Metabolic Profiles of Type 2 Diabetes and Their Association With Renal Complications.

CONTEXT: The components of metabolic syndrome (MetS) are interrelated and associated with renal complications in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). OBJECTIVE: We aimed to reveal prevalent metabolic profiles in patients with T2D and identify which metabolic profiles were risk markers for renal progression. METHODS: A total of 3556 participants with T2D from a hospital (derivation cohort) and 931 participants with T2D from a community survey (external validation cohort) were included. The primary outcome was the onset of diabetic kidney disease (DKD), and secondary outcomes included estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline, macroalbuminuria, and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). In the derivation cohort, clusters were identified using the 5 components of MetS, and their relationships with the outcomes were assessed. To validate the findings, participants in the validation cohort were assigned to clusters. Multivariate odds ratios (ORs) of the primary outcome were evaluated in both cohorts, adjusted for multiple covariates at baseline. RESULTS: In the derivation cohort, 6 clusters were identified as metabolic profiles. Compared with cluster 1, cluster 3 (severe hyperglycemia) had increased risks of DKD (hazard ratio [HR] [95% CI]: 1.72 [1.39-2.12]), macroalbuminuria (2.74 [1.84-4.08]), ESRD (4.31 [1.16-15.99]), and eGFR decline [P < .001]; cluster 4 (moderate dyslipidemia) had increased risks of DKD (1.97 [1.53-2.54]) and macroalbuminuria (2.62 [1.61-4.25]). In the validation cohort, clusters 3 and 4 were replicated to have significantly increased risks of DKD (adjusted ORs: 1.24 [1.07-1.44] and 1.39 [1.03-1.87]). CONCLUSION: We identified 6 prevalent metabolic profiles in patients with T2D. Severe hyperglycemia and moderate dyslipidemia were validated as significant risk markers for DKD.

Different exercise training intensities prevent type 2 diabetes mellitus-induced myocardial injury in male mice.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) usually develop myocardial injury and that exercise may have a positive effect on cardiac function. However, the effect of exercise intensity on cardiac function has not yet been fully examined. This study aimed to explore different exercise intensities on T2DM-induced myocardial injury. 18-week-old male mice were randomly divided into four groups: a control group, the T2DM, T2DM + medium-intensity continuous training (T2DM + MICT), and T2DM + high-intensity interval training (T2DM + HIIT) groups. In the experimental group, mice were given high-fat foods and streptozotocin for six weeks and then divided into two exercise training groups, in which mice were subjected to exercise five days per week for 24 consecutive weeks. Finally, metabolic characteristics, cardiac function, myocardial remodeling, myocardial fibrosis, oxidative stress, and apoptosis were analyzed. HIIT treatment improved cardiac function and improved myocardial injury. In conclusion, HIIT may be an effective means to guard against T2DM-induced myocardial injury.

Behavior Characteristics and Thermal Energy Absorption Mechanism of Physical Blowing Agents in Polyurethane Foaming Process.

Polyurethane rigid foam is a widely used insulation material, and the behavior characteristics and heat absorption performance of the blowing agent used in the foaming process are key factors that affect the molding performance of this material. In this work, the behavior characteristics and heat absorption of the polyurethane physical blowing agent in the foaming process were studied; this is something which has not been comprehensively studied before. This study investigated the behavior characteristics of polyurethane physical blowing agents in the same formulation system, including the efficiency, dissolution, and loss rates of the physical blowing agents during the polyurethane foaming process. The research findings indicate that both the physical blowing agent mass efficiency rate and mass dissolution rate are influenced by the vaporization and condensation process of physical blowing agent. For the same type of physical blowing agent, the amount of heat absorbed per unit mass decreases gradually as the quantity of physical blowing agent increases. The relationship between the two shows a pattern of initial rapid decrease followed by a slower decrease. Under the same physical blowing agent content, the higher the heat absorbed per unit mass of physical blowing agent, the lower the internal temperature of the foam when the foam stops expanding. The heat absorbed per unit mass of the physical blowing agents is a key factor affecting the internal temperature of the foam when it stops expanding. From the perspective of heat control of the polyurethane reaction system, the effects of physical blowing agents on the foam quality were ranked in order from good to poor as follows: HFC-245fa, HFC-365mfc, HFCO-1233zd(E), HFO-1336mzzZ, and HCFC-141b.

