Effects of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury on plasma metabolomic profile during aging

Middle-age abolishes cardioprotection conferred by thioredoxin-1 in mice

Thioredoxin-1 (Trx1) has cardioprotective effects on ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, although its role in ischemic postconditioning (PostC) in middle-aged mice is not understood. This study aimed to evaluate if combining two cardioprotective strategies, such as Trx1 overexpression and PostC, could exert a synergistic effect in reducing infarct size in middle-aged mice. Young or middle-aged wild-type mice (Wt), transgenic mice overexpressing Trx1, and dominant negative (DN-Trx1) mutant of Trx1 mice were used. Mice hearts were subjected to I/R or PostC protocol. Infarct size, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production, protein nitration, Trx1 activity, mitochondrial function, and Trx1, pAkt and pGSK3β expression were measured. PostC could not reduce infarct size even in the presence of Trx1 overexpression in middle-aged mice. This finding was accompanied by a lack of Akt and GSK3β phosphorylation, and Trx1 expression (in Wt group). Trx1 activity was diminished and H2O2 production and protein nitration were increased in middle-age. The respiratory control rate dropped after I/R in Wt-Young and PostC restored this value, but not in middle-aged groups. Our results showed that Trx1 plays a key role in the PostC protection mechanism in young but not middle-aged mice, even in the presence of Trx1 overexpression.

Research progress of AMP-activated protein kinase and cardiac aging

The process of aging is marked by a gradual deterioration in the physiological functions and functional reserves of various tissues and organs, leading to an increased susceptibility to diseases and even death. Aging manifests in a tissue- and organ-specific manner, and is characterized by varying rates and direct and indirect interactions among different tissues and organs. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death globally, with older adults (aged >70 years) accounting for approximately two-thirds of CVD-related deaths. The prevalence of CVD increases exponentially with an individual's age. Aging is a critical independent risk factor for the development of CVD. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation exerts cardioprotective effects in the heart and restores cellular metabolic functions by modulating gene expression and regulating protein levels through its interaction with multiple target proteins. Additionally, AMPK enhances mitochondrial function and cellular energy status by facilitating the utilization of energy substrates. This review focuses on the role of AMPK in the process of cardiac aging and maintaining normal metabolic levels and redox homeostasis in the heart, particularly in the presence of oxidative stress and the invasion of inflammatory factors.

The Prevention of Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Elderly Rats after Lower Limb Tourniquet Use

Background: Lower limb ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI-LL) is a common major complication of orthopedic surgery, especially in elderly patients. It has previously been demonstrated that folinic acid (FA) reduced IRI-LL damage in 3−4-month-old rats. This current work analyses the effect of FA in the prevention of IRI-LL in elderly animals. Methods: Forty-two 18-month-old male WAG/RijHsd rats were subjected to 3 h of ischemia. Eighteen animals received FA (2.5 mg/kg, ip) 20 min before the end of the ischemia period, while the other half received the same volume of saline solution. The animals were sacrificed after 3 h, 24 h, and 14 days of reperfusion for biochemical (tissue damage markers and electrolytes), histopathological studies of the gastrocnemius muscle and the daily assessment of the limb function by the Rota Rod test, respectively. Results: The administration of FA prior to the end of the ischemia period reduced the increase in LDH and CK observed in non-treated animals by 30−40% (p < 0.0001). When the histological sections were analyzed, FA was found to have reduced the number of damaged muscle fibers per field by 20% (60 ± 17.1 vs. 80.7 ± 16.4, p < 0.0001). The functional test revealed that FA also led to an improvement in the muscle function, assessed by the length of time that the animals kept running on the rod, compared to untreated animals. Conclusions: The administration of FA, prior to the end of the ischemic period, decreases the damage induced by IRI-LL, also achieving a faster recovery of mobility.

Autophagy Dysfunction in ALS: from Transport to Protein Degradation

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease affecting upper and lower motor neurons (MNs). Since the identification of the first ALS mutation in 1993, more than 40 genes have been associated with the disorder. The most frequent genetic causes of ALS are represented by mutated genes whose products challenge proteostasis, becoming unable to properly fold and consequently aggregating into inclusions that impose proteotoxic stress on affected cells. In this context, increasing evidence supports the central role played by autophagy dysfunctions in the pathogenesis of ALS. Indeed, in early stages of disease, high levels of proteins involved in autophagy are present in ALS MNs; but at the same time, with neurodegeneration progression, autophagy-mediated degradation decreases, often as a result of the accumulation of toxic protein aggregates in affected cells. Autophagy is a complex multistep pathway that has a central role in maintaining cellular homeostasis. Several proteins are involved in its tight regulation, and importantly a relevant fraction of ALS-related genes encodes products that directly take part in autophagy, further underlining the relevance of this key protein degradation system in disease onset and progression. In this review, we report the most relevant findings concerning ALS genes whose products are involved in the several steps of the autophagic pathway, from phagophore formation to autophagosome maturation and transport and finally to substrate degradation.

KL1 Domain of Longevity Factor Klotho Mimics the Metabolome of Cognitive Stimulation and Enhances Cognition in Young and Aging Mice

Cognitive deficits are a major biomedical challenge-and engagement of the brain in stimulating tasks improves cognition in aged individuals (Wilson et al., 2002; Gates et al., 2011) and rodents (Aidil-Carvalho et al., 2017), through unknown mechanisms. Whether cognitive stimulation alters specific metabolic pathways in the brain is unknown. Understanding which metabolic processes are involved in cognitive stimulation is important because it could lead to pharmacologic intervention that promotes biological effects of a beneficial behavior, toward the goal of effective medical treatments for cognitive deficits. Here we show using male mice that cognitive stimulation induced metabolic remodeling of the mouse hippocampus, and that pharmacologic treatment with the longevity hormone α-klotho (KL), mediated by its KL1 domain, partially mimicked this alteration. The shared, metabolic signature shared between cognitive stimulation and treatment with KL or KL1 closely correlated with individual mouse cognitive performance, indicating a link between metabolite levels and learning and memory. Importantly, the treatment of mice with KL1, an endogenous circulating factor that more closely mimicked cognitive stimulation than KL, acutely increased synaptic plasticity, a substrate of cognition. KL1 also improved cognition, itself, in young mice and countered deficits in old mice. Our data show that treatments or interventions mimicking the hippocampal metabolome of cognitive stimulation can enhance brain functions. Further, we identify the specific domain by which klotho promotes brain functions, through KL1, a metabolic mimic of cognitive stimulation.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Cognitive deficits are a major biomedical challenge without truly effective pharmacologic treatments. Engaging the brain through cognitive tasks benefits cognition. Mimicking the effects of such beneficial behaviors through pharmacological treatment represents a highly valuable medical approach to treating cognitive deficits. We demonstrate that brain engagement through cognitive stimulation induces metabolic remodeling of the hippocampus that was acutely recapitulated by the longevity factor klotho, mediated by its KL1 domain. Treatment with KL1, a close mimic of cognitive stimulation, enhanced cognition and countered cognitive aging. Our findings shed light on how cognition metabolically alters the brain and provide a plausible therapeutic intervention for mimicking these alterations that, in turn, improves cognition in the young and aging brain.