Key Laboratory of Hunan Province for Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine on Prevention and Treatment of Cardio-Cerebral Diseases, College of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan 410208, China; Department of Scientific Research, Hunan Provincial Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Changsha 410006, China.
Key Laboratory of Hunan Province for Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine on Prevention and Treatment of Cardio-Cerebral Diseases, College of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan 410208, China.
Phytomedicine. 2024 Jul 25;130:155399. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2024.155399. Epub 2024 Feb 1.
BACKGROUND: Cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury (CIRI) is a sequence of pathophysiological processes after blood recanalization in the patients with ischemic stroke, and has become the hinder for the rehabilitation. Naotaifang formula (NTF) has exhibited the clinical effectiveness for this disease. However, its action effects and molecular mechanisms against CIRI are not fully elucidated. PURPOSE: The research was to clarify the crosstalk between ferroptosis and necroptosis in CIRI, and uncover the mechanism underlying the neuroprotection of NTF. METHODS: This study established MCAO/R rat models with various reperfusion times. Western blot, transmission electron microscope, laser speckle imaging, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry and pathological staining were conducted to detect and analyze the obtained results. Subsequently, various NTF doses were used to intervene in MCAO/R rats, and biology experiments, such as western blot, Evans blue, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry, were used to analyze the efficacy of NTF doses. The effect of NTF was further clarified through in vitro experiments. Eventually, HT22 cells that suffered OGD/R were subjected to pre-treatment with plasmids overexpressing HSP90, MLKL, and GPX4 to indicate the interaction among ferroptosis and necroptosis. RESULTS: There was a gradual increase in the Zea Longa score and cerebral infarction volume following CIRI with prolonged reperfusion. Furthermore, the expression of factors associated with pro-ferroptosis and pro-necroptosis was upregulated in the cortex and hippocampus. NTF alleviated ferroptosis and necroptosis in a dose-dependent manner, downregulated HSP90 levels, reduced blood-brain barrier permeability, and thus protected nerve cells from CIRI. The results in vitro research aligned with those of the in vivo research. HSP90 and MLKL overexpression promoted necroptosis and ferroptosis while activating the GCN2-ATF4 pathway. GPX4 overexpression had no effect on necroptosis or the associated signaling pathway. The administration of NTF alone, as well as its combination with the overexpression of HSP90, MLKL, or GPX4 plasmids, decreased the expression levels of factors associated with pro-ferroptosis and pro-necroptosis and reduced the protein levels of the HSP90-GCN2-ATF4 pathway. Moreover, the regulatory effects of the NTF alone group on GSH, ferrous iron, and GCN2 were more significant compared with those of the HSP90 overexpression combination group. CONCLUSION: Ferroptosis and necroptosis were gradually aggravated following CIRI with prolonged reperfusion. MLKL overexpression may promote ferroptosis and necroptosis, while GPX4 overexpression may have little effect on necroptosis. HSP90 overexpression accelerated both forms of cell death via the HSP90-GCN2-ATF4 pathway. NTF alleviated ferroptosis and necroptosis to attenuate CIRI by regulating the HSP90-GCN2-ATF4 pathway. Our research provided evidence for the potential of drug development by targeting HSP90, MLKL, and GPX4 to protect against ischemic stroke.
背景:脑缺血/再灌注损伤(CIRI)是缺血性脑卒中患者血再通后的一系列病理生理过程,已成为康复的阻碍。脑心通方(NTF)已显示出对此病的临床疗效。然而,其对 CIRI 的作用效果及分子机制尚未完全阐明。
目的:本研究旨在阐明 CIRI 中细胞铁死亡和坏死性细胞死亡之间的串扰,并揭示 NTF 的神经保护机制。
方法:本研究建立了不同再灌注时间的 MCAO/R 大鼠模型。采用 Western blot、透射电镜、激光散斑成像、免疫荧光、免疫组化和病理染色等方法进行检测和分析。随后,采用不同剂量的 NTF 干预 MCAO/R 大鼠,并进行 Western blot、伊文思蓝、免疫荧光和免疫组化等生物学实验,分析 NTF 剂量的疗效。通过体外实验进一步阐明 NTF 的作用。最终,用 OGD/R 预处理 HT22 细胞,过表达 HSP90、MLKL 和 GPX4 质粒,以表明铁死亡和坏死性细胞死亡之间的相互作用。
结果:随着 CIRI 再灌注时间的延长,Zea Longa 评分和脑梗死体积逐渐增加。此外,皮质和海马中与促铁死亡和促坏死性细胞死亡相关的因子表达上调。NTF 呈剂量依赖性地减轻铁死亡和坏死性细胞死亡,下调 HSP90 水平,降低血脑屏障通透性,从而保护神经细胞免受 CIRI 损伤。体外研究结果与体内研究结果一致。HSP90 和 MLKL 的过表达促进了坏死性细胞死亡和铁死亡,并激活了 GCN2-ATF4 通路。GPX4 的过表达对坏死性细胞死亡或相关信号通路没有影响。单独给予 NTF 以及与 HSP90、MLKL 或 GPX4 质粒过表达联合使用,均可降低与促铁死亡和促坏死性细胞死亡相关因子的表达水平,并降低 HSP90-GCN2-ATF4 通路的蛋白水平。此外,与 HSP90 过表达联合组相比,NTF 单独组对 GSH、亚铁离子和 GCN2 的调节作用更为显著。
结论:随着 CIRI 再灌注时间的延长,铁死亡和坏死性细胞死亡逐渐加重。MLKL 的过表达可能促进铁死亡和坏死性细胞死亡,而 GPX4 的过表达对坏死性细胞死亡的影响较小。HSP90 的过表达通过 HSP90-GCN2-ATF4 通路加速了这两种细胞死亡形式。NTF 通过调节 HSP90-GCN2-ATF4 通路减轻铁死亡和坏死性细胞死亡,从而减轻 CIRI。本研究为针对 HSP90、MLKL 和 GPX4 开发药物以预防缺血性脑卒中提供了证据。
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