Changes and Trends-Efficiency of Physical Blowing Agents in Polyurethane Foam Materials.

This work developed a novel method for measuring the effective rate of a PBA (physical blowing agent) and solved the problem that the effective rate of a PBA could not be directly measured or calculated in previous studies. The results show that the effectiveness of different PBAs under the same experimental conditions varied widely, from approximately 50% to almost 90%. In this study, the overall average effective rates of the PBAs HFC-245fa, HFO-1336mzzZ, HFC-365mfc, HFCO-1233zd(E), and HCFC-141b are in descending order. In all experimental groups, the relationship between the effective rate of the PBA, rePBA, and the initial mass ratio of the PBA to other blending materials in the polyurethane rigid foam, w, demonstrated a trend of first decreasing and then gradually stabilizing or slightly increasing. This trend is caused by the interaction of PBA molecules among themselves and with other component molecules in the foamed material and the temperature of the foaming system. In general, the influence of system temperature dominated when w was less than 9.05 wt%, and the interaction of PBA molecules among themselves and with other component molecules in the foamed material dominated when w was greater than 9.05 wt%. The effective rate of the PBA is also related to the states of gasification and condensation when they reach equilibrium. The properties of the PBA itself determine the overall efficiency, while the balance between the gasification and condensation processes of the PBA further leads to a regular change in efficiency with respect to w around the overall average level.

Nomogram for Predicting Intraoperative Hemodynamic Instability in Patients With Normotensive Pheochromocytoma.

CONTEXT: Intraoperative hemodynamic instability (HI) deteriorates surgical outcomes of patients with normotensive pheochromocytoma (NP). OBJECTIVE: To characterize the hemodynamics of NP and develop and externally validate a prediction model for intraoperative HI. METHODS: Data on 117 patients with NP (derivation cohort) and 40 patients with normotensive adrenal myelolipoma (NAM) who underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy from January 2011 to November 2021 were retrospectively collected. Data on 22 patients with NP (independent validation cohort) were collected from another hospital during the same period. The hemodynamic characteristics of patients with NP and NAM were compared. Machine learning models were used to identify risk factors associated with HI. The final model was visualized via a nomogram. RESULTS: Forty-eight (41%) out of 117 patients experienced HI, which was significantly more than that for NAM. A multivariate logistic regression including age, tumor size, fasting plasma glucose, and preoperative systolic blood pressure showed good discrimination measured by area under curve (0.8286; 95% CI 0.6875-0.9696 and 0.7667; 95% CI 0.5386-0.9947) for predicting HI in internal and independent validation cohorts, respectively. The sensitivities and positive predictive values were 0.6667 and 0.7692 for the internal and 0.9167 and 0.6111 for the independent validations, respectively. The final model was visualized via a nomogram and yielded net benefits across a wide range of risk thresholds in decision curve analysis. CONCLUSION: Patients with NP experienced HI during laparoscopic adrenalectomy. The nomogram can be used for individualized prediction of intraoperative HI in patients with NP.

Enhancement of NOx adsorption performance on zeolite via a facile modification strategy.

