Abstract Context Preeclampsia is a leading cardiovascular complication in pregnancy lacking effective diagnostic and treatment strategies. Objective To investigate the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of the angiogenesis markers, FKBPL-CD44, in preeclampsia pathogenesis Design and Intervention FKBPL and CD44 plasma or placental concentration was determined in women pre- or post-diagnosis of preeclampsia. Trophoblast and endothelial cell function was assessed following mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) treatment and in the context of FKBPL signalling. Settings and Participants Human samples pre-diagnosis (15 and 20 weeks’ gestation; n≥57), or post-diagnosis (n=18 for plasma; n=4 for placenta) of preeclampsia were used to determine FKBPL and CD44 concentration, compared to healthy controls. Trophoblast or endothelial cells were exposed to low/high oxygen, and treated with MSC-conditioned media (MSC-CM) or a FKBPL overexpression plasmid. Main outcome Measures Preeclampsia risk stratification and diagnostic potential of FKBPL and CD44 were investigated. MSC treatment effects and FKBPL-CD44 signalling in trophoblast and endothelial cells were assessed. Results The CD44/FKBPL ratio was reduced in placenta and plasma following clinical diagnosis of preeclampsia. At 20 weeks’ gestation, a high plasma CD44/FKBPL ratio was independently associated with the 2.5-fold increased risk of preeclampsia (OR=2.5, 95% CI 1.12-5.41, p=0.02). In combination with high mean arterial blood pressure (MABP > 82.5 mmHg), the risk further increased to 3.9-fold (95% CI 1.30-11.84, p=0.016). Both hypoxia and MSC-based therapy inhibited FKBPL-CD44 signalling enhancing cell angiogenesis. Conclusions The FKBPL-CD44 pathway appears to have a central role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, showing promising utilities for early diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

The oxidative stress response via Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) interlinks inflammation- and metabolism-related pathways in chronic kidney disease. We assessed the association between polymorphisms in Nrf2, superoxide dismutase (SOD2), glutathione peroxidase (GPX1), and the risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The modifying effect of these polymorphisms on both oxidative phenotype and ESRD prognosis, both independently and/or in combination with the glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) deletion polymorphism, was further analyzed. Polymorphisms in Nrf2 (rs6721961), SOD2 (rs4880), GPX1 (rs1050450), and GSTM1 were determined by PCR in 256 ESRD patients undergoing hemodialysis and 374 controls. Byproducts of oxidative stress were analyzed spectrophotometically or by ELISA. Time-to-event modeling was performed to evaluate overall survival and cardiovascular survival. The SOD2 Val/Val genotype increased ESRD risk (OR = 2.01, p = 0.002), which was even higher in combination with the GPX1 Leu/Leu genotype (OR = 3.27, p = 0.019). Polymorphism in SOD2 also showed an effect on oxidative phenotypes. Overall survival in ESRD patients was dependent on a combination of the Nrf2 (C/C) and GPX1 (Leu/Leu) genotypes in addition to a patients’ age and GSTM1 polymorphism. Similarly, the GPX1 (Leu/Leu) genotype contributed to longer cardiovascular survival. Conclusions: Our results show that SOD2, GPX1, and Nrf2 polymorphisms are associated with ESRD development and can predict survival.

Mechanisms of the brain-related comorbidities in chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) are still largely unknown, although CP/CPPS is one of the major urological problems in middle-aged men, while these neuropsychological incapacities considerably diminish life quality. The objectives of this study were to assess behavioral patterns in rats with CP/CPPS and to determine whether these patterns depend on alterations in the brain oxidative stress, corticosterone, and hippocampal parvalbumin-positive (PV+) interneurons. Adult male Wistar albino rats from CP/CPPS (intraprostatic injection of 3% λ-carrageenan, day 0) and sham (0.9% NaCl) groups were subjected to pain and anxiety-like behavior tests (days 2, 3, and 7). Afterwards, rats were sacrificed and biochemical and immunohistochemical analyses were performed. Scrotal allodynia and prostatitis were proven in CP/CPPS, but not in sham rats. Ethological tests (open field, elevated plus maze, and light/dark tests) revealed significantly increased anxiety-like behavior in rats with CP/CPPS comparing to their sham-operated mates starting from day 3, and there were significant intercorrelations among parameters of these tests. Increased oxidative stress in the hippocampus, thalamus, and cerebral cortex, as well as increased serum corticosterone levels and decreased number of hippocampal PV+ neurons, was shown in CP/CPPS rats, compared to sham rats. Increased anxiety-like behavior in CP/CPPS rats was significantly correlated with these brain biochemical and hippocampal immunohistochemical alterations. Therefore, the potential mechanisms of observed behavioral alterations in CP/CPPS rats could be the result of an interplay between increased brain oxidative stress, elevated serum corticosterone level, and loss of hippocampal PV+ interneurons.

Based on the premise that oxidative stress plays an important role in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection, we speculated that variations in the antioxidant activities of different members of the glutathione S-transferase family of enzymes might modulate individual susceptibility towards development of clinical manifestations in COVID-19. The distribution of polymorphisms in cytosolic glutathione S-transferases GSTA1, GSTM1, GSTM3, GSTP1 (rs1695 and rs1138272), and GSTT1 were assessed in 207 COVID-19 patients and 252 matched healthy individuals, emphasizing their individual and cumulative effect in disease development and severity. GST polymorphisms were determined by appropriate PCR methods. Among six GST polymorphisms analyzed in this study, GSTP1 rs1695 and GSTM3 were found to be associated with COVID-19. Indeed, the data obtained showed that individuals carrying variant GSTP1-Val allele exhibit lower odds of COVID-19 development (p = 0.002), contrary to carriers of variant GSTM3-CC genotype which have higher odds for COVID-19 (p = 0.024). Moreover, combined GSTP1 (rs1138272 and rs1695) and GSTM3 genotype exhibited cumulative risk regarding both COVID-19 occurrence and COVID-19 severity (p = 0.001 and p = 0.025, respectively). Further studies are needed to clarify the exact roles of specific glutathione S-transferases once the SARS-CoV-2 infection is initiated in the host cell.

