The Role of GPER in Sepsis-Induced Myocardial Cell Damage and 28-Day Mortality Risk

Purpose: The role of GPER in sepsis-induced myocardial cell injury and its potential impact on the risk of death within 28 days in sepsis. Methods: An in vitro experiment was conducted to establish a sepsis-induced myocardial cell model. H9C2 myocardial cells were treated with 10 μg/ml lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 24 hours. The effects of different concentrations of the GPER agonist G1 (1, 3, and 10 μmol/L) on cell viability, expression of inflammatory markers, cell apoptosis, and the NF-κB pathway were evaluated. A Mendelian randomization analysis was conducted using Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNPs) related to the GPER gene as instrumental variables to investigate the causal relationship between the GPER gene variations and sepsis (28-day death). Results: The results indicate that the group treated with LPS showed a significant decrease in myocardial cell viability, an increase in concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), higher apoptosis rates, and increased phosphorylation levels of NF-κB p65 (p-P65/P65) and IκB-α (p-IκB-α/IκB-α) compared to the control group (P κB pathway. However, genetic evidence did not show a causal relationship between GPER gene variations and sepsis (28-day death) (P κB pathway. However, genetic evidence did not show a causal relationship between GPER gene variations and sepsis (28-day death).

Beneficial mechanisms of aerobic exercise on hepatic lipid metabolism in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

BACKGROUND：Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease（NAFLD）refers to any fatty liver disease that is not due to excessive use of alcohol.NAFLD probably results from abnormal hepatic lipid metabolism and insulin resistance.Aerobic exercise is shown to improve NAFLD.This review aimed to evaluate the molecular mechanisms involved in the beneficial effects of aerobic exercise on NAFLD.DATA SOURCE：We searched articles in English on the role of aerobic exercise in NAFLD therapy in Pub Med.RESULTS： The mechanisms of chronic aerobic exercise in regulating the outcome of NAFLD include： （i） reducing in- trahepatic fat content by down-regulating sterol regulatory element-binding protein-lc and up-regulating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor y expression levels; （ii） decreas- ing hepatic oxidative stress through modulating the reactive oxygen species, and enhancing antioxidant enzymes such as catalase and glutathione peroxidase; （iii） ameliorating hepatic inflammation via the inhibition of pro-inflammatory media- tors such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1 beta; （iv） attenuating mitochondrial dependent apoptosis by reducing cytochrome C released from the mitochondria to the cytosol; and （v） inducing hepato-protective autophagy. CONCLUSION： Aerobic exercise, via different mechanisms, significantly decreases the fat content of the liver and improves the outcomes of patients with NAFLD.

Molecular chaperones and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy（HIE） is a disease that occurs when the brain is subjected to hypoxia,resulting in neuronal death and neurological deficits,with a poor prognosis.The mechanisms underlying hypoxic-ischemic brain injury include excitatory amino acid release,cellular proteolysis,reactive oxygen species generation,nitric oxide synthesis,and inflammation.The molecular and cellular changes in HIE include protein misfolding,aggregation,and destruction of organelles.The apoptotic pathways activated by ischemia and hypoxia include the mitochondrial pathway,the extrinsic Fas receptor pathway,and the endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced pathway.Numerous treatments for hypoxic-ischemic brain injury caused by HIE have been developed over the last half century.Hypothermia,xenon gas treatment,the use of melatonin and erythropoietin,and hypoxic-ischemic preconditioning have proven effective in HIE patients.Molecular chaperones are proteins ubiquitously present in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes.A large number of molecular chaperones are induced after brain ischemia and hypoxia,among which the heat shock proteins are the most important.Heat shock proteins not only maintain protein homeostasis; they also exert anti-apoptotic effects.Heat shock proteins maintain protein homeostasis by helping to transport proteins to their target destinations,assisting in the proper folding of newly synthesized polypeptides,regulating the degradation of misfolded proteins,inhibiting the aggregation of proteins,and by controlling the refolding of misfolded proteins.In addition,heat shock proteins exert anti-apoptotic effects by interacting with various signaling pathways to block the activation of downstream effectors in numerous apoptotic pathways,including the intrinsic pathway,the endoplasmic reticulum-stress mediated pathway and the extrinsic Fas receptor pathway.Molecular chaperones play a key role in neuroprotection in HIE.In this review,we provide an overview of the mechanisms of HIE and discuss the various treatment strategies.Given their critical role in the disease,molecular chaperones are promising therapeutic targets for HIE.

A protease-activated receptor 1 antagonist protects against global cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury after asphyxial cardiac arrest in rabbits

Cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury is partially mediated by thrombin, which causes brain damage through protease-activated receptor 1（PAR1）. However, the role and mechanisms underlying the effects of PAR1 activation require further elucidation. Therefore, the present study investigated the effects of the PAR1 antagonist SCH79797 in a rabbit model of global cerebral ischemia induced by cardiac arrest. SCH79797 was intravenously administered 10 minutes after the model was established. Forty-eight hours later, compared with those administered saline, rabbits receiving SCH79797 showed markedly decreased neuronal damage as assessed by serum neuron specific enolase levels and less neurological dysfunction as determined using cerebral performance category scores. Additionally, in the hippocampus, cell apoptosis, polymorphonuclear cell infiltration, and c-Jun levels were decreased, whereas extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation levels were increased. All of these changes were inhibited by the intravenous administration of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt pathway inhibitor LY29004（3 mg/kg） 10 minutes before the SCH79797 intervention. These findings suggest that SCH79797 mitigates brain injury via anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects, possibly by modulating the extracellular signal-regulated kinase, c-Jun N-terminal kinase/c-Jun and phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt pathways.

Amentoflavone protects hippocampal neurons: anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and antiapoptotic effects

Amentoflavone is a natural biflavone compound with many biological properties, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and neuroprotective effects. We presumed that amentoflavone exerts a neuroprotective effect in epilepsy models. Prior to model establishment, mice were intragastrically administered 25 mg/kg amentoflavone for 3 consecutive days. Amentoflavone effectively prevented pilocarpine-induced epilepsy in a mouse kindling model, suppressed nuclear factor-κB activation and expression, inhibited excessive discharge of hippocampal neurons resulting in a reduction in epileptic seizures, shortened attack time, and diminished loss and apoptosis of hippocampal neurons. Results suggested that amentoflavone protected hippocampal neurons in epilepsy mice via anti-inflammation, antioxidation, and antiapoptosis, and then effectively prevented the occurrence of seizures.