Department of Neurology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Affiliated Wuhan Mental Health Center, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
FASEB J. 2021 Nov;35(11):e21942. doi: 10.1096/fj.202100695RR.
Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease. Pathophysiological similarities between chronic infections and atherosclerosis triggered interests between these conditions. The seroepidemiological study showed that Helicobacter pylori strains that express cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA), an oncoprotein and a major virulence factor, was positively correlated with atherosclerosis and related clinical events. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanism is poorly understood. In this study, the seroprevalence of infection by H. pylori and by strains express CagA assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed that the prevalence of CagA strains rather than H. pylori in patients was positively correlated with atherogenesis. Correspondingly, we found that CagA augmented the growth of plaque of ApoE mice in the early stage of atherosclerosis and promoted the expression of adhesion molecules and inflammatory cytokines in mouse aortic endothelial cells (MAECs). Mechanistically, both si-NLRP3 and si-IL-1β mitigated the promoting effect of CagA on the inflammatory activation of HAECs. In vivo, the inhibition of NLRP3 by MCC950 significantly attenuated the promoting effect of CagA on plaque growth of ApoE mice. We also propose NLRP3 as a potential therapeutic target for CagA-positive H. pylori infection-related atherosclerosis and emphasize the importance of inflammation in atherosclerosis pathology.
动脉粥样硬化是一种慢性炎症性疾病。慢性感染与动脉粥样硬化之间存在病理生理学相似性,这引起了人们对这些疾病的兴趣。血清流行病学研究表明,表达细胞毒素相关基因 A(CagA)的幽门螺杆菌菌株与动脉粥样硬化及相关临床事件呈正相关,CagA 是一种癌蛋白和主要的毒力因子。然而,其潜在机制尚不清楚。在这项研究中,通过酶联免疫吸附试验(ELISA)评估幽门螺杆菌和表达 CagA 的菌株的感染血清阳性率表明,CagA 菌株的流行率而不是幽门螺杆菌的流行率与动脉粥样硬化的发生呈正相关。相应地,我们发现 CagA 增强了载脂蛋白 E 敲除(ApoE)小鼠动脉粥样硬化早期斑块的生长,并促进了小鼠主动脉内皮细胞(MAECs)中黏附分子和炎症细胞因子的表达。在机制上,si-NLRP3 和 si-IL-1β 均减轻了 CagA 对 HAECs 炎症激活的促进作用。在体内,MCC950 对 NLRP3 的抑制显著减弱了 CagA 对 ApoE 小鼠斑块生长的促进作用。我们还提出 NLRP3 作为 CagA 阳性幽门螺杆菌感染相关动脉粥样硬化的潜在治疗靶点,并强调炎症在动脉粥样硬化发病机制中的重要性。
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