糖尿病心肌病相关信号通路的研究进展

糖尿病心肌病是一种独立、特异的心肌病,与糖尿病患者发生心力衰竭和死亡率升高密切相关。其病理表现为心肌肥厚和心肌纤维化,发病机制复杂,可能涉及心肌细胞代谢障碍、心肌微血管病变、自主神经病变、胰岛素抵抗及细胞因子异常等多个方面。本文综述了糖尿病心肌病发病机制中研究较多的几条信号通路,为糖尿病心肌病的治疗提供理论依据。     

脂蛋白脂酶与糖尿病心肌病

脂蛋白脂酶(lipoprotein lipase,LPL)通过水解血浆中富含甘油三酯(triglyceride,TG)的脂蛋白,为心肌组织提供游离脂肪酸(free fatty acid,FFA)供能。糖尿病期间,由于心肌组织减弱对葡萄糖的利用能力,导致心脏供能不足。此时,机体通过一系列机制上调心肌LPL活性,促进血浆极低密度脂蛋白(very low density lipoprotein,VLDL)和乳糜微粒(chylomicrons,CM)的水解,以增强FFA为心肌组织代偿性供能。糖尿病患者通过上调心肌LPL活性,进而促使血浆FFA浓度显著升高,导致大量活性氧、脂质等在心肌细胞内蓄积,并潜在地诱发糖尿病心肌病(diabetic cardiomyopathy,DCM)。因此,本文主要针对糖尿病对心肌LPL的调控机制及LPL如何潜在地诱发DCM做一综述,以期为DCM提供新的治疗靶点和途径。     

他莫昔芬对糖尿病大鼠心肌CD147糖基化与MMPs的影响

目的:阐明糖尿病性心肌病的形成机制。方法:将40只大鼠分为对照组和对照+他莫昔芬组(n=8)、糖尿病组与糖尿病+他莫昔芬组(n=12)。采用链脲佐菌素诱导的糖尿病大鼠模型,观测心肌CD147表达与糖基化程度的变化,以及对基质金属蛋白酶(MMPs)表达与活性的影响,同时观测他莫昔芬(tamoxifen)的作用。结果:在成功建立糖尿病大鼠模型基础上,观测到分布于心肌细胞膜的CD147,在糖尿病大鼠心肌表达与糖基化程度明显增高。糖尿病大鼠心肌MMP-2蛋白表达增加,MMP-2与MMP-9活性均明显增加。他莫昔芬对糖尿病大鼠心肌CD147的表达与糖基化均有抑制作用,且对糖基化的抑制明显强于对表达的作用。心肌CD147糖基化程度与MMPs的活性呈正相关。他莫昔芬对对照组与糖尿病大鼠心肌MMP-2与MMP-9的活性均具有抑制作用。结论:糖尿病大鼠心肌CD147表达特别是糖基化程度增加,导致MMPs活性增加,加速心肌病理性重塑而诱发心肌病。而他莫昔芬通过抑制心肌CD147糖基化的增加,进而抑制MMPs活性,减缓心肌的病理性重塑,对糖尿病心肌产生保护作用。     

糖尿病心肌病相关信号通路的研究进展

糖尿病心肌病是一种独立、特异的心肌病,与糖尿病患者发生心力衰竭和死亡率升高密切相关。高血糖引起的心血管并发症涉及心肌病变和血管病变、心肌细胞结构的改变、信号通路和炎症因子的改变等,导致心肌纤维化、心肌肥厚、心脏肥大、心力衰竭和心律失常。综述了糖尿病心肌病发病机制中研究较多的几条信号通路,探究各信号通路在糖尿病心肌病发生、发展过程中对心脏的保护(损伤)作用的相关研究进展。     

