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McIlwraith EK, Loganathan N, Mak KWY, He W, Belsham DD. Phoenixin knockout mice show no impairment in fertility or differences in metabolic response to a high-fat diet, but exhibit behavioral differences in an open field test. J Neuroendocrinol 2024:e13398. [PMID: 38733120 DOI: 10.1111/jne.13398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
Phoenixin (PNX) is a conserved secreted peptide that was identified 10 years ago with numerous studies published on its pleiotropic functions. PNX is associated with estrous cycle length, protection from a high-fat diet, and reduction of anxiety behavior. However, no study had yet evaluated the impact of deleting PNX in the whole animal. We sought to evaluate a mouse model lacking the PNX parent gene, small integral membrane protein 20 (Smim20), and the resulting effect on reproduction, energy homeostasis, and anxiety. We found that the Smim20 knockout mice had normal fertility and estrous cycle lengths. Consistent with normal fertility, the hypothalamii of the knockout mice showed no changes in the levels of reproduction-related genes, but the male mice had some changes in energy homeostasis-related genes, such as melanocortin receptor 4 (Mc4r). When placed on a high-fat diet, the wildtype and knockout mice responded similarly, but the male heterozygous mice gained slightly less weight. When placed in an open field test box, the female knockout mice traveled less distance in the outer zone, indicating alterations in anxiety or locomotor behavior. In summary, the homozygous knockout of PNX did not alter fertility and modestly alters a few neuroendocrine genes in response to a high-fat diet, especially in the female mice. However, it altered the behavior of mice in an open field test. PNX therefore may not be crucial for reproductive function or weight, however, we cannot rule out possible compensatory mechanisms in the knockout model. Understanding the role of PNX in physiology may ultimately lead to an enhanced understanding of neuroendocrine mechanisms involving this enigmatic peptide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma K McIlwraith
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Neruja Loganathan
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kimberly W Y Mak
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Wenyuan He
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Denise D Belsham
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Chai Y, Gu X, Zhang H, Xu X, Chen L. Phoenixin 20 ameliorates pulmonary arterial hypertension via inhibiting inflammation and oxidative stress. Aging (Albany NY) 2024; 16:5027-5037. [PMID: 38517365 PMCID: PMC11006497 DOI: 10.18632/aging.205468] [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: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a severe pathophysiological syndrome resulting in heart failure, which is found to be induced by pulmonary vascular remodeling mediated by oxidative stress (OS) and inflammation. Phoenixin-20 (PNX-20) is a reproductive peptide first discovered in mice with potential suppressive properties against OS and inflammatory response. Our study will explore the possible therapeutic functions of PHN-20 against PAH for future clinical application. Rats were treated with normal saline, PHN-20 (100 ng/g body weight daily), hypoxia, hypoxia+PHN-20 (100 ng/g body weight daily), respectively. A signally elevated RVSP, mPAP, RV/LV + S, and W%, increased secretion of cytokines, enhanced malondialdehyde (MDA) level, repressed superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and activated NLRP3 signaling were observed in hypoxia-stimulated rats, which were notably reversed by PHN-20 administration. Pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMECs) were treated with hypoxia with or without PHN-20 (10 and 20 nM). Marked elevation of inflammatory cytokine secretion, increased MDA level, repressed SOD activity, and activated NLRP3 signaling were observed in hypoxia-stimulated PMECs, accompanied by a downregulation of SIRT1. Furthermore, the repressive effect of PHN-20 on the domains-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) pathway in hypoxia-stimulated PMECs was abrogated by sirtuin1 (SIRT1) knockdown. Collectively, PHN-20 alleviated PAH via inhibiting OS and inflammation by mediating the transcriptional function of SIRT1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaqin Chai
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Xi’an Chest Hospital, Xi’an 710100, China
| | - Xing Gu
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Xi’an Chest Hospital, Xi’an 710100, China
| | - HongJun Zhang
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Xi’an Chest Hospital, Xi’an 710100, China
| | - Xinting Xu
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Xi’an International Medical Center Hospital, Xi’an 710100, China
| | - Lizhan Chen
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Xi’an International Medical Center Hospital, Xi’an 710100, China
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Liang H, Zhao Q, Lv S, Ji X. Regulation and physiological functions of phoenixin. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:956500. [PMID: 36090042 PMCID: PMC9456248 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.956500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Phoenixin is a newly discovered neuropeptide generated from small integral membrane protein 20. Phoenixin is a ligand for the G protein-coupled receptor 173 (GPR173) and has been detected in central and peripheral tissues of human, rats, mice, bovine, and zebrafish. It was initially involved in regulating reproductive function by stimulating the luteinizing hormone release from pituitary cells by increasing the level of gonadotropin-releasing hormone. Recently, many functions of phoenixin have been generalized, including regulation of food intake, memory, Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety, inflammation, neuronal and microglial activity, energy metabolism and body fluid balance, cardiovascular function, and endocrine activity. In addition, the interaction between phoenixin and nesfatin-1 have been revealed. The present article summarized the latest research progress on physiological function of phoenixin, suggesting that it is a potential target for novel drug development and clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Liang
