Angelicin Alleviates Maternal Isoflurane Exposure-Induced Offspring Cognitive Defects Through the Carbonic Anhydrase 4/Aquaporin-4 Pathway

An increasing number of studies reveal the deleterious effects of isoflurane (Iso) exposure during pregnancy on offspring cognition. However, no effective therapeutic strategy for Iso-induced deleterious effects has been well developed. Angelicin exerts an anti-inflammatory effect on neurons and glial cells. This study investigated the roles and mechanism of action of angelicin in Iso-induced neurotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. After exposing C57BL/6 J mice on embryonic day 15 (E15) to Iso for 3 and 6 h, respectively, neonatal mice on embryonic day 18 (E18) displayed obvious anesthetic neurotoxicity, which was revealed by the elevation of cerebral inflammatory factors and blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability and cognitive dysfunction in mice. Angelicin treatment could not only significantly reduce the Iso-induced embryonic inflammation and BBB disruption but also improve the cognitive dysfunction of offspring mice. Iso exposure resulted in an increase of carbonic anhydrase (CA) 4 and aquaporin-4 (AQP4) expression at both mRNA and protein levels in vascular endothelial cells and mouse brain tissue collected from neonatal mice on E18. Remarkably, the Iso-induced upregulation of CA4 and AQP4 expression could be partially reversed by angelicin treatment. Moreover, GSK1016790A, an AQP4 agonist, was used to confirm the role of AQP4 in the protective effect of angelicin. Results showed that GSK1016790A abolished the therapeutic effect of angelicin on Iso-induced inflammation and BBB disruption in the embryonic brain and on the cognitive function of offspring mice. In conclusion, angelicin may serve as a potential therapeutic for Iso-induced neurotoxicity in neonatal mice by regulating the CA4/AQP4 pathway.

Carbonic Anhydrase 4 Serves as A Novel Prognostic Biomarker and Therapeutic Target for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Study Based on TCGA Samples

BACKGROUND

Carbonic anhydrase 4 (CA4) is a member of a large family of zinc metalloenzymes that catalyze the reversible hydration of carbon dioxide and was found to have low expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the specific role of CA4 in NSCLC and the underlying mechanisms remain unknown.

METHODS

The bioinformatic analysis on lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) datasets downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was performed. We found that CA4 expression was lower in tumors than that in normal tissues, which were verified by Real-time PCR. Lower CA4 levels were significantly associated with higher T stages in LUAD and LUSC cohorts. Multivariate analysis showed that CA4 is an independent prognostic factor for NSCLC. Furthermore, the expression of CA4 also correlated with immune infiltration and drug sensitivity.

RESULTS

Ectopic expression of CA4 decreased NSCLC cell proliferation in vitro by CCK-8 assay. CA4 caused G0/G1 cell cycle arrest by cell experiments. Mechanistic studies found that CA affects the cell cycle and inhibits cell proliferation by downregulating the expression of CDK2.

CONCLUSION

The present findings highlight the role of CA4 in NSCLC and identify CA4 as a potential novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for the treatment of NSCLC.