1
|
Alhakamy NA, Alamoudi AJ, Asfour HZ, Ahmed OAA, Abdel-Naim AB, Aboubakr EM. L-arginine mitigates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats through regulation of HO-1/PPAR-γ/β-catenin axis. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 131:111834. [PMID: 38493696 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.111834] [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: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic and progressively deteriorating lung condition that can be replicated in laboratory animals by administering bleomycin, a chemotherapeutic antibiotic known for its lung fibrosis-inducing side effects. L-arginine, a semi-essential amino acid, is recognized for its diverse biological functions, including its potential to counteract fibrosis. This study aimed to evaluate the antifibrotic properties of L-arginine on bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats. The administration of a single intratracheal dose of bleomycin resulted in visible and microscopic damage to lung tissues, an uptick in oxidative stress markers, and an elevation in inflammatory, apoptotic, and fibrotic indicators. A seven-day treatment with L-arginine post-bleomycin exposure markedly improved the gross and histological architecture of the lungs, prevented the rise of malondialdehyde and carbonyl content, and enhanced total antioxidant capacity alongside the activities of antioxidant enzymes. Also, L-arginine attenuated the expression of the pro-fibrotic factors, transforming growth factor-β and lactate dehydrogenase in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. In the lung tissue, L-arginine reduced collagen deposition, hydroxyproline concentration, and mucus production, along with decreasing expression of α-smooth muscle actin, tumor necrosis factor-α, caspase-3, matrix metalloproteinase-9, and β-catenin. Moreover, it boosted levels of nitric oxide and upregulated the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and E-cadherin and downregulating the expression of β-catenin. These findings suggest that L-arginine has preventive activities against bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. This effect can be attributed to the increased production of nitric oxide, which modulates the HO-1/PPAR-γ/β-catenin axis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nabil A Alhakamy
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Mohamed Saeed Tamer Chair for Pharmaceutical Industries, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Center of Excellence for Drug Research and Pharmaceutical Industries, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulmohsin J Alamoudi
- Center of Excellence for Drug Research and Pharmaceutical Industries, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Hani Z Asfour
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt
| | - Osama A A Ahmed
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Mohamed Saeed Tamer Chair for Pharmaceutical Industries, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Center of Excellence for Drug Research and Pharmaceutical Industries, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ashraf B Abdel-Naim
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Esam M Aboubakr
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Gut microbiota mediates the anti-obesity effect of intermittent fasting by inhibiting intestinal lipid absorption. J Nutr Biochem 2023; 116:109318. [PMID: 36924854 DOI: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2023.109318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Abstract
The prevention and treatment of obesity have been one of the most difficult problems in the world. Intermittent fasting (IF) has received wide attention as an effective diet strategy. Existing studies have shown that IF could improve obesity and diabetes-related metabolic disorders. Here, we show that IF can change the composition and metabolic function of intestinal microbes, and reduce lipid absorption by inhibiting PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, with the participation of arginine. Arginine concentration in feces of fasted mice is inversely correlated with Akkermansia muciniphila abundance. Antibiotic-induced clearance of intestinal microbiota greatly inhibits the effect of IF. Furthermore, the colonization test of Akkermansia muciniphila again activates the browning of white adipose tissue and restores the improvement of metabolism to alleviate obesity. These phenomena indicate that every-other-day fasting regimen inhibits intestinal lipid absorption and promotes the browning of white adipose tissue in mice to ameliorate the risk of obesity and metabolic disorders through the microbial flora-metabolite-fat signaling axis. And the above results demonstrate new directions for the treatment of obesity and other metabolic disorders.
