Up-regulation of 14-3-3β plays a role in intimal hyperplasia following carotid artery injury in diabetic Sprague Dawley rats by promoting endothelial cell migration and proliferation

Transcript Changes of Placental Tissue in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Based on Transcriptome Sequencing

Purpose

This study aims to identify key genes that may be involved in the pathogenesis of gestational diabetes mellitus and to preliminarily elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Methods

High-throughput transcriptome sequencing was employed to identify Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in placental tissue samples of GDM and normal pregnant women. Functional and pathway analyses of these DEGs were conducted using bioinformatics databases. Significant DEGs were validated through real-time quantitative PCR in conjunction with relevant literature.

Results

In comparison to the normal pregnancy group, 435 DEGs were identified in the GDM group, comprising 128 upregulated and 307 downregulated genes. GO enrichment analysis revealed that DEGs were primarily associated with biological processes, such as cellular processes, biological regulation, regulation of biological processes, and response to stimuli. Cell component enrichment analysis indicated their association with cellular anatomical entities and protein-containing complexes. Molecular function enrichment analysis highlighted their roles in binding and catalytic activities. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis indicated the involvement of DEGs in signalling pathways related to PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and ECM-receptor interaction. qRT-PCR validation of five randomly selected DEGs confirmed consistent expression trends with RNA-Seq quantification.

Conclusion

YWHAB, LEP, CCL21, PAPPA2, and SFN may be potential biological markers for the diagnosis of GDM, involved in the occurrence and development of GDM, and have certain value for disease prediction and diagnosis.

The incidence rate and histological characteristics of intimal hyperplasia in elastase-induced experimental abdominal aortic aneurysms in mice

Intimal hyperplasia (IH) is a negative vascular remodeling after arterial injury. IH occasionally occurs in elastase-induced abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) mouse models. This study aims to clarify the incidence and histological characteristics of IH in aneurysmal mice. A retrospective study was conducted by including 42 male elastase-induced mouse AAA models. The IH incidence, aortic diameters with or without IH, and hyperplasia lesional features of mice were analyzed. Among 42 elastase-induced AAA mouse models, 10 mice developed mild IH (24%) and severe IH was found in only 2 mice (5%). The outer diameters of the AAA segments in mice with and without IH did not show significant difference. Both mild and severe IH lesions show strong smooth muscle cell positive staining, but endothelial cells were occasionally observed in severe IH lesions. There was obvious macrophage infiltration in the IH lesions of the AAA mouse models, especially in mice with severe IH. However, only a lower numbers of T cells and B cells were found in the IH lesion. Local cell-secreted matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) 2 was highly expressed in all IH lesions, but MMP9 was only overexpressed in severe lesions. In conclusion, this study is the first to demonstrate the occurrence of aneurysmal IH and its histological characteristics in an elastase-induced mouse AAA model. This will help researchers better understand this model, and optimize it for use in AAA-related research.

Phosphoproteomic Analysis and Protein-Protein Interaction of Rat Aorta GJA1 and Rat Heart FKBP1A after Secoiridoid Consumption from Virgin Olive Oil: A Functional Proteomic Approach

Protein functional interactions could explain the biological response of secoiridoids (SECs), main phenolic compounds in virgin olive oil (VOO). The aim was to assess protein-protein interactions (PPIs) of the aorta gap junction alpha-1 (GJA1) and the heart peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase (FKBP1A), plus the phosphorylated heart proteome, to describe new molecular pathways in the cardiovascular system in rats using nanoliquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. PPIs modified by SECs and associated with GJA1 in aorta rat tissue were calpain, TUBA1A, and HSPB1. Those associated with FKBP1A in rat heart tissue included SUCLG1, HSPE1, and TNNI3. In the heart, SECs modulated the phosphoproteome through the main canonical pathways PI3K/mTOR signaling (AKT1S1 and GAB2) and gap junction signaling (GAB2 and GJA1). PPIs associated with GJA1 and with FKBP1A, the phosphorylation of GAB2, and the dephosphorylation of GJA1 and AKT1S1 in rat tissues are promising protein targets promoting cardiovascular protection to explain the health benefits of VOO.

Enhancement of Nanozyme Permeation by Endovascular Interventional Treatment to Prevent Vascular Restenosis via Macrophage Polarization Modulation

The long‐term prognosis of vascular restenosis after endovascular interventional treatment is a critical challenge in a clinical setting. Over‐production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a major factor to aggravate vascular restenosis. Current clinical pharmacological interventions for vascular restenosis are still unsatisfactory. Based on the intrinsic ROS scavenging properties, nanozymes have been widely applied in the treatment of inflammatory‐related diseases. However, the vascular endothelial cell barrier hinder the delivery efficiency of intravenously injected nanomaterials in most diseases. Herein, an effective therapeutic strategy for vascular restenosis is developed based on endothelial cells exfoliation by endovascular interventional treatment through vascular balloon injury, which provides an opportunity to enhance nanozyme passive permeation into the vascular intima and uptake by macrophages to alleviate long‐term vascular restenosis in vivo. Moreover, the macrophages polarization modulation mechanism of vascular restenosis prevention is further investigated. This interesting discovery that endothelial cells exfoliation enhanced nanoparticle vascular permeation by endovascular interventional treatment may provide applicative perspectives in the treatment of other disease by nanomaterials.