Adsorption is a promising technology for simultaneously capturing nitrogen oxides (NOx) from flue gases and recycling NO2 as a profitable chemical, for which a robust and efficient adsorbent provides the key step for success in practical applications. This work reports the enhancement of NOx adsorption performances with less cost of desorption energy on Cu-ZSM-5 zeolites prepared by a facile and rapid (690 s) modification method, the incipient-wetness impregnation coupled with microwave drying (IM). In comparisons to H-ZSM-5, Na-ZSM-5 and conventionally liquid-phase ion-exchanged counterparts under sub-1000 ppm NOx feed concentrations and room temperature, the IM sample renders a record NOx adsorption capacity (qt,NOx) of 0.878 mmol/g from dry gas stream on zeolites, and an applicable qt,NOx of 0.1 mmol/g from wet gas stream with a proper copper loading (2.1 wt%). The temperature programmed desorption of NOx on the optimal IM sample saturated with NOx from wet gas stream exhibit primary peak temperature lower than reported Cu-ZSM-5 and significant NO2 proportion (72.6 %) in desorbed NOx. Deeper insights into advantageous NOx oxidative adsorption over the properly-loaded Cu-ZSM-5 in terms of diverse adsorbate states and competitiveness towards H2O were gained, showing IM method a promising sorbent improvement strategy for practical use.

Adsorptive removal of gas phase naphthalene on ordered mesoporous carbon.

Adsorptive removal of gas phase low concentration macromolecular organic component, represented by naphthalene, from the enclosed space using ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) has been studied by molecular simulation and experimental investigation. The simulation results indicated that both adsorption capacity and adsorption stability of the OMCs for naphthalene decreased with the increase of pore sizes from 2 nm to 8 nm. Characterizations showed that the prepared OMCs had the pore structure similar to the simulated OMCs except for the rough surface. In particular, the adsorption performance of the prepared OMCs was significantly lower than that of the simulated OMCs when pore size was 2 nm and 3 nm, which was attributed to the rough inner surface of these adsorbents, blocking the narrow pore channels and significantly reducing the pore volume. OMC with pore size of 4 nm had the highest adsorption amount for naphthalene. The co-adsorption experiments in the presence of both naphthalene and toluene, acetone or water showed the adsorption performance of OMCs for naphthalene were almost unaffected by the presence of low concentration toluene and acetone, as well as high relative humidity.

Condensation Separation of NO2 with Dimerization Reaction in the Presence of Noncondensable Gas: Critical Assessment and Model Development.

Pure nitrogen dioxide (NO2) has significant economic value and is widely used in many fields, for which condensation technology plays an important role in separation and purification. However, developing cost-effective NO2 condensers remains challenging due to the lack of precise theoretical guidelines and comprehensive understanding of NO2 condensation process. In this work, NO2 condensation at various inlet surface subcoolings, mole fractions of noncondensable gas (NCG), and Re numbers was studied with a visualization experimental system. The influential rules of each parameter on heat transfer coefficients (HTCs) and the NO2 condensate state as the coexistence of droplet, streamlet and film were revealed. A substantial underestimation of experimental data by the classical heat and mass transfer analogy (HMTA) model was quantified. The large discrepancy was found to originate from the uniqueness in heat transfer, mass transfer, and condensate state caused by NO2 dimerization during condensation. A modified HMTA model was developed considering the release heat of dimerization reaction and the promotion of mass transfer by an increased NO2 concentration gradient within the diffusion layer which contribute to improvements of HTCs by ∼6 and ∼49%, respectively. The correction of liquid film roughness regarding potential heterogeneity of dimerization was proposed as a function of the key parameters, contributing to the improvement of HTCs by ∼150%. An accurate theoretical formula for HTCs prediction within an error of ±25% was finally derived, providing the key step for success in practical applications.

SO2/NO2 Separation Driven by NO2 Dimerization on SSZ-13 Zeolite Membrane.

The molecular state is crucial for precise gas separation using a zeolite membrane, yet the state control remains a big challenge. Herein, we report a NO2 dimerization facilitated high performance SO2/NO2 separation on a SSZ-13 zeolite membrane. The NO2 dimerization is triggered by temperature and pressure to form N2O4 with big molecular size, and N2O4 diffusion into the zeolite pore is inhibited on the basis of size exclusion, leading to high separation selectivity. Consequently, SO2 rather than NO2 preferentially permeates through the SSZ-13 membrane with a high SO2 permeance of 2 × 10-7 mol m-2 s-1 Pa-1 and high SO2/NO2 separation factor of 22, ∼50-fold of that measured without dimerization. The dimerization effect for SO2/NO2 separation prevails in other small-pore zeolites such as NaA. This advanced function is revealed through membrane separation using single and mixture gases.

