1.Expression of leptin and its receptor correlates with hypoxia-inducible factor-1α in infants with cyanotic congenital heart disease
Rong GUO ; Sen ZHANG ; Jianhui YUAN ; Xiaojue LI ; Shuhan ZHOU ; Shoujun LI ; Yanyan CHEN
Basic & Clinical Medicine 2024;44(2):225-230
Objective To investigate the correlation between serum leptin level and body mass index(BMI)in in-fants with cyanosis congenital heart disease,and the relationship between leptin and Ob gene receptor(Ob-R)and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α(HIF-1α)in myocardium.Methods A total of 52 children under 6 months of age with congenital heart disease who underwent surgical treatment in the Department of Congenital Heart Surgery,Fuwai Hospital from January 2019 to October 2020 were included in this study.According to the arterial partial pressure of oxygen(PaO2)of 90 mmHg,they were divided into cyanotic group(n=30)and acyanotic group(n=22).Their height and weight were collected to calculate BMI.The serum leptin level was measured by ELISA.The ex-pressions of HIF-1α and Ob-R in myocardial tissue were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot.In animal mod-el,SD rats were divided into normoxia group and hypoxia intervention group,which were subjected to continuous hypoxia(10% O2)for 4 weeks.The hypoxia intervention group received intraperitoneal injection of HIF-1α in-hibitor digoxin(2 mg/kg)daily from the 14 th to 21st day of hypoxia,respectively.The body weight of rats was recorded,and the expressions of HIF-1α and Ob-R were detected by RT-qPCR and Western blot.Results Com-pared with the acyanosis group,the cyanosis group had a significantly lower BMI(P<0.05)and a lower leptin/BMI ratio(leptin/BMI)(P<0.05).Spearman correlation analysis confirmed that serum leptin in the circulatory system was positively correlated with BMI(P<0.05).In the cyanosis group,the expression of Ob-R increased with the upregulation of HIF-1α,showing a positive correlation.In animal model,with the down-regulation of HIF-1α expression in digoxin injection,the Ob-R level was significantly lower than that in the control group(P<0.05),the trend of weight loss was significantly inhibited(P<0.05).The right ventricular hypertrophy in-dex was significantly lower than that in the control group(P<0.05).Conclusions HIF-1α regulates the expres-sion of Ob-R in myocardial tissue,and the mechanism of its association with leptin and Ob-R may help to find new therapeutic target for improving the prognosis of infants with congenital heart disease.
2.Every-other-day fasting attenuated inflammation in rats after spinal cord injury via the aryl hydrocarbon receptor/suppressor of cytokine signaling 2/nuclear transcription factor-κB signaling pathway
Xiaojue ZHOU ; Jing FENG ; Rizhao PANG ; Jie LIU ; Anren ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation Theory and Practice 2022;28(5):544-551
ObjectiveTo explore the role of aryl hydrocarbon receptor/suppressor of cytokine signaling 2/nuclear transcription factor-κB (AHR/SOCS2/NF-κB) signaling in the reduction of spinal cord injury (SCI) inflammation with every-other-day fasting (EODF). MethodsA total of 36 healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham group (n = 12), model group (n = 12) and EODF group (n = 12). The latter two groups were established C5 spinal cord hemi-clamp model. The EODF group received EODF, namely fasting and feeding per 24 hours (water free), for two weeks after operation. They were assessed with Grooming Test before operation, and one, seven and 14 days after operationt, respectively. Pathological injury of spinal cord was observed with HE staining 14 days after operation, while the expression of AHR, SOCS2 and NF-κB proteins were detected with Western blotting, and the mRNA of AHR, SOCS2, inhibitor α of NF-κB (IκBα), NF-κB and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured with reverse transcription real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. ResultsCompared with the sham group, the Grooming Test score decreased in the other two groups (P < 0.05), and cavity, edema and structural disorder appeared in the spinal cord. Compared with the model group, the pathology of EODF group improved, and the Grooming Test score increased (P < 0.05). The mRNA and protein expression of AHR and SOCS2 increased (P < 0.05), the mRNA and protein expression of NF-κB decreased (P < 0.05), the mRNA expression of IκBα increased (P < 0.05), and the mRNA expression of TNF-α and IL-6 decreased (P < 0.05). ConclusionEODF may promote the recovery of motor function of forelimb in rats with SCI, and relieve damage and inflammation, which may associate with the activation of AHR/SOCS2/NF-κB signaling pathway.