scholarly journals Dihydrotanshinone I Ameliorates Cardiac Hypertrophy in Diabetic Mice Induced by Chronic High-Fat Feeding

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. 1934578X2095260
Author(s):  
Songpei Li ◽  
Xueping Lei ◽  
Zekuan Xiao ◽  
Wenyi Xia ◽  
Chaojin Lin ◽  
...  

Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. (Danshen) is widely used to improve blood circulation and the dredge meridian in traditional Chinese medicine. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of dihydrotanshinone I (DHTS), a natural product from Danshen, on chronic high-fat feeding-induced cardiac remodeling and dysfunction. DHTS (25 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) did not affect blood glucose, insulin levels, and glucose intolerance. However, it alleviated diastolic dysfunction induced by the high-fat diet, as indicated by the increase in the ratio of peak early filling velocity to peak late filling velocity of the mitral and suppression of the extension of the isovolumic relaxation phase of the left ventricle. Further investigations revealed that DHTS ameliorated high-fat induced cardiac hypertrophy in mice and suppressed insulin-induced enlargement of cardiomyocytes in vitro. In neonatal cardiomyocytes, DHTS restored insulin-induced suppression of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta-2 isoform (CEBPβ) and the phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Taken together, our results indicated that DHTS ameliorated cardiac hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction in high-fat-fed mice, probably through the inhibition of insulin-induced suppression of CEBPβ and phosphorylation of GSK3β and ERK in cardiomyocytes.

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (12) ◽  
pp. 1059-1073 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Abu Turab Naqvi ◽  
Gulam Mustafa Hasan ◽  
Md. Imtaiyaz Hassan

Microtubule-associated protein tau is involved in the tubulin binding leading to microtubule stabilization in neuronal cells which is essential for stabilization of neuron cytoskeleton. The regulation of tau activity is accommodated by several kinases which phosphorylate tau protein on specific sites. In pathological conditions, abnormal activity of tau kinases such as glycogen synthase kinase-3 β (GSK3β), cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5), c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs), extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) and microtubule affinity regulating kinase (MARK) lead to tau hyperphosphorylation. Hyperphosphorylation of tau protein leads to aggregation of tau into paired helical filaments like structures which are major constituents of neurofibrillary tangles, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. In this review, we discuss various tau protein kinases and their association with tau hyperphosphorylation. We also discuss various strategies and the advancements made in the area of Alzheimer's disease drug development by designing effective and specific inhibitors for such kinases using traditional in vitro/in vivo methods and state of the art in silico techniques.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 3616
Author(s):  
Ewelina Jozefczuk ◽  
Piotr Szczepaniak ◽  
Tomasz Jan Guzik ◽  
Mateusz Siedlinski

Sphingosine kinase-1 (Sphk1) and its product, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) are important regulators of cardiac growth and function. Numerous studies have reported that Sphk1/S1P signaling is essential for embryonic cardiac development and promotes pathological cardiac hypertrophy in adulthood. However, no studies have addressed the role of Sphk1 in postnatal cardiomyocyte (CM) development so far. The present study aimed to assess the molecular mechanism(s) by which Sphk1 silencing might influence CMs development and hypertrophy in vitro. Neonatal mouse CMs were transfected with siRNA against Sphk1 or negative control, and subsequently treated with 1 µM angiotensin II (AngII) or a control buffer for 24 h. The results of RNASeq analysis revealed that diminished expression of Sphk1 significantly accelerated neonatal CM maturation by inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing developmental pathways in the stress (AngII-induced) conditions. Importantly, similar effects were observed in the control conditions. Enhanced maturation of Sphk1-lacking CMs was further confirmed by the upregulation of the physiological hypertrophy-related signaling pathway involving Akt and downstream glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (Gsk3β) downregulation. In summary, we demonstrated that the Sphk1 silencing in neonatal mouse CMs facilitated their postnatal maturation in both physiological and stress conditions.


