Effect of High-fat Diet on Cholesterol Metabolism in Rats and Its Association with Na^+/K^+-ATPase/Src/pERK Signaling Pathway

Summary： Abnormal cholesterol metabolism is associated with an elevated risk of developing athero- sclerosis, hypertension, and diabetes etc. Na＋/K＋-ATPase was found to regulate cholesterol synthesis, distribution and trafficking. This study aimed to examine the effect of high-fat diet on cholesterol me- tabolism in rats and the role of Na＋/K＋-ATPase/Src/ERK signaling pathway in the process. Forty male SD rats were evenly divided into high-fat diet group and control group at random. Animals in the former group were fed on high-fat diet for 12 weeks, and those fed on basic diet served as control. Blood lipids, including total cholesterol （TC）, triglyceride （TG）, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol （HDL-C）, and low density lipoprotein-cholesteral （LDL-C） levels, were detected at 3, 6 and 12 weeks. The ratio of cholesterol content in cytoplasm to that in cell membrane was detected in liver tissues. RT-PCR and Western blotting were used to measure the expression of lipid metabolism-associated genes （HMG-CoA reductase and SREBP-2） after 12-week high-fat diet. Na＋/K＋-ATPase/Src/ERK signaling path- way-related components （Na＋/K＋-ATPase ctl, Src-PY418 and pERK1/2） were also measured by West- ern blotting. The results showed that the serum TC, TG, and LDL-C levels were significantly higher in high-fat diet group than those in control group, while the HDL-C level was significantly lower in high-fat diet group at 6 weeks （P〈0.01）. High-fat diet led to an increase in the cholesterol content in the cytoplasm and cell membrane. The ratio of cholesterol content in cytoplasm to that in cell membrane was elevated over time. The expression of HMG-CoA reductase and SREBP-2 was significantly sup- pressed at mRNA and protein levels after 12-week high-fat diet （P〈0.05）. Moreover, high-fat diet pro- moted the expression of Na＋/K＋-ATPase α1 but suppressed the phosphorylation of Src-PY418 and ERK1/2 at 12 weeks （P〈0.05）. It was concluded that high-fat diet regulates cholesterol metabolism, and Na＋/K＋-ATPase signaling pathway is involved in the process possibly by regulating the expression of lipid metabolism-associated proteins HMG-CoA reductase and SREBP-2.

Hes1 Knockdown Exacerbates Ischemic Stroke Following tMCAO by Increasing ER Stress-Dependent Apoptosis via the PERK/ eIF2a/ATF4/CHOP Signaling Pathway

Apoptosis induced by endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress plays a crucial role in mediating brain damage after ischemic stroke.Recently,Hes1(hairy and enhancer of split 1)has been implicated in the regulation of ER stress,but whether it plays a functional role after ischemic stroke and the underlying mechanism remain unclear.In this study,using a mouse model of ischemic stroke via transient middle cerebral artery occlusion(tMCAO),we found that Hes1 was induced following brain injury,and that siRNA-mediated knockdown of Hes1 increased the cerebral infarction and worsened the neurological outcome,suggesting that Hes1 knockdown exacerbates ischemic stroke.In addition,mechanistically,Hes1 knockdown promoted apoptosis and activated the PERK/eIF2a/ATF4/CHOP signaling pathway after tMCAO.These results suggest that Hes1 knockdown promotes ER stress-induced apoptosis.Furthermore,inhibition of PERK with the specific inhibitor GSK2606414 markedly attenuated the Hes1 knockdown-induced apoptosis and the increased cerebral infarction as well as the worsened neurological outcome following tMCAO,implying that the protection of Hes1 against ischemic stroke is associated with the amelioration of ER stress via modulating the PERK/eIF2a/ATF4/CHOP signaling pathway.Taken together,these results unveil the detrimental role of Hes1 knockdown after ischemic stroke and further relate it to the regulation of ER stress-induced apoptosis,thus highlighting the importance of targeting ER stress in the treatment of ischemic stroke.