Analysis of MicroRNAs Associated With Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaque Rupture With Thrombosis

TAT-beclin1 treatment accelerates the development of atherosclerotic lesions in ApoE-deficient mice

The importance of autophagy in atherosclerosis has garnered significant attention regarding the potential applications of autophagy inducers. However, the impact of TAT-Beclin1, a peptide inducer of autophagy, on the development of atherosclerotic plaques remains unclear. Single-cell omics analysis indicates a notable reduction in GAPR1 levels within fibroblasts, stromal cells, and macrophages during atherosclerosis. Tat-beclin1 (T-B), an autophagy-inducing peptide derived from Beclin1, could selectively bind to GAPR1, relieving its inhibition on Beclin1 and thereby augmenting autophagosome formation. To investigate its impact on atherosclerosic plaque progression, we established the ApoE-/- mouse model of carotid atherosclerotic plaques. Surprisingly, intravenous administration of Tat-beclin1 dramatically accelerated the development of carotid artery plaques. Immunofluorescence analysis suggested that macrophage aggregation and autophagosome formation within atherosclerotic plaques were significantly increased upon T-B treatment. However, immunofluorescence and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis revealed a reduction in autophagy flux through lysosomes. In vitro, the interaction between T-B and GAPR1 was confirmed in RAW264.7 cells, resulting in the increased accumulation of p62/SQSTM1 and LC3-II in the presence of ox-LDL. Additionally, T-B treatment elevated the protein levels of p62/SQSTM1, LC3-II, and cleaved caspase 1, along with the secretion of IL-1β in response to ox-LDL exposure. In summary, our study underscores that T-B treatment amplifies abnormal autophagy and inflammation, consequently exacerbating atherosclerotic plaque development in ApoE-/- mice.

The guardian of intracranial vessels: Why the pericyte?

Intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS) is a pathological condition characterized by progressive narrowing or complete blockage of intracranial blood vessels caused by plaque formation. This condition leads to reduced blood flow to the brain, resulting in cerebral ischemia and hypoxia. Ischemic stroke (IS) resulting from ICAS poses a significant global public health challenge, especially among East Asian populations. However, the underlying causes of the notable variations in prevalence among diverse populations, as well as the most effective strategies for preventing and treating the rupture and blockage of intracranial plaques, remain incompletely comprehended. Rupture of plaques, bleeding, and thrombosis serve as precipitating factors in the pathogenesis of luminal obstruction in intracranial arteries. Pericytes play a crucial role in the structure and function of blood vessels and face significant challenges in regulating the Vasa Vasorum (VV)and preventing intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH). This review aims to explore innovative therapeutic strategies that target the pathophysiological mechanisms of vulnerable plaques by modulating pericyte biological function. It also discusses the potential applications of pericytes in central nervous system (CNS) diseases and their prospects as a therapeutic intervention in the field of biological tissue engineering regeneration.

Oxidized LDL Accelerates Cartilage Destruction and Inflammatory Chondrocyte Death in Osteoarthritis by Disrupting the TFEB-Regulated Autophagy-Lysosome Pathway

Osteoarthritis (OA) involves cartilage degeneration, thereby causing inflammation and pain. Cardiovascular diseases, such as dyslipidemia, are risk factors for OA; however, the mechanism is unclear. We investigated the effect of dyslipidemia on the development of OA. Treatment of cartilage cells with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) enhanced abnormal autophagy but suppressed normal autophagy and reduced the activity of transcription factor EB (TFEB), which is important for the function of lysosomes. Treatment of LDL-exposed chondrocytes with rapamycin, which activates TFEB, restored normal autophagy. Also, LDL enhanced the inflammatory death of chondrocytes, an effect reversed by rapamycin. In an animal model of hyperlipidemia-associated OA, dyslipidemia accelerated the development of OA, an effect reversed by treatment with a statin, an anti-dyslipidemia drug, or rapamycin, which activates TFEB. Dyslipidemia reduced the autophagic flux and induced necroptosis in the cartilage tissue of patients with OA. The levels of triglycerides, LDL, and total cholesterol were increased in patients with OA compared to those without OA. The C-reactive protein level of patients with dyslipidemia was higher than that of those without dyslipidemia after total knee replacement arthroplasty. In conclusion, oxidized LDL, an important risk factor of dyslipidemia, inhibited the activity of TFEB and reduced the autophagic flux, thereby inducing necroptosis in chondrocytes.

