miR-24 suppression of POZ/BTB and AT-hook-containing zinc finger protein 1 (PATZ1) protects endothelial cell from diabetic damage

Adipose-derived miRNAs as potential biomarkers for predicting adulthood obesity and its complications: A systematic review and bioinformatic analysis

Adipose tissue is the first and primary target organ of obesity and the main source of circulating miRNAs in patients with obesity. This systematic review aimed to analyze and summarize the generation and mechanisms of adipose-derived miRNAs and their role as early predictors of various obesity-related complications. Literature searches in the PubMed and Web of Science databases using terms related to miRNAs, obesity, and adipose tissue. Pre-miRNAs from the Human MicroRNA Disease Database, known to regulate obesity-related metabolic disorders, were combined for intersection processing. Validated miRNA targets were sorted through literature review, and enrichment analysis using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes via the KOBAS online tool, disease analysis, and miRNA transcription factor prediction using the TransmiR v. 2.0 database were also performed. Thirty miRNAs were identified using both obesity and adipose secretion as criteria. Seventy-nine functionally validated targets associated with 30 comorbidities of these miRNAs were identified, implicating pathways such as autophagy, p53 pathways, and inflammation. The miRNA precursors were analyzed to predict their transcription factors and explore their biosynthesis mechanisms. Our findings offer potential insights into the epigenetic changes related to adipose-driven obesity-related comorbidities.

Non-coding RNAs in diabetic foot ulcer- a focus on infected wounds

Diabetes mellitus is associated with a wide range of neuropathies, vasculopathies, and immunopathies, resulting in many complications. More than 30% of diabetic patients risk developing diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), play essential roles in various biological functions in the hyperglycaemic environment that determines the development of DFU. Ulceration results in tissue breakdown and skin barrier scavenging, thereby facilitating bacterial infection and biofilm formation. Many bacteria contribute to diabetic foot infection (DFI), including Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) et al. A heterogeneous group of "ncRNAs," termed small RNAs (sRNAs), powerfully regulates biofilm formation and DFI healing. Multidisciplinary foot care interventions have been identified for nonhealing ulcers. With an appreciation of the link between disease processes and ncRNAs, a novel therapeutic model of bioactive materials loaded with ncRNAs has been developed to prevent and manage diabetic foot complications.

Regulatory effects of trimetazidine in cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a tissue damage during reperfusion after an ischemic condition. I/R injury is induced by pathological cases including stroke, myocardial infarction, circulatory arrest, sickle cell disease, acute kidney injury, trauma, and sleep apnea. It can lead to increased morbidity and mortality in the context of these processes. Mitochondrial dysfunction is one of the hallmarks of I/R insult, which is induced via reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, apoptosis, and autophagy. MicroRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) are non-coding RNAs that play a main regulatory role in gene expression. Recently, there are evidence, which miRNAs are the major modulators of cardiovascular diseases, especially myocardial I/R injury. Cardiovascular miRNAs, specifically miR-21, and probably miR-24 and miR-126 have protective effects on myocardial I/R injury. Trimetazidine (TMZ) is a new class of metabolic agents with an anti-ischemic activity. It has beneficial effects on chronic stable angina by suppressing mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening. The present review study addressed the different mechanistic effects of TMZ on cardiac I/R injury. Online databases including Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane library were assessed for published studies between 1986 and 2021. TMZ, an antioxidant and metabolic agent, prevents the cardiac reperfusion injury by regulating AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), cystathionine-γ-lyase enzyme (CSE)/hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and miR-21. Therefore, TMZ protects the heart against I/R injury by inducing key regulators such as AMPK, CSE/H2S, and miR-21.

