ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the relationship between factors related to the transforming growth factor β(TGF-β)/Aerine-threonine kinase receptors(Smads)signaling pathway and cognitive dysfunction in peripheral blood of patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage(aSAH).Methods The clinical data of 100 patients with aSAH admitted to Chongzuo City People's Hospital from October 2018 to March 2022 were retrospectively selected and grouped according to the patients'Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale(MoCA)scores,including 54 cases with cognitive dysfunction and 46 cases without cognitive dysfunction.The clinical data,peripheral blood TGF-β,Smad1,Smad3,and Smad7 mRNA expression levels of the two groups were compared.The relationship between pathway-related factors and cognitive dysfunction in patients with aSAH was analyzed in a multifactorial manner.The predictive value of pathway-related factors for cognitive dysfunction in aSAH patients was assessed using the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Results Peripheral blood TGF-β,Smad1,Smad3,and Smad7 mRNA expression levels were higher in the cognitively impaired group than in the group without cognitive impairment(P<0.05).Multifactorial showed that pathway-related factors were significantly associated with cognitive impairment in patients with aSAH(P<0.05).The ROC showed that the area under the curve(AUC)of pathway-related factors jointly predicted cognitive dysfunction in patients with aSAH was superior to that predicted alone(P<0.05).Conclusion The high expression of factors related to the TGF-β/Smads signaling pathway in the peripheral blood of aSAH patients suggests that this pathway may be associated with cognitive dysfunction in patients.
ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the effect of gallic acid on the morphology, proliferation and cell cycle of keloid fibroblasts, as well as on collagen contraction and the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) /Sma- and Mad-related proteins (Smads) signaling pathway, and to explore the role and mechanisms of action of gallic acid in the treatment of keloids.Methods:From August to December 2022, 3 keloid tissue samples were collected from 3 patients with clinically and pathologically confirmed keloids after surgery in the Department of Dermatologic Surgery, Wuhan No.1 Hospital. Primary fibroblasts were isolated and cultured by using the tissue culture method, and 3- to 8-passage fibroblasts were used for subsequent experiments. Cultured keloid fibroblasts were divided into 4 groups: low-, medium- and high-dose gallic acid groups treated with 0.025, 0.05 and 0.1 mg/ml gallic acid respectively, and a control group cultured with Dulbecco′s modified Eagle′s medium (DMEM) containing 10% fetal calf serum. After 24-, 48-, and 72-hour treatment, cellular proliferative activity was evaluated by cell counting kit 8 (CCK8) assay, and collagen contraction by using a three-dimensional culture method. After 24-hour treatment in the above groups, pictures were taken using a differential interference inverted fluorescence microscope, and changes in the cell cycle were analyzed by flow cytometry. Some keloid fibroblasts were divided into 2 groups: an experimental group (high-dose gallic acid group) treated with 0.1 mg/ml gallic acid, and a control group cultured with DMEM containing 10% fetal calf serum. After 24-hour treatment, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to determine the changes in supernatant concentrations of TGF-β1, TGF-β2, and TGF-β3 in the two groups, real-time fluorescence-based quantitative PCR to detect the relative mRNA expression levels of TGF-β1, TGF-β2, TGF-β3, Smad2, Smad3, Smad4, and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). Statistical analysis was carried out using t test, one-way analysis of variance and two-way analysis of variance, and least significant difference (LSD) - t test was used for multiple comparisons. Results:Compared with the control group, the gallic acid groups showed gradual changes in the shape of keloid fibroblasts under the microscope as the dose of gallic acid increased, including gradually shrinking cell bodies, enlarged intercellular spaces, cell atrophy, increased number of apoptotic cells, etc. CCK8 assay showed that the cellular proliferative activity changed significantly as the dose of gallic acid increased and the treatment time was prolonged ( Fgroup = 78.31, P < 0.001; Ftime = 4.17, P = 0.037), and the proliferative activity of keloid fibroblasts was significantly lower in the high-dose gallic acid group than in the control group at 