Combined therapy with dapagliflozin and entresto offers an additional benefit on improving the heart function in rat after ischemia-reperfusion injury

Protective Mechanisms of SGLTi in Ischemic Heart Disease

Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is a common clinical cardiovascular disease with high morbidity and mortality. Sodium glucose cotransporter protein inhibitor (SGLTi) is a novel hypoglycemic drug. To date, both clinical trials and animal experiments have shown that SGLTi play a protective role in IHD, including myocardial infarction (MI) and ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). The protective effects may be involved in mechanisms of energy metabolic conversion, anti-inflammation, anti-fibrosis, ionic homeostasis improvement, immune cell development, angiogenesis and functional regulation, gut microbiota regulation, and epicardial lipids. Thus, this review summarizes the above mechanisms and aims to provide theoretical evidence for therapeutic strategies for IHD.

Stem Cell Therapy against Ischemic Heart Disease

Ischemic heart disease, which is one of the top killers worldwide, encompasses a series of heart problems stemming from a compromised coronary blood supply to the myocardium. The severity of the disease ranges from an unstable manifestation of ischemic symptoms, such as unstable angina, to myocardial death, that is, the immediate life-threatening condition of myocardial infarction. Even though patients may survive myocardial infarction, the resulting ischemia-reperfusion injury triggers a cascade of inflammatory reactions and oxidative stress that poses a significant threat to myocardial function following successful revascularization. Moreover, despite evidence suggesting the presence of cardiac stem cells, the fact that cardiomyocytes are terminally differentiated and cannot significantly regenerate after injury accounts for the subsequent progression to ischemic cardiomyopathy and ischemic heart failure, despite the current advancements in cardiac medicine. In the last two decades, researchers have realized the possibility of utilizing stem cell plasticity for therapeutic purposes. Indeed, stem cells of different origin, such as bone-marrow- and adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells, circulation-derived progenitor cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells, have all been shown to play therapeutic roles in ischemic heart disease. In addition, the discovery of stem-cell-associated paracrine effects has triggered intense investigations into the actions of exosomes. Notwithstanding the seemingly promising outcomes from both experimental and clinical studies regarding the therapeutic use of stem cells against ischemic heart disease, positive results from fraud or false data interpretation need to be taken into consideration. The current review is aimed at overviewing the therapeutic application of stem cells in different categories of ischemic heart disease, including relevant experimental and clinical outcomes, as well as the proposed mechanisms underpinning such observations.

Sodium Glucose Transporter-2 Inhibitors (SGLT2Is)-TLRs Axis Modulates Diabetes

Diabetes affects millions of people worldwide and is mainly associated with impaired insulin function. To date, various oral anti-diabetic drugs have been developed, of which, the sodium glucose transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2Is) are of the most recent classes that have been introduced. They differ from other classes in terms of their novel mechanism of actions and unique beneficial effects rather than just lowering glucose levels. SGLT2Is can protect body against cardiovascular events and kidney diseases even in non-diabetic individuals. SGLT2Is participate in immune cell activation, oxidative stress reduction, and inflammation mediation, thereby, moderating diabetic complications. In addition, toll like receptors (TLRs) are the intermediators of the immune system and inflammatory process, thus it's believed to play crucial roles in diabetic complications, particularly the ones that are related to inflammatory reactions. SGLT2Is are also effective against diabetic complications via their anti-inflammatory and oxidative properties. Given the anti-inflammatory properties of TLRs and SGLT2Is, this review investigates how SGLT2Is can affect the TLR pathway, and whether this could be favorable toward diabetes.

Dapagliflozin-entresto protected kidney from renal hypertension via downregulating cell-stress signaling and upregulating SIRT1/PGC-1α/Mfn2-medicated mitochondrial homeostasis

This study tested whether combined dapagliflozin and entresto would be superior to mere one therapy on protecting the residual renal function and integrity of kidney parenchyma in hypertensive kidney disease (HKD) rat. In vitro results showed that the protein expressions of oxidative-stress/mitochondrial-damaged (NOX-1/NOX-2/oxidized-protein/cytosolic-cytochrome-C)/apoptotic (mitochondrial-Bax/cleaved caspeases 3, 9)/cell-stress (p-ERK/p-JNK/p-p38) biomarkers were significantly increased in H2O2-treated NRK-52E cells than those of controls that were reversed by dapagliflozin or entresto treatment. Adult-male SD rats (n = 50) were equally categorized into group 1 (sham-operated-control), group 2 (HKD by 5/6 nephrectomy + DOCA-salt/25 mg/kg/subcutaneous injection/twice weekly), group 3 (HKD + dapagliflozin/orally, 20 mg/kg/day for 4 weeks since day 7 after HKD induction), group 4 (HKD + entresto/orally, 100 mg/kg/day for 4 weeks since day 7 after HKD induction), and group 5 (HKD + dapagliflozin + entresto/the procedure and treatment strategy were identical to groups 2/3/4). By day 35, circulatory levels of blood-urine-nitrogen (BUN)/creatinine and urine protein/creatinine ratio were lowest in group 1, highest in group 2, and significantly lower in group 5 than in groups 3/4, but no difference between groups 3/4. Histopathological findings showed the kidney injury score/fibrotic area/cellular expressions of oxidative-stress/kidney-injury-molecule (8-OHdG+/KIM-1+) exhibited an identical trend, whereas the cellular expressions of podocyte components (synaptopodin/ZO-1/E-cadherin) exhibited an opposite pattern of BUN level among the groups. The protein expressions of oxidative stress/mitochondrial-damaged (NOX-1/NOX-2/oxidized protein/cytosolic-cytochrome-C/cyclophilin-D)/apoptotic (mitochondrial-Bax/cleaved-caspase 3)/mitochondrial-fission (PINK1/Parkin/p-DRP1)/autophagic (LC3BII/LC3BI ratio, Atg5/beclin-1)/MAPK-family (p-ERK/p-JNK/p-p38) biomarkers displayed a similar pattern, whereas the protein expression of mitochondria-biogenesis signaling (SIRT1/PGC-1α-Mfn2/complex I-V) displayed an opposite pattern of BUN among the groups. In conclusion, combined dapagliflozin-entresto therapy offered additional benefits on protecting the residual kidney function and architectural integrity in HKD rat.