PATZ1 in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A New Biomarker That Negatively Correlates with PD-L1 Expression and Suppresses the Malignant Phenotype

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, is still an unmet medical problem due to the lack of both effective therapies against advanced stages and markers to allow a diagnosis of the disease at early stages before its progression. Immunotherapy targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint is promising for many cancers, including NSCLC, but its success depends on the tumor expression of PD-L1. PATZ1 is an emerging cancer-related transcriptional regulator and diagnostic/prognostic biomarker in different malignant tumors, but its role in lung cancer is still obscure. Here we investigated expression and role of PATZ1 in NSCLC, in correlation with NSCLC subtypes and PD-L1 expression. A cohort of 104 NSCLCs, including lung squamous cell carcinomas (LUSCs) and adenocarcinomas (LUADs), was retrospectively analyzed by immunohistochemistry for the expression of PATZ1 and PD-L1. The results were correlated with each other and with the clinical characteristics, showing on the one hand a positive correlation between the high expression of PATZ1 and the LUSC subtype and, on the other hand, a negative correlation between PATZ1 and PD-L1, validated at the mRNA level in independent NSCLC datasets. Consistently, two NSCLC cell lines transfected with a PATZ1-overexpressing plasmid showed PD-L1 downregulation, suggesting a role for PATZ1 in the negative regulation of PD-L1. We also showed that PATZ1 overexpression inhibits NSCLC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and that Patz1-knockout mice develop LUAD. Overall, this suggests that PATZ1 may act as a tumor suppressor in NSCLC.

Long non-coding RNA MCM3AP antisense RNA 1 silencing upregulates microRNA-24-3p to accelerate proliferation and migration of vascular endothelial cells in myocardial infarction rats by reducing EIF4G2

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are crucial drivers in the progression of human diseases such as myocardial infarction (MI). However, the impact of lncRNA MCM3AP antisense RNA 1 (MCM3AP-AS1) on MI remains unknown. This research was determined to explore the effect of MCM3AP-AS1 modulating microRNA-24-3p (miR-24-3p) and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4 gamma 2 (EIF4G2) on MI. The rat MI models were constructed and, respectively, treated with altered MCM3AP-AS1, miR-24-3p or/and EIF4G2. Subsequently, the cardiac function, myocardial pathological injury, malondialdehyde content and superoxide dismutase activity were determined. The vascular endothelial cells (VECs) were isolated and treated severally, and then proliferation and migration of VECs were measured. MCM3AP-AS1, miR-24-3p, EIF4G2 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expressions in myocardial tissues and VECs were assessed. MCM3AP-AS1 and EIF4G2 were upregulated while miR-24-3p and VEGF were downregulated in MI rat myocardial tissues. MCM3AP-AS1 silencing or miR-24-3p elevation improved cardiac function and myocardial pathological injury, suppressed malondialdehyde content, and also enhanced VEGF expression and superoxide dismutase activity in MI rats. In VECs, downregulated MCM3AP-AS1 or upregulated miR-24-3p accelerated cell proliferation and migration. These effects of miR-24-3p upregulation were reversed by overexpressed EIF4G2. Our study summarizes that reduced MCM3AP-AS1 elevates miR-24-3p to promote proliferation and migration of MI rat VECs by inhibiting EIF4G2.

Theaflavin alleviates oxidative injury and atherosclerosis progress via activating microRNA-24-mediated Nrf2/HO-1 signal

Theaflavin (TF) in black tea has been shown to have significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity; however, the effects and the underlying mechanism of TF on atherosclerosis (AS) remain unclear. Herein, we investigated the effects and the potential mechanism of TF on AS progression in vivo and in vitro. ApoE^-/- mice were administrated with high fat diet (HFD) or HFD + TF (5 or 10 mg, i.g.) for 12 weeks. The results indicated that TF administration effectively decreases the serum lipid levels and the production of MDA in HFD-fed mice. Meanwhile, TF promotes the activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px) and inhibits the formation of atherosclerotic plaque and the process of histological alterations in the aorta. In vitro, TF pretreatment could protect against cholesterol-induced oxidative injuries in HUVEC cells, decreasing the level of ROS and MDA, maintaining the activities of antioxidant enzymes. Further study revealed that TF upregulates Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway in vascular endothelial cells. Moreover, TF increases the level of microRNA-24 (miR-24), and miR-24 inhibition markedly compromises TF-induced Nrf2 activation and protective effects. In conclusion, the present study indicated that theaflavins may achieve the anti-atherosclerotic effect via activating miR-24-mediated Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.

