Postconditioning with simvastatin decreases myocardial injury in rats following acute myocardial ischemia

HMGB1 Protects the Heart Against Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury via PI3K/AkT Pathway-Mediated Upregulation of VEGF Expression

Delivery of exogenous high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) may exert a beneficial effect on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Since the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) in the myocardium mediates the cardioprotective function of basic fibroblast growth factor, we hypothesized that VEGF and the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway also mediate the protective effects of intravenously delivered HMGB1. Thus, the objective of the present study was to analyze the impact of intravenous administration of HMGB1 on the myocardial expression of VEGF, myocardial fibrosis, and cardiac function in rats subjected to acute myocardial I/R. The ischemia was induced by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery for 30 min and was followed by 3 h of reperfusion. Myocardial malondialdehyde content, infarct size, and collagen volume fraction decreased, while the activity of superoxide dismutase was increased, the expression of VEGF and p-Akt was upregulated, and cardiac function was improved in the HMGB1-treated group when compared with rats subjected to I/R only (all P < 0.05). However, these effects of HMGB1 were abolished by LY294002. The obtained results demonstrate that the cardioprotective effects of intravenous administration of HMGB1 prior to I/R may be mediated by upregulation of myocardial expression of VEGF, which may activate the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Biochemical targets of drugs mitigating oxidative stress via redox-independent mechanisms

Acute or chronic oxidative stress plays an important role in many pathologies. Two opposite approaches are typically used to prevent the damage induced by reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), namely treatment either with antioxidants or with weak oxidants that up-regulate endogenous antioxidant mechanisms. This review discusses options for the third pharmacological approach, namely amelioration of oxidative stress by 'redox-inert' compounds, which do not inactivate RONS but either inhibit the basic mechanisms leading to their formation (i.e. inflammation) or help cells to cope with their toxic action. The present study describes biochemical targets of many drugs mitigating acute oxidative stress in animal models of ischemia-reperfusion injury or N-acetyl-p-aminophenol overdose. In addition to the pro-inflammatory molecules, the targets of mitigating drugs include protein kinases and transcription factors involved in regulation of energy metabolism and cell life/death balance, proteins regulating mitochondrial permeability transition, proteins involved in the endoplasmic reticulum stress and unfolded protein response, nuclear receptors such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors, and isoprenoid synthesis. The data may help in identification of oxidative stress mitigators that will be effective in human disease on top of the current standard of care.

Porphyromonas Gingivalis Elevated High-Mobility Group Box 1 Levels After Myocardial Infarction in Mice

High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a nuclear protein released from necrotic cells, inducing inflammatory responses. Epidemiological studies suggested a possible association between periodontitis and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Due to tissue damage and necrosis of cardiac cells following myocardial infarction (MI), HMGB1 is released, activating an inflammatory reaction. However, it remains unclear whether periodontitis is also involved in myocardial damage. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis (P.g.) after MI in mice.C57BL/6J wild type mice in post-MI were inoculated with P.g. in the infected group (P.g.-inoculated MI group) and with phosphate buffer saline (PBS) in the control group (PBS-injected MI group). Plasma samples and twelve tissue samples from mice hearts after MI were obtained. We determined the expression of HMGB1 by ELISA and immunohistochemistry.The level of HMGB1 protein in the P.g.-inoculated MI group was significantly higher than in the PBS-injected MI group on day 5, but not on day 14. Immunohistochemistry analysis revealed that HMGB1 was mainly expressed in cardiomyocytes, immune cells, and vascular endothelial cells in the PBS-injected MI group, while HMGB1 was seen broadly in degenerated cardiomyocytes, extracellular fields, immune cells, and vascular endothelial cells in the P.g.-inoculated MI group. A significant increase in the number of HMGB1 positive cells was observed in the P.g.-inoculated MI group compared to the PBS-injected MI group.Infection with P.g. after MI enhanced myocardial HMGB1 expression. There is a possible relationship between periodontitis and post-infarction myocardial inflammation through HMGB-1.

High mobility group box 1 protein attenuates myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury via inhibition of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway

The present study aimed to determine the effects of high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) on myocardial ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats following acute myocardial ischemia and investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms of these effects. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into the following groups (n=10/group): Sham operation; I/R; HMGB50 (50 ng/kg HMGB1 before I/R); HMGB100 (100 ng/kg HMGB1 before I/R); and HMGB200 (200 ng/kg HMGB1 before I/R). Serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI), interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels were subsequently measured. Myocardial levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were also determined. Myocardial infarction size (IS) was determined by 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. Myocardial expression of hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1α and phosphorylated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (P-p38 MAPK) protein was measured using western blotting. The results demonstrated that HMGB1 significantly decreased serum levels of cTnI, IL-6 and TNF-α and myocardial IS in I/R rats compared with the sham group (all P<0.05). HMGB1 also significantly decreased and increased myocardial levels of MDA and SOD, respectively (both P<0.05). HMGB1 significantly increased myocardial expression of HIF-1α and decreased expression of P-p38 MAPK following I/R (both P<0.05). These effects of HMGB1 occurred in a dose-dependent manner. The results of the current study indicate that the cardioprotective effects of intravenous HMGB1 are associated with increased myocardial expression of HIF-1α via inhibition of P-p38 MAPK expression, leading to inhibition of the P-p38 MAPK signaling pathway.