Interplay Between Inflammatory-immune and Interleukin-17 Signalings Plays a Cardinal Role on Liver Ischemia-reperfusion Injury-Synergic Effect of IL-17Ab, Tacrolimus and ADMSCs on Rescuing the Liver Damage

BACKGROUND

This study tested the hypothesis that inflammatory and interleukin (IL)-17 signalings were essential for acute liver ischemia (1 h)-reperfusion (72 h) injury (IRI) that was effectively ameliorated by adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs) and tacrolimus.

METHODS

Adult-male SD rats (n = 50) were equally categorized into groups 1 (sham-operated-control), 2 (IRI), 3 [IRI + IL-17-monoclonic antibody (Ab)], 4 (IRI + tacrolimus), 5 (IRI + ADMSCs) and 6 (IRI + tacrolimus-ADMSCs) and liver was harvested at 72 h.

RESULTS

The main findings included: (1) circulatory levels: inflammatory cells, immune cells, and proinflammatory cytokines as well as liver-damage enzyme at the time point of 72 h were highest in group 2, lowest in group 1 and significantly lower in group 6 than in groups 3 to 5 (all p < 0.0001), but they did not differ among these three latter groups; (2) histopathology: the liver injury score, fibrosis, inflammatory and immune cell infiltration in liver immunity displayed an identical pattern of inflammatory cells among the groups (all p < 0.0001); and (3) protein levels: upstream and downstream inflammatory signalings, oxidative-stress, apoptotic and mitochondrial-damaged biomarkers exhibited an identical pattern of inflammatory cells among the groups (all p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

Our results obtained from circulatory, pathology and molecular-cellular levels delineated that acute IRI was an intricate syndrome that elicited complex upstream and downstream inflammatory and immune signalings to damage liver parenchyma that greatly suppressed by combined tacrolimus and ADMSCs therapy.

Optimal treatment for post-MI heart failure in rats: dapagliflozin first, adding sacubitril-valsartan 2 weeks later

Background

Based on previous research, both dapagliflozin (DAPA) and sacubitril-valsartan (S/V) improve the prognosis of patients with heart failure (HF). Our study aims to investigate whether the early initiation of DAPA or the combination of DAPA with S/V in different orders would exert a greater protective effect on heart function than that of S/V alone in post-myocardial infarction HF (post-MI HF).

Methods

Rats were randomized into six groups: (A) Sham; (B) MI; (C) MI + S/V (1st d); (D) MI + DAPA (1st d); (E) MI + S/V (1st d) + DAPA (14th d); (F) MI + DAPA (1st d) + S/V (14th d). The MI model was established in rats via surgical ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Histology, Western blotting, RNA-seq, and other approaches were used to explore the optimal treatment to preserve the heart function in post-MI HF. A daily dose of 1 mg/kg DAPA and 68 mg/kg S/V was administered.

Results

The results of our study revealed that DAPA or S/V substantially improved the cardiac structure and function. DAPA and S/V monotherapy resulted in comparable reduction in infarct size, fibrosis, myocardium hypertrophy, and apoptosis. The administration of DAPA followed by S/V results in a superior improvement in heart function in rats with post-MI HF than those in other treatment groups. The administration of DAPA following S/V did not result in any additional improvement in heart function as compared to S/V monotherapy in rats with post-MI HF. Our findings further suggest that the combination of DAPA and S/V should not be administered within 3 days after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), as it resulted in a considerable increase in mortality. Our RNA-Seq data revealed that DAPA treatment after AMI altered the expression of genes related to myocardial mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative phosphorylation.

Conclusions

Our study revealed no notable difference in the cardioprotective effects of singular DAPA or S/V in rats with post-MI HF. Based on our preclinical investigation, the most effective treatment strategy for post-MI HF is the administration of DAPA during the 2 weeks, followed by the addition of S/V to DAPA later. Conversely, adopting a therapeutic scheme whereby S/V was administered first, followed by later addition of DAPA, failed to further improve the cardiac function compared to S/V monotherapy.