Decreased expression of miR-24 in peripheral plasma of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients associated with diabetic foot ulcer

To examine the correlations of miR-24 expression in peripheral plasma with the onset of diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) and diabetic foot osteomyelitis (DFO) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients and explore the clinical value of miR-24 as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment outcomes of DFU and DFO, a total of 60 newly diagnosed T2DM patients without DFU (T2DM group), 112 T2DM patients with DFU (DFU group), and 60 healthy controls (NC group) were included. DFU group were further divided into DFO group (n = 64) and non-DFO group (n = 48). MiR-24 levels were determined by quantitative real-time PCR, while clinical features and risk factors of DFU and DFO were explored. The expression level of miR-24 in T2DM and DFU group was significantly lower than in NC group (P < .05), and that in DFU group was significantly lower than in T2DM group (P < .01). Additionally, the level of miR-24 significantly decreased in DFO group compared to non-DFO group (P < .01). Moreover, it was negatively correlated with the amputation rate in DFU group (P = .043) and positively correlated with healing rate after 8 weeks (P = .036). The multivariate logistic regression analysis confirmed that a low expression of miR-24 was an independent risk factor for DFU and DFO. The ROC curve analysis indicated that the AUC of miR-24 for the diagnosis of DFU and DFO was 0.849 (95% CI, 0.618-0.879, P < .001) and 0.782 (95% CI, 0.595-0.813, P < .001). Thus, a decreased expression of miR-24 of T2DM patients was closely related to the occurrence, development and prognosis of DFU and DFO, suggesting the use of miR-24 as a potential biomarker for the prediction of DFU and DFO.

Transcriptome profiling of hiPSC-derived LSECs with nanoCAGE

Liver Sinusoidal Endothelial Cells (LSECs) are an important component of the liver as they compose the microvasculature which allows the supply of oxygen, blood, and nutrients. However, maintenance of these cells in vitro remains challenging as they tend to rapidly lose some of their characteristics such as fenestration or as their immortalized counterparts present poor characteristics. In this work, human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have been differentiated toward an LSEC phenotype. After differentiation, the RNA quantification allowed demonstration of high expression of specific vascular markers (CD31, CD144, and STAB2). Immunostaining performed on the cells was found to be positive for both Stabilin-1 and Stabilin-2. Whole transcriptome analysis performed with the nanoCAGE method further confirmed the overall vascular commitment of the cells. The gene expression profile revealed the upregulation of the APLN, LYVE1, VWF, ESAM and ANGPT2 genes while VEGFA appeared to be downregulated. Analysis of promoter motif activities highlighted several transcription factors (TFs) of interest in LSECs (IRF2, ERG, MEIS2, SPI1, IRF7, WRNIP1, HIC2, NFIX_NFIB, BATF, and PATZ1). Based on this investigation, we compiled the regulatory network involving the relevant TFs, their target genes as well as their related signaling pathways. The proposed hiPSC-derived LSEC model and its regulatory network were then confirmed by comparing the experimental data to primary human LSEC reference datasets. Thus, the presented model appears as a promising tool to generate more complex in vitro liver multi-cellular tissues.

GALLIC ACID IMPROVES OXIDATIVE STRESS AND INFLAMMATION THROUGH REGULATING MICRORNAS EXPRESSIONS IN THE BLOOD OF DIABETIC RATS

Context

Endothelial dysfunction and diabetic cardiomyopathy are critical complications of diabetes. Gallic acid (GA) plays a significant role in cardiovascular disorders resulted from diabetes. In addition, increased plasma miR-24, miR-126 associated with endothelial dysfunction.

Aim

The current study was designed to assess the effects of GA on plasma miR-24, miR-126 levels in the diabetic rats.

Animals and Methods

Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups (n=8): control (C), diabetic (D) and diabetic group treated with GA (D+G, 25 mg/kg, by gavage) for eight weeks. The blood glucose level, body weight, lipid profile, blood pressure, plasma miR-24 and miR-126 levels, antioxidant and inflammatory biomarkers were measured.

