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Zhang SS, Larrabee L, Chang AH, Desai S, Sloan L, Wang X, Wu Y, Parvez N, Amaratunga K, Hartman AC, Whitnall A, Mason J, Barton NP, Chu AY, Davitte JM, Csakai AJ, Tibbetts CV, Tolbert AE, O'Keefe H, Polanco J, Foley J, Kmett C, Kehler J, Kozejova G, Wang F, Mayer AP, Koenig P, Foletti D, Pitts SJ, Schnackenberg CG. Discovery of RXFP2 genetic association in resistant hypertensive men and RXFP2 antagonists for the treatment of resistant hypertension. Sci Rep 2024; 14:13209. [PMID: 38851835 PMCID: PMC11162469 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-62804-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Hypertension remains a leading cause of cardiovascular and kidney diseases. Failure to control blood pressure with ≥ 3 medications or control requiring ≥ 4 medications is classified as resistant hypertension (rHTN) and new therapies are needed to reduce the resulting increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Here, we report genetic evidence that relaxin family peptide receptor 2 (RXFP2) is associated with rHTN in men, but not in women. This study shows that adrenal gland gene expression of RXFP2 is increased in men with hypertension and the RXFP2 natural ligand, INSL3, increases adrenal steroidogenesis and corticosteroid secretion in human adrenal cells. To address the hypothesis that RXFP2 activation is an important mechanism in rHTN, we discovered and characterized small molecule and monoclonal antibody (mAb) blockers of RXFP2. The novel chemical entities and mAbs show potent, selective inhibition of RXFP2 and reduce aldosterone and cortisol synthesis and release. The RXFP2 mAbs have suitable rat pharmacokinetic profiles to evaluate the role of RXFP2 in the development and maintenance of rHTN. Overall, we identified RXFP2 activity as a potential new mechanism in rHTN and discovered RXFP2 antagonists for the future interrogation of RXFP2 in cardiovascular and renal diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan-Shan Zhang
- Therapeutics Division, 23andMe, 349 Oyster Point Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Lance Larrabee
- Therapeutics Division, 23andMe, 349 Oyster Point Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Andrew H Chang
- Therapeutics Division, 23andMe, 349 Oyster Point Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Sapna Desai
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GSK, Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Lisa Sloan
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GSK, Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Xin Wang
- Research, 23andMe, 223 N Mathilda Ave., Sunnyvale, CA, 94086, USA
| | - Yixuan Wu
- Therapeutics Division, 23andMe, 349 Oyster Point Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Nazia Parvez
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GSK, Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Karen Amaratunga
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GSK, Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Allison C Hartman
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GSK, 1250 S. Collegeville Rd., Collegeville, PA, 19426, USA
| | - Abby Whitnall
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GSK, Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Joseph Mason
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GSK, Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Nicholas P Barton
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GSK, Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Audrey Y Chu
- Genomic Sciences, GSK, 300 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | | | - Adam J Csakai
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GSK, 200 Cambridgepark Drive, Cambridge, MA, 02140, USA
| | | | - Audrey E Tolbert
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GSK, 200 Cambridgepark Drive, Cambridge, MA, 02140, USA
| | - Heather O'Keefe
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GSK, 200 Cambridgepark Drive, Cambridge, MA, 02140, USA
| | - Jessie Polanco
- Therapeutics Division, 23andMe, 349 Oyster Point Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Joseph Foley
- Novel Human Genetics Research Unit, GSK, 1250 S. Collegeville Rd., Collegeville, PA, 19426, USA
| | - Casey Kmett
- DMPK, GSK, 1250 S. Collegeville Rd, Collegeville, PA, 19426, USA
| | - Jonathan Kehler
- Bioanalysis, Immunogenicity and Biomarkers, GSK, 1250 S. Collegeville Rd., Collegeville, PA, 19426, USA
| | - Gabriela Kozejova
- Medicinal Science and Technology, GSK, Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Feng Wang
- DMPK, GSK, 1250 S. Collegeville Rd, Collegeville, PA, 19426, USA
| | - Andrew P Mayer
- Bioanalysis, Immunogenicity and Biomarkers, GSK, 1250 S. Collegeville Rd., Collegeville, PA, 19426, USA
| | - Patrick Koenig
- Therapeutics Division, 23andMe, 349 Oyster Point Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Davide Foletti
- Therapeutics Division, 23andMe, 349 Oyster Point Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Steven J Pitts
- Research, 23andMe, 223 N Mathilda Ave., Sunnyvale, CA, 94086, USA
