Maternal vitamin A alters gene profiles and structural maturation of the rat ductus arteriosus

2007 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Utako Yokoyama ◽  
Yoji Sato ◽  
Toru Akaike ◽  
Seiichi Ishida ◽  
Junichi Sawada ◽  
...  

Retinoic acid (RA), a metabolite of vitamin A, has been proposed to regulate vascular remodeling and reactivity of the ductus arteriosus (DA). Using rat Affymetrix GeneChips, we found that a considerable number of genes in DA varied their expression levels in accordance with developmental mode: namely, preterm-, term-, and postnatal-dominant clusters. Among a total of 8,740 probe sets, maternal vitamin A administration (MVA) changed the expression levels of 91 genes (116 probe sets) >2.5-fold. About half of preterm- and term-dominant genes responded to MVA, whereas only 5% of postnatal-dominant genes responded to MVA, indicating that fetal-dominant genes were susceptible to RA signals. The expression levels of 51 genes in MVA-treated DA at preterm were similar to the expression levels in nontreated DA at term, indicating that the global gene profile at preterm resembled that of the control animal at term. We observed neointima formation in MVA-treated DA at preterm in accordance with upregulation of fibronectin and hyaluronic acid, whereas it was rarely observed in nontreated DA at preterm. Five fetal cardiac myofibrillar genes were also upregulated in MVA-treated in vivo DA, whereas they were developmentally downregulated in nontreated DA. The present study indicates that MVA-mediated alteration in gene profile was associated with early structural maturation of DA, although MVA-mediated maturation may differ from normal vascular remodeling of DA.

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 2370
Author(s):  
Ye Ding ◽  
Ping Hu ◽  
Yue Yang ◽  
Fangping Xu ◽  
Fang Li ◽  
...  

Background: The nutritional status of vitamin A in lactating mothers and infants is still not optimistic. Due to the dietary habits and dietary restrictions of postpartum customs in China, vitamin A supplementation has been advocated as a potential strategy to improve vitamin A status of lactating mothers with inadequate dietary vitamin A intake. Existing clinical trials are limited to single or double high-dose maternal administrations. However, in China, vitamin A supplements are readily available in the form of daily oral low-dose supplements, and the effect of these is unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of daily oral low-dose vitamin A supplementation on the retinol levels in the serum and breast milk of lactating mothers and the health status of infants in China. Methods: Lactating mothers who met the inclusion criteria and planned to continue exclusive breastfeeding were randomly assigned to receive either daily oral vitamin A and D drops (one soft capsule of 1800 IU vitamin A and 600 IU vitamin D2), or a matching placebo for 2 months. Before and after the intervention, dietary intake was investigated by instant photography, and the retinol concentration in maternal serum and breast milk was determined by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. During the trial, the health status of infants was diagnosed by a paediatrician or reported by lactating mothers. A total of 245 participants completed the study, with 117 in the supplementation group and 128 in the control group. Results: After the 2-month intervention, maternal serum retinol concentrations increased in the supplementation group with no change in the control group. Although breast milk retinol concentrations decreased significantly in both groups, the decrease in the supplementation group was significantly lower than that in the control group. However, maternal vitamin A supplementation was not associated with a lower risk of infant febrile illness, respiratory tract infection, diarrhoea, and eczema. Conclusions: Daily oral low-dose vitamin A supplementation is helpful in improving maternal vitamin A status, despite having no effect on infant health status through breast milk.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qilu Wei ◽  
Ning Kong ◽  
Xiaohui Liu ◽  
Run Tian ◽  
Ming Jiao ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease of the entire joint involving synovial fibrosis and inflammation. Pathological changes to the synovium can accelerate the progression of OA. Pirfenidone (PFD) is a potent anti-fibrotic drug with additional anti-inflammatory properties. However, the influence of PFD on OA is unknown. Methods Proliferation of human fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) after treatment with TGF-β1 or PFD was evaluated using a Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and their migration using a Transwell assay. The expression of fibrosis-related genes (COL1A1, TIMP-1, and ACTA-2) and those related to inflammation (IL-6 and TNF-α) was quantified by real-time quantitative PCR. The protein expression levels of COL1A1, α-SMA (coded by ACTA-2), IL-6 and TNF-α were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A rabbit model of OA was established and then PFD was administered by gavage. The expression of genes related to fibrosis (COL1A1, TIMP-1, and ADAM-12) and inflammation (IL-6 and TNF-α) was measured using RNA extracted from the synovium. Synovial tissue was examined histologically after staining with H&E, Masson’s trichrome, and immunofluorescence. Synovitis scores, the volume fraction of collagen, and mean fluorescence intensity were calculated. Degeneration of articular cartilage was analyzed using a Safranin O-fast green stain and OARSI grading. Results The proliferation of FLSs was greatest when induced with 2.5 ng/ml TGF-β1 although it did not promote their migration. Therefore, 2.5 ng/ml TGF-β1 was used to stimulate the FLSs and evaluate the effects of PFD, which inhibited the migration of FLSs at concentrations as low as 1.0 mg/ml. PFD decreased the expression of COL1A1 while TGF-β1 increased both mRNA and protein expression levels of IL-6 but had no effect on α-SMA or TNF-α expression. PFD decreased mRNA expression levels of COL1A1, IL-6, and TNF-α in vivo. H&E staining and synovitis scores indicated that PFD reduced synovial inflammation, while Masson’s trichrome and immunofluorescence staining suggested that PFD decreased synovial fibrosis. Safranin O-Fast Green staining and the OARSI scores demonstrated that PFD delayed the progression of OA. Conclusions PFD attenuated synovial fibrosis and inflammation, and postponed the progression of osteoarthritis in a modified Hulth model of OA in rabbits, which was related to its anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory properties.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 931
Author(s):  
Jihyun Lee ◽  
Yujin Jung ◽  
Seo won Jeong ◽  
Ga Hee Jeong ◽  
Gue Tae Moon ◽  
...  