MiRNAs and Their Role in Venous Thromboembolic Complications

Venous thromboembolic complications (VTCs), which include deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), have remained a pressing problem in modern clinical medicine for a long time. Despite the already wide arsenal of modern methods for diagnosing and treating this disease, VTCs rank third in the structure of causes of death among all cardiovascular diseases, behind myocardial infarction (MI) and ischemic stroke (IS). Numerous studies have confirmed the importance of understanding the molecular processes of VTCs for effective therapy and diagnosis. Significant progress has been made in VTC research in recent years, where the relative contribution of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the mechanism of thrombus formation and their consideration as therapeutic targets have been well studied. In this case, accurate, timely, and as early as possible diagnosis of VTCs is of particular importance, which will help improve both short-term and long-term prognoses of patients. This case accounts for the already well-studied circulating miRNAs as non-invasive biomarkers. This study presents currently available literature data on the role of miRNAs in VTCs, revealing their potential as therapeutic targets and diagnostic and prognostic tools for this terrible disease.

Cardiac microRNAs: diagnostic and therapeutic potential

MicroRNAs are small non-coding post-translational biomolecules which, when expressed, modify their target genes. It is estimated that microRNAs regulate production of approximately 60% of all human proteins and enzymes that are responsible for major physiological processes. In cardiovascular disease pathophysiology, there are several cells that produce microRNAs, including endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, macrophages, platelets, and cardiomyocytes. There is a constant crosstalk between microRNAs derived from various cell sources. Atherosclerosis initiation and progression are driven by many pro-inflammatory and pro-thrombotic microRNAs. Atherosclerotic plaque rupture is the leading cause of cardiovascular death resulting from acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and leads to cardiac remodeling and fibrosis following ACS. MicroRNAs are powerful modulators of plaque progression and transformation into a vulnerable state, which can eventually lead to plaque rupture. There is a growing body of evidence which demonstrates that following ACS, microRNAs might inhibit fibroblast proliferation and scarring, as well as harmful apoptosis of cardiomyocytes, and stimulate fibroblast reprogramming into induced cardiac progenitor cells. In this review, we focus on the role of cardiomyocyte-derived and cardiac fibroblast-derived microRNAs that are involved in the regulation of genes associated with cardiomyocyte and fibroblast function and in atherosclerosis-related cardiac ischemia. Understanding their mechanisms may lead to the development of microRNA cocktails that can potentially be used in regenerative cardiology.

Identification of core genes associated with the anti-atherosclerotic effects of Salvianolic acid B and immune cell infiltration characteristics using bioinformatics analysis

Background

Atherosclerosis (AS) is the greatest contributor to pathogenesis of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), which is associated with increased mortality and reduced quality of life. Early intervention to mitigate AS is key to prevention of ASCVD. Salvianolic acid B (Sal B) is mainly extracted from root and rhizome of Salvia Miltiorrhiza Bunge, and exerts anti-atherosclerotic effect. The purpose of this study was to screen for anti-AS targets of Sal B and to characterize immune cell infiltration in AS.

Methods

We identified targets of Sal B using SEA (http://sea.bkslab.org/) and SIB (https://www.sib.swiss/) databases. GSE28829 and GSE43292 datasets were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus database. We identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and performed enrichment analysis. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was used to determine the most relevant module associated with atherosclerotic plaque stability. Intersecting candidate genes were evaluated by generating receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and molecular docking. Then, immune cell types were identified using CIBERSOFT and single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA), the relationship between candidate genes and immune cell infiltration was evaluated. Finally, a network-based approach to explore the candidate genes relationship with microRNAs (miRNAs) and Transcription factors (TFs).

