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Gu X, Dong M, Xia S, Li H, Bao X, Cao X, Xu Y. γ-Glutamylcysteine ameliorates blood-brain barrier permeability and neutrophil extracellular traps formation after ischemic stroke by modulating Wnt/β-catenin signalling in mice. Eur J Pharmacol 2024; 969:176409. [PMID: 38365105 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2024.176409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
During the inflammatory response after stroke, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is significantly disrupted, compromising its integrity. This disruption allows many peripheral neutrophils to infiltrate the injury site in the brain and release neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which further increase BBB permeability. In this study, we aimed to investigate the protective effects of γ-Glutamylcysteine (γ-GC), an immediate precursor of GSH, against BBB breakdown and NET formation after ischemic stroke. Our data indicated that γ-GC treatment effectively attenuated BBB damage, decreased neutrophil infiltration, and suppressed the release of NETs, ultimately leading to the amelioration of ischemic injury. Transcriptomic data and subsequent validation studies revealed that mechanistically, γ-GC exerts its effect by activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway after ischemic stroke. This research suggests that γ-GC may hold promise as a therapeutic agent for alleviating brain injury following an ischemic stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinya Gu
- Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Clinical College of Xuzhou Medical University, Nanjing, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular Medicine, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China; Jiangsu Provincial Key Discipline of Neurology, Nanjing, China; Nanjing Neurology Medical Center, Nanjing, China
| | - Mengqi Dong
- Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Clinical College of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular Medicine, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China; Jiangsu Provincial Key Discipline of Neurology, Nanjing, China; Nanjing Neurology Medical Center, Nanjing, China
| | - Shengnan Xia
- Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular Medicine, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China; Jiangsu Provincial Key Discipline of Neurology, Nanjing, China; Nanjing Neurology Medical Center, Nanjing, China
| | - Huiqin Li
- Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular Medicine, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China; Jiangsu Provincial Key Discipline of Neurology, Nanjing, China; Nanjing Neurology Medical Center, Nanjing, China
| | - Xinyu Bao
- Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular Medicine, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China; Jiangsu Provincial Key Discipline of Neurology, Nanjing, China; Nanjing Neurology Medical Center, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiang Cao
- Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China; Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Clinical College of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular Medicine, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China; Jiangsu Provincial Key Discipline of Neurology, Nanjing, China; Nanjing Neurology Medical Center, Nanjing, China.
| | - Yun Xu
- Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Clinical College of Xuzhou Medical University, Nanjing, China; Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China; Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Clinical College of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular Medicine, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China; Jiangsu Provincial Key Discipline of Neurology, Nanjing, China; Nanjing Neurology Medical Center, Nanjing, China.
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Ikeda Y, Fujii J. The Emerging Roles of γ-Glutamyl Peptides Produced by γ-Glutamyltransferase and the Glutathione Synthesis System. Cells 2023; 12:2831. [PMID: 38132151 PMCID: PMC10741565 DOI: 10.3390/cells12242831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
L-γ-Glutamyl-L-cysteinyl-glycine is commonly referred to as glutathione (GSH); this ubiquitous thiol plays essential roles in animal life. Conjugation and electron donation to enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase (GPX) are prominent functions of GSH. Cellular glutathione balance is robustly maintained via regulated synthesis, which is catalyzed via the coordination of γ-glutamyl-cysteine synthetase (γ-GCS) and glutathione synthetase, as well as by reductive recycling by glutathione reductase. A prevailing short supply of L-cysteine (Cys) tends to limit glutathione synthesis, which leads to the production of various other γ-glutamyl peptides due to the unique enzymatic properties of γ-GCS. Extracellular degradation of glutathione by γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT) is a dominant source of Cys for some cells. GGT catalyzes the hydrolytic removal of the γ-glutamyl group of glutathione or transfers it to amino acids or to dipeptides outside cells. Such processes depend on an abundance of acceptor substrates. However, the physiological roles of extracellularly preserved γ-glutamyl peptides have long been unclear. The identification of γ-glutamyl peptides, such as glutathione, as allosteric modulators of calcium-sensing receptors (CaSRs) could provide insights into the significance of the preservation of γ-glutamyl peptides. It is conceivable that GGT could generate a new class of intercellular messaging molecules in response to extracellular microenvironments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshitaka Ikeda