Circulation ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 130 (suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michinari Nakamura ◽  
Peiyong Zhai ◽  
Junichi Sadoshima

Obesity and insulin resistance (IR) lead to impaired cardiac metabolism, resulting in cardiac dysfunction. However, the underlying mechanisms responsible for the development of cardiac dysfunction remain poorly understood. PPARα serves as a key regulator of fatty acid (FA) metabolism in the heart. GSK-3α, a serine/threonine kinase, was dephosphorylated at S21 and activated (2.0 fold, p<0.05) in the hearts of obese mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) and ob/ob mice. To evaluate the functional significance of GSK-3α upregulation, wild-type (WT) and cardiac specific GSK-3α heterozygous knockout (cGSK-3α HKO) mice were fed a HFD for up to 14 weeks. There was no difference in the food intake or body weight change between WT and cGSK-3α HKO mice. However, cardiac hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction observed in WT mice were significantly ameliorated in cGSK-3α HKO mice after HFD feeding (8.1± 0.6 and 6.5±0.5, LVW/TL; 24.8±0.9 and 16.6±0.8, deceleration time (DT), all p<0.05). FA oxidation (FAO) (0.81 fold) and ectopic lipid accumulation (Oil Red O staining) were significantly decreased in cGSK-3α HKO mice than in WT mice after HFD feeding. GSK-3α, but not GSK-3β, directly interacted with and phosphorylated PPARα at the ligand binding domain in cardiomyocytes (CMs) and in the heart. PPARα phosphorylation in the heart was significantly increased (2.1 fold, p<0.05) in response to HFD, but it was attenuated in cGSK-3α HKO mice (0.74 fold, p<0.05). Fenofibrate, a PPARα ligand, inhibited GSK-3α-induced PPARα phosphorylation (0.81 fold, p<0.05), reduced ectopic lipid accumulation, FAO (0.84 fold, p<0.05), and attenuated diastolic dysfunction (25.5±3.1 and 18.6±2.5, DT; 0.16±0.04 and 0.08±0.02, EDPVR, all p<0.05) in the heart of HFD fed mice. Collectively, these results suggest that GSK-3α increases PPARα activity through phosphorylation of PPARα, which is inhibited by Fenofibrate. Activation of GSK-3α and consequent phosphorylation of PPARα during obesity and IR could play an important role in the development of cardiac hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction. Synthetic PPARα ligands inhibit GSK-3α-mediated phosphorylation of PPARα, thereby paradoxically attenuating excessive FA metabolism in cardiomyocytes.


2001 ◽  
Vol 67 ◽  
pp. 73-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian H. Anderton ◽  
Joanna Betts ◽  
Walter P. Blackstock ◽  
Jean-Pierre Brion ◽  
Sara Chapman ◽  
...  

The microtubule-associated protein, tau, is the principal component of paired helical filaments (PHFs) in Alzheimer's disease. PHF-tau is highly phosphorylated and a total of 25 sites of phosphorylation have so far been identified. Many of these sites are serine or threonine residues that are immediately followed in the sequence by proline residues, and hence are candidate phosphorylation sites for proline-directed kinases. In vitro, glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3), extracellular signal-related kinase-1 and -2, and mitogen-activated protein kinases, p38 kinase and c-jun N-terminal kinase, all phosphorylate many of these sites, although with different efficiencies for particular sites. Phosphorylation studies in transfected cells and neurons show that GSK-3 phosphorylates tau more extensively than do these other proline-directed kinases. Mutations in tau have been shown to affect in vitro phosphorylation of tau by GSK-3. The Arg406-->Trp (R406W) tau mutation also affects tau phosphorylation in cells.


2016 ◽  
Vol 291 (33) ◽  
pp. 17066-17076 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie M. Elks ◽  
Peng Zhao ◽  
Ryan W. Grant ◽  
Hardy Hang ◽  
Jennifer L. Bailey ◽  
...  