Identification of potential crucial genes and pathways associated with vein graft restenosis based on gene expression analysis in experimental rabbits

Occlusive artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Bypass graft surgery remains the most prevalently performed treatment for occlusive arterial disease, and veins are the most frequently used conduits for surgical revascularization. However, the clinical efficacy of bypass graft surgery is highly affected by the long-term potency rates of vein grafts, and no optimal treatments are available for the prevention of vein graft restenosis (VGR) at present. Hence, there is an urgent need to improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in mediating VGR. The past decade has seen the rapid development of genomic technologies, such as genome sequencing and microarray technologies, which will provide novel insights into potential molecular mechanisms involved in the VGR program. Ironically, high throughput data associated with VGR are extremely scarce. The main goal of the current study was to explore potential crucial genes and pathways associated with VGR and to provide valid biological information for further investigation of VGR. A comprehensive bioinformatics analysis was performed using high throughput gene expression data. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using the R and Bioconductor packages. After functional enrichment analysis of the DEGs, protein–protein interaction (PPI) network and sub-PPI network analyses were performed. Finally, nine potential hub genes and fourteen pathways were identified. These hub genes may interact with each other and regulate the VGR program by modulating the cell cycle pathway. Future studies focusing on revealing the specific cellular and molecular mechanisms of these key genes and pathways involved in regulating the VGR program may provide novel therapeutic targets for VGR inhibition.

Upregulated 14‑3‑3β aggravates restenosis by promoting cell migration following vascular injury in diabetic rats with elevated levels of free fatty acids

Mono‑unsaturated free fatty acids (FFAs) can serve as a predictive indicator of vascular restenosis following interventional therapy, particularly in individuals with high‑fat diet‑induced type 2 diabetes. However, the pathogenic mechanism remains to be fully elucidated. In the present study, the levels of tyrosine 3‑monooxygenase/tryptophan 5‑monooxygenase activation protein β (YWHAB; also known as 14‑3‑3β), in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) treated with different concentrations of oleic acid (OA) were examined by reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses. The migration of VSMCs was examined using wound‑healing and Transwell migration assays. The protein distribution of B‑cell lymphoma 2 (BCL‑2)‑associated death promoter (BAD) in VSMCs treated with OA was examined by immunofluorescence and western blot analyses. In in vivo experiments, the carotid artery morphology of rats in different groups was assessed at 14 days post‑injury by non-invasive ultrasonographic imaging and confirmed by histological staining. The expression of YWHAB was upregulated by OA in a concentration‑dependent manner in VSMCs. In the in vivo experiments, carotid stenosis was more serious among high‑FFA diabetic rats. However, silencing of YWHAB significantly alleviated carotid neointimal hyperplasia among the diabetic rats with elevated FFA levels. In addition, YWHAB silencing alleviated the migration of OA‑treated VSMCs and increased translocation of the BAD protein from the cytoplasm to the mitochondria. In conclusion, the results showed that FFA‑induced upregulation of YWHAB was involved in neointimal hyperplasia by enhancing the migration of VSMCs following carotid artery injury. The inhibition of YWHAB may serve as a novel potential pharmacological target for preventing vascular restenosis following interventional therapy in diabetic individuals with high FFA levels.

Exogenous SERP1 attenuates restenosis by restoring GLP-1 receptor activity in diabetic rats following vascular injury

The activity of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1R) is essential for preventing restenosis following vascular injury; however, the mechanism of dysfunctional GLP-1R glycosylation and ways to enhance the activity of GLP-1R on vascular surfaces in diabetic patients are poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated the N-glycosylation level and role of stress-associated endoplasmic reticulum protein 1 (SERP1) in preventing restenosis following carotid injury in diabetic rats. Our results showed that N-glycosylation levels in both rat aortic endothelial cells (RAOECs) and rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) decreased gradually following glucose treatment in a concentration dependant manner. Furthermore, co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) analyses indicated that SERP1 could interact with GLP-1R in RAOECs and VSMCs. Moreover, SERP1 enhanced GLP-1R N-glycosylation and increased the production of phosphorylated endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) as well as proliferation of RAOECs. SERP1 also increased phosphorylated adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase (AMPK) and decreased the migration of VSMCs. Importantly, intima media thickness (IMT) and neointimal hyperplasia were alleviated in the carotid artery of diabetic rats injected with SERP1 following balloon injury. We also found an increase in re-endothelialization and a decrease in VSMC proliferation in the carotid artery of diabetic rats injected with SERP1. In summary, the remarkable effects of SERP1 on reducing restenosis following vascular injury may contribute to future advancements in the treatment of diabetic vascular complications.