The role of actin depolymerizing factor in advanced glycation endproducts-induced impairment in mouse brain microvascular endothelial cells

Tetramethylpyrazine ameliorates LPS-induced acute lung injury via the miR-369-3p/DSTN axis

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a severe clinical respiratory condition characterized by high rates of mortality and morbidity, for which effective treatments are currently lacking. In this study, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to induce ALI mice, demonstrating the efficacy of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) in ameliorating ALI. Subsequent we perfored high-throughput sequencing analysis and used Targetscan 8.0 and miRWalk 3.0 databases to predict the interaction between microRNAs and destrin (DSTN), ultimately identifying miR-369-3p as the focus of the investigation. The adenovirus carrying miR-369-3p was administered one week prior to LPS-induced in order to assess its potential efficacy in ameliorating ALI in mice. The findings indicated that the overexpression of miR-369-3p resulted in enhanced lung function, reduced pulmonary edema, inflammation, and permeability in LPS-induced ALI mice, while the suppression of miR-369-3p exacerbated the damage in these mice. Furthermore, the beneficial effects of TMP on LPS-induced ALI were negated by the downregulation of miR-369-3p. The results of our study demonstrate that TMP mitigates LPS-induced ALI through upregulation of miR-369-3p. Consequently, the findings of this study advocate for the clinical utilization of TMP in ALI treatment, with miR-369-3p emerging as a promising target for future ALI interventions.

Impaired Insulin Signaling Alters Mediators of Hippocampal Synaptic Dynamics/Plasticity: A Possible Mechanism of Hyperglycemia-Induced Cognitive Impairment

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurological condition that affects the elderly and is characterized by progressive and irreversible neurodegeneration in the cerebral cortex [...].

The Role of RASGRP2 in Vascular Endothelial Cells-A Mini Review

RAS guanyl nucleotide-releasing proteins (RASGRPs) are important proteins that act as guanine nucleotide exchange factors, which activate small GTPases and function as molecular switches for intracellular signals. The RASGRP family is composed of RASGRP1-4 proteins and activates the small GTPases, RAS and RAP. Among them, RASGRP2 has different characteristics from other RASGRPs in that it targets small GTPases and its localizations are different. Many studies related to RASGRP2 have been reported in cells of the blood cell lineage. Furthermore, RASGRP2 has also been reported to be associated with Huntington's disease, tumors, and rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, we also recently reported RASGRP2 expression in vascular endothelial cells, and clarified the involvement of xenopus Rasgrp2 in the vasculogenesis process and multiple signaling pathways of RASGRP2 in human vascular endothelial cells with stable expression of RASGRP2. Therefore, this article outlines the existing knowledge of RASGRP2 and focuses on its expression and role in vascular endothelial cells, and suggests that RASGRP2 functions as a protective factor for maintaining healthy blood vessels.

RasGRP2 inhibits glyceraldehyde-derived toxic advanced glycation end-products from inducing permeability in vascular endothelial cells

Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are formed by the non-enzymatic reaction of sugars and proteins. Among the AGEs, glyceraldehyde-derived toxic AGEs (TAGE) are associated with various diseases, including diabetic complications such as diabetic retinopathy (DR). The risk of developing DR is strongly associated with poor glycemic control, which causes AGE accumulation and increases AGE-induced vascular permeability. We previously reported that Ras guanyl nucleotide releasing protein 2 (RasGRP2), which activates small G proteins, may play an essential role in the cell response to toxicity when exposed to various factors. However, it is not known whether RasGRP2 prevents the adverse effects of TAGE in vascular endothelial cells. This study observed that TAGE enhanced vascular permeability by disrupting adherens junctions and tight junctions via complex signaling, such as ROS and non-ROS pathways. In particular, RasGRP2 protected adherens junction disruption, thereby suppressing vascular hyper-permeability. These results indicate that RasGRP2 is an essential protective factor of vascular permeability and may help develop novel therapeutic strategies for AGE-induced DR.

Advanced glycation end-products disrupt brain microvascular endothelial cell barrier: The role of mitochondria and oxidative stress

During diabetes mellitus, advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are major contributors to the development of alterations in cerebral capillaries, leading to the disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Consequently, this is often associated with an amplified oxidative stress response in microvascular endothelial cells. As a model to mimic brain microvasculature, the bEnd.3 endothelial cell line was used to investigate cell barrier function. Cells were exposed to native bovine serum albumin (BSA) or modified BSA (BSA-AGEs). In the presence or absence of the antioxidant compound, N-acetyl-cysteine, cell permeability was assessed by FITC-dextran exclusion, intracellular free radical formation was monitored with H₂DCF-DA probe, and mitochondrial respiratory and redox parameters were analyzed. We report that, in the absence of alterations in cell viability, BSA-AGEs contribute to an increase in endothelial cell barrier permeability and a marked and prolonged oxidative stress response. Decreased mitochondrial oxygen consumption was associated with these alterations and may contribute to reactive oxygen species production. These results suggest the need for further research to explore therapeutic interventions to restore mitochondrial functionality in microvascular endothelial cells to improve brain homeostasis in pathological complications associated with glycation.