Results

The plasma levels of miR-24, miR-126, body weight, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), total anti-oxidant capacity (TAC) and the systolic blood pressure significantly reduced and blood glucose, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-c), malondialdehyde (MDA), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) significantly elevated among the diabetic rats compared with the control group. However, GA restored body weight, blood pressure, TC, TG, VLDL-c, TNF-α, miR-126, blood glucose, HDL-c, MDA, TAC, miR-24 and IL-6 among the GA treated rats compared with the diabetic group.

Conclusion

GA improves inflammation, oxidative stress and hypotension result from diabetes. These protective effects are probably mediated via increasing plasma miR-24 and miR-126 levels.

T2DM inhibition of endothelial miR-342-3p facilitates angiogenic dysfunction via repression of FGF11 signaling

Understanding the function and molecular relevance of distinct miRNAs in endothelial cells (ECs) paves avenues for possible therapeutic intervention by targeting epigenetic mechanisms in vascular endothelial dysfunction, one of the major complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). MiR-342-3p, an obesity-associated miRNA, has recently been shown to be significantly upregulated in human angiosarcoma compared to benign hemangioma, indicating its potential involvement as a proangiogenic factor. Herein, we show that endothelial miR-342-3p expression was significantly compromised in T2DM organisms and this inhibition powerfully blocked vasculogenesis in vivo by repressing endothelial proliferation and migration. From a mechanistic standpoint, miR-342-3p promoted the transactivation of fibroblast growth factor 11 (FGF11) by directly targeting its 3' untranslated regions (3'UTRs). Functionally, overexpression of exogenous FGF11 successfully rescued miR-342-3p deficiency-impaired endothelial proliferation and migration. Thus, perturbation of miR-342-3p/FGF11 cascade by hyperinsulinemia plays a causative role in the induction of vascular dysfunction in T2DM. Overall, the current study underscore an endothelial facet of miR-342-3p, which may operate as a novel epigenetic integrator linking adipogenic homeostasis and angiogenesis.

The POZ/BTB and AT-Hook Containing Zinc Finger 1 (PATZ1) Transcription Regulator: Physiological Functions and Disease Involvement

PATZ1 is a zinc finger protein, belonging to the POZ domain Krüppel-like zinc finger (POK) family of architectural transcription factors, first discovered in 2000 by three independent groups. Since that time accumulating evidences have shown its involvement in a variety of biological processes (i.e., embryogenesis, stemness, apoptosis, senescence, proliferation, T-lymphocyte differentiation) and human diseases. Here we summarize these studies with a focus on the PATZ1 emerging and controversial role in cancer, where it acts as either a tumor suppressor or an oncogene. Finally, we give some insight on clinical perspectives using PATZ1 as a prognostic marker and therapeutic target.

MicroRNA-132 modifies angiogenesis in patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease by suppressing the NF‑κB and VEGF pathway

In the present study, the expression of microRNA (miR)‑132 and the mechanism by which it modifies angiogenesis in patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease (ICD) was investigated. RNA isolation and reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction were used to measure miR‑132 expression in patients with ICD. Inflammatory factors were measured using ELISA kits and western blotting measured B‑cell lymphoma‑2 (Bcl‑2)‑associated X/Bcl‑2 ratio (Bax/Bcl‑2 ratio), nuclear factor (NF)‑κB p65, matrix metalloproteinase‑9 (MMP‑9), vascular cell adhesion molecule‑1 (VCAM‑1) and protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein expression. miR‑132 expression in patients with ICD was lower compared with healthy volunteers. PC12 cells were used to create an oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) model. miR‑132 overexpression in an in vitro model was able to reduce tumor necrosis factor‑a, interleukin (IL)‑1β, IL‑6, IL‑8, cyclooxygenase‑2, caspase‑3 and caspase‑9 levels, suppress Bax/Bcl‑2 ratio, NF‑κB p65, MMP‑9, VCAM‑1, iNOS, VEGF protein expression. The results suggested that miR‑132 may modify angiogenesis in patients with ICD by suppressing the NF‑κB pathway and promoting the VEGF pathway, and may develop into a therapy for ICD in future research.