanced apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress of cardiomyocytes. Gain-of-function assays showed that HMGCS2 overexpression reduced cell viability, increased apoptosis, caspase-3/-9 activity, up-regulated interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) expression, decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase expression, increased malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) level but inhibited total antioxidant activity, SOD activity, CAT activity, and glutathione content in cardiomyocytes. Rescue experiments demonstrated HMGCS2 silence attenuated HG-induced decrease in cardiomyocyte viability and increase in cardiomyocyte apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress. All in all, our study identified HMGCS2 as a hub gene in DCM pathophysiology and further functional studies indicated that HMGCS2 may aggravate DCM progression by reducing cardiomyocyte viability, increasing cardiomyocyte apoptosis, and promoting inflammation and oxidative stress in cardiomyocytes.

Therapeutic potential of targeting oxidative stress in diabetic cardiomyopathy

Even in the absence of coronary artery disease and hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM) may increase the risk for heart failure development. This risk evolves from functional and structural alterations induced by diabetes in the heart, a cardiac entity termed diabetic cardiomyopathy (DbCM). Oxidative stress, defined as the imbalance of reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been increasingly proposed to contribute to the development of DbCM. There are several sources of ROS production including the mitochondria, NAD(P)H oxidase, xanthine oxidase, and uncoupled nitric oxide synthase. Overproduction of ROS in DbCM is thought to be counterbalanced by elevated antioxidant defense enzymes such as catalase and superoxide dismutase. Excess ROS in the cardiomyocyte results in further ROS production, mitochondrial DNA damage, lipid peroxidation, post-translational modifications of proteins and ultimately cell death and cardiac dysfunction. Furthermore, ROS modulates transcription factors responsible for expression of antioxidant enzymes. Lastly, evidence exists that several pharmacological agents may convey cardiovascular benefit by antioxidant mechanisms. As such, increasing our understanding of the pathways that lead to increased ROS production and impaired antioxidant defense may enable the development of therapeutic strategies against the progression of DbCM. Herein, we review the current knowledge about causes and consequences of ROS in DbCM, as well as the therapeutic potential and strategies of targeting oxidative stress in the diabetic heart.

Long Non-coding RNA: A Key Regulator in the Pathogenesis of Diabetic Cardiomyopathy

In recent years, diabetes mellitus has become a global issue with increasing incidence rate worldwide. Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM), one of the important complications of diabetes, refers to patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes who have ventricular hypertrophy, fibrosis and even diastolic dysfunction. The pathogenesis of DCM is related to oxidative stress, inflammatory response, apoptosis, autophagy, myocardial fibrosis and, diabetic microangiopathy. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) is a non-coding RNA with a length longer than 200 nucleotides which lack the ability of protein coding. With the development of molecular technology, massive evidence demonstrates that lncRNA play a critical role in the molecular mechanism of DCM. Moreover, it can also be used as potential diagnostic markers for DCM. In this review, we intend to summarize the pathological roles and molecular mechanism of lncRNA in the progression of diabetic cardiomyopathy, which may provide promising diagnosis and treatment strategies for DCM.

MicroRNAs and long non-coding RNAs in the pathophysiological processes of diabetic cardiomyopathy: emerging biomarkers and potential therapeutics

The epidemic of diabetes mellitus (DM) necessitates the development of novel therapeutic and preventative strategies to attenuate complications of this debilitating disease. Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a frequent disorder affecting individuals diagnosed with DM characterized by left ventricular hypertrophy, diastolic and systolic dysfunction and myocardial fibrosis in the absence of other heart diseases. Progression of DCM is associated with impaired cardiac insulin metabolic signaling, increased oxidative stress, impaired mitochondrial and cardiomyocyte calcium metabolism, and inflammation. Various non-coding RNAs, such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), as well as their target genes are implicated in the complex pathophysiology of DCM. It has been demonstrated that miRNAs and lncRNAs play an important role in maintaining homeostasis through regulation of multiple genes, thus they attract substantial scientific interest as biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis and as a potential therapeutic strategy in DM complications. This article will review the different miRNAs and lncRNA studied in the context of DM, including type 1 and type 2 diabetes and the contribution of pathophysiological mechanisms including inflammatory response, oxidative stress, apoptosis, hypertrophy and fibrosis to the development of DCM .

Implication of regulatory networks of long noncoding RNA/circular RNA-miRNA-mRNA in diabetic cardiovascular diseases

Diabetic cardiovascular diseases (DCVDs) are the most common complications of diabetes mellitus and are considered to be one of the most important threats to global health and an economic burden. Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), circular RNA (circRNA), and miRNA are a novel group of noncoding RNAs that are involved in the regulation of various pathophysiological processes, including DCVDs. Interestingly, both lncRNA and circRNA can act as competing endogenous RNA of miRNA, thereby regulating the expression of the target mRNA by decoying or sponging the miRNA. In this review, we focus on the mechanistic, pathological and functional roles of lncRNA/circRNA-miRNA-mRNA networks in DCVDs and further discuss the potential implications for early detection, therapeutic intervention and prognostic evaluation.