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Yu J, Wang S, Chen SJ, Zheng MJ, Yuan CR, Lai WD, Wen JJ, You WT, Liu PQ, Khanna R, Jin Y. Sinomenine ameliorates fibroblast-like synoviocytes dysfunction by promoting phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of CRMP2. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2024; 324:117704. [PMID: 38176664 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.117704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by synovial inflammation and arthritic pain. Sinomenine (SIN), derived from the rhizome of Chinese medical herb Qing Teng (scientific name: Sinomenium acutum (Thunb.) Rehd. Et Wils), has a longstanding use in Chinese traditional medicine for treating rheumatoid arthritis. It has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and immunosuppressive effects with minimal side-effects clinically. However, the mechanisms governing its effects in treatment of joint pathology, especially on fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) dysfunction, and arthritic pain remains unclear. AIM This study aimed to investigate the effect and underlying mechanism of SIN on arthritic joint inflammation and joint FLSs dysfunctions. MATERIALS AND METHODS Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) was induced in rats and the therapeutic effects of SIN on joint pathology were evaluated histopathologically. Next, we conducted a series of experiments using LPS-induced FLSs, which were divided into five groups (Naïve, LPS, SIN 10, 20, 50 μg/ml). The expression of inflammatory factors was measured by qPCR and ELISA. The invasive ability of cells was detected by modified Transwell assay and qPCR. Transwell migration and cell scratch assays were used to assess the migration ability of cells. The distribution and content of relevant proteins were observed by immunofluorescence and laser confocal microscopy, as well as Western Blot and qPCR. FLSs were transfected with plasmids (CRMP2 T514A/D) to directly modulate the post-translational modification of CRMP2 protein and downstream effects on FLSs function was monitored. RESULTS SIN alleviated joint inflammation in rats with CIA, as evidenced by improvement of synovial hyperplasia, inflammatory cell infiltration and cartilage damage, as well as inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines release from FLSs induced by LPS. In vitro studies revealed a concentration-dependent suppression of SIN on the invasion and migration of FLSs induced by LPS. In addition, SIN downregulated the expression of cellular CRMP2 that was induced by LPS in FLSs, but increased its phosphorylation at residue T514. Moreover, regulation of pCRMP2 T514 by plasmids transfection (CRMP2 T514A/D) significantly influenced the migration and invasion of FLSs. Finally, SIN promoted nuclear translocation of pCRMP2 T514 in FLSs. CONCLUSIONS SIN may exert its anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects by modulating CRMP2 T514 phosphorylation and its nuclear translocation of FLSs, inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokine release, and suppressing abnormal invasion and migration. Phosphorylation of CRMP2 at the T514 site in FLSs may present a new therapeutic target for treating inflammatory joint's destruction and arthritic pain in RA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Yu
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Xinhua Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310053, China; College of Basic Medical Science, Key Laboratory of Neuropharmacology and Translational Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Song Wang
- College of Basic Medical Science, Key Laboratory of Neuropharmacology and Translational Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Si-Jia Chen
- College of Basic Medical Science, Key Laboratory of Neuropharmacology and Translational Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Meng-Jia Zheng
- College of Basic Medical Science, Key Laboratory of Neuropharmacology and Translational Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Cun-Rui Yuan
- College of Basic Medical Science, Key Laboratory of Neuropharmacology and Translational Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Wei-Dong Lai
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Xinhua Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310053, China; College of Basic Medical Science, Key Laboratory of Neuropharmacology and Translational Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Jun-Jun Wen
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Xinhua Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310053, China; College of Basic Medical Science, Key Laboratory of Neuropharmacology and Translational Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Wen-Ting You
- Department of Pharmacy, The Affiliated Wenling Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenling, 317500, China
| | - Pu-Qing Liu
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Xinhua Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310053, China
| | - Rajesh Khanna
- Department of Molecular Pathobiology, New York University, College of Dentistry, and NYU Pain Research Center, New York, 10010, USA.