Collapse
|
3
|
Functional Amino Acids and Autophagy: Diverse Signal Transduction and Application. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222111427. [PMID: 34768858 PMCID: PMC8592284 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222111427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 10/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional amino acids provide great potential for treating autophagy-related diseases by regulating autophagy. The purpose of the autophagy process is to remove unwanted cellular contents and to recycle nutrients, which is controlled by many factors. Disordered autophagy has been reported to be associated with various diseases, such as cancer, neurodegeneration, aging, and obesity. Autophagy cannot be directly controlled and dynamic amino acid levels are sufficient to regulate autophagy. To date, arginine, leucine, glutamine, and methionine are widely reported functional amino acids that regulate autophagy. As a signal relay station, mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) turns various amino acid signals into autophagy signaling pathways for functional amino acids. Deficiency or supplementation of functional amino acids can immediately regulate autophagy and is associated with autophagy-related disease. This review summarizes the mechanisms currently involved in autophagy and amino acid sensing, diverse signal transduction among functional amino acids and autophagy, and the therapeutic appeal of amino acids to autophagy-related diseases. We aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms of amino acid regulation of autophagy and the role of functional amino acids in clinical autophagy-related diseases and to further convert these mechanisms into feasible therapeutic applications.
Collapse
|
4
|
Watermelon powder supplementation reduces colonic cell proliferation and aberrant crypt foci by upregulating p21Waf1/Cip1 expression. J Funct Foods 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jff.2021.104667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
|
5
|
Zhang C, Wang T, Cui T, Liu S, Zhang B, Li X, Tang J, Wang P, Guo Y, Wang Z. Genome-Wide Phylogenetic Analysis, Expression Pattern, and Transcriptional Regulatory Network of the Pig C/EBP Gene Family. Evol Bioinform Online 2021; 17:11769343211041382. [PMID: 34471342 PMCID: PMC8404664 DOI: 10.1177/11769343211041382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) transcription factors (TFs) regulate many important biological processes, such as energy metabolism, inflammation, cell proliferation etc. A genome-wide gene identification revealed the presence of a total of 99 C/EBP genes in pig and 19 eukaryote genomes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all C/EBP TFs were classified into 6 subgroups named C/EBPα, C/EBPβ, C/EBPδ, C/EBPε, C/EBPγ, and C/EBPζ. Gene expression analysis showed that the C/EBPα, C/EBPβ, C/EBPδ, C/EBPγ, and C/EBPζ genes were expressed ubiquitously with inconsistent expression patterns in various pig tissues. Moreover, a pig C/EBP regulatory network was constructed, including C/EBP genes, TFs and miRNAs. A total of 27 feed-forward loop (FFL) motifs were detected in the pig C/EBP regulatory network. Based on the RNA-seq data, gene expression patterns related to FFL sub-network were analyzed in 27 adult pig tissues. Certain FFL motifs may be tissue specific. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that C/EBP and its target genes are involved in many important biological pathways. These results provide valuable information that clarifies the evolutionary relationships of the C/EBP family and contributes to the understanding of the biological function of C/EBP genes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chaoxin Zhang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
- Bioinformatics Center, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Tao Wang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
- Bioinformatics Center, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Tongyan Cui
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
- Bioinformatics Center, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Shengwei Liu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
- Bioinformatics Center, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Bing Zhang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
- Bioinformatics Center, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Xue Li
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
- Bioinformatics Center, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Jian Tang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
- Bioinformatics Center, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Peng Wang
- HeiLongJiang provincial Husbandry Dapartment, Harbin, China
| | - Yuanyuan Guo
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
- Bioinformatics Center, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Zhipeng Wang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
- Bioinformatics Center, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
