RGFP966 inactivation of the YAP pathway attenuates cardiac dysfunction induced by prolonged hypothermic preservation

Oxidative stress and apoptosis are the key factors that limit the hypothermic preservation time of donor hearts to within 4-6 h. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) inhibitor RGFP966 could protect against cardiac injury induced by prolonged hypothermic preservation. Rat hearts were hypothermically preserved in Celsior solution with or without RGFP966 for 12 h followed by 60 min of reperfusion. Hemodynamic parameters during reperfusion were evaluated. The expression and phosphorylation levels of mammalian STE20-like kinase-1 (Mst1) and Yes-associated protein (YAP) were determined by western blotting. Cell apoptosis was measured by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl-transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) method. Addition of RGFP966 in Celsior solution significantly inhibited cardiac dysfunction induced by hypothermic preservation. RGFP966 inhibited the hypothermic preservation-induced increase of the phosphorylated (p)-Mst1/Mst1 and p-YAP/YAP ratios, prevented a reduction in total YAP protein expression, and increased the nuclear YAP protein level. Verteporfin (VP), a small molecular inhibitor of YAP-transcriptional enhanced associate domain (TEAD) interaction, partially abolished the protective effect of RGFP966 on cardiac function, and reduced lactate dehydrogenase activity and malondialdehyde content. RGFP966 increased superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase gene and protein expression, which was abolished by VP. RGFP966 inhibited hypothermic preservation-induced overexpression of B-cell lymphoma protein 2 (Bcl-2)-associated X (Bax) and cleaved caspase-3, increased Bcl-2 mRNA and protein expression, and reduced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. The antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effects of RGFP966 were cancelled by VP. The results suggest that supplementation of Celsior solution with RGFP966 attenuated prolonged hypothermic preservation-induced cardiac dysfunction. The mechanism may involve inhibition of oxidative stress and apoptosis via inactivation of the YAP pathway.

Gut microbiome analysis as a predictive marker for the gastric cancer patients

Gut microbiota have been implicated in the development of cancer. Colorectal and gastric cancers, the major gastrointestinal tract cancers, are closely connected with the gut microbiome. Nevertheless, the characteristics of gut microbiota composition that correlate with gastric cancer are unclear. In this study, we investigated gut microbiota alterations during the progression of gastric cancer to identify the most relevant taxa associated with gastric cancer and evaluated the potential of the microbiome as an indicator for the diagnosis of gastric cancer. Compared with the healthy group, gut microbiota composition and diversity shifted in patients with gastric cancer. Different bacteria were used to design a random forest model, which provided an area under the curve value of 0.91. Verification samples achieved a true positive rate of 0.83 in gastric cancer. Principal component analysis showed that gastritis shares some microbiome characteristics of gastric cancer. Chemotherapy reduced the elevated bacteria levels in gastric cancer by more than half. More importantly, we found that the genera Lactobacillus and Megasphaera were associated with gastric cancer.Key Points• Gut microbiota has high sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing patients with gastric cancer from healthy individuals, indicating that gut microbiota is a potential noninvasive tool for the diagnosis of gastric cancer.• Gastritis shares some microbiota features with gastric cancer, and chemotherapy reduces the microbial abundance and diversity in gastric cancer patients.• Two bacterial taxa, namely, Lactobacillus and Megasphaera, are predictive markers for gastric cancer.

C21 Fraction Refined from Marsdenia tenacissima-Induced Apoptosis is Enhanced by Suppression of Autophagy in Human Gastric Cell Lines

C21 steroidal glycosides have been extensively reported for treating several types of cancer and are widely found in Marsdenia tenacissima. In this study, a C21 fraction was synthesized from M. tenacissima, and its anti-cancer potency was assessed against in vitro gastric cell lines BGC-823, SGC-7901, and AGS. Significant growth inhibition and cell cycle arrest were observed in C21 fraction-treated gastric cancer cells. The results of apoptotic staining techniques in C21 fraction-treated gastric cells were confirmed with excess reactive oxygen species generation. Moreover, SOD and H₂O₂ levels were increased by C21 fraction, especially when combined with chloroquine (CQ). The apoptotic inducing potential of C21 fraction was also evidenced by upregulation of proapoptotic proteins cleaved-PARP and BAX and downregulation of antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and p-AKT by western blot, especially in the presence of the autophagy inhibitor CQ. The results showed that the apoptosis of gastric cancer cells caused by C21 fraction was enhanced by inhibiting autophagy. The current findings reveal a new mechanism for the antitumor activity of C21 fraction on gastric cancer.

Crocetin protects against fulminant hepatic failure induced by lipopolysaccharide/D-galactosamine by decreasing apoptosis, inflammation and oxidative stress in a rat model

Fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) is a clinical syndrome characterized by sudden and severe liver dysfunction. Apoptosis and inflammation are essential for the pathogenesis of FHF. Crocetin, the major component present in saffron, has been reported to possess anti-inflammatory and antioxidant functions; however, its role in FHF is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to explore the protective effects of crocetin against lipopolysac§§charide (LPS)/D-galactosamine (D-GalN)-induced FHF and the underlying mechanisms in a rat model. For the in vivo study, rats were assigned to the LPS/D-GalN group or to the crocetin pre-treatment+LPS/D- GalN group. Each group was then further divided according to the different LPS/D-GalN treatment times of 0, 6, 12 or 48 h. The results demonstrated that crocetin pre-treatment efficiently protected against LPS/D-GalN-induced FHF by improving liver tissue morphology, reducing total bilirubin generation and decreasing the activities of alanine transaminase and aspartate aminotransferase. Moreover, crocetin pre-treatment significantly decreased hepatocyte apoptosis, p53 mRNA expression and the expression of proteins in the caspase family and the Bcl-2 pro-apoptotic family following LPS/D-GalN treatment. Furthermore, crocetin also decreased the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the serum and in the liver via suppression of NF-κB activation, and also suppressed hepatic oxidative stress. In conclusion, crocetin protected against LPS/D-GalN-induced FHF and inhibited apoptosis, inflammation and oxidative stress. The underlying mechanisms may be related to the regulation of apoptotic proteins in the caspase family and the Bcl-2 family, as well as the modulation of NF-κB expression. Therefore, crocetin may be used as a novel therapy for preventing FHF.

Catalpol ameliorates LPS-induced endometritis by inhibiting inflammation and TLR4/NF-κB signaling

Catalpol is the main active ingredient of an extract from Radix rehmanniae, which in a previous study showed a protective effect against various types of tissue injury. However, a protective effect of catalpol on uterine inflammation has not been reported. In this study, to investigate the protective mechanism of catalpol on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced bovine endometrial epithelial cells (bEECs) and mouse endometritis, in vitro and in vivo inflammation models were established. The Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway and its downstream inflammatory factors were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), western blot (WB), and immunofluorescence techniques. The results from ELISA and qRT-PCR showed that catalpol dose-dependently reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6, and chemokines such as C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 8 (CXCL8) and CXCL5, both in bEECs and in uterine tissue. From the experimental results of WB, qRT-PCR, and immunofluorescence, the expression of TLR4 and the phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 were markedly inhibited by catalpol compared with the LPS group. The inflammatory damage to the mouse uterus caused by LPS was greatly reduced and was accompanied by a decline in myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity. The results of this study suggest that catalpol can exert an anti-inflammatory impact on LPS-induced bEECs and mouse endometritis by inhibiting inflammation and activation of the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway.