Effects of swimming training on myocardial protection in rats

Decrease of Cellular Communication Network Factor 1 (CCN1) Attenuates PTZ-Kindled Epilepsy in Mice

To investigate the molecular mechanism of communication network factor 1 (CCN1) regulating pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced epileptogenesis, deepen the understanding of epilepsy seizure pathogenesis, and provide new drug action targets for its clinical prevention and treatment. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) on microarrays GSE47516 and GSE88992 were analyzed online using GEO2R. Pathway enrichment and protein-protein interaction network (PPI) analysis of DEGs were carried out using Metascape. Brain tissue samples of severe traumatic brain injury patients (named Healthy group) and refractory epilepsy patients (named Epilepsy group) were obtained and analyzed by qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining. A PTZ-induced epilepsy mouse model was established and verified. Morphological changes of neurons in mouse brain tissue were detected using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. qRT-PCR was conducted to detect the mRNA expressions of apoptosis-associated proteins Bax, Caspase-3 and bcl2. TUNEL staining was performed to detect brain neuron apoptosis. The levels of myocardial enzymology, GSH, MDA and ROS in blood of mouse were detected by biochemical assay. CCN1 expression was increased in epilepsy brain tissue samples. CCN1 decreasing effectively prolongs seizure incubation period and decreases seizure duration. Silencing of CCN1 also reduces neuronal damage and apoptosis, decreases mRNA and protein expression of proapoptotic proteins Bax and Caspase-3, increases mRNA expression of antiapoptotic protein Bcl2. Moreover, decrease of CCN1 decreases myocardial enzymatic indexes CK and CK-MB levels, reduces myocardial tissue hemorrhage, and relieves oxidative stress response in hippocampal and myocardial tissue. CCN1 expression is increased in epileptic samples. CCN1 decreasing protects brain tissue by attenuating oxidative stress and inhibiting neuronal apoptosis triggered by PTZ injection, which probably by regulating Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.

Adeno-associated virus 9 vector-mediated cardiac-selective expression of human secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor attenuates myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury

Protease enzymes contribute to the initiation of cardiac remodeling and heart failure after myocardial ischemic/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Protease inhibitors attenuate protease activity and limit left ventricular dysfunction and remodeling. Previous studies showed the cardioprotective effect of secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) against I/R injury. However, overexpression of SLPI gene in cardiovascular diseases has only been investigated in an in vitro experiment. Here, cardiac-selective expression of the human secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (hSLPI) gene and its effect on I/R injury were investigated. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) serotype 9 carrying hSLPI under the control of cardiac-selective expression promoter (cardiac troponin, cTn) was intravenously administered to Sprague–Dawley rats for 4 weeks prior to coronary artery ligation. The results showed that myocardial-selective expression of hSLPI significantly reduced infarct size, cardiac troponin I (cTnI), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), and myoglobin levels that all served to improve cardiac function. Moreover, overexpression of hSLPI showed a reduction in inflammatory cytokines, oxidatively modified protein carbonyl (PC) content, ischemia-modified albumin (IMA), and necrosis and cardiac tissue degeneration. In conclusion, this is the first study to demonstrate cardiac-selective gene delivery of hSLPI providing cardioprotection against myocardial I/R injury in an in vivo model.

Animal Models of Exercise From Rodents to Pythons

Acute and chronic animal models of exercise are commonly used in research. Acute exercise testing is used, often in combination with genetic, pharmacological, or other manipulations, to study the impact of these manipulations on the cardiovascular response to exercise and to detect impairments or improvements in cardiovascular function that may not be evident at rest. Chronic exercise conditioning models are used to study the cardiac phenotypic response to regular exercise training and as a platform for discovery of novel pathways mediating cardiovascular benefits conferred by exercise conditioning that could be exploited therapeutically. The cardiovascular benefits of exercise are well established, and, frequently, molecular manipulations that mimic the pathway changes induced by exercise recapitulate at least some of its benefits. This review discusses approaches for assessing cardiovascular function during an acute exercise challenge in rodents, as well as practical and conceptual considerations in the use of common rodent exercise conditioning models. The case for studying feeding in the Burmese python as a model for exercise-like physiological adaptation is also explored.