Diabetes in pregnancy is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes including preterm birth. Although the mechanisms leading to these pregnancy complications are still poorly understood, aberrant angiogenesis and endothelial dysfunction play a key role. FKBPL and SIRT-1 are critical regulators of angiogenesis, however, their roles in pregnancies affected by diabetes have not been examined before in detail. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the role of FKBPL and SIRT-1 in pre-gestational (type 1 diabetes mellitus, T1D) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Placental protein expression of important angiogenesis proteins, FKBPL, SIRT-1, PlGF and VEGF-R1, was determined from pregnant women with GDM or T1D, and in the first trimester trophoblast cells exposed to high glucose (25 mM) and varying oxygen concentrations [21%, 6.5%, 2.5% (ACH-3Ps)]. Endothelial cell function was assessed in high glucose conditions (30 mM) and following FKBPL overexpression. Placental FKBPL protein expression was downregulated in T1D (FKBPL; p<0.05) whereas PlGF/VEGF-R1 were upregulated (p<0.05); correlations adjusted for gestational age were also significant. In the presence of GDM, only SIRT-1 was significantly downregulated (p<0.05) even when adjusted for gestational age (r=-0.92, p=0.001). Both FKBPL and SIRT-1 protein expression was reduced in ACH-3P cells in high glucose conditions associated with 6.5%/2.5% oxygen concentrations compared to experimental normoxia (21%; p<0.05). FKBPL overexpression in endothelial cells (HUVECs) exacerbated reduction in tubule formation compared to empty vector control, in high glucose conditions (junctions; p<0.01, branches; p<0.05). In conclusion, FKBPL and/or SIRT-1 downregulation in response to diabetic pregnancies may have a key role in the development of vascular dysfunction and associated complications affected by impaired placental angiogenesis.

Introduction: Overall survival of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) remains poor. Oxidative stress is one of the major risk factors associated with mortality in this patient group. As glutathione S-transferases (GST) are well-established antioxidants, we hypothesized that a model including GST gene polymorphisms, oxidative damage byproducts and cell adhesion markers has a prognostic role in ESRD patient survival. Methods: A prospective study of 199 patients with ESRD on haemodialysis was conducted. GST genotype, oxidative stress byproducts and cell adhesion molecules were measured in plasma. Multivariate Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were performed to test the predictive ability of these parameters in the 8-year follow-up period. Results: GSTM1-null genotype was associated with significantly shorter overall (HR 1.6, p = 0.018) and cardiovascular-specific (HR 2.1, p = 0.010) survival. Oxidative stress byproducts (advanced oxidation protein products [AOPP], prooxidant-antioxidant balance [PAB], malondialdehyde [MDA]) and cell adhesion molecules (soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 [sVCAM-1] and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 [sICAM-1]) demonstrated a significant predictive role in terms of overall and cardiovascular survival. When 6 biomarkers (GSTM1 genotype, high AOPP/PAB/MDA/­sVCAM-1/sICAM-1) were combined into a scoring model, a significantly shorter overall and cardiovascular survival was observed for patients with the highest score (p < 0.001). Conclusion: We identified a novel panel of biomarkers that can be utilized in predicting survival in ESRD patients. This biomarker signature could enable better monitoring of patients and stratification into appropriate treatment groups.

CC-BY 4.0 International license perpetuity. It is made available under a preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in Highlights  Women with preeclampsia have increased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life but the mechanism is poorly understood. "In silico" analyses of publically available datasets provided overlapping biomarkers and pathogenic pathways between preeclampsia, hypertension and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). These data could be utilised in the future studies that may lead to the development of better risk stratification strategies or preventative treatments for women post preeclampsia.

Based on the close relationship between dysregulation of redox homeostasis and immune response in SARS-CoV-2 infection, we proposed a possible modifying role of ACE2 and glutathione transferase omega (GSTO) polymorphisms in the individual propensity towards the development of clinical manifestations in COVID-19. The distribution of polymorphisms in ACE2 (rs4646116), GSTO1 (rs4925) and GSTO2 (rs156697) were assessed in 255 COVID-19 patients and 236 matched healthy individuals, emphasizing their individual and haplotype effects on disease development and severity. Polymorphisms were determined by the appropriate qPCR method. The data obtained showed that individuals carrying variant GSTO1*AA and variant GSTO2*GG genotypes exhibit higher odds of COVID-19 development, contrary to ones carrying referent alleles (p = 0.044, p = 0.002, respectively). These findings are confirmed by haplotype analysis. Carriers of H2 haplotype, comprising GSTO1*A and GSTO2*G variant alleles were at 2-fold increased risk of COVID-19 development (p = 0.002). Although ACE2 (rs4646116) polymorphism did not exhibit a statistically significant effect on COVID-19 risk (p = 0.100), the risk of COVID-19 development gradually increased with the presence of each additional risk-associated genotype. Further studies are needed to clarify the specific roles of glutathione transferases omega in innate immune response and vitamin C homeostasis once the SARS-CoV-2 infection is initiated in the host cell.