Fatty liver index for hyperuricemia diagnosis: a community-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Studies have demonstrated the relationship between the fatty liver index (FLI) and metabolism, while few research reported its relationship with hyperuricemia (HUA). This study aimed to predict HUA by determining the relationship between the baseline FLI and HUA events and by validating the FLI-HUA correlation through follow-up. METHODS: This study was a community-based cohort study involving 8851 adults in China. We performed anthropometric assessments and analyzed baseline and follow-up blood samples. HUA was defined as a uric acid level of > 420 µmol/L (7 mg/dL). RESULTS: Patients with HUA had a higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus, lipid metabolism disorders, and hypertension and higher FLI values than those with normal uric acid levels (P < 0.001). Serum uric acid was positively correlated with the FLI (r = 0.41, P < 0.001); the diagnostic cut-off value of FLI for the diagnosis of HUA was 27.15, with a specificity of 70.9% and sensitivity of 79.6%. FLI was an independent risk factor for HUA, with a 1.72-, 2.74-, and 4.80-fold increase in the risk of developing HUA with increasing FLI quartile levels compared with the FLI at quartile level 1 (P < 0.001). After a mean follow-up of 4 years, as the FLI values increased compared with the FLI at quartile level 1, the risk of new-onset HUA increased by 3.10-, 4.89-, and 6.97-fold (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: There is a higher incidence of metabolic abnormalities in HUA populations, and FLI is an independent factor that may contribute to HUA development. Therefore, FLI is a potential tool to predict the risk of developing HUA.

Separation of SO2 and NO2 with the Zeolite Membrane: Molecular Simulation Insights into the Advantageous NO2 Dimerization Effect.

NO2 and SO2, as valuable chemical feedstock, are worth being recycled from flue gases. The separation of NO2 and SO2 is a key process step to enable practical deployment. This work proposes SO2 separation from NO2 using chabazite zeolite (SSZ-13) membranes and provides insights into the feasibility and advantages of this process using molecular simulation. Grand canonical ensemble Monte Carlo and equilibrium molecular dynamics methods were respectively adopted to simulate the adsorption equilibria and diffusion of SO2, NO2, and N2O4 on SSZ-13 at varying Si/Al (1, 5, 11, 71, +∞), temperatures (248-348 K), and pressures (0-100 kPa). The adsorption capacity and affinity (SO2 > N2O4 > NO2) demonstrated strong competitive adsorption of SO2 based on dual-site interactions and significant reduction in NO2 adsorption due to dimerization in the ternary gas mixture. The simulated order of diffusivity (NO2 > SO2 > N2O4) on SSZ-13 demonstrated rapid transport of NO2, strong temperature dependence of SO2 diffusion, and the impermeability of SSZ-13 to N2O4. The membrane permeability of each component was simulated, rendering a SO2/NO2 membrane separation factor of 26.34 which is much higher than adsorption equilibrium (6.9) and kinetic (2.2) counterparts. The key role of NO2-N2O4 dimerization in molecular sieving of SO2 from NO2 was addressed, providing a facile membrane separation strategy at room temperature.

Dynamic Adsorption/Desorption of NOx on MFI Zeolites: Effects of Relative Humidity and Si/Al Ratio.