线粒体动力学在糖尿病心肌病中的作用及调节机制

心血管并发症是糖尿病患者死亡的首要原因。其中,糖尿病心肌病是排除了高血压、冠心病所致的心肌损伤后的一类特异性心肌病,其特征在于心肌细胞的代谢异常和心脏功能的逐渐衰退,临床表现为早期心肌舒张功能受损,晚期心肌收缩功能受损,最终发展为心力衰竭。线粒体是心肌细胞内提供能量的主要细胞器,线粒体动力学是指线粒体进行融合和分裂的动态过程,是线粒体质量控制的重要途径,线粒体动力学在维持线粒体稳态与心脏功能中起着至关重要的作用。调节线粒体分裂的蛋白主要是Drp1及其受体Fis1、MFF、MiD49和MiD51,执行线粒体外膜融合的蛋白为Mfn1/2,内膜融合蛋白为Opa1。本文综述了近期在糖尿病心肌病线粒体动力学方面的系列研究成果：1型与2型糖尿病心肌病的线粒体动力学失衡均表现为分裂增加与融合受阻,前者的分子机制主要是Drp1上调与Opa1下调,后者的分子机制主要为Drp1上调与Mfn1/2下调,线粒体分裂增加和融合受阻可导致线粒体功能障碍,促进糖尿病心肌病的发生、发展。中药单体安石榴苷、丹皮酚和内源性物质褪黑素等活性成分可通过抑制线粒体分裂或促进线粒体融合,改善线粒体功能,减轻糖尿病心肌病症状。本文...     

心肌营养素-1和结缔组织增长因子在糖尿病大鼠心肌中的表达及厄贝沙坦的干预作用

目的通过观察心肌营养素-1（CT—1）mRNA和结缔组织增长因子（CTGF）在糖尿病大鼠心肌中的动态表达以及厄贝沙坦干预的影响,探讨CT—1和CTGF在糖尿病心肌病（DMCM）发病机制中的作用。方法SD雄性大鼠78只,随机分为对照组和糖尿病组。用链脲佐菌素（STZ）一次性腹腔注射建立糖尿病模型后,糖尿病组再为厄贝沙坦治疗组及糖尿病未治疗组。治疗组以厄贝沙坦灌服12周。分别在病程2、4、6、8、10、12周处死各组大鼠。称量体重（BW）、全心重量（HW）、左室重量（LVW）,计算心体比（HW／BW）和左室重量指数（LVWI）。检测心肌CT—1 mRNA和CTGF的表达水平;心肌胶原（Col）和心肌血管紧张素（AngⅡ）含量。观察心肌超微结构病理改变。结果糖尿病组大鼠的HW／BW、LVWI明显高于正常对照组（P〈0．01）,厄贝沙坦治疗组大鼠的HW／BW、LVWI明显低于糖尿病组（P〈0．01）,但仍高于正常对照组（P〈0．01）。厄贝沙坦组心肌细胞变性、坏死程度和范围较糖尿病组明显减轻。糖尿病组大鼠CT—1 mRNA、CTGF表达明显卜调,随病程延长呈升高趋势（P〈0．01）,心肌col、AngⅡ含量较正常对照组明显升高（P〈0．01）。而厄贝沙坦治疗组大鼠的CTI mRNA、CTGF表达与糖尿病组相比较下调（P〈0．01）;心肌Col、AngⅡ含量明显低于糖尿病组（P〈0．05）。糖尿病组大鼠心室CT—1mRNA、CTGF和心室局部Col、AngⅡ含量呈明显正相关。结论糖尿病大鼠心肌CT—1mRNA、CTGF表达上调与心肌肥大、间质纤化密切相关,在糖尿病心肌病的心室重构中起重要作用。厄贝沙坦町减轻糖尿病心肌病的心室重构,其心肌保护作用机制可能与其下调CT—1和CTGF水平有关。     

