MicroRNA-383-5p Regulates Oxidative Stress in Mice with Acute Myocardial Infarction through the AMPK Signaling Pathway via PFKM

Comparative efficacy of sweated and non-sweated Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. extracts on acute myocardial ischemia via regulating the PPARα/RXRα/NF-κB signaling pathway

Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. (S. miltiorrhiza) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The processing of S. miltiorrhiza requires the raw herbs to sweat first and then dry. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-acute myocardial ischemia (AMI) of S. miltiorrhiza extracts (including tanshinones and phenolic acids) before and after sweating, and to further explore whether the "sweating" primary processing affected the efficacy of S. miltiorrhiza. The AMI animal model was established by subcutaneous injection of isoprenaline hydrochloride (ISO). After treatment, the cardiac function of rats was evaluated by electrocardiogram (ECG), biochemical, and histochemical analysis. Moreover, the regulation of S. miltiorrhiza extracts on the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα)/retinoid X receptor α (RXRα)/nuclear transcription factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway of rats was assessed by the Western blotting. The results showed that sweated and non-sweated S. miltiorrhiza extracts including tanshinones and phenolic acids significantly reduced ST-segment elevation in ECG and the myocardial infarction area in varying degrees. Meanwhile, sweated and non-sweated S. miltiorrhiza reversed the activities of aspartate transaminase (AST), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), as well as the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in AMI rats. Concurrently, the results of Western blotting revealed that S. miltiorrhiza extracts regulated the PPARα/RXRα/NF-κB signaling pathway to exert an anti-inflammatory effect. Most importantly, sweated S. miltiorrhiza tanshinones extracts are more effective than the non-sweated S. miltiorrhiza, and the anti-inflammatory efficacy of tanshinones extract was also better than that of phenolic acid extract. Although phenolic acid extracts before and after sweating were effective in anti-AMI, there was no significant difference between them. In conclusion, both tanshinones and phenolic acids extracts of sweated and non-sweated S. miltiorrhiza promote anti-oxidative stress and anti-inflammatory against AMI via regulating the PPARα/RXRα/NF-κB signaling pathway. Further, the comparations between sweated and non-sweated S. miltiorrhiza extracts indicate that sweated S. miltiorrhiza tanshinones extracts have better therapeutic effects on AMI.

Network Pharmacology-Based Combined with Experimental Validation Study to Explore the Underlying Mechanism of Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb. Extract in Treating Acute Myocardial Infarction

Purpose

The network pharmacology approach and validation experiment were performed to investigate the potential mechanisms of Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb. (APL) extract against acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods

The primary compounds of APL extract were identified by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis. The intersecting targets of active compounds and AMI were determined via network pharmacology analysis. A mouse model of AMI was established by subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol (Iso). Mice were treated with APL extract by intragastric administration. We assessed the effects of APL extract on the electrocardiography (ECG), cardiac representative markers, representative indicators of oxidative stress, pathological changes, and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway, as well as apoptosis-related indicators in the mice.

Results

Five candidate compounds were identified in APL extract. Enrichment analyses indicated that APL extract could exert myocardial protective effects via the PI3K/Akt pathway. ST segment elevation and increased heart rate were obviously reversed in APL extract groups compared to Iso group. We also detected significant decreases in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase MB (CK-MB), malondialdehyde (MDA), and reactive oxygen species (ROS), as well as a significant increase in superoxide dismutase activities (SOD) after APL extract treatment. In addition, APL extract markedly decreased the number of apoptotic cardiomyocytes after AMI. In the APL extract groups of AMI mice, there were increased expression levels of p-PI3K, p-Akt, and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) protein, and there were decreases in Bcl-2-associated X (Bax), cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteases-3 (caspase-3), and cleaved-caspase-3 protein expression levels, as well as the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio.

Conclusion

APL extract had a protective effect against Iso-induced AMI. APL extract could ameliorate AMI through antioxidant and anti-apoptosis actions which may be associated with the activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Inflammation and Oxidative Stress Role of S100A12 as a Potential Diagnostic and Therapeutic Biomarker in Acute Myocardial Infarction

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the most serious cardiovascular diseases with high morbidity and mortality. Numerous studies have indicated that S100A12 may has an essential role in the occurrence and development of AMI, and in-depth studies are currently lacking. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of S100A12 on inflammation and oxidative stress and to determine its clinical applicability in AMI. Here, AMI datasets used to explore the expression pattern of S100A12 in AMI were derived from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The pooled standard average deviation (SMD) was calculated to further determine S100A12 expression. The overlapping differentially expressed genes (DEGs) contained in all included datasets were recognized by the GEO2R tool. Then, functional enrichment analyses, including Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses, were carried out to determine the molecular function of overlapping DEGs. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted to determine unrevealed mechanisms of S100A12. Summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were carried out to identify the diagnostic capabilities of S100A12. Moreover, we screened miRNAs targeting S100A12 using three online databases (miRWalk, TargetScan, and miRDB). In addition, by comprehensively using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), Western blotting (WB) methods, etc., we used the AC16 cells to validate the expression and underlying mechanism of S100A12. In our study, five datasets related to AMI, GSE24519, GSE60993, GSE66360, GSE97320, and GSE48060 were included; 412 overlapping DEGs were identified. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and functional analyses showed that S100A12 was a pivotal gene related to inflammation and oxidative stress. Then, S100A12 overexpression was identified based on the included datasets. The pooled standard average deviation (SMD) also showed that S100A12 was upregulated in AMI (SMD = 1.36, 95% CI: 0.70-2.03, p = 0.024). The SROC curve analysis result suggested that S100A12 had remarkable diagnostic ability in AMI (AUC = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.87-0.92). And nine miRNAs targeting S100A12 were also identified. Additionally, the overexpression of S100A12 was further confirmed that it maybe promote inflammation and oxidative stress in AMI through comprehensive in vitro experiments. In summary, our study suggests that overexpressed S100A12 may be a latent diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target of AMI that induces excessive inflammation and oxidative stress. Nine miRNAs targeting S100A12 may play a crucial role in AMI, but further studies are still needed. Our work provides a positive inspiration for the in-depth study of S100A12 in AMI.