- DaBeiNong Group, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Cheng J, Song Q, Yang Y, Sun Z, Tian X, Tian X, Feng L. Lipolysis by downregulating miR-92a activates the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in hypoxic rats. Biomed Rep 2020; 13:33. [PMID: 32793347 PMCID: PMC7418506 DOI: 10.3892/br.2020.1340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of miR-92a in lipid metabolism in hypoxic rats. Microarray analysis and reverse transcription-quantitative (RT-q)PCR were used to detect changes in the mRNA expression levels of miR-92a in the epididymal fat of hypoxic and normoxic rats. The downstream target mRNA of miR-92a was predicted using bioinformatics analysis and verified using a dual luciferase reporter assay. Changes in the expression of frizzled (Fzd)10 and c-Myc in the epididymal fat were detected using RT-qPCR and western blotting. Microarray analysis and RT-qPCR results showed that the expression of miR-92a was significantly lower in the fat tissues of the hypoxic rats compared with the normoxic rats. The results of the dual luciferase reporter assay showed that the target gene of miR-92a was Fzd10, which is an acceptor in the Wnt pathway. Fzd10 expression was upregulated in the hypoxic rats. The mRNA expression levels of c-Myc, which is located downstream of the Wnt pathway, was increased significantly. The increase in the mRNA and protein expression levels of Fzd10 and c-Myc may be associated with miR-92a downregulation. Downregulation of miR-92a in-turn may result in lipolysis through the regulation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, and thus weight loss in the rats.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Cheng
- Department of Sports and Health, Shandong Sport University, Jinan, Shandong 250102, P.R. China
| | - Qipeng Song
- Department of Sports and Health, Shandong Sport University, Jinan, Shandong 250102, P.R. China
| | - Yingjie Yang
- Department of Sports and Health, Shandong Sport University, Jinan, Shandong 250102, P.R. China
| | - Zhiyuan Sun
- Department of Sports and Health, Shandong Sport University, Jinan, Shandong 250102, P.R. China
| | - Xiaoyi Tian
- Department of Sports and Health, Shandong Sport University, Jinan, Shandong 250102, P.R. China
| | - Xuewen Tian
- Department of Sports and Health, Shandong Sport University, Jinan, Shandong 250102, P.R. China.,Biology Center, China Institute of Sport Science, Beijing 100061, P.R. China
| | - Lianshi Feng
- Biology Center, China Institute of Sport Science, Beijing 100061, P.R. China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Silva-Vignato B, Coutinho LL, Cesar ASM, Poleti MD, Regitano LCA, Balieiro JCC. Comparative muscle transcriptome associated with carcass traits of Nellore cattle. BMC Genomics 2017; 18:506. [PMID: 28673252 PMCID: PMC5496360 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-3897-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2017] [Accepted: 06/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Commercial cuts yield is an important trait for beef production, which affects the final value of the products, but its direct determination is a challenging procedure to be implemented in practice. The measurement of ribeye area (REA) and backfat thickness (BFT) can be used as indirect measures of meat yield. REA and BFT are important traits studied in beef cattle due to their strong implication in technological (carcass yield) and nutritional characteristics of meat products, like the degree of muscularity and total body fat. Thus, the aim of this work was to study the Longissimus dorsi muscle transcriptome of Nellore cattle, associated with REA and BFT, to find differentially expressed (DE) genes, metabolic pathways, and biological processes that may regulate these traits. Results By comparing the gene expression level between groups with extreme genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV), 101 DE genes for REA and 18 for BFT (false discovery rate, FDR 10%) were identified. Functional enrichment analysis for REA identified two KEGG pathways, MAPK (Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase) signaling pathway and endocytosis pathway, and three biological processes, response to endoplasmic reticulum stress, cellular protein modification process, and macromolecule modification. The MAPK pathway is responsible for fundamental cellular processes, such as growth, differentiation, and hypertrophy. For BFT, 18 biological processes were found to be altered and grouped into 8 clusters of semantically similar terms. The DE genes identified in the biological processes for BFT were ACHE, SRD5A1, RSAD2 and RSPO3. RSAD2 has been previously shown to be associated with lipid droplet content and lipid biosynthesis. Conclusion In this study, we identified genes, metabolic pathways, and biological processes, involved in differentiation, proliferation, protein turnover, hypertrophy, as well as adipogenesis and lipid biosynthesis related to REA and BFT. These results enlighten some of the molecular processes involved in muscle and fat deposition, which are economically important carcass traits for beef production. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-017-3897-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bárbara Silva-Vignato
- College of Animal Science and Food Engineering, University of São Paulo, Pirassununga, SP, 13635-900, Brazil.
| | - Luiz L Coutinho
- College of Agriculture "Luiz de Queiroz", University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, SP, 13418-900, Brazil
| | - Aline S M Cesar
- College of Agriculture "Luiz de Queiroz", University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, SP, 13418-900, Brazil
| | - Mirele D Poleti
- College of Agriculture "Luiz de Queiroz", University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, SP, 13418-900, Brazil
| | | | - Júlio C C Balieiro
- College of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Pirassununga, SP, 13635-900, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|