Upregulation of Nrf2-related cytoprotective genes expression by acetaminophen-induced acute hepatotoxicity in mice and the protective role of betaine

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (7) ◽  
pp. 948-959 ◽  
Author(s):  
MJ Khodayar ◽  
H Kalantari ◽  
L Khorsandi ◽  
M Rashno ◽  
L Zeidooni

Overdose of acetaminophen (APAP) is the main reason for acute liver failure. Oxidative stress is associated with hepatotoxicity caused by APAP. Betaine is a methyl donor and S-adenosylmethionine precursor. The present study investigated the effect of betaine and the role of nuclear factor-erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) genes in hepatotoxicity induced by APAP in mice. In this study, male Naval Medical Research Institute (NMRI) mice were treated with 500 mg/kg of betaine for 5 days followed with a single dose of APAP 300 mg/kg on the fifth day. Biochemical, histological, immunohistochemical, Western blot, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses were then conducted. The results of the present study showed that betaine pretreatment improved hepatotoxicity through the reduction of serum ALT and AST levels and ameliorating histopathological finding. Betaine pretreatment also increased glutathione level and decreased malondialdehyde level. Importantly, the results of immunohistochemical, Western blot and real-time PCR showed that the APAP increased the expression of the genes and proteins of Nrf2 and HO-1. While betaine decreased Nrf2 and HO-1 expression in comparison with the APAP group. The findings of this study demonstrated that the increased expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 genes and proteins by APAP is a compensatory mechanism to combat acute liver toxicity. While the protective effect of betaine against acute liver injury induced by APAP is independent on the Nrf2 and HO-1 genes but occurs via modifying cysteine supply as a precursor of glutathione in the transsulfuration pathway in the liver.

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weiqian Zhang ◽  
Changming Guo ◽  
Ruifeng Gao ◽  
Ming Ge ◽  
Yanzhu Zhu ◽  
...  

Arsenic trioxide (As2O3) shows substantial anticancer activity in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). Unfortunately, limiting the application of this effective agent to APL patients is severe cardiotoxicity. Resveratrol, the natural food-derived polyphenolic compound, is well known for its antioxidant properties and protects the cardiovascular system. But the potential role of resveratrol against As2O3in heart via nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is unclear. The present study evaluated the effects of pretreatment with resveratrol and As2O3on oxidative stress and cardiac dysfunction in rat. In the present study, resveratrol decreased As2O3-induced reactive oxygen species generation, oxidative DNA damage, and pathological alterations. In addition, cardiac dysfunction parameters, intracellular calcium and arsenic accumulation, glutathione redox ratio, and cAMP deficiency levels were observed in As2O3-treated rats; these changes were attenuated by resveratrol. Furthermore, resveratrol significantly prohibited the downregulation of both Nrf2 and HO-1 gene expressions that were downregulated by As2O3, whereas resveratrol did not alter As2O3-induced nitric oxide formation. Thus, the protective role of resveratrol against As2O3-induced cardiotoxicity is implemented by the maintenance of redox homeostasis (Nrf2-HO-1 pathway) and facilitating arsenic efflux. Our findings suggest coadministration with resveratrol, and As2O3might provide a novel therapeutic strategy for APL.


2022 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zi-Qi Liao ◽  
Yi-Nong Jiang ◽  
Zhuo-Lin Su ◽  
Hai-Lian Bi ◽  
Jia-Tian Li ◽  
...  

