scholarly journals Potential Ameliorative Effects of Qing Ye Dan Against Cadmium Induced Prostatic Deficits via Regulating Nrf-2/HO-1 and TGF-β1/Smad Pathways

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 1359-1368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lifen Du ◽  
Yongfang Lei ◽  
Jinglou Chen ◽  
Hongping Song ◽  
Xinying Wu

Background/Aims: Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental pollutant with reproductive toxicity. Swertia mileensis is used in Chinese medicine for the treatment of prostatic deficits and named as Qing Ye Dan (QYD). This study was undertaken to investigate the potential protective effects of QYD against Cd-induced prostatic deficits. Method: Rat model of prostatic deficits was induced by 0.2 mg/kg/d CdCl2 subcutaneous injection for 15 days. The prostatic oxidative stress was evaluated by detecting the levels of malondialdehyde, nitric oxide, reduced/ oxidized glutathione, total sulfhydryl groups and enzymatic antioxidant status. The prostatic inflammation was estimated by testing the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers E-cadherin, fibronectin, vimentin and α-smooth muscle actin were measured by qPCR analysis. Additionally, the prostatic expressions of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), type I TGF-β receptor (TGF-βRI), Smad2, phosphorylation-Smad2 (p-Smad2), Smad3, p-Smad3, Smad7, nuclear related factor-2 (Nrf-2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), B-cell CLL/lymphoma (Bcl)-2 and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) were measured by western blot assay. Results: It was found that QYD ameliorated the Cd-induced prostatic oxidative stress and inflammation, attenuated prostatic EMT, inhibited the TGF-β1/Smad pathway, increased Bcl-2/Bax ratio and enhanced the activity of Nrf-2/HO-1 pathway. Conclusion: These results showed that QYD could ameliorate Cd-induced prostatic deficits via modulating Nrf-2/HO-1 and TGF-β1/Smad pathways.

2009 ◽  
Vol 297 (1) ◽  
pp. L115-L124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Najmunnisa Nasreen ◽  
Kamal A. Mohammed ◽  
Kamal K. Mubarak ◽  
Maher A. Baz ◽  
Olufemi A. Akindipe ◽  
...  

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a disease of unknown etiology characterized by the development of subpleural foci of myofibroblasts that contribute to the exuberant fibrosis noted in the pulmonary parenchyma. Pleural mesothelial cells (PMC) are metabolically dynamic cells that cover the lung and chest wall as a monolayer and are in intimate proximity to the underlying lung parenchyma. The precise role of PMC in the pathogenesis of pulmonary parenchymal fibrosis remains to be identified. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, a cytokine known for its capacity to induce proliferative and transformative changes in lung cells, is found in significantly higher quantities in the lungs of patients with IPF. High levels of TGF-β1 in the subpleural milieu may play a key role in the transition of normal PMC to myofibroblasts. Here we demonstrate that PMC activated by TGF-β1 undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and respond with haptotactic migration to a gradient of TGF-β1 and that the transition of PMC to myofibroblasts is dependent on smad-2 signaling. The EMT of PMC was marked by upregulation of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), fibroblast specific protein-1 (FSP-1), and collagen type I expression. Cytokeratin-8 and E-cadherin expression decreased whereas vimentin remained unchanged over time in transforming PMC. Knockdown of smad-2 gene by silencing small interfering RNA significantly suppressed the transition of PMC to myofibroblasts and significantly inhibited the PMC haptotaxis. We conclude that PMC undergo EMT when exposed to TGF-β1, involving smad-2 signaling, and PMC may be a possible source of myofibroblasts in IPF.


2005 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 1987-2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Valcourt ◽  
Marcin Kowanetz ◽  
Hideki Niimi ◽  
Carl-Henrik Heldin ◽  
Aristidis Moustakas