Adsorption is a potential technology that is expected to meet NOx ultra-low emission standards and achieve the recovery of NO2. In this study, the adsorption/desorption behavior of NOx with competitive gases (e.g., H2O(g) and CO2) was studied on MFI zeolites with different Si/Al ratios and under different relative humidity (0~90% RH). Sample characterization of self-synthesizing zeolites was conducted by means of X-ray diffraction, Ar adsorption-desorption, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that low-silica HZSM-5(35) showed the highest NOx adsorption capacity of 297.8 µmol/g (RH = 0) and 35.4 µmol/g (RH = 90%) compared to that of other adsorbents, and the efficiency loss factor of NOx adsorption capacity at 90%RH ranged from 85.3% to 88.1%. A water-resistance strategy was proposed for NOx multicomponent competitive adsorption combined with dynamic breakthrough tests and static water vapor adsorption. The presence of 14% O2 and lower adsorption temperature (25 °C) favored NOx adsorption, while higher CO2 concentrations (~10.5%) had less effect. The roll-up factor (η) was positively correlated with lower Si/Al ratios and higher H2O(g) concentrations. Unlike Silicalite-1, HZSM-5(35) exhibited an acceptable industrial desorption temperature window of NO2 (255~265 °C). This paper aims to provide a theoretical guideline for the rational selection of NOx adsorbents for practical applications.

Luteolin attenuates angiotensin II­induced renal damage in apolipoprotein E­deficient mice.

Renal damage is a common and severe condition encountered in the clinic. Luteolin (Lut) exhibits anti­inflammatory, anti­fibrotic and anti­apoptotic effects. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the pharmacological effects of Lut on angiotensin II (AngII)­induced renal damage in apolipoprotein E­deficient (ApoE­/­) mice. Male ApoE­/­ mice (age, 8 weeks) were randomly divided into the following three groups: i) Control group (n=6); ii) AngII group (n=6); and iii) AngII + Lut group (n=6). Lut was administered by gavage (100 mg/kg/d). ApoE­/­ mice were implanted with Alzet osmotic minipumps, filled with either saline vehicle or AngII solution for a maximum period of 4 weeks. After 4 weeks, metabolic characteristics were measured and the histopathological alterations in the kidney tissue were observed. The metabolic characteristics of blood creatinine (CRE) levels were lower in the AngII + Lut group compared with in the AngII group. The expression levels of collagen I and III were lower in the kidney tissues of the AngII + Lut group compared with the corresponding tissues of the AngII group. The gene expression levels of IL­1ß, IL­6, TNF­α and IL­10 were also suppressed in the kidney tissues of the AngII + Lut group compared with those in the corresponding tissues of the AngII group. Furthermore, the AngII + Lut group exhibited markedly increased LC3 protein expression and notably decreased p62 protein expression in the kidney tissues compared with the expression levels in the AngII group. The data demonstrated that Lut attenuated AngII­induced collagen deposition and inflammation, while inducing autophagy. Collectively, the results suggested that Lut treatment exhibited a exerted effect on AngII­induced renal injury in ApoE­/­ mice.

NOx removal with efficient recycling of NO2 from iron-ore sintering flue gas: A novel cyclic adsorption process.

Conventional flue gas nitrogen oxides (NOx) abatement technologies commonly convert NOx into harmless compounds, while less effort has been made to recycle NO2 as a profitable chemical in many industries. Towards this end, adsorption is a promising technology for which an advanced technique for NO2 desorption and efficient sorbent regeneration provides the key step for success in practical applications. This work reports a novel cyclic adsorption process for NOx removal with recycling of NO2 from iron-ore sintering flue gas of a steel plant. This process using self-prepared and validated pelletized Na-ZSM-5 zeolites as low-cost sorbents involves NOx catalytic adsorption and reversible desorption using multiple hot gas circulations (GC) within the enclosed fixed bed followed by scavenging and purge at mild conditions. In comparison to conventional cyclic processes, greater amount of recyclable NO2 was obtained, rendering the NOx recovery of >92% and the mean NO2 concentration of >2% significantly enriched from original 20 ppm in feed gas. A robust adsorption-desorption performance with appreciable NOx working capacity was achieved for up to 16 cycles. The key role of the segmentation of GC in boosting NOx regenerability was addressed, providing an economical three-tower strategy for continuous NO2 production for practical use.

Getting insight into the influence of coexisting airborne nanoparticles on gas adsorption performance over porous materials.