Patients with cancer who receive doxorubicin (DOX) treatment can experience cardiac dysfunction, which can finally develop into heart failure. Oxidative stress is considered the most important mechanism for DOX-mediated cardiotoxicity. Rutaecarpine (Rut), a quinazolinocarboline alkaloid extracted from Evodia rutaecarpa was shown to have a protective effect on cardiac disease. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of Rut in DOX-induced cardiotoxicity and explore the underlying mechanism. Intravenous injection of DOX (5 mg/kg, once a week) in mice for 4 weeks was used to establish the cardiotoxic model. Echocardiography and pathological staining analysis were used to detect the changes in structure and function in the heart. Western blot and real-time PCR analysis were used to detect the molecular changes. In this study, we found that DOX time-dependently decreased cardiac function with few systemic side effects. Rut inhibited DOX-induced cardiac fibrosis, reduction in heart size, and decrease in heart function. DOX-induced reduction in superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH), enhancement of malondialdehyde (MDA) was inhibited by Rut administration. Meanwhile, Rut inhibited DOX-induced apoptosis in the heart. Importantly, we further found that Rut activated AKT or nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf-2) which further upregulated the antioxidant enzymes such as heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and GSH cysteine ligase modulatory subunit (GCLM) expression. AKT inhibitor (AKTi) partially inhibited Nrf-2, HO-1, and GCLM expression and abolished the protective role of Rut in DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. In conclusion, this study identified Rut as a potential therapeutic agent for treating DOX-induced cardiotoxicity by activating AKT.


Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 427
Author(s):  
Enikő Balogh ◽  
Arpan Chowdhury ◽  
Haneen Ababneh ◽  
Dávid Máté Csiki ◽  
Andrea Tóth ◽  
...  

Calcific aortic valve stenosis (CAVS) is a heart disease characterized by the progressive fibro-calcific remodeling of the aortic valves, an actively regulated process with the involvement of the reactive oxygen species-mediated differentiation of valvular interstitial cells (VICs) into osteoblast-like cells. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) regulates the expression of a variety of antioxidant genes, and plays a protective role in valve calcification. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), an Nrf2-target gene, is upregulated in human calcified aortic valves. Therefore, we investigated the effect of Nrf2/HO-1 axis in VIC calcification. We induced osteogenic differentiation of human VICs with elevated phosphate and calcium-containing osteogenic medium (OM) in the presence of heme. Heme inhibited Ca deposition and OM-induced increase in alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin (OCN) expression. Heme induced Nrf2 and HO-1 expression in VICs. Heme lost its anti-calcification potential when we blocked transcriptional activity Nrf2 or enzyme activity of HO-1. The heme catabolism products bilirubin, carbon monoxide, and iron, and also ferritin inhibited OM-induced Ca deposition and OCN expression in VICs. This study suggests that heme-mediated activation of the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway inhibits the calcification of VICs. The anti-calcification effect of heme is attributed to the end products of HO-1-catalyzed heme degradation and ferritin.


Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 419
Author(s):  
Yohei Sanada ◽  
Sho Joseph Ozaki Tan ◽  
Nobuo Adachi ◽  
Shigeru Miyaki

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common aging-associated disease that clinically manifests as joint pain, mobility limitations, and compromised quality of life. Today, OA treatment is limited to pain management and joint arthroplasty at the later stages of disease progression. OA pathogenesis is predominantly mediated by oxidative damage to joint cartilage extracellular matrix and local cells such as chondrocytes, osteoclasts, osteoblasts, and synovial fibroblasts. Under normal conditions, cells prevent the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) under oxidatively stressful conditions through their adaptive cytoprotective mechanisms. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is an iron-dependent cytoprotective enzyme that functions as the inducible form of HO. HO-1 and its metabolites carbon monoxide and biliverdin contribute towards the maintenance of redox homeostasis. HO-1 expression is primarily regulated at the transcriptional level through transcriptional factor nuclear factor erythroid 2 (NF-E2)-related factor 2 (Nrf2), specificity protein 1 (Sp1), transcriptional repressor BTB-and-CNC homology 1 (Bach1), and epigenetic regulation. Several studies report that HO-1 expression can be regulated using various antioxidative factors and chemical compounds, suggesting therapeutic implications in OA pathogenesis as well as in the wider context of joint disease. Here, we review the protective role of HO-1 in OA with a focus on the regulatory mechanisms that mediate HO-1 activity.