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Qian Zhao
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Henan International Joint Laboratory for Nuclear Protein Regulation, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Shuangyu Lv
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Henan International Joint Laboratory for Nuclear Protein Regulation, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
- *Correspondence: Shuangyu Lv, ; Xinying Ji,
| | - Xinying Ji
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Henan International Joint Laboratory for Nuclear Protein Regulation, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
- *Correspondence: Shuangyu Lv, ; Xinying Ji,
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Akdu S, Can U, Polat E. Investigation of serum phoenixin levels in patients with hypertension. Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992) 2022; 68:814-819. [PMID: 35766697 PMCID: PMC9575894 DOI: 10.1590/1806-9282.20220153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Hypertension is a major modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease and
premature death worldwide. Phoenixin is a newly identified neuropeptide with
multiple bioactivity. However, there was no published data about phoenixin
levels in hypertension. The aim of this study was to evaluate the
relationship between phoenixin and hypertension. METHODS: This study was performed in 36 patients with hypertension and 36 healthy
controls. Serum phoenixin-14 and phoenixin-20 levels were determined by
Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay method. RESULTS: Serum phoenixin-14 and phoenixin-20 values were significantly lower in
hypertension patients compared with the control group (p<0.001). The
levels of phoenixin-14 were negatively correlated with weight (r=-0.376;
p<0.005), body mass index (r=-0.407; p<0.001), systolic blood pressure
(r=-0.586; p<0.001), and diastolic blood pressure (r=-0.319; p<0.01).
There was a negative correlation between serum phoenixin-20 and weight
(r=-0.378; p<0.005), body mass index (r=-0.383; p<0.005), systolic
blood pressure (r=-0.551; p<0.001), and diastolic blood pressure
(r=-0.306; p<0.01). We used receiver operating characteristic curve
analyses to compare the diagnosis value of Phoenixin-14 and Phoenixin-20
levels in hypertensive patients. We found that Phoenixin-14 value is an area
under the curve of 0.87 (cutoff value 404.7 ng/L, sensitivity 92%,
specificity 72%) and Phoenixin-20 value is an area under the curve of 0.83
(cutoff value 209.9 ng/L, sensitivity 86%, specificity 75%). Phoenixin-14
did nearly show equally compared to phoenixin-20 in predicting
hypertension. CONCLUSION: Serum phoenixin-14 and phoenixin-20 may be related to the pathogenesis of
hypertension. Our findings indicated that serum phoenixin-14 and
phoenixin-20 may serve as a novel biomarker for the diagnosis of
hypertension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sadinaz Akdu
- Fethiye State Hospital, Department of Biochemistry - Muğla, Turkey
| | - Ummugulsum Can
- Konya City Hospital, Department of Biochemistry - Konya, Turkey
| | - Esra Polat
- Fethiye State Hospital, Department of Cardiology - Muğla, Turkey
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Abstract
Gestational diabetes mellitus is a frequently diagnosed glucose metabolic disorder during pregnancy. Diabetes mellitus has been found to pose important health risks to the developing fetus, mother, and offspring. Here, we investigated the protective effects of S14G-humanin, a potent humanin analogue, against maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes in mice with diabetes mellitus. The results show that S14G-humanin administration reduced the blood glucose levels and elevated the serum insulin levels in diabetes mellitus mice. The parameters of serum lipid metabolism including low-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein in diabetes mellitus mice were also decreased after S14G-humanin administration. Intervention with S14G-humanin also increased the fetus alive ratio and fetal length, as well as decreased fetal and placenta weights. In addition, we demonstrate that S14G-humanin elevated the activity of the anti-oxidative enzymes catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase and reduced the inflammatory cytokines levels in the placentas of diabetes mellitus mice. The significantly increased endoplasmic reticulum stress in the placentas of diabetes mellitus mice was also attenuated by S14G-humanin administration. Taken together, S14G-humanin exerted protective roles in improving maternal and neonatal outcomes. Our findings indicate that S14G-humanin might be an effective intervention approach for women with diabetes mellitus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiling Jiang
- Department of Obstetrics, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, People's Republic of China
| | - Ying Xu
- Department of Obstetrics, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, People's Republic of China
| | - Liqiong Cao
- Department of Obstetrics, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, People's Republic of China
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