Adsorption as one of the most important air cleaning methods has been extensively applied during which the coexisting airborne nanoparticles (NPs) with sizes close to adsorbent pore sizes could inevitably influence gas adsorption processes. In this work, the influence of sub-20 nm NPs on toluene adsorption on ZSM-5 zeolites exchanged with different cations (Li+, Na+ and K+) were studied based on gas-and-particle coexisting adsorption/filtration tests. Affinities for both toluene and NPs on adsorbents follow Li-ZSM-5 > Na-ZSM-5 > K-ZSM-5 regarding the orders of charge density, pore size, and internal and external specific surface areas. The toluene adsorption was shown to be impaired by coexisting NPs from perspectives of thermodynamics and kinetics. For Li-ZSM-5, Na-ZSM-5 and K-ZSM-5, significant relative reductions of 10.4 %, 10.5 % and 16.0 % in toluene adsorption capacity at the lower feed concentration, and of 20.3 %, 15.2 % and 2.3 % in mass transfer coefficient at the higher feed concentration were observed, respectively. The influential mechanisms regarding competitiveness between toluene and NPs in interaction with cationic and porous surfaces were accordingly proposed, which are of practical significance for selecting robust adsorbents under realistic harsh air conditions.

Molecular Simulation of Naphthalene, Phenanthrene, and Pyrene Adsorption on MCM-41.

The adsorption of three typical polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), naphthalene, phenanthrene, and pyrene with different ring numbers, on a common mesoporous material (MCM-41) was simulated based on a well-validated model. The adsorption equilibriums (isotherms), states (angle distributions and density profiles), and interactions (radial distribution functions) of three PAHs within the mesopores were studied in detail. The results show that the simulated isotherms agreed with previous experimental results. Each of the PAHs with flat molecules showed an adsorption configuration that was parallel to the surface of the pore, in the following order according to the degree of arrangement: pyrene (Pyr) > phenanthrene (Phe) > naphthalene (Nap). In terms of the interaction forces, there were no hydrogen bonds or other strong polar forces between the PAHs and MCM-41, and the O⁻H bond on the adsorbent surface had a unique angle in relation to the PAH molecular plane. The polarities of different H atoms on the PAHs were roughly the same, while those of the C atoms on the PAHs decreased from the molecular centers to the edges. The increasing area of the π-electron plane on the PAHs with the increasing ring number could lead to stronger adsorption interactions, and thus a shorter distance between the adsorbate and the adsorbent.

Is complement C1q a potential marker for tumor burden and immunodeficiency in multiple myeloma?

Multiple myeloma (MM) patients are immunodeficient. Complement C1q is an important cofactor of both nonspecific and humoral immunity, and it participates in the immunomodulation of multiple tumors. Thus, this study aimed to determine the risk factors and clinical significance of C1q expression in MM patients. In total, 193 MM patients were examined. The mean value of C1q in the patient group (130.46 ± 36.17 mg/L), was lower than that in the control group (anemia and nonmalignant hematologic disease). C1q dynamically changed with different MM stages and was recovered to normal levels when the disease was in remission; however, it decreased again after disease progression. The risk factors of C1q reduction included Durie-Salmon stage and the immunoglobulin type of the disease. In conclusion, C1q appears to be a useful biomarker of tumor burden and a prognostic factor of disease relapse. C1q is a potential marker of the immunodeficiency status in MM patients.

Coenzyme Q10 protects against hyperlipidemia-induced cardiac damage in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.