2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shih-Kai Chiang ◽  
Shuen-Ei Chen ◽  
Ling-Chu Chang

Heme oxygenase (HO)-1 is known to metabolize heme into biliverdin/bilirubin, carbon monoxide, and ferrous iron, and it has been suggested to demonstrate cytoprotective effects against various stress-related conditions. HO-1 is commonly regarded as a survival molecule, exerting an important role in cancer progression and its inhibition is considered beneficial in a number of cancers. However, increasing studies have shown a dark side of HO-1, in which HO-1 acts as a critical mediator in ferroptosis induction and plays a causative factor for the progression of several diseases. Ferroptosis is a newly identified iron- and lipid peroxidation-dependent cell death. The critical role of HO-1 in heme metabolism makes it an important candidate to mediate protective or detrimental effects via ferroptosis induction. This review summarizes the current understanding on the regulatory mechanisms of HO-1 in ferroptosis. The amount of cellular iron and reactive oxygen species (ROS) is the determinative momentum for the role of HO-1, in which excessive cellular iron and ROS tend to enforce HO-1 from a protective role to a perpetrator. Despite the dark side that is related to cell death, there is a prospective application of HO-1 to mediate ferroptosis for cancer therapy as a chemotherapeutic strategy against tumors.


2018 ◽  
Vol 243 (4) ◽  
pp. 327-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luo-Jia Wang ◽  
Wei-Lin Wang ◽  
Hong Gao ◽  
Yu-Zuo Bai ◽  
Shu-Cheng Zhang

Congenital anorectal malformation is the most common digestive tract malformation in newborns. It has been reported that FOXD3/FOXD4, a forkhead transcription factor, regulates the generation, migration, and differentiation of neural crest cells. However, whether FOXD3/FOXD4 takes part in anorectal malformation remains unclear. In the present study, we used ethylene thiourea to induce the animal models of anorectal malformation in rat embryos and to interrogate the role of FOXD3/FOXD4 in anorectal malformation pathogenesis. Hindgut samples of the animal models were collected at E15, E17, E19, and E21 days of age. The expression of FOXD3/FOXD4 was detected by immunohistochemistry, western blot, and quantitative real-time fluorescence PCR. By immunohistochemical staining, FOXD3/FOXD4 was observed in epithelial cells of the rectum and the anus both in normal and rat embryos with anorectal malformation. Expression level analysis by western blot indicated that FOXD3/FOXD4 expression increased in ethylene thiourea-induced anorectal malformation groups. mRNA expression as determined by quantitative real-time fluorescence PCR analysis was consistent with the western blot results. Tentative conclusions were drawn that FOXD3/FOXD4 is expressed in the hindgut in rat embryos and is upregulated in anorectal malformation. FOXD3/FOXD4 is required for the development of the hindgut, and its aberrant expression may be an important factor leading to the incidence of anorectal malformation. Impact statement Congenital anorectal malformation (ARM) is the most common digestive tract malformation in newborns. The pathophysiological ground remains unclear. In this study, we used animal models of ARM for the first time to interrogate the role of FOXD3/FOXD4 in ARM pathogenesis. The animal models of ARM were successfully induced by ethylene thiourea (ETU) in rat embryos providing a strong basis for pathogenesis study of this disease. Expression analysis of FOXD3/FOXD4 was carried out in these models, and the results shape a deeper understanding of FOXD3/FOXD4 being required for the normal development of the hindgut. The aberrant expression of FOXD3/FOXD4 may be an important factor leading to ARM incidence.


Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (17) ◽  
pp. 3064 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuzhu He ◽  
Byung-gook Kim ◽  
Hye-Eun Kim ◽  
Qiaochu Sun ◽  
Shuhan Shi ◽  
...  

Epidermal inflammation is caused by various bacterial infectious diseases that impair the skin health. Feruloylserotonin (FS) belongs to the hydroxycinnamic acid amides of serotonin, which mainly exists in safflower seeds and has been proven to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Human epidermis mainly comprises keratinocytes whose inflammation causes skin problems. This study investigated the protective effects of FS on the keratinocyte with lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced human HaCaT cells and elucidated its underlying mechanisms of action. The mechanism was investigated by analyzing cell viability, PGE2 levels, cell apoptosis, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) translocation, and TLR4/NF-κB pathway. The anti-inflammatory effects of FS were assessed by inhibiting the inflammation via down-regulating the TLR4/NF-κB pathway. Additionally, FS promoted Nrf2 translocation to the nucleus, indicating that FS showed anti-oxidative activities. Furthermore, the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of FS were found to benefit each other, but were independent. Thus, FS can be used as a component to manage epidermal inflammation due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties.


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