Results

MMP9 and MMP12 were been selected as candidate genes from 64 Sal B-related genes, 81 DEGs and turquoise module with 220 genes. ROC curve results showed that MMP9 (AUC = 0.815, P<0.001) and MMP12 (AUC = 0.763, P<0.001) were positively associated with advanced atherosclerotic plaques. The results of immune infiltration showed that B cells naive, B cells memory, Plasma cells, T cells CD8, T cells CD4 memory resting, T cells CD4 memory activated, T cells regulatory (Tregs), T cells gamma delta, NK cells activated, Monocytes, and Macrophages M0 may be involved in development of AS, and the candidate genes MMP9 and MMP12 were associated with these immune cells to different degrees. What’ s more, miR-34a-5p and FOXC1, JUN maybe the most important miRNA and TFs.

Conclusion

The anti-AS effects of Sal B may be related to MMP9 and MMP12 and associated with immune cell infiltration, which is expected to be used in the early intervention of AS.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12906-022-03670-6.

Upregulated miR-322-5p regulates cell cycle and promotes cell proliferation and apoptosis by directly targeting Wee1 in mice liver injury

Liver injury from any number of causes (e.g. chemical material, drugs and diet, viral infection) is a global health problem, and its mechanism is not clearly understood. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) expression profiling is gaining popularity because miRNAs, as key regulators in gene expression networks, can influence many biological processes and have also shown promise as biomarkers for disease. Previous studies reported the regulation effects of miRNAs in liver injury, whereas function and molecular mechanisms of miR-322-5p were still unclear. Therefore, our study focused on the biological role of miR-322-5p in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver injury proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle. A mouse model of CCl4-induced liver injury was established, and the transcriptomes and miRNAs transcriptomes of 2d and 5d liver tissues after injury were sequenced. The expression of miR-322-5p and the cell cycle genes were detected in liver tissues and Hepa1-6 cell line by miRNA RT-PCR, qRT-PCR. The effects of miR-322-5p on liver cell proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis were evaluated using MTS assays and flow cytometry analysis. The relationship between miR-322-5p and Wee1 was predicted and confirmed by bioinformatics analysis and a dual luciferase reporter assay. Functional experiments, including an MTS assay and flow cytometric analysis, were performed to study the effects of Wee1. MiR-322-5p was upregulated in injury liver tissues, and downregulated miR-322-5p was proved to inhibit proliferation, apoptosis and arrest cell cycle at G2/M in vitro. The dual-luciferase reporter assay results indicated that miR-322-5p has a binding site at position 285 in the Wee1 3´UTR. The effects of miR-322-5p in proliferation and cell cycle regulation can be abolished by Wee1 through rescue experiments. By directly targeting Wee1 influenced the expression of several cell cycle factors, including Cyclin dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1), cyclin B1 (Ccnb1) and Cell division cyclin 25C (Cdc25C). MiR-322-5p may function as a suppressive factor by negatively controlling Wee1, thus, highlighting the potential role of miR-322-5p as a therapeutic target for liver injury.Abbreviations: ALT: Alanine aminotransferase; AST: Aspartate aminotransferase; GSH: Glutathione, γ-glutamyl cysteinel + glycine; CCl4: Carbon tetrachloride; HE: Haematoxylin and eosin; KEGG: Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes.

Clinical Parameters and Epigenetic Biomarkers of Plaque Vulnerability in Patients with Carotid Stenosis

Atheromatous disease is the first cause of death and dependency in developed countries and carotid artery atherosclerosis is one of the main causes of severe ischaemic strokes. Current management strategies are mainly based on the degree of stenosis and patient selection has limited accuracy. This information could be complemented by the identification of biomarkers of plaque vulnerability, which would permit patients at greater and lesser risk of stroke to be distinguished, thus enabling a better selection of patients for surgical or intensive medical treatment. Although several circulating protein-based biomarkers with significance for both the diagnosis of carotid artery disease and its prognosis have been identified, at present, none have been clinically implemented. This review focuses especially on the most relevant clinical parameters to take into account in routine clinical practice and summarises the most up-to-date data on epigenetic biomarkers of carotid atherosclerosis and plaque vulnerability.