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) contributes to normal tissue patterning and carcinoma invasiveness. We show that transforming growth factor (TGF)-β/activin members, but not bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) members, can induce EMT in normal human and mouse epithelial cells. EMT correlates with the ability of these ligands to induce growth arrest. Ectopic expression of all type I receptors of the TGF-β superfamily establishes that TGF-β but not BMP pathways can elicit EMT. Ectopic Smad2 or Smad3 together with Smad4 enhanced, whereas dominant-negative forms of Smad2, Smad3, or Smad4, and wild-type inhibitory Smad7, blocked TGF-β–induced EMT. Transcriptomic analysis of EMT kinetics identified novel TGF-β target genes with ligand-specific responses. Using a TGF-β type I receptor that cannot activate Smads nor induce EMT, we found that Smad signaling is critical for regulation of all tested gene targets during EMT. One such gene, Id2, whose expression is repressed by TGF-β1 but induced by BMP-7 is critical for regulation of at least one important myoepithelial marker, α-smooth muscle actin, during EMT. Thus, based on ligand-specific responsiveness and evolutionary conservation of the gene expression patterns, we begin deciphering a genetic network downstream of TGF-β and predict functional links to the control of cell proliferation and EMT.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanaa Wanas ◽  
Zeinab El Shereef ◽  
Laila Rashed ◽  
Basma Emad Aboulhoda

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a serious disease with high mortality rate. Activation of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 production and signalling is considered the corner stone in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. EMT plays a central role in development of fibrosis in many organs including the lungs. Activated platelets is an important source of TGF-β1 and play a pivotal role in EMT and fibrosis process. The antiplatelet, ticagrelor was previously found to inhibit the EMT in different types of cancer cells, but its ability to serve as an anti-pulmonary fibrosis (PF) agent was not previously investigated. Objective: In this study, we aim to investigate the potential ability of ticagrelor to ameliorate bleomycin-induced fibrosis in rats. Methods: PF was induced in rats by intratracheal BLM at a dose of 3 mg/kg. The effect of daily daily 20 mg/kg oral ticagrelor on different histological and biochemical parameters of fibrosis was investigated. Results: Our results revealed that ticagrelor can alleviate lung fibrosis. We found that ticagrelor inhibited TGF-β1 production and suppressed Smad3 activation and signaling pathway with subsequent inhibition of Slug and Snail. In addition, ticagrelor antagonized PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway signaling. Moreover, ticagrelor inhibited the EMT that revealed by its ability to up-regulate the epithelial markers as E-cadherin (E-cad) and to decrease the expression of the mesenchymal markers as vimentin (VIM) and alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). Conclusion: Our results suggest that the P2Y12 inhibitor, ticagrelor may have a therapeutic potential in reducing the progression of PF.


2009 ◽  
Vol 297 (6) ◽  
pp. L1120-L1130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guofei Zhou ◽  
Laura A. Dada ◽  
Minghua Wu ◽  
Aileen Kelly ◽  
Humberto Trejo ◽  
...  

Patients with acute lung injury develop hypoxia, which may lead to lung dysfunction and aberrant tissue repair. Recent studies have suggested that epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) contributes to pulmonary fibrosis. We sought to determine whether hypoxia induces EMT in alveolar epithelial cells (AEC). We found that hypoxia induced the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and vimentin and decreased the expression of E-cadherin in transformed and primary human, rat, and mouse AEC, suggesting that hypoxia induces EMT in AEC. Both severe hypoxia and moderate hypoxia induced EMT. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger Euk-134 prevented hypoxia-induced EMT. Moreover, hypoxia-induced expression of α-SMA and vimentin was prevented in mitochondria-deficient ρ0 cells, which are incapable of ROS production during hypoxia. CoCl2 and dimethyloxaloylglycine, two compounds that stabilize hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-α under normoxia, failed to induce α-SMA expression in AEC. Furthermore, overexpression of constitutively active HIF-1α did not induce α-SMA. However, loss of HIF-1α or HIF-2α abolished induction of α-SMA mRNA during hypoxia. Hypoxia increased the levels of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, and preincubation of AEC with SB431542, an inhibitor of the TGF-β1 type I receptor kinase, prevented the hypoxia-induced EMT, suggesting that the process was TGF-β1 dependent. Furthermore, both ROS and HIF-α were necessary for hypoxia-induced TGF-β1 upregulation. Accordingly, we have provided evidence that hypoxia induces EMT of AEC through mitochondrial ROS, HIF, and endogenous TGF-β1 signaling.


Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 910
Author(s):  
Lara Testai ◽  
Vincenzo Brancaleone ◽  
Lorenzo Flori ◽  
Rosangela Montanaro ◽  
Vincenzo Calderone

Endothelial mesenchymal transition (EndMT) has been described as a fundamental process during embryogenesis; however, it can occur also in adult age, underlying pathological events, including fibrosis. Indeed, during EndMT, the endothelial cells lose their specific markers, such as vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin), and acquire a mesenchymal phenotype, expressing specific products, such as α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and type I collagen; moreover, the integrity of the endothelium is disrupted, and cells show a migratory, invasive and proliferative phenotype. Several stimuli can trigger this transition, but transforming growth factor (TGF-β1) is considered the most relevant. EndMT can proceed in a canonical smad-dependent or non-canonical smad-independent manner and ultimately regulate gene expression of pro-fibrotic machinery. These events lead to endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis at the vascular level as well as myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis. Indeed, EndMT is the mechanism which promotes the progression of cardiovascular disorders following hypertension, diabetes, heart failure and also ageing. In this scenario, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been widely described for its preventive properties, but its role in EndMT is poorly investigated. This review is focused on the evaluation of the putative role of H2S in the EndMT process.


2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 030006052199651
Author(s):  
Jie Yang ◽  
Enzi Feng ◽  
Yanxin Ren ◽  
Shun Qiu ◽  
Liufang Zhao ◽  
...  

Objectives To identify key long non-coding (lnc)RNAs responsible for the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of CNE1 nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells and to investigate possible regulatory mechanisms in EMT. Methods CNE1 cells were divided into transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1-induced EMT and control groups. The mRNA and protein expression of EMT markers was determined by real-time quantitative PCR and western blotting. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the two groups were identified by RNA sequencing analysis, and DEG functions were analyzed by gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses. EMT marker expression was re-evaluated by western blotting after knockdown of a selected lncRNA. Results TGF-β1-induced EMT was characterized by decreased E-cadherin and increased vimentin, N-cadherin, and Twist expression at both mRNA and protein levels. Sixty lncRNA genes were clustered in a heatmap, and mRNA expression of 14 dysregulated lncRNAs was consistent with RNA sequencing. Knockdown of lnc-PNRC2-1 increased expression of its antisense gene MYOM3 and reduced expression of EMT markers, resembling treatment with the TGF-β1 receptor inhibitor LY2109761. Conclusion Various lncRNAs participated indirectly in the TGF-β1-induced EMT of CNE1 cells. Lnc-PNRC2-1 may be a key regulator of this and is a potential target to alleviate CNE1 cell EMT.


Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (12) ◽  
pp. 2883 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keiko Takagi ◽  
Yutaka Midorikawa ◽  
Tadatoshi Takayama ◽  
Hayato Abe ◽  
Kyoko Fujiwara ◽  
...  

Synthetic pyrrole-imidazole (PI) polyamides bind to the minor groove of double-helical DNA with high affinity and specificity, and inhibit the transcription of corresponding genes. In liver cancer, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β expression is correlated with tumor grade, and high-grade liver cancer tissues express epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers. TGF-β1 was reported to be involved in cancer development by transforming precancer cells to cancer stem cells (CSCs). This study aimed to evaluate the effects of TGF-β1-targeting PI polyamide on the growth of liver cancer cells and CSCs and their TGF-β1 expression. We analyzed TGF-β1 expression level after the administration of GB1101, a PI polyamide that targets human TGF-β1 promoter, and examined its effects on cell proliferation, invasiveness, and TGF-β1 mRNA expression level. GB1101 treatment dose-dependently decreased TGF-β1 mRNA levels in HepG2 and HLF cells, and inhibited HepG2 colony formation associated with downregulation of TGF-β1 mRNA. Although GB1101 did not substantially inhibit the proliferation of HepG2 cells compared to untreated control cells, GB1101 significantly suppressed the invasion of HLF cells, which displayed high expression of CD44, a marker for CSCs. Furthermore, GB1101 significantly inhibited HLF cell sphere formation by inhibiting TGF-β1 expression, in addition to suppressing the proliferation of HLE and HLF cells. Taken together, GB1101 reduced TGF-β1 expression in liver cancer cells and suppressed cell invasion; therefore, GB1101 is a novel candidate drug for the treatment of liver cancer.


Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 82
Author(s):  
Isabela A. Finamor ◽  
Caroline A. Bressan ◽  
Isabel Torres-Cuevas ◽  
Sergio Rius-Pérez ◽  
Marcelo da Veiga ◽  
...  

