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Yang Q, Li S, Zhou Z, Yang X, Liu Y, Hao K, Fu M. Trimetazidine mitigates high glucose-induced retinal endothelial dysfunction by inhibiting PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway-mediated autophagy. Bioengineered 2022; 13:7515-7527. [PMID: 35259050 PMCID: PMC8974130 DOI: 10.1080/21655979.2022.2048993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Trimetazidine (TMZ), as a metabolic regulator, has been widely testified to exhibit positive therapeutic effects on various disease models, but its role in diabetic retinopathy has not been reported. Therefore, this study was designed with the purpose of exploring the effects of TMZ on high-glucose (HG)-induced retinal endothelial dysfunction and its underlying mechanism. To establish DR model in vitro, 30 mM glucose was applied to induce human retinal endothelial cells (HRECs). Cell proliferation, invasion, and migration were examined by means of Cell Counting Kit-8, transwell, and wound healing assays, respectively. The tubule formation experiment was used to test the tubulogenesis ability and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-albumin was utilized to measure the permeability of monolayer HRECs. In addition, immunofluorescence and Western blot were employed to detect protein expression. Compared with the HG-induced group, TMZ concentration dependently inhibited the proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis of HG-induced HRECs, decreased the permeability of monolayer HRECs, and increased the protein expression levels of Claudin-5 and VE-cadherin. In addition, TMZ intervention increased the expression of p-PI3K, p-AKT, and p-mTOR but decreased the expression of LC3I, LC3II, and Beclin 1, which were then partially reversed by P13 K inhibitor (LY294002). Moreover, the autophagy agonist rapamycin (RAPA) was also testified to reverse the inhibitory effects of TMZ on the proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis of HG-induced HRECs. In summary, TMZ inhibited excessive autophagy by activating PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, thereby improving retinal endothelial dysfunction induced by HG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingsong Yang
- Nanjing Tongren Eye Center, Nanjing Tongren Hospital, School of Medicine Southeast University, Nanjing, P.R. China
| | - Sizhen Li
- Nanjing Tongren Eye Center, Nanjing Tongren Hospital, School of Medicine Southeast University, Nanjing, P.R. China
| | - Zixiu Zhou
- Nanjing Tongren Eye Center, Nanjing Tongren Hospital, School of Medicine Southeast University, Nanjing, P.R. China
| | - Xiaodong Yang
- Nanjing Tongren Eye Center, Nanjing Tongren Hospital, School of Medicine Southeast University, Nanjing, P.R. China
| | - Yating Liu
- Nanjing Tongren Eye Center, Nanjing Tongren Hospital, School of Medicine Southeast University, Nanjing, P.R. China
| | - Kuanxiao Hao
- Nanjing Tongren Eye Center, Nanjing Tongren Hospital, School of Medicine Southeast University, Nanjing, P.R. China
| | - Min Fu
- Nanjing Tongren Eye Center, Nanjing Tongren Hospital, School of Medicine Southeast University, Nanjing, P.R. China
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Huang N, Zhu TT, Liu T, Ge XY, Wang D, Liu H, Zhu GX, Zhang Z, Hu CP. Aspirin ameliorates pulmonary vascular remodeling in pulmonary hypertension by dampening endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Eur J Pharmacol 2021; 908:174307. [PMID: 34245748 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2021.174307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Pulmonary vascular remodeling (PVR) is the pathological basis of pulmonary hypertension (PH). Incomplete understanding of PVR etiology has hindered drug development for this devastating disease, which exhibits poor prognosis despite the currently available therapies. Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT), a process of cell transdifferentiation, has been recently implicated in cardiovascular diseases, including PH. But the questions of how EndMT occurs and how to pharmacologically target EndMT in vivo have yet to be further answered. Herein, by performing hematoxylin-eosin and immunofluorescence staining, transmission electron microscopy and Western blotting, we found that EndMT plays a key role in the pathogenesis of PH, and importantly that aspirin, a FDA-approved widely used drug, was capable of ameliorating PVR in a preclinical rat model of hypoxia-induced PH. Moreover, aspirin exerted its inhibitory effects on EndMT in vitro and in vivo by suppressing HIF-1α/TGF-β1/Smads/Snail signaling pathway. Our data suggest that EndMT represents an intriguing drug target for the prevention and treatment of hypoxic PH and that aspirin may be repurposed to meet the urgent therapeutic needs of hypoxic PH patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Huang
- Department of Pharmacology, Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China
| | - Tian-Tian Zhu
- College of Pharmacy, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan, 453000, China; Henan International Joint Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Drug Intervention, Xinxiang, Henan, 453000, China
| | - Ting Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, Hangzhou First Peoples Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310000, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiao-Yue Ge
- Department of Pharmacology, Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China
| | - Di Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China
| | - Hong Liu
- Department of Pharmacology, Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China
| | - Guang-Xuan Zhu
- Department of Pharmacology, Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China
| | - Zheng Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China; Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Research, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China.
| | - Chang-Ping Hu
- Department of Pharmacology, Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China; Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Research, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China.
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