No abstract

OBJECTIVEDiabetic nephropathy is one of the most common causes of end-stage renal failure. Inhibition of ACE2 function accelerates diabetic kidney injury, whereas renal ACE2 is downregulated in diabetic nephropathy. We examined the ability of human recombinant ACE2 (hrACE2) to slow the progression of diabetic kidney injury.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSMale 12-week-old diabetic Akita mice (Ins2WT/C96Y) and control C57BL/6J mice (Ins2WT/WT) were injected daily with placebo or with rhACE2 (2 mg/kg, i.p.) for 4 weeks. Albumin excretion, gene expression, histomorphometry, NADPH oxidase activity, and peptide levels were examined. The effect of hrACE2 on high glucose and angiotensin II (ANG II)–induced changes was also examined in cultured mesangial cells.RESULTSTreatment with hrACE2 increased plasma ACE2 activity, normalized blood pressure, and reduced the urinary albumin excretion in Akita Ins2WT/C96Y mice in association with a decreased glomerular mesangial matrix expansion and normalization of increased α-smooth muscle actin and collagen III expression. Human recombinant ACE2 increased ANG 1–7 levels, lowered ANG II levels, and reduced NADPH oxidase activity. mRNA levels for p47phox and NOX2 and protein levels for protein kinase Cα (PKCα) and PKCβ1 were also normalized by treatment with hrACE2. In vitro, hrACE2 attenuated both high glucose and ANG II–induced oxidative stress and NADPH oxidase activity.CONCLUSIONSTreatment with hrACE2 attenuates diabetic kidney injury in the Akita mouse in association with a reduction in blood pressure and a decrease in NADPH oxidase activity. In vitro studies show that the protective effect of hrACE2 is due to reduction in ANG II and an increase in ANG 1–7 signaling.

Limited microRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) have been reported to be necessary for exercise-induced cardiac growth and essential for protection against pathological cardiac remodeling. Here we determined members of the miR-17-92 cluster and their passenger miRNAs expressions in two distinct murine exercise models and found that miR-17-3p was increased in both. miR-17-3p promoted cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, proliferation, and survival. TIMP-3 was identified as a direct target gene of miR-17-3p whereas PTEN was indirectly inhibited by miR-17-3p. Inhibition of miR-17-3p in vivo attenuated exercise-induced cardiac growth including cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and expression of markers of myocyte proliferation. Importantly, mice injected with miR-17-3p agomir were protected from adverse remodeling after cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury. Collectively, these data suggest that miR-17-3p contributes to exercise-induced cardiac growth and protects against adverse ventricular remodeling. miR-17-3p may represent a novel therapeutic target to promote functional recovery after cardiac ischemia/reperfusion.

BackgroundPost-infarction cardiovascular remodeling and heart failure are the leading cause of myocardial infarction (MI)-driven death during the past decades. Experimental observations have involved intestinal microbiota in the susceptibility to MI in mice; however, in humans, identifying whether translocation of gut bacteria to systemic circulation contributes to cardiovascular events post-MI remains a major challenge.ResultsHere, we carried out a metagenomic analysis to characterize the systemic bacteria in a cohort of 49 healthy control individuals, 50 stable coronary heart disease (CHD) subjects, and 100 ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients. We report for the first time higher microbial richness and diversity in the systemic microbiome of STEMI patients. More than 12% of post-STEMI blood bacteria were dominated by intestinal microbiota (Lactobacillus, Bacteroides, and Streptococcus). The significantly increased product of gut bacterial translocation (LPS and d-lactate) was correlated with systemic inflammation and predicted adverse cardiovascular events. Following experimental MI, compromised left ventricle (LV) function and intestinal hypoperfusion drove gut permeability elevation through tight junction protein suppression and intestinal mucosal injury. Upon abrogation of gut bacterial translocation by antibiotic treatment, both systemic inflammation and cardiomyocyte injury in MI mice were alleviated.ConclusionsOur results provide the first evidence that cardiovascular outcomes post-MI are driven by intestinal microbiota translocation into systemic circulation. New therapeutic strategies targeting to protect the gut barrier and eliminate gut bacteria translocation may reduce or even prevent cardiovascular events post-MI.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s40168-018-0441-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Apelin treatment modulates the abnormal aortic vascular tone in response to Ang II and acetylcholine by potentiating phosphorylation of Akt and eNOS in diabetic mice, suggesting that the apelin-APJ system might be an important regulator of vascular function in diabetes.

Abstract-There is increasing evidence that all-trans retinoic acid (atRA) influences gene expression of components of renin-angiotensin system (RAS), which plays a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of essential hypertension. To further validate effects of atRA on the RAS and to assess the possibility that atRA affects the activity of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), gene, and protein expression of ACE2 have been examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot methods in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. Rats were treated with atRA (10 or 20 mg ⅐ kg Ϫ1 ⅐ day Ϫ1 ) or placebo given as daily intraperitoneal injection for 1 month. ACE2 expression was markedly decreased in placebo-treated SHR when compared with WKY rats. However, in atRA-treated SHR, a significant upregulation of ACE2 expression was observed in heart and kidney. In conclusion, chronic atRA treatment increases gene and protein expressions of ACE2, resulting in the reduction of blood pressure and the attenuation of myocardial damage in SHR, which suggests that atRA may be an attractive candidate for the potential prevention and treatment of human essential hypertension. Key Words:hypertension, essential Ⅲ angiotensin-converting enzyme Ⅲ renin-angiotensin system Ⅲ rats I t is well-recognized that essential hypertension is a genetically complex metabolic and cardiovascular disorder controlled by both genetic and environmental factors. 1 The ideal aim of modern antihypertensive therapy is not only a reduction of blood pressure but also the prevention or amelioration of its complications, such as myocardial remodeling at the molecular genetic level. 2,3 Research advances on the key transcription factors and nuclear hormone receptors provide insight into the development of novel transcriptionmodulating antihypertensive drugs, among which is all-trans retinoic acid (atRA), a biologically active metabolite of vitamin A. 2 atRA modulates gene transcription and exerts its other effects by binding the retinoic acid receptor (RAR) and retinoid X receptor (RXR) 4,5 and interfering with some key transcription factors such as the activated protein-1. 6,7 Studies have demonstrated that atRA influences the activities of genes responsible for the pathogenesis of hypertension and its complications. 2,3,6,8 Dechow et al 6 reported that atRA reduced blood pressure in the renal damage model. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) are recognized as genetically hypertensive rats, which resemble, in many aspects, humans with essential hypertension. 9 Chronic atRA treatment prevented medial thickening of intramyocardial and intrarenal arteries and ventricular fibrosis in SHR. 3 However, whether atRA reduces arterial pressure and attenuates myocardial damage in SHR deserves further study.atRA has been shown to regulate the gene expression of components of renin-angiotensin system (RAS), including renin, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), angiotensin (Ang) II, and its type 1 (AT 1 ) receptor. 6,7,10 RAS is critically inv...

No abstract

No abstract