Transcribed ultraconserved region uc.242 is a novel regulator of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy induced by angiotensin II

Cardiomyocyte hypertrophy is a response to stress or hormone stimulation and is characterized by an increase of cardiomyocyte size. Abnormal long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) expression profile has been identified in various cardiovascular diseases. Though some lncRNAs had been reported to participate in regulation of cardiac hypertrophy, the universal lncRNA profile of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy had not been established. In the present study, we aimed to identify the differentially expressed lncRNA-mRNA network in angiotensin II-stimulated cardiomyocytes, and screen the potential lncRNAs involved in regulation of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. The hypertrophic cardiomyocytes were induced by angiotensin II (0.1 μmol/L) for 48 hours. High-throughput microarray analysis combined with quantitative real-time PCR assay were then performed to screen the differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs. A total of 1577 lncRNAs and 496 mRNAs transcripts were identified differentially expressed in hypertrophic cardiomyocytes. Among them, 59 transcribed ultraconserved non-coding RNAs (T-UCRs) were found by evolutionary conservation analysis. Subsequently, the lncRNA-mRNA coexpression network was constructed based on Pearson's correlation analysis results, including 4 T-UCRs and 215 mRNAs. The results revealed that uc.242 was positively interacted with prohypertrophic genes (Hgf and Tnc). Functional study showed that inhibition of uc.242 dramatically decreased hypertrophic marker expression levels and cardiomyocyte surface area under the condition of angiotensin II stimulation. The expression of Hgf and Tnc was also decreased in cardiomyocytes after silencing of uc.242. Summarily, the present study provided crucial clues to explore therapeutic targets for pathological cardiac hypertrophy.

Dysregulated long non-coding RNAs involved in regulation of matrix degradation during type-B aortic dissection pathogenesis

Thoracic aortic dissection (TAD) is a catastrophic disease with the rupture of aortic media resulted mainly from the degradation of extracellular matrix. With the deep study of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cardiovascular diseases, the correlation between lncRNAs and the TAD pathogenesis is under revealed. In this study, we aimed to screen the differentially expressed lncRNAs involved in the regulation of matrix degradation during type-B aortic dissection (TBAD), whose pathogenesis is more similar to atherosclerosis. A total of 393 aberrantly expressed lncRNAs and 432 aberrantly expressed mRNAs were identified in the descending aortic samples from TBAD patients. Then, co-expression analysis was applied to analyze the correlation between the top five differentially expressed lncRNAs and aberrantly expressed mRNAs, so as to screen the lncRNAs involved in the regulation of matrix degradation. The results showed that two transcripts from lnc-TNFSF14 (lnc-TNFSF14-2, and lnc-TNFSF14-3) were negatively interacted with MMP14 and MMP19. Subsequently, quantitative real-time PCR assay confirmed that lnc-TNFSF14-2 were negatively correlated with MMP14 (r_s = - 0.8180) and MMP19 (r_s = - 0.8449), and lnc-TNFSF14-3 was also negatively correlated with MMP14 (r_s = - 0.7098) and MMP19 (r_s = - 0.7728) in descending aorta from TBAD patients (n = 20). Overall, our study found the aberrant lncRNAs expression profiles in TBAD, and identified lnc-TNFSF14 as a potential target regulating matrix degradation. The results also provided crucial clues for lncRNAs function research on TBAD development.

Identification of Potential Therapeutic Targets and Pathways of Liraglutide Against Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) Based on Long Non-Coding RNA (lncRNA) Sequencing

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to explore the potential therapeutic targets and pathways of liraglutide against type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats based on lncRNA sequencing. MATERIAL AND METHODS Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: the control group (n=10), the T2DM model group (high-sugar and high-fat diet, and streptozotocin-induced, n=11), and the liraglutide group (model plus liraglutide, n=10). After 8 weeks of drug treatment, lncRNA sequencing was used to identify the lncRNA therapeutic targets and their related protein-coding genes of liraglutide against T2DM, which were further studied by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis to determine the major biological processes and pathways involved in the action of liraglutide treatment. Lastly, several lncRNA targets were randomly detected based on quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) to verify the accuracy of sequencing results. RESULTS A total of 104 lncRNA targets of liraglutide against T2DM were screened, with 27 upregulated and 77 downregulated, including NONRATT030354.2, MSTRG.1456.6, and NONRATT011758.2. The major biological processes involved were glucose and lipid metabolism and amino acid metabolism. Liraglutide had a therapeutic effect in T2DM, mainly through the Wnt, PPAR, amino acid metabolism signaling, mTOR, and lipid metabolism-related pathways. CONCLUSIONS In this study, we screened 104 lncRNA therapeutic targets and several signaling pathways (Wnt, PPAR, amino acid metabolism signaling pathway, mTOR, and lipid metabolism-related pathways) of liraglutide against T2DM based on lncRNA sequencing.