糖尿病心肌病发病机制研究进展

糖尿病心肌病是一种特异性心肌病,发病特点是独立于冠状动脉粥样硬化性心脏病、高血压性心脏病等明确原因的心脏疾病之外的原因。糖尿病心肌病发病机制复杂,研究发现包括胰岛素抵抗、炎症反应、氧化应激、心肌能量代谢障碍、钙稳态失衡、自噬等多种机制参与其中。目前临床上尚无特殊治疗药物能有效改善与逆转其发生发展。对近年来糖尿病心肌病发病机制的研究进展进行了综述。     

尼群地平对实验性糖尿病大鼠心肌收缩性的影响

腹腔注射链脲佐霉素（６５ｍｇ／ｋｇ）诱发Ｗｉｓｔａｒ大鼠糖尿病。糖尿病发病４周后,向饲料中加尼群地平（３０ｍｇ·ｋｇ－１·ｄ－１）。结果表明,糖尿病４周时大鼠心室舒张功能首先受损,８周后心室舒张和收缩功能均明显受累。尼群地平处理对糖尿病大鼠的心肌收缩性有一定的改善作用。提示尼群地平对大鼠糖尿病性心肌病有一定有益作用。     

钙敏感受体对大鼠糖尿病性心肌病的影响

目的:观察钙敏感受体(Ca SR)在大鼠糖尿病性心肌病中的作用。方法:30只雄性Wistar大鼠随机分为对照组、糖尿病4周组和糖尿病8周组(n=10)。高糖高脂饮食4周后腹腔注射STZ(30 mg/kg)建立糖尿病模型。通过透射电镜观察心肌超微结构的变化,通过Western blot检测心肌组织Ca SR、肌浆网Ca2+-ATPase(SERCA)和受磷蛋白(PLN)的蛋白表达。结果:与对照组相比,随着病程的延长糖尿病组大鼠心肌Ca SR、SERCA蛋白表达降低,PLN表达增加,心肌结构损伤逐渐加重。结论:在大鼠糖尿病性心肌病进展过程中Ca SR的表达逐渐降低,并可能导致钙稳态紊乱参与糖尿病心肌病的发生。     

糖尿病心肌病发病机制的研究进展

糖尿病心肌病是一种特异性心肌病,病理表现为心肌肥厚和心肌纤维化。其发病机制复杂,可能涉及代谢紊乱(如葡萄糖转运子活性下降、游离脂肪酸增加、钙平衡调节异常、铜代谢紊乱、胰岛素抵抗)、心肌纤维化(与高血糖、心肌细胞凋亡、血管紧张素Ⅱ、胰岛素样生长因子-1、炎性细胞因子和基质金属蛋白酶等有关)、心脏自主神经病变和干细胞等多种因素。本文对近年来国内外有关糖尿病心肌病机制研究的进展予以综述,以期为临床有效防治提供依据。     

Conventional dendritic cells are required for the activation of helper-dependent CD8 T cell responses to a model antigen after cutaneous vaccination with lentiviral vectors

Cutaneous vaccination with lentiviral vectors generates systemic CD8 T cell responses that have the potential to eradicate tumors for cancer immunotherapy. However, although s.c. immunization with <1 million lentiviral particles clearly primes cytotoxic T cells, vaccination with much higher doses has routinely been used to define the mechanisms of T cell activation by lentiviral vectors. In particular, experiments to test presentation of lentiviral Ags by dendritic cells (DC) require injection of high viral titers, which may result in aberrant transduction of different DC populations. We exploited inducible murine models of DC depletion to investigate which DC prime the lentiviral response after s.c. immunization with low doses of lentiviral particles. In this article, we demonstrate that conventional DC are required to present Ag to CD8 T cells in draining lymph nodes. Langerhans cells are not required to activate the effector response, and neither Langerhans cells nor plasmacytoid DC are sufficient to prime Ag-specific T cells. Immunization drives the generation of endogenous long-lived memory T cells that can be reactivated to kill Ag-specific targets in the absence of inflammatory challenge. Furthermore, lentiviral vaccination activates expansion of endogenous CD4 Th cells, which are required for the generation of effector CD8 T cells that produce IFN-γ and kill Ag-specific targets. Collectively, we demonstrate that after cutaneous immunization with lentiviral particles, CD4-licensed lymph node conventional DC present Ag to CD8 T cells, resulting in the generation of protective endogenous antitumor immunity that may be effective for cancer immunotherapy.     

