Assessing apoptosis gene expression profiling with a PCR array in the hippocampus of Ts65Dn mice

Wogonin Alleviates DCD Liver Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury by Regulating ALOX15/iNOS-mediated Ferroptosis

BACKGROUND

Donation after circulatory death livers are more susceptible to ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) because of a longer period of warm ischemia. Growing evidence now suggests that ferroptosis plays a key regulatory role in the development of IRI, so targeting ferroptosis may be an effective strategy to alleviate IRI in liver transplantation (LT).

METHODS

Using donation after circulatory death LT models in rats and oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) models in BRL-3A cells, we tested the effect of the Chinese medicine monomer wogonin on liver IRI and explored the specific mechanism.

RESULTS

Wogonin attenuated liver IRI and increased the survival rate of rats by inhibiting lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis. Mechanistically, arachidonic acid 15-lipoxygenase-1 (ALOX15) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were identified as potential targets of baicalein through bioinformatics analysis combined with in vivo and in vitro experiments. This result was further confirmed by molecular docking and cellular thermal shift assays. Finally, we silenced ALOX15 and iNOS in the OGD/R cell model and found that silencing ALOX15 and iNOS could reproduce the regulatory effect of wogonin and abrogate the regulatory effect of wogonin.

CONCLUSIONS

In brief, this study emphasizes that wogonin exerts a protective effect in liver IRI through the regulation of ALOX15- and iNOS-mediated ferroptosis. ALOX15 and iNOS are potential targets for intervention in IRI induced by LT, and wogonin is a drug candidate for LT patients.

Cardioprotective effects of garcinol following myocardial infarction in rats with isoproterenol-induced heart failure

Myocardial infarction is a clinical form of necrosis in the myocardium caused by an imbalance between the coronary blood supply and myocardial demand. Garcinol is a polyisoprenylated benzophenone found in the fruit of Garcinia indica, which is abundant in tropical regions. This fruit contains high levels of garcinol, isoxanthochymol, isogarcinol, hydroxycitric acid and xanthochymol. Garcinol and hydroxycitric acid have been shown to have antioxidant effects. In this study, rats were assigned to sham, control, low-dose, high-dose and positive control groups. Hemodynamic and apoptotic markers were evaluated, and histopathological analysis was conducted. The mRNA and protein levels of caspase-3, Bax, Bcl-2 and cleaved caspase-3 were quantified. Garcinol treatment increased the heart rate and improved the maximum rate of increase in left-ventricle (LV) pressure (+dp/dt_max), maximum rate of decrease in LV pressure (–dp/dt_max), LV ejection fraction and LV systolic pressure in rats with induced heart failure. Garcinol treatment reversed body, liver and heart weight changes, resulting in returns to near-normal levels. In the garcinol treatment group, the number of broken fibers, extent of inflammatory cell infiltration and rate of apoptosis remained within normal ranges. Garcinol reduced the cross-sectional areas of cardiomyocytes, and reduced interstitial fibrosis to a normal level. The mRNA and protein levels of cleaved caspase-3, caspase-3 and Bax were reduced, whereas those of Bcl-2 were increased, following high-dose (100 mg/kg) garcinol treatment. These findings suggest that garcinol effectively prevents apoptosis in rats with isoproterenol-induced heart failure and in cardiac H9C2 cells.