| | - Yan Jin
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Xinhua Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310053, China; College of Basic Medical Science, Key Laboratory of Neuropharmacology and Translational Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
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Yan X, Fu P, Zhang Y, Ling D, Reynolds L, Hua W, Wang Z, Ma F, Li B, Yu J, Liu Y, Gong L, Zhang E. MCC950 Ameliorates Diabetic Muscle Atrophy in Mice by Inhibition of Pyroptosis and Its Synergistic Effect with Aerobic Exercise. Molecules 2024; 29:712. [PMID: 38338456 PMCID: PMC10856337 DOI: 10.3390/molecules29030712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Diabetic muscle atrophy is an inflammation-related complication of type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Even though regular exercise prevents further deterioration of atrophic status, there is no effective mediator available for treatment and the underlying cellular mechanisms are less explored. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic potential of MCC950, a specific, small-molecule inhibitor of NLRP3, to treat pyroptosis and diabetic muscle atrophy in mice. Furthermore, we used MCC950 to intervene in the protective effects of aerobic exercise against muscle atrophy in diabetic mice. Blood and gastrocnemius muscle (GAS) samples were collected after 12 weeks of intervention and the atrophic state was assessed. We initially corroborated a diabetic muscle atrophy phenotype in db/db mice (D) by comparison with control m/m mice (W) by examining parameters such as fasting blood glucose (D vs. W: 24.47 ± 0.45 mmol L-1 vs. 4.26 ± 0.6 mmol L-1, p < 0.05), grip strength (D vs. W: 166.87 ± 15.19 g vs. 191.76 ± 14.13 g, p < 0.05), exercise time (D vs. W: 1082.38 ± 104.67 s vs. 1716 ± 168.55 s, p < 0.05) and exercise speed to exhaustion (D vs. W: 24.25 ± 2.12 m min-1 vs. 34.75 ± 2.66 m min-1, p < 0.05), GAS wet weight (D vs. W: 0.07 ± 0.01 g vs. 0.13 ± 0.01 g, p < 0.05), the ratio of GAS wet weight to body weight (D vs. W: 0.18 ± 0.01% vs. 0.54 ± 0.02%, p < 0.05), and muscle fiber cross-sectional area (FCSA) (D vs. W: 1875 ± 368.19 µm2 vs. 2747.83 ± 406.44 µm2, p < 0.05). We found that both MCC950 (10 mg kg-1) treatment and exercise improved the atrophic parameters that had deteriorated in the db/db mice, inhibited serum inflammatory markers and significantly attenuated pyroptosis in atrophic GAS. In addition, a combined MCC950 treatment with exercise (DEI) exhibited a further improvement in glucose uptake capacity and muscle performance. This combined treatment also improved the FCSA of GAS muscle indicated by Laminin immunofluorescence compared to the group with the inhibitor treatment alone (DI) (DEI vs. DI: 2597 ± 310.97 vs. 1974.67 ± 326.15 µm2, p < 0.05) or exercise only (DE) (DEI vs. DE: 2597 ± 310.97 vs. 2006.33 ± 263.468 µm2, p < 0.05). Intriguingly, the combination of MCC950 treatment and exercise significantly reduced NLRP3-mediated inflammatory factors such as cleaved-Caspase-1, GSDMD-N and prevented apoptosis and pyroptosis in atrophic GAS. These findings for the first time demonstrate that targeting NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis with MCC950 improves diabetic muscle homeostasis and muscle function. We also report that inhibiting pyroptosis by MCC950 can enhance the beneficial effects of aerobic exercise on diabetic muscle atrophy. Since T2DM and muscle atrophy are age-related diseases, the young mice used in the current study do not seem to fully reflect the characteristics of diabetic muscle atrophy. Considering the fragile nature of db/db mice and for the complete implementation of the exercise intervention, we used relatively young db/db mice and the atrophic state in the mice was thoroughly confirmed. Taken together, the current study comprehensively investigated the therapeutic effect of NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis inhibited by MCC950 on diabetic muscle mass, strength and exercise performance, as well as the synergistic effects of MCC950 and exercise intervention, therefore providing a novel strategy for the treatment of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Yan
- Key Laboratory of Exercise and Physical Fitness of Ministry of Education, Beijing Sport University, Beijing 100084, China; (X.Y.); (J.Y.)