The Hippo signaling pathway plays a key role in regulating organ size and tissue homeostasis. Hippo and two of its main effectors, yes-associated protein (YAP) and WWTR1 (WW domain-containing transcription regulator 1, commonly listed as TAZ), play critical roles in angiogenesis. This study investigated the role of the Hippo signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of rosacea. We performed immunohistochemical analyses to compare the expression levels of YAP and TAZ between rosacea skin and normal skin in humans. Furthermore, we used a rosacea-like BALB/c mouse model induced by LL-37 injections to determine the roles of YAP and TAZ in rosacea in vivo. We found that the expression levels of YAP and TAZ were upregulated in patients with rosacea. In the rosacea-like mouse model, we observed that the clinical features of rosacea, including telangiectasia and erythema, improved after the injection of a YAP/TAZ inhibitor. Additionally, treatment with a YAP/TAZ inhibitor reduced the expression levels of YAP and TAZ and diminished vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) immunoreactivity in the rosacea-like mouse model. Our findings suggest that YAP/TAZ inhibitors can attenuate angiogenesis associated with the pathogenesis of rosacea and that both YAP and TAZ are potential therapeutic targets for patients with rosacea.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 3238
Author(s):  
Ho-Wei Hsu ◽  
Ting-Yi Lin ◽  
Yi-Ching Liu ◽  
Jwu-Lai Yeh ◽  
Jong-Hau Hsu

The ductus arteriosus (DA) is a physiologic vessel crucial for fetal circulation. As a major regulating factor, the prostaglandin pathway has long been the target for DA patency maintenance or closure. However, the adverse effect of prostaglandins and their inhibitors has been a major unsolved clinical problem. Furthermore, a significant portion of patients with patent DA fail to respond to cyclooxygenase inhibitors that target the prostaglandin pathway. These unresponsive medical patients ultimately require surgical intervention and highlight the importance of exploring pathways independent from this well-recognized prostaglandin pathway. The clinical limitations of prostaglandin-targeting therapeutics prompted us to investigate molecules beyond the prostaglandin pathway. Thus, this article introduces molecules independent from the prostaglandin pathway based on their correlating mechanisms contributing to vascular remodeling. These molecules may serve as potential targets for future DA patency clinical management.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 096368972092998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuang Du ◽  
Yan Wang ◽  
Yingying Zhang ◽  
Jianhua Zhang ◽  
Linfeng Zhang ◽  
...  