Small rho GTPases mediate tumor-induced inhibition of endocytic activity of dendritic cells

The generation, maturation, and function of dendritic cells (DC) have been shown to be markedly compromised in the tumor microenvironment in animals and humans. However, the molecular mechanisms and intracellular pathways involved in the regulation of the DC system in cancer are not yet fully understood. Recently, we have reported on the role of the small Rho GTPase family members Cdc42, Rac1, and RhoA in regulating DC adherence, motility, and Ag presentation. To investigate involvement of small Rho GTPases in dysregulation of DC function by tumors, we next evaluated how Cdc42, Rac1, and RhoA regulated endocytic activity of DC in the tumor microenvironment. We revealed a decreased uptake of dextran 40 and polystyrene beads by DC generated in the presence of different tumor cell lines, including RM1 prostate, MC38 colon, 3LL lung, and B7E3 oral squamous cell carcinomas in vitro and by DC prepared from tumor-bearing mice ex vivo. Impaired endocytic activity of DC cocultured with tumor cells was associated with decreased levels of active Cdc42 and Rac1. Transduction of DC with the dominant negative Cdc42 and Rac1 genes also led to reduced phagocytosis and receptor-mediated endocytosis. Furthermore, transduction of DC with the constitutively active Cdc42 and Rac1 genes restored endocytic activity of DC that was inhibited by the tumors. Thus, our results suggest that tumor-induced dysregulation of endocytic activity of DC is mediated by reduced activity of several members of the small Rho GTPase family, which might serve as new targets for improving the efficacy of DC vaccines.     

The Pseudomonas syringae type III effector tyrosine phosphatase HopAO1 suppresses innate immunity in Arabidopsis thaliana

The bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) strain DC3000 infects tomato and Arabidopsis plants, and is a model for studying the molecular basis of bacterial disease. Pst DC3000 secretes a battery of largely uncharacterized effector proteins into host cells via a type-III secretion system (TTSS). Little is currently known about the molecular mechanisms by which individual TTSS effectors promote virulence. The effector HopAO1 has similarity to protein tyrosine phosphatases, including a conserved catalytic site, and suppresses the hypersensitive response (HR) in some non-host plants. Whether HopAO1 has a similar effect in the host Arabidopsis is not clear. Here, we show that transgenic expression of HopAO1 in Arabidopsis suppresses callose deposition elicited by the Pst DC3000 hrpA mutant, and allows the normally non-pathogenic hrpA mutant to multiply within the leaf tissue. HopAO1 also suppresses resistance to Pst DC3000 induced by flg22, a pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP). However, HopAO1 does not suppress the HR triggered by several classical avirulence genes. These results suggest that HopAO1 targets primarily PAMP-induced innate immunity in Arabidopsis. The virulence function of HopAO1 is dependent on an intact phosphatase catalytic site, as transgenic plants expressing a catalytically inactive derivative do not show these effects. Intriguingly, expression of the catalytically inactive HopAO1 has a dominant-negative effect on the function of the wild-type HopAO1. Analysis of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activity suggests that HopAO1 targets a step downstream or independent of MAPK activation. Genome-wide expression analysis revealed that expression of several well-known defense genes was suppressed in hrpA mutant-infected HopAO1 transgenic plants.     