BACKGROUND: Hyperlipidemia is a well-established risk factor for cardiac damage, which can lead to cardiovascular diseases. Many studies have shown that Coenzyme Q10(CoQ10) protects against cardiac damage in vivo. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible protective effects of CoQ10 against cardiac damage in apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice. METHODS: Eight-week-old male C57BL/6 and ApoE-/- mice were randomly divided into four groups: C57BL/6 mice fed a normal diet (C57BL/6 group); C57BL/6 mice fed a normal diet + CoQ10 (C57BL/6 + CoQ10 group); ApoE-/- mice fed a high-fat diet (ApoE-/- HD group), and ApoE-/- mice fed a high-fat diet + CoQ10 (ApoE-/- HD + CoQ10 group). All groups were fed the different diets for 16 weeks. Blood samples were obtained from the inferior vena cava and collected in serum tubes. The samples were then stored at - 80 °C until used. Coronal sections of heart tissues were fixed in 10% formalin and then embedded in paraffin for histological evaluation. The remainder of the heart tissues was snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen for mRNA or immunohistochemical analysis. RESULTS: The metabolic parameters such as total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c), and triglycerides (TG) levels were lower in ApoE-/-HD + CoQ10 mice than in ApoE-/- HD mice. There were significant pathophysiological changes (H&E, PAS, Masson and CD68 staining) in ApoE-/- mice in the HD group compared with those in the HD + CoQ10 group. CoQ10 reduced HD-induced cardiac tissue damage via autophagy (p62 and LC3), as evidenced by immunoblotting, immunohistochemistry, and RT-qPCR. CoQ10 also inhibited inflammation (IL-6 and TNF-α) gene expression in ApoE-/- mice. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that CoQ10 is a potential therapeutic target for cardiac damage caused by hyperlipidemia.

Thymoquinone reduces cardiac damage caused by hypercholesterolemia in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.

BACKGROUND: Hypercholesterolemia is a well-established risk factor for cardiac damage, which can lead to cardiovascular diseases. Many studies have shown that thymoquinone protected rats from doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity and cardiac damage. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible protective effects of thymoquinone against cardiac damage in apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE-/-) mice. METHODS: Eight-week-old male ApoE-/- mice were randomly divided into three groups: control group fed a normal diet (ND group), a high cholesterol diet (HD group) or HD mixed with thymoquinone (HD + TQ group). All groups were fed the different diets for 8 weeks. Blood samples were obtained from the inferior vena cava and collected in serum tubes. The samples were then stored at - 80 °C until used. Coronal sections of heart tissues were fixed in 10% formalin and then embedded in paraffin for histological evaluation. The remainder of the heart tissues was snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen for mRNA or immunohistochemical analysis. RESULTS: The metabolic characteristics of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were lower in ApoE-/-HD + TQ mice than in ApoE-/- HD mice. Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) gene and protein expression was lower in the heart tissue of ApoE-/-HD + TQ mice than in those of ApoE-/-HD mice. Furthermore, the levels of macrophages and pro-inflammatory cytokines were lower in the cardiac tissues of ApoE-/-HD + TQ mice than in those of ApoE-/-HD mice. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that thymoquinone may provide a potential therapeutic target for cardiac damage caused by hypercholesterolemia.

The Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitor Teneligliptin Reduces Aortic Damage from Hypercholesterolaemia in Apolipoprotein E-Deficient Mice.

OBJECTIVE: Hypercholesterolaemia is a well-established risk factor for blood vessel damage, which can lead to cardiovascular diseases. An abundance of clinical data show that dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors protect against aortic damage in patients with diabetes. The goal of this study was to investigate the possible protective effects of teneligliptin against aortic damage in apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE-/-) mice. METHODS: Eight-week-old male ApoE-/- mice were randomly divided into 3 groups: a control group fed a normal diet, a high-cholesterol diet (HD group), and an HD diet mixed with teneligliptin (HD + Tene group), and all the groups were fed with the different treatments for 6 weeks. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The metabolic characteristics of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein were lower in ApoE-/- HD + Tene mice than in ApoE-/- HD mice. Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) gene and protein expression were lower in the aortic tissue of ApoE-/- HD + Tene mice than in ApoE-/- HD mice. IL-6 and TNF-α gene expression were lower in ApoE-/- HD + Tene mice than in ApoE-/- HD mice. These results indicate that teneligliptin may provide a potential therapeutic target for the aortic damage from hypercholesterolaemia.