Simvastatin attenuates chromium-induced nephrotoxicity in rats

Background

Hexavalent Chromium (Cr (VI)) compounds are extremely toxic and have been demonstrated to induce nephrotoxicity associated with oxidative stress in humans and animals. The wide environmental distribution of these agents lead to an increase interest of preventive effects of its adverse effects.

Objectives

The propose of the present study was to determine the potential protective effects of simvastatin (SIMV) on Cr (VI)-induced nephrotoxicity in rat.

Materials and Methods

Forty-eight adult male Wistar rats (180-220 g BW) were randomly assigned to eight groups (n = 6). Group one received SIMV 20 mg/kg/day. Group two was given vehicle only. Groups three, five and seven received intraperitoneally (i.p) sodium dichromate (Cr (VI)) at doses of 8, 12 and 16 mg/kg body weight. Groups four, six and eight pretreated with the 20 mg/kg SIMV 30 minutes to prior administration of Cr (VI) at doses of 8, 12 and 16 mg/kg, respectively. The experiment repeated for eight consecutive days. Twenty-four hours after the last administration, animals were killed with overdose of sodium pentobarbital. Kidney tissues were excised for measuring malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) and histopathological examination.

Results

Chromium induced a dose dependent elevation of MDA and reduction of GSH levels. Histopathological manifestations were observed in Cr (VI)-treated rats. SIMV administration restored Cr (VI) produced biochemical and morphological changes in rat kidney. SIMV decreased MDA values and increased GSH levels in Cr (VI)-treated rats. SIMV clearly reversed the microscopic damage, demonstrating its protective effects against Cr (VI)-induced kidney injury.

Conclusions

This observation suggests that SIMV may have a protective effect against Cr (VI)-induced oxidative stress in rat kidney.

Intravenous high mobility group box 1 upregulates the expression of HIF-1α in the myocardium via a protein kinase B-dependent pathway in rats following acute myocardial ischemia

The effects of intravenous high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) on myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury remains to be elucidated. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of intravenous HMGB1 on the expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) in the myocardium of rats following acute myocardial ischemia, and to examine the effects of intravenous HMGB1 on myocardial I/R injury. Male Wistar rats were divided into the following groups: Sham operation group (n=10), a group exposed to ischemia for 30 min and reperfusion for 4 h (I/R group) as a control (n=10), an HMGB group, in which 100 ng/kg HMGB was administered intravenously 30 min prior to ischemia (n=10), an LY group, in whic LY294002, an inhibitor of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), was administered intravenously (0.3 mg/kg) 40 min prior to ischemia (n=10), and the HMGB1+LY group, in which HMGB1 (100 ng/kg) and LY294002 (0.3 mg/kg) were administered intravenously 30 min and 40 min prior to ischemia, respectively (n=10). The serum levels of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and myocardial infarct size were measured. The expression levels of phosphorylated Akt and HIF-1α were investigated using western blot analyses. The results showed that pre-treatment with HMGB1 significantly decreased serum levels of cTnI, and TNF-α, and reduced myocardial infarct size following 4 h reperfusion (all P<0.05). HMGB1 also increased the expression levels of HIF-1α and p-Akt induced by I/R (P<0.05). LY294002 was found to eliminate the effects of intravenous HMGB1 on myocardial I/R injury (P<0.05). These results suggest that intravenous pre-treatment with HMGB1 may exert its cardioprotective effects via the upregulation of the myocardial expression of HIF-1α, which may be regulated by the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, in rats following acute myocardial I/R.

Erythropoietin pretreatment suppresses inflammation by activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury

Erythropoietin (EPO), a glycoprotein originally known for its important role in the stimulation of erythropoiesis, has recently been shown to have significant protective effects in animal models of kidney and intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). However, the mechanism underlying these protective effects remains unclear. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effects of EPO on myocardial IRI and to investigate the mechanism underlying these effects. A total of 18 male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups, namely the sham, IRI-saline and IRI-EPO groups. Rats in the IRI-EPO group were administered 5,000 U/kg EPO intraperitoneally 24 h prior to the induction of IRI. IRI was induced by ligating the left descending coronary artery for 30 min, followed by reperfusion for 3 h. Pathological changes in the myocardial tissue were observed and scored. The levels of the proinflammatory cytokines, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, were evaluated in the serum and myocardial tissue. Furthermore, the effects of EPO on phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) signaling and EPO receptor (EPOR) phosphorylation were measured. Pathological changes in the myocardial tissue, increased expression levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β in the myocardium, and increased serum levels of these mediators, as a result of IRI, were significantly decreased by EPO pretreatment. The effects of EPO were found to be associated with the activation of PI3K/Akt signaling, which suppressed the inflammatory responses, following the initiation of EPOR activation by EPO. Therefore, EPO pretreatment was demonstrated to decrease myocardial IRI, which was associated with activation of EPOR, subsequently increasing PI3K/Akt signaling to inhibit the production and release of inflammatory mediators. Thus, the results of the present study indicated that EPO may be useful for preventing myocardial IRI.