Oncostatin M (OSM) is a multifunctional gp130 cytokine. Although OSM is produced in adipose tissue, it is not produced by adipocytes. OSM expression is significantly induced in adipose tissue from obese mice and humans. The OSM-specific receptor, OSM receptor β (OSMR), is expressed in adipocytes, but its function remains largely unknown. To better understand the effects of OSM in adipose tissue, we knocked down Osmr expression in adipocytes in vitro using siRNA. In vivo, we generated a mouse line lacking Osmr in adiponectin-expressing cells (OSMRFKO mice). The effects of OSM on gene expression were also assessed in vitro and in vivo. OSM exerts proinflammatory effects on cultured adipocytes that are partially rescued by Osmr knockdown. Osm expression is significantly increased in adipose tissue T cells of high fat-fed mice. In addition, adipocyte Osmr expression is increased following high fat feeding. OSMRFKO mice exhibit increased insulin resistance and adipose tissue inflammation and have increased lean mass, femoral length, and bone volume. Also, OSMRFKO mice exhibit increased expression of Osm, the T cell markers Cd4 and Cd8, and the macrophage markers F4/80 and Cd11c. Interestingly, the same proinflammatory genes induced by OSM in adipocytes are induced in the adipose tissue of the OSMRFKO mouse, suggesting that increased expression of proinflammatory genes in adipose tissue arises both from adipocytes and other cell types. These findings suggest that adipocyte OSMR signaling is involved in the regulation of adipose tissue homeostasis and that, in obesity, OSMR ablation may exacerbate insulin resistance by promoting adipose tissue inflammation.


2006 ◽  
Vol 290 (5) ◽  
pp. H1997-H2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fan Xiang ◽  
Yasuhiko Sakata ◽  
Lei Cui ◽  
Joey M. Youngblood ◽  
Hironori Nakagami ◽  
...  

Pathological cardiac hypertrophy is considered a precursor to clinical heart failure. Understanding the transcriptional regulators that suppress the hypertrophic response may have profound implications for the treatment of heart disease. We report the generation of transgenic mice that overexpress the transcription factor CHF1/Hey2 in the myocardium. In response to the α-adrenergic agonist phenylephrine, they show marked attenuation in the hypertrophic response compared with wild-type controls, even though blood pressure is similar in both groups. Isolated myocytes from transgenic mice demonstrate a similar resistance to phenylephrine-induced hypertrophy in vitro, providing further evidence that the protective effect of CHF1/Hey2 is mediated at the myocyte level. Induction of the hypertrophy marker genes ANF, BNP, and β- MHC in the transgenic cells is concurrently suppressed in vivo and in vitro, demonstrating that the induction of hypertrophy-associated genes is repressed by CHF1/Hey2. Transfection of CHF1/Hey2 into neonatal cardiomyocytes suppresses activation of an ANF reporter plasmid by the transcription factor GATA4, which has previously been shown to activate a hypertrophic transcriptional program. Furthermore, CHF1/Hey2 binds GATA4 directly in coimmunoprecipitation assays and inhibits the binding of GATA4 to its recognition sequence within the ANF promoter. Our findings demonstrate that CHF1/Hey2 functions as an antihypertrophic gene, possibly through inhibition of a GATA4-dependent hypertrophic program.


Author(s):  
Alejandro Mayer ◽  
Mary L. Hall ◽  
Joseph M. Lach ◽  
Jonathan Clifford ◽  
Kevin Chandrasena ◽  
...  