24, 48, and 72 hours (all P < 0.05). The three-dimensional culture showed that different degrees of collagen contraction occurred in all groups over time, marked collagen contraction was observed in the control group, and a lower degree of collagen contraction in the gallic acid groups; the collagen contraction indices were significantly lower in the medium- and high-dose gallic acid groups than in the control group at 24, 48, and 72 hours (all P < 0.05). Flow cytometry showed that the cell apoptosis rates were significantly higher in the low-, medium- and high-dose gallic acid groups (38.68% ± 3.05%, 41.82% ± 2.19%, 43.56% ± 3.58%, respectively) than in the control group (12.58% ± 1.56%, all P < 0.001) after 24-hour treatment; compared with the control group, the medium- and high-dose gallic acid groups showed significantly decreased proportions of cells in the G0/G1 phase (both P < 0.01), but significantly increased proportions of cells in the S phase and G2/M phase (all P < 0.05). ELISA revealed that the TGF-β1 concentration was significantly lower in the high-dose gallic acid group (758.58 ± 31.42 pg/ml) than in the control group (1 081.30 ± 44.72 pg/ml, t = 11.81, P<0.001), there was no significant difference in the TGF-β2 concentration between the high-dose gallic acid group (71.05 ± 7.40 pg/ml) and the control group (76.43 ± 6.51 pg/ml, t = 1.09, P = 0.317), while the TGF-β3 concentration was significantly higher in the high-dose gallic acid group (5.70 ± 3.87 pg/ml) than in the control group (0.00 ± 0.00 pg/ml, t = 2.94, P = 0.026). As real-time fluorescence-based quantitative PCR revealed, the high-dose gallic acid group showed significantly decreased mRNA expression levels of TGF-β1, Smad2, Smad3, Smad4, and α-SMA (all P < 0.05), but significantly increased mRNA expression level of TGF-β3 ( t = 6.78, P = 0.002) compared with the control group; however, there was no significant difference in the TGF-β2 mRNA expression level between the above two groups ( t = 0.05, P = 0.962) . Conclusion:Gallic acid could change the cell cycle, inhibit the proliferative activity, promote apoptosis and change the shape of keloid fibroblasts, and thus inhibit scar formation and contraction, which may be related to the inhibition of TGF-β/Smads signaling pathway.
ABSTRACT
AIM:To investigate the relationship between transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β)/Smads signa-ling pathway and pulmonary arterial endothelial-mesenchymal transition(EndoMT)in hypoxia-hypercapnia pulmonary hy-pertension(HHPH)process and the regulatory effect of Yiqi-Wenyang-Huoxue-Huatan formula(YWHHF).METHODS:Healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into 5 groups:normal control(N)group,hypoxia-hypercapnia(HH)group, high-dose YWHHF(YH)group,middle-dose YWHHF(YM)group and low-dose YWHHF(YL)group.The rats in N group was housed in normoxic environment,and the rats in the other 4 groups were housed in hypoxia-hypercapnia environ-ment(9%~11%O2and 5%~6%CO2)for 4 weeks,8 h/d,6 d/week.The excess water vapor was absorbed by anhy-drous CaCl2,and CO2was absorbed by sodium hydroxide.The rats in YWHHF groups were put into the oxygen chamber before the same volume of YWHHF at different concentrations were given(200 g/L for YH group,100 g/L for YM group and 50 g/L for YL group).The average pulmonary artery pressure and the average carotid artery pressure were measured during the operation.After operation,the right ventricular free wall and left ventricle plus interventricular septum were col -lected for determining the right ventricular hypertrophy index.Moreover,the morphological changes of the lung tissues were observed under light microscope.The mRNA and protein levels of α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA),CD31,TGF-β1 and Smad2/3,and the protein level of p-Smad2/3 were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot.RESULTS:Compared with N group,the pulmonary artery mean pressure,the mRNA and protein expression of α-SMA,TGF-β1 and Smad2/3,and the protein level of p-Smad2/3 were increased, the levels of CD31 were decreased(P<0.05), and the lung tissue damage was observed in the other 4 groups.Compared with HH group,the pulmonary artery mean pressure,the mRNA and protein expression of α-SMA,TGF-β1 and Smad2/3,and the protein level of p-Smad2/3 were decreased, while the mRNA and protein levels of CD31 were increased.Moreover,the lung tissue damage was reduced in YH,YM and YL groups.CON-CLUSION:TGF-β/Smads pathway may be involved in the process of EndoMT under hypoxia and hypercapnia condition, and YWHHF may reduce EndoMT by inhibiting the expression of TGF-β/Smads pathway-related molecules.