ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of urantide in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerotic nephropathy by antagonizing the urotensin II/urotensin receptor (UII/UT) system and regulating JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. METHODS: Atherosclerosis (AS) rats were treated with urantide at a concentration of 30 µg/kg for 3, 7, 14 days. RESULTS: An excessive expression of UII and its receptor G protein-coupled receptor 14 (GPR14) was seen in AS rat kidneys and the expression was significantly reduced after urantide administration. Either body weight, renal functions of urea nitrogen, urine proteins and anion gaps or expression of kidney injury-related genes Agtr1α, Nox4, Cyba and Ncf1 were improved after AS rats were treated with urantide. After antagonizing the UII/GPR14 system by using urantide, the expression of genes and proteins in the JAK2/STAT3 and ERK pathways was decreased, and the nuclear protein p-STAT3 and p-ERK were obviously decreased. p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 were decreased in the urantide group in a time-dependent manner. The UII/GPR14 system and JAK2/STAT3 signals were localized in tubules and then glomeruli to affect renal reabsorption and filtration. CONCLUSION: Urantide can effectively block the UII/GPR14 system by regulating the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway to prevent and treat atherosclerosis-related kidney injury. At this stage, effective inhibition of inflammatory signaling pathways is of great significance in the treatment of atherosclerosis.
Subject(s)
Atherosclerosis/metabolism , Janus Kinase 2/metabolism , Kidney Diseases/drug therapy , Peptide Fragments/therapeutic use , Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/antagonists & inhibitors , Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/metabolism , STAT3 Transcription Factor/metabolism , Urotensins/therapeutic use , Animals , Atherosclerosis/drug therapy , Gene Expression Regulation/drug effects , Kidney/metabolism , MAP Kinase Signaling System , Male , Peptide Fragments/metabolism , Rats , Rats, Wistar , Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/genetics , Urotensins/genetics , Urotensins/metabolismABSTRACT
The aim of the present study was to provide reliable experimental evidence for the application of autologous skin fibroblasts (asFbs) in the repair of depressed scars. In the experiments, depressed trauma was induced in male Wistar rats, and fibroblasts were separated from the removed skin tissues to culture in medium. In vitro cultured asFbs were injected into the depressed scar sites of rats, and the repair function of asFbs in the depressed scars was then examined at the cellular and whole-animal levels. The expression levels of type I and type III collagen in the dermal layer of the skin injected with asFb cells were significantly higher, as compared with those of the control, and type I collagen expression was significantly higher compared with Type III. Re-injection of asFbs into the dermal layer of depressed scars can markedly improve their repair. These results may prove useful for skin repair in clinical settings.
ABSTRACT
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of urantide on the expression status of C-reactive protein (CRP) and the inflammatory cytokines monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß in the aortas of rats with atherosclerosis (AS), and to identify its underlying mechanisms. The effects of urantide in a rat model of AS and in cultured rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) were analyzed via hematoxylin and eosin staining, immunohistochemical staining and ELISA. The results in vivo demonstrated that urantide downregulated the expression of inflammatory mediators CRP and MCP-1 and upregulated the expression of TGF-ß. The results in vitro indicated that urantide inhibited the proliferation of VSMCs. In addition, urantide reduced the expression of CRP and downregulated the secretion of TGF-ß in the culture supernatant. In conclusion, urantide ameliorated the arterial inflammatory damage that was observed in the AS rat model at the cell and tissue levels by controlling the expression of CRP and the inflammatory cytokines MCP-1 and TGF-ß. Therefore, urantide may be a potential agent for the complementary treatment of AS.
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to explore the use of urantide as an antagonist of the urotensin II (UII) receptor, G protein-coupled receptor 14 (GPR14), to protect against atherosclerosis (AS) in rats. The AS rat model was induced by an intraperitoneal injection of vitamin D3 (VD3) into rats fed with a high-fat diet for four weeks. Urantide was then injected into the rats. Immunohistochemical staining, serum biochemical assay, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blotting were used to investigate the expression of UII and its receptor GPR14 in the AS rat model. Four weeks after induction, pathological changes typical of AS were observed in the AS rat model. In the plaques of the aortic tunica intima and tunica media, expression of UII and GPR14 was observed. The protein and gene expression levels of UII and GPR14 in the model group were significantly increased compared with those in the normal group (P<0.01). Urantide ameliorated the pathological changes of AS in the rat model and reduced the gene and protein expression levels of UII and GPR14 (P<0.05 or P<0.01). UII is associated with AS and the UII receptor GPR14-specific antagonist, urantide, demonstrates the ability to protect against AS. Thus, this study provides new insight and experimental theories for the clinical application of urantide to treat AS.