Manzamines are complex polycyclic marine-derived &beta;-carboline alkaloids with reported anticancer, immunostimulatory, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antimalarial, neuritogenic, hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis suppression bioactivities, putatively associated with inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3, cyclin-dependent kinase 5, and vacuolar ATPases. We hypothesized that additional and yet undiscovered molecular targets might be associated with Manzamine A (MZA) reported pharmacological properties. We report herein for the first time to our knowledge that MZA inhibited a 90kDa ribosomal protein kinase S6 (RSK1) when screened against a panel of 30 protein kinases. Furthermore in vitro RSK kinase assays demonstrated a 10-fold selectivity in potency of MZA against RSK1 versus RSK2. MZA&rsquo;s differential binding and selectivity toward the two isoforms is also supported by computational docking experiments. Specifically, the RSK1-MZA (N- and C-termini) complexes appear to have stronger interactions and preferable energetics contrary to the RSK2-MZA ones. In addition, our computational strategy suggests that MZA binds to the N-terminal kinase domain of RSK1 rather than the C-terminal domain. RSK is a vertebrate family of cytosolic serine-threonine kinases that act downstream of the ras-ERK1/2 (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 1/2) pathway, which phosphorylates substrates shown to regulate several cellular processes including growth, survival and proliferation. Consequently, our findings have lead us to hypothesize that MZA and the 80 currently known manzamine-type alkaloids isolated from several sponge genera, may have novel pharmacological properties.


2016 ◽  
Vol 311 (4) ◽  
pp. H927-H943 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gábor Koncsos ◽  
Zoltán V. Varga ◽  
Tamás Baranyai ◽  
Kerstin Boengler ◽  
Susanne Rohrbach ◽  
...  

Although incidence and prevalence of prediabetes are increasing, little is known about its cardiac effects. Therefore, our aim was to investigate the effect of prediabetes on cardiac function and to characterize parameters and pathways associated with deteriorated cardiac performance. Long-Evans rats were fed with either control or high-fat chow for 21 wk and treated with a single low dose (20 mg/kg) of streptozotocin at week 4. High-fat and streptozotocin treatment induced prediabetes as characterized by slightly elevated fasting blood glucose, impaired glucose and insulin tolerance, increased visceral adipose tissue and plasma leptin levels, as well as sensory neuropathy. In prediabetic animals, a mild diastolic dysfunction was observed, the number of myocardial lipid droplets increased, and left ventricular mass and wall thickness were elevated; however, no molecular sign of fibrosis or cardiac hypertrophy was shown. In prediabetes, production of reactive oxygen species was elevated in subsarcolemmal mitochondria. Expression of mitofusin-2 was increased, while the phosphorylation of phospholamban and expression of Bcl-2/adenovirus E1B 19-kDa protein-interacting protein 3 (BNIP3, a marker of mitophagy) decreased. However, expression of other markers of cardiac auto- and mitophagy, mitochondrial dynamics, inflammation, heat shock proteins, Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, mammalian target of rapamycin, or apoptotic pathways were unchanged in prediabetes. This is the first comprehensive analysis of cardiac effects of prediabetes indicating that mild diastolic dysfunction and cardiac hypertrophy are multifactorial phenomena that are associated with early changes in mitophagy, cardiac lipid accumulation, and elevated oxidative stress and that prediabetes-induced oxidative stress originates from the subsarcolemmal mitochondria. Listen to this article's corresponding podcast http://ajpheart.podbean.com/e/myocardial-dysfunction-in-prediabetes/ .


PPAR Research ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen-Ying Wei ◽  
Zhen-Guo Ma ◽  
Si-Chi Xu ◽  
Ning Zhang ◽  
Qi-Zhu Tang

Peroxisome proliferator activated receptorγ(PPARγ) has been closely involved in the process of cardiovascular diseases. This study was to investigate whether pioglitazone (PIO), a PPARγagonist, could protect against pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy. Mice were orally given PIO (2.5 mg/kg) from 1 week after aortic banding and continuing for 7 weeks. The morphological examination and biochemical analysis were used to evaluate the effects of PIO. Neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes were also used to verify the protection of PIO against hypertrophy in vitro. The results in our study demonstrated that PIO remarkably inhibited hypertrophic response induced by aortic banding in vivo. Besides, PIO also suppressed cardiac fibrosis in vivo. PIO treatment also inhibited the activation of protein kinase B (AKT)/glycogen synthase kinase-3β(GSK3β) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in the heart. In addition, PIO alleviated angiotensin II-induced hypertrophic response in vitro. In conclusion, PIO could inhibit cardiac hypertrophy via attenuation of AKT/GSK3βand MAPK pathways.


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