- School of Sport Science, Beijing Sport University, Beijing 100084, China; (P.F.); (D.L.); (W.H.); (Z.W.); (F.M.); (B.L.); (Y.L.)
| | - Pengyu Fu
- School of Sport Science, Beijing Sport University, Beijing 100084, China; (P.F.); (D.L.); (W.H.); (Z.W.); (F.M.); (B.L.); (Y.L.)
- Department of Physical Education, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
| | - Yimin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Exercise and Physical Fitness of Ministry of Education, Beijing Sport University, Beijing 100084, China; (X.Y.); (J.Y.)
- School of Sport Science, Beijing Sport University, Beijing 100084, China; (P.F.); (D.L.); (W.H.); (Z.W.); (F.M.); (B.L.); (Y.L.)
| | - Dongmei Ling
- School of Sport Science, Beijing Sport University, Beijing 100084, China; (P.F.); (D.L.); (W.H.); (Z.W.); (F.M.); (B.L.); (Y.L.)
| | - Lewis Reynolds
- Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö, Lund University Diabetes Centre, Lund University, 21428 Malmö, Sweden (E.Z.)
- NanoLund Center for NanoScience, Lund University, 22100 Lund, Sweden
| | - Weicheng Hua
- School of Sport Science, Beijing Sport University, Beijing 100084, China; (P.F.); (D.L.); (W.H.); (Z.W.); (F.M.); (B.L.); (Y.L.)
| | - Zhiyuan Wang
- School of Sport Science, Beijing Sport University, Beijing 100084, China; (P.F.); (D.L.); (W.H.); (Z.W.); (F.M.); (B.L.); (Y.L.)
| | - Fangyuan Ma
- School of Sport Science, Beijing Sport University, Beijing 100084, China; (P.F.); (D.L.); (W.H.); (Z.W.); (F.M.); (B.L.); (Y.L.)
- School of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Boxuan Li
- School of Sport Science, Beijing Sport University, Beijing 100084, China; (P.F.); (D.L.); (W.H.); (Z.W.); (F.M.); (B.L.); (Y.L.)
- School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Jingjing Yu
- Key Laboratory of Exercise and Physical Fitness of Ministry of Education, Beijing Sport University, Beijing 100084, China; (X.Y.); (J.Y.)
| | - Yujia Liu
- School of Sport Science, Beijing Sport University, Beijing 100084, China; (P.F.); (D.L.); (W.H.); (Z.W.); (F.M.); (B.L.); (Y.L.)
- Institute of Physical Education, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, China
| | - Lijing Gong
- Key Laboratory of Exercise and Physical Fitness of Ministry of Education, Beijing Sport University, Beijing 100084, China; (X.Y.); (J.Y.)
| | - Enming Zhang
- Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö, Lund University Diabetes Centre, Lund University, 21428 Malmö, Sweden (E.Z.)
- NanoLund Center for NanoScience, Lund University, 22100 Lund, Sweden
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