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is one of the most aggressive cancer types with high recurrence, metastasis, and drug resistance. Recent studies report that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs)-mediated competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNA) play an important role in tumorigenesis and drug resistance of TNBC. Although elevated lncRNA DLX6 antisense RNA 1 (DLX6-AS1) has been observed to promote carcinogenesis in various cancers, the role in TNBC remained unclear. In this study, expression levels of DLX6-AS1 were increased in TNBC tissues and cell lines when compared with normal tissues or breast fibroblast cells which were determined by quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). Then, CCK-8 assay, cell colony formation assay and western blot were performed in CAL-51 cells transfected with siRNAs of DLX6-AS1 or MDA-MB-231 cells transfected with DLX6-AS1 over expression plasmids. Knock down of DLX6-AS1 inhibited cell proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), decreased expression levels of BCL2 apoptosis regulator (Bcl-2), Snail family transcriptional repressor 1 (Snail) as well as N-cadherin and decreased expression levels of cleaved caspase-3, γ-catenin as well as E-cadherin, while up regulation of DLX6-AS1 had the opposite effect. Besides, knockdown of DLX6-AS1 in CAL-51 cells or up regulation of DLX6-AS1 in MDA-MB-231 cells also decreased or increased cisplatin resistance of those cells analyzed by MTT assay. Moreover, by using dual luciferase reporter assay, RNA immunoprecipitation and RNA pull down assay, a ceRNA which was consisted by lncRNA DLX6-AS1, microRNA-199b-5p (miR-199b-5p) and paxillin (PXN) was identified. And DLX6-AS1 function through miR-199b-5p/PXN in TNBC cells. Finally, results of xenograft experiments using nude mice showed that DLX6-AS1 regulated cell proliferation, EMT and cisplatin resistance by miR-199b-5p/PXN axis in vivo. In brief, DLX6-AS1 promoted cell proliferation, EMT, and cisplatin resistance through miR-199b-5p/PXN signaling in TNBC in vitro and in vivo.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukasz Markiewicz ◽  
Dariusz Pytel ◽  
Bartosz Mucha ◽  
Katarzyna Szymanek ◽  
Jerzy Szaflik ◽  
...  

The aim of presented work was to analyze the impact of particular polymorphic changes in the promoter regions of the -1607 1G/2GMMP1, -1562 C/TMMP9, -82 A/GMMP12, -511 C/TIL-1β, and 372 T/CTIMP1genes on their expression level in POAG patients. Blood and aqueous humor samples acquired from 50 patients with POAG and 50 control subjects were used for QPCR and protein levels analysis by ELISA.In vivopromoter activity assays were carried on HTM cells using dual luciferase assay. All studied subjects underwent ophthalmic examination, including BCVA, intraocular pressure, slit-lamp examination, gonioscopy, HRT, and OCT scans. Patients with POAG are characterized by an increased mRNA expression ofMMP1,MMP9,MMP12, andIL-1βgenes as compared to the control group (P<0.001). Aqueous humor acquired from patients with POAG displayed increased protein expression of MMP1, MMP9, MMP12, and IL-1βcompared to the control group (P<0.001). Allele -1607 1G ofMMP1gene possesses only 42,91% of the -1607 2G allele transcriptional activity and allele -1562 C ofMMP9gene possesses only 21,86% of the -1562 T allele. Increased expression levels of metalloproteinases can be considered as a risk factor for the development of POAG.


Planta Medica ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 84 (11) ◽  
pp. 786-794
Author(s):  
Weiyun Chai ◽  
Lu Chen ◽  
Xiao-Yuan Lian ◽  
Zhizhen Zhang

AbstractTripolinolate A as a new bioactive phenolic ester was previously isolated from a halophyte of Tripolium pannonicum. However, the in vitro and in vivo anti-glioma effects and mechanism of tripolinolate A have not been investigated. This study has demonstrated that (1) tripolinolate A inhibited the proliferation of different glioma cells with IC50 values of 7.97 to 14.02 µM and had a significant inhibitory effect on the glioma growth in U87MG xenograft nude mice, (2) tripolinolate A induced apoptosis in glioma cells by downregulating the expressions of antiapoptotic proteins and arrested glioma cell cycle at the G2/M phase by reducing the expression levels of cell cycle regulators, and (3) tripolinolate A also remarkably reduced the expression levels of several glioma metabolic enzymes and transcription factors. All data together suggested that tripolinolate A had significant in vitro and in vivo anti-glioma effects and the regulation of multiple tumor-related regulators and transcription factors might be responsible for the activities of tripolinolate A against glioma.


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