Molecular biomarkers in cardiac hypertrophy

Cardiac hypertrophy is characterized by an increase in myocyte size in the absence of cell division. This condition is thought to be an adaptive response to cardiac wall stress resulting from the enhanced cardiac afterload. The pathogenesis of heart dysfunction, which is one of the primary causes of morbidity and mortality in elderly people, is often associated with myocardial remodelling caused by cardiac hypertrophy. In order to well understand the potential mechanisms, we described the molecules involved in the development and progression of myocardial hypertrophy. Increasing evidence has indicated that micro‐RNAs are involved in the pathogenesis of cardiac hypertrophy. In addition, molecular biomarkers including vascular endothelial growth factor B, NAD‐dependent deacetylase sirtuin‐3, growth/differentiation factor 15 and glycoprotein 130, also play important roles in the development of myocardial hypertrophy. Knowing the regulatory mechanisms of these biomarkers in the heart may help identify new molecular targets for the treatment of cardiac hypertrophy.     

Processing and degradation of exogenous prion protein by CD11c(+) myeloid dendritic cells in vitro

The immune system plays an important role in facilitating the spread of prion infections from the periphery to the central nervous system. CD11c(+) myeloid dendritic cells (DC) could, due to their subepithelial location and their migratory capacity, be early targets for prion infection and contribute to the spread of infection. In order to analyze mechanisms by which these cells may affect prion propagation, we studied in vitro the effect of exposing such DC to scrapie-infected GT1-1 cells, which produce the scrapie prion protein PrP(Sc). In this system, the DC efficiently engulfed the infected GT1-1 cells. Unexpectedly, PrP(Sc), which is generally resistant to protease digestion, was processed and rapidly degraded. Based on this observation we speculate that CD11c(+) DC may play a dual role in prion infections: on one hand they may facilitate neuroinvasion by transfer of the infectious agent as suggested from in vivo studies, but on the other hand they may protect against the infection by causing an efficient degradation of PrP(Sc). Thus, the migrating and highly proteolytic CD11c(+) myeloid DC may affect the balance between propagation and clearance of PrP(Sc) in the organism.     

Cellular damage and altered carbohydrate expression in P815 tumor cells induced by direct electric current: an in vitro analysis

Treatment with direct electric current (DC) can inhibit tumor growth in several systems. To evaluate the cellular reactions generated by this treatment, we stimulated mouse mastocytoma P815 cells with DC and examined their viability and ultrastructural characteristics, as well as the effect of DC on surface carbohydrate expression. DC treatment affected cell viability and caused marked alterations in vital structures of P815 cells. Alterations varied depending on the duration of stimulation and polarity of electrode. Anodic and cathodic treatments caused decrease in cell viability, although the latter was more effective in generating cell lysis. DC stimulation also induced changes such as membrane damage, alterations in cell shape and chromatin organization, mitochondrial swelling and condensation, cytoplasmic swelling, and matrix rarefaction. Stimulation of P815 cells without contact with electrodes produced no alterations, suggesting that this contact might be essential for the occurrence of the cellular modifications. DC treatment also altered the membrane distribution of anionic sites of P815 cells, as well as the surface carbohydrate exposition, involving a diminished binding of Concanavalin A to the cell surface after cathodic stimulation, and an increased binding of sialic acid- and fucose-specific lectins after anodic treatment. In this work we describe important cellular targets for the action of DC, which may contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms by which DC supresses several kinds of tumors.     

Regulatory non‐coding RNAs in acute myocardial infarction

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases that leads to high mortality and morbidity globally. Various therapeutic targets for AMI have been investigated in recent years, including the non‐coding RNAs (ncRNAs). NcRNAs, a class of RNA molecules that typically do not code proteins, are divided into several subgroups. Among them, microRNAs (miRNAs) are widely studied for their modulation of several pathological aspects of AMI, including cardiomyocyte apoptosis, inflammation, angiogenesis and fibrosis. It has emerged that long ncRNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs) also regulate these processes via interesting mechanisms. However, the regulatory functions of ncRNAs in AMI and their underlying functional mechanisms have not been systematically described. In this review, we summarize the recent findings involving ncRNA actions in AMI and briefly describe the novel mechanisms of these ncRNAs, highlighting their potential application as therapeutic targets in AMI.