Background: Aspartame is an artificial sweetener used in foods and beverages worldwide. However, it is linked to oxidative stress, inflammation, and liver damage through mechanisms that are not fully elucidated yet. This work aimed to investigate the effects of long-term administration of aspartame on the oxidative and inflammatory mechanisms associated with liver fibrosis progression in mice. Methods: Mice were divided into two groups with six animals each: control and aspartame. Aspartame (80 mg/kg, via oral) or vehicle was administrated for 12 weeks. Results: Aspartame caused liver damage and elevated serum transaminase levels. Aspartame also generated liver fibrosis, as evidenced by histology analysis, and pro-fibrotic markers’ upregulation, including transforming growth factor β 1, collagen type I alpha 1, and alpha-smooth muscle actin. Furthermore, aspartame reduced nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) activation and enzymatic antioxidant activity and increased lipid peroxidation, which triggered NOD-like receptor containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation and p53 induction. Furthermore, aspartame reduced peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1α) levels, possibly through p53 activation. This PGC-1α deficiency could be responsible for the changes in lipid profile in serum, total lipid accumulation, and gluconeogenesis impairment in liver, evidenced by the gluconeogenic enzymes’ downregulation, thus causing hypoglycemia. Conclusions: This work provides new insights to understand the mechanisms related to the adverse effects of aspartame on liver tissue.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hitomi Fujisaki ◽  
Sugiko Futaki ◽  
Masashi Yamada ◽  
Kiyotoshi Sekiguchi ◽  
Toshihiko Hayashi ◽  
...  

AbstractIn culture system, environmental factors, such as increasing exogenous growth factors and adhesion to type I collagen (Col-I) induce epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cells. Col-I molecules maintain a non-fibril form under acidic conditions, and they reassemble into fibrils under physiological conditions. Col-I fibrils often assemble to form three-dimensional gels. The gels and non-gel-form of Col-I can be utilized as culture substrates and different gel-forming state often elicit different cell behaviors. However, gel-form dependent effects on cell behaviors, including EMT induction, remain unclear. EMT induction in lung cancer cell line A549 has been reported via adhesion to Col-I but the effects of gel form dependency are unelucidated. This study investigated the changes in EMT-related behaviors in A549 cells cultured on Col-I gels.We examined cell morphology, proliferation, single-cell migration and expression of EMT-related features in A549 cells cultured on gels or non-gel form of Col-I and non-treated dish with or without transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1. On Col-I gels, some cells kept cell–cell contacts and formed clusters, others maintained single-cell form. In cell–cell contact regions, E-cadherin expression was downregulated, whereas that of N-cadherin was upregulated. Vimentin and integrins α2 and β1 expression were not increased. In TGF-β1-treated A549 cells, cadherin switched from E- to N-cadherin. Their morphology changed to a mesenchymal form and cells scattered with no cluster formation. Vimentin, integrins α2 and β1 expression were upregulated. Thus, we concluded that culture on Col-I fibrous gels induced E- to N-cadherin switching without other EMT-related phenotypes in A549 cells.


Marine Drugs ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. 323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun Jung ◽  
Dae-Sung Lee ◽  
Seong Park ◽  
Jung Choi ◽  
Won-Kyo Jung ◽  
...  

Nasal polyps (NPs) are a multifactorial disorder associated with a chronic inflammatory state of the nasal mucosa. Fucoxanthin (Fx) is a characteristic orange carotenoid obtained from brown algae and has diverse immunological properties. The present study investigated whether Fx inhibits fibrosis-related effects in nasal polyp-derived fibroblasts (NPDFs) and elucidated the molecular signaling pathways involved. The production of collagen type I (Col-1) was investigated in NP tissue via immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. NPDFs were treated with transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 (1 ng/mL) in the presence or absence of Fx (5–30 µM). The levels of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), Col-1, and phosphorylated (p)-Smad 2/3, signal protein-1 (SP-1), MAPKs (mitogen-activated protein kinases), and Akt were measured by western blot analysis. The expression of Col-1 was detected in NP tissues. TGF-β1 stimulated the production of α-SMA and Col-1, and stimulated the contraction of collagen gel. However, pretreatment with Fx attenuated these effects. Furthermore, these inhibitory effects were mediated through modulation of both Smad 2/3 and Akt/SP-1 signaling pathways in TGF-β1-induced NPDFs. The results from the present study suggest that Fx may be a novel anti-fibrotic agent for the treatment of NP formation.


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