小分子化合物PEITC直接抑制TXNIP-NLRP3-GSDMD途径可减少结肠细胞焦亡并减轻小鼠溃疡性结肠炎。
Direct inhibition of the TXNIP-NLRP3-GSDMD pathway reduces pyroptosis in colonocytes and alleviates ulcerative colitis in mice by the small compound PEITC.
作者信息
Wang Jie, Zhang Cui, Qin Jia, An Ning, Bai Mei, Du Rong-Hui, Shen Yan, Wu Xu-Dong, Cheng Jing-Cai, Wu Xue-Feng, Xu Qiang
机构信息
State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210000, China.
School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210000, China.
出版信息
Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2025 Apr 7. doi: 10.1038/s41401-025-01549-z.
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. The etiology of UC is multifaceted, and the underlying pathogenesis remains incompletely understood. Pyroptosis, programmed cell death mediated by the gasdermins, is a pivotal driver of UC pathology due to its dual role in epithelial barrier disruption and inflammatory amplification. We previously showed that phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), an isothiocyanate derived from cruciferous vegetables, alleviated acute liver injury in mice by suppressing hepatocyte pyroptosis. In this study we evaluated the therapeutic potential of PEITC in the treatment of UC and the underlying mechanisms. UC mouse models were established by administration of 2.5% (w/v) dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) daily for 7 days. PEITC (5, 10, or 20 mg·kg·d, i.g.) was given 2 days before the start of modeling, and the dosing lasted for a total of 10 days. We showed that during the progression of DSS-induced UC, the pyroptosis pathway was activated accompanied by elevated expression levels of thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) and NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3 (NLRP3), as well as the activation of caspase-1, gasdermin D (GSDMD) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β). Treatment with PEITC dose-dependently reduced TXNIP and NLRP3 expression while inhibiting the cleavage of proteins associated with the pyroptosis pathway such as caspase-1, GSDMD, and IL-1β. We confirmed the inhibitory effect of PEITC on colonocyte pyroptosis in an in vitro model established in HT29 cells, where PEITC (0.2, 1, 5 µM) dose-dependently inhibited TXNIP and NLRP3 expression and the activation of pro-caspase-1, GSDMD and pro-IL-1β. We revealed that PEITC is directly bound to TXNIP and disrupted the interaction between TXNIP and NLRP3, leading to diminished cellular inflammation and oxidative stress levels. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that PEITC disrupts the interaction of TXNIP and NLRP3 by binding to TXNIP, inhibits NLRP3 activation and colonocyte pyroptosis, and thus effectively alleviates UC symptoms in mice. This study offers novel drug targets along with potential therapeutic candidates for the clinical prevention and treatment of UC.
溃疡性结肠炎(UC)是一种慢性炎症性肠病。UC的病因是多方面的,其潜在发病机制仍未完全明确。细胞焦亡是由gasdermin介导的程序性细胞死亡,由于其在上皮屏障破坏和炎症放大中的双重作用,是UC病理的关键驱动因素。我们之前表明,苯乙基异硫氰酸酯(PEITC)是一种源自十字花科蔬菜的异硫氰酸酯,通过抑制肝细胞焦亡减轻了小鼠的急性肝损伤。在本研究中,我们评估了PEITC在治疗UC中的治疗潜力及其潜在机制。通过每天给予2.5%(w/v)葡聚糖硫酸钠(DSS),持续7天,建立UC小鼠模型。在建模开始前2天给予PEITC(5、10或20mg·kg·d,腹腔注射),给药持续共10天。我们发现,在DSS诱导的UC进展过程中,细胞焦亡途径被激活,同时硫氧还蛋白相互作用蛋白(TXNIP)和NOD样受体热蛋白结构域相关蛋白3(NLRP3)的表达水平升高,以及半胱天冬酶-1、gasdermin D(GSDMD)和白细胞介素-1β(IL-1β)的激活。PEITC治疗剂量依赖性地降低TXNIP和NLRP3的表达,同时抑制与细胞焦亡途径相关的蛋白如半胱天冬酶-1、GSDMD和IL-1β的切割。我们在HT29细胞建立的体外模型中证实了PEITC对结肠细胞焦亡的抑制作用,其中PEITC(0.2、1、5µM)剂量依赖性地抑制TXNIP和NLRP3的表达以及前半胱天冬酶-1、GSDMD和前IL-1β的激活。我们发现PEITC直接与TXNIP结合,并破坏TXNIP与NLRP3之间的相互作用,导致细胞炎症和氧化应激水平降低。总之,本研究表明PEITC通过与TXNIP结合破坏TXNIP与NLRP3的相互作用,抑制NLRP3激活和结肠细胞焦亡,从而有效减轻小鼠UC症状。本研究为UC的临床预防和治疗提供了新的药物靶点以及潜在的治疗候选物。