Angiopoietin-2 level as a tool for cardiovascular risk stratification in hypertensive type 2 diabetic subjects

Whole transcriptome expression profiles in placenta samples from women with gestational diabetes mellitus

AIMS/INTRODUCTION

Non-coding ribonucleic acids (ncRNAs) have recently been shown to be involved in various biological processes. However, most of these ncRNAs are of unknown function or without annotation. This study first investigated the whole transcriptome profiles of placentas to identify the potential functions that ncRNAs exerted in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Six placenta samples from healthy pregnant women (n = 3) and GDM (n = 3) were collected to analyze the whole transcriptome profiles by high-throughput sequencing. Differentially expressed ncRNAs were further validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction on an independent set of normal (n = 20) and GDM (n = 20) placenta samples.

RESULTS

A total of 2,817 microRNAs (miRNAs), 23,339 long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and 9,513 circular RNAs (circRNAs) were identified. There were 290 differentially expressed ncRNAs in GDM placentas compared with the placentas of healthy pregnant women. Two miRNAs, 86 lncRNAs and 55 circRNAs were upregulated, while two miRNAs, 86 lncRNAs and 59 circRNAs were downregulated in GDM. The expression of the selected ncRNAs, which were further validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, was consistent with the sequencing results. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis showed that the major targets of these ncRNAs were associated with insulin resistance, and abnormal glucose and lipid metabolism. A GDM-related competing endogenous RNA network suggested the interactions between lncRNAs, circRNAs, messenger RNAs and miRNAs.

CONCLUSIONS

The whole transcriptome profiles significantly differed in GDM placentas compared with the placentas of healthy pregnant women, which might be valuable for detecting novel ncRNAs, and providing new research insights into exploring the pathogenic mechanisms of GDM.

Rotundic Acid Protects against Metabolic Disturbance and Improves Gut Microbiota in Type 2 Diabetes Rats

Rotundic acid (RA) is a major triterpene constituent in the barks of Ilex rotunda Thunb, which have been widely used to make herbal tea for health care in southern China. RA has a variety of bioactivities such as anti-inflammation and lipid-lowering effect. However, little is known about the effects and mechanisms of RA on metabolic disturbance in type 2 diabetes (T2D) and its effect on gut microbiota. A T2D rat model induced by high fat diet (HFD) feeding and low-dose streptozotocin (STZ) injection was employed and RA showed multipronged effects on T2D and its complications, including improving glucolipid metabolism, lowering blood pressure, protecting against cardiovascular and hepatorenal injuries, and alleviating oxidative stress and inflammation. Furthermore, 16s rRNA gene sequencing was carried out on an Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform and RA treatment could restore the gut microbial dysbiosis in T2D rats to a certain extent. RA treatment significantly enhanced the richness and diversity of gut microbiota. At the genus level, beneficial or commensal bacteria Prevotella, Ruminococcus, Leuconostoc and Streptococcus were significantly increased by RA treatment, while RA-treated rats had a lower abundance of opportunistic pathogen Klebsiella and Proteus. Spearman’s correlation analysis showed that the abundances of these bacteria were strongly correlated with various biochemical parameters, suggesting that the improvement of gut microbiota might help to prevent or attenuate T2D and its complication. In conclusion, our findings support RA as a nutraceutical agent or plant foods rich in this compound might be helpful for the alleviation of T2D and its complications through improving gut microbiota.

The Angiopoietin ligands and Tie receptors: potential diagnostic biomarkers of vascular disease

The Angiopoietin-1 (Angpt1)/Tie2 signaling pathway is important in regulating vascular function. Angpt1-induced Tie2 activation promotes vascular endothelial cell survival and reduces vascular leakage. Angiopoietin-2 (Angpt2), a weak agonist/antagonist of Tie2, opposes and regulates Angpt1 action. The Tie family of receptor tyrosine kinases, Tie2 and Tie1, exist as either homo-or heterodimers. The molecular complex between the receptors is also crucial in controlling Angpt1 signaling; hence, the molecular balance between Angpt1:Angpt2 and Tie2:Tie1 is important in determining endothelial integrity and vascular stability. This review presents evidence of the change observed in the Angiopoietin/Tie molecules in various pathophysiological conditions and discusses the potential clinical applications of these molecules in vascular complications.