- Division of Molecular Cell Biology, Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, 5-1-1 Nabeshima, Saga 849-8501, Japan
| | - Junichi Fujii
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Yamagata University, 2-2-2 Iidanishi, Yamagata City 990-9585, Japan
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Zhou J, Shi Y, Yang C, Lu S, Zhao L, Liu X, Zhou D, Luo L, Yin Z. γ-glutamylcysteine alleviates insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis by regulating adenylate cyclase and IGF-1R/IRS1/PI3K/Akt signaling pathways. J Nutr Biochem 2023:109404. [PMID: 37311491 DOI: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2023.109404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), a complex metabolism disease, which was characterized by metabolic disorders including hyperglycemia, has become a major health problem due to the increasing prevalence worldwide. γ-glutamylcysteine (γ-GC) as an immediate precursor of glutathione (GSH) was originally used for the treatment of sepsis, inflammation bowel disease, and senescence. Here, we evaluated the capacity of γ-GC on diabetes-related metabolic parameters in db/db mice and insulin resistance (IR) amelioration in cells induced by palmitic acid (PA). Our data suggested that γ-GC treatment decreased body weight, reduced adipose tissue size, ameliorated ectopic fat deposition in liver, increased the GSH content in liver, improved glucose control and other diabetes-related metabolic parameters in vivo. Moreover, in vitro experiments showed that γ-GC could maintain the balance of free fatty acids (FFAs) and glucose uptake through regulating the translocation of CD36 and GLUT4 from cytoplasm to plasma membrane. Furthermore, our finding also provided evidence that γ-GC could activate Akt not only via adenylate cyclase (AC)/cAMP/PI3K signaling pathway, but also via IGF-1R/IRS1/PI3K signaling pathway to improve IR and hepatic steatosis. Blocking either of two signaling pathways could not activate Akt activation induced by γ-GC. This unique characteristic ensures the important role of γ-GC in glucose metabolism. Collectively, these results suggested that γ-GC could serve as a candidate dipeptide for the treatment of T2DM and related chronic diabetic complications via activating AC and IGF-1R/IRS1/PI3K/Akt signaling pathways to regulate CD36 and GLUT4 trafficking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinyi Zhou
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medical Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yingying Shi
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medical Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Chen Yang
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medical Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Shuai Lu
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medical Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Lishuang Zhao
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medical Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xianli Liu
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medical Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Da Zhou
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
| | - Lan Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
| | - Zhimin Yin
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medical Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China.
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Fujii J, Osaki T, Soma Y, Matsuda Y. Critical Roles of the Cysteine-Glutathione Axis in the Production of γ-Glutamyl Peptides in the Nervous System. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24098044. [PMID: 37175751 PMCID: PMC10179188 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24098044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
γ-Glutamyl moiety that is attached to the cysteine (Cys) residue in glutathione (GSH) protects it from peptidase-mediated degradation. The sulfhydryl group of the Cys residue represents most of the functions of GSH, which include electron donation to peroxidases, protection of reactive sulfhydryl in proteins via glutaredoxin, and glutathione conjugation of xenobiotics, whereas Cys-derived sulfur is also a pivotal component of some redox-responsive molecules. The amount of Cys that is available tends to restrict the capacity of GSH synthesis. In in vitro systems, cystine is the major form in the extracellular milieu, and a specific cystine transporter, xCT, is essential for survival in most lines of cells and in many primary cultivated cells as well. A reduction in the supply of Cys causes GPX4 to be inhibited due to insufficient GSH synthesis, which leads to iron-dependent necrotic cell death, ferroptosis. Cells generally cannot take up GSH without the removal of γ-glutamyl moiety by γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT) on the cell surface. Meanwhile, the Cys-GSH axis is essentially common to certain types of cells; primarily, neuronal cells that contain a unique metabolic system for intercellular communication concerning γ-glutamyl peptides. After a general description of metabolic processes concerning the Cys-GSH axis, we provide an overview and discuss the significance of GSH-related compounds in the nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junichi Fujii
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Yamagata University, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan
| | - Tsukasa Osaki
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Yamagata University, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan
| | - Yuya Soma
- Graduate School of Nursing, Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan
| | - Yumi Matsuda
- Graduate School of Nursing, Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan
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