Pharmacological inhibition of MyD88 suppresses inflammation in tubular epithelial cells and prevents diabetic nephropathy in experimental mice.

Emerging evidence shows that chronic inflammation mediated by toll-like receptors (TLRs) contributes to diabetic nephropathy. Myeloid differentiation primary-response protein-88 (MyD88) is an essential adapter protein of all TLRs except TLR3 in innate immunity. It is unclear whether MyD88 could be a therapeutic target for diabetic nephropathy. Here, we used a new small-molecule MyD88 inhibitor, LM8, to examine the pharmacological inhibition of MyD88 in protecting kidneys from inflammatory injury in diabetes. We showed that MyD88 was significantly activated in the kidney of STZ-induced type 1 diabetic mice in tubular epithelial cells as well as in high glucose-treated rat tubular epithelial cells NRK-52E. In cultured tubular epithelial cells, we show that LM8 (2.5-10 µM) or MyD88 siRNA attenuated high-concentration glucose-induced inflammatory and fibrogenic responses through inhibition of MyD88-TLR4 interaction and downstream NF-κB activation. Treatment with LM8 (5, 10 mg/kg, i.g.) significantly reduced renal inflammation and fibrosis and preserved renal function in both type 1 and type 2 diabetic mice. These renoprotective effects were associated with reduced MyD88-TLR4 complex formation, suppressed NF-κB signaling, and prevention of inflammatory factor expression. Collectively, our results show that hyperglycemia activates MyD88 signaling cascade to induce renal inflammation, fibrosis, and dysfunction. Pharmacological inhibition of MyD88 may be a therapeutic approach to mitigate diabetic nephropathy and the inhibitor LM8 could be a potential candidate for such therapy.

Schisandrin B alleviates angiotensin II-induced cardiac inflammatory remodeling by inhibiting the recruitment of MyD88 to TLRs in mouse cardiomyocytes.

Cardiac tissue remodeling is characterized by altered heart tissue architecture and dysfunction, leading to heart failure. Sustained activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) greatly promotes the development of myocardial remodeling. Angiotensin II (Ang II), which is the major component of RAAS, can directly lead to cardiac remodeling by inducing an inflammatory response. Schisandrin B (Sch B), the active component extracted from the fruit of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill has been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory activity through its ability to target TLR4 and its adaptor protein, MyD88. In this study, we explored whether Sch B alleviates Ang II-induced myocardial inflammation and remodeling via targeting MyD88. Sch B significantly suppressed Ang II-induced inflammation as well as increased the expression of several genes of tissue remodeling (ß-Mhc, Tgfb, Anp, α-Ska) both in vivo and in vitro. These protective effects of Sch B were due to the inhibition of recruitment of MyD88 to TLR2 and TLR4, suppressing the Ang II-induced NF-κB activation and reducing the following inflammatory responses. Moreover, the knockdown of Myd88 in cardiomyocytes abrogated the Ang II-induced increases in the production of inflammatory cytokines and expression of remodeling genes. These findings provide new evidence that the mechanism of Sch B protection was attributed to selective inhibition of MyD88 signaling. This finding could pave the way for novel therapeutic strategies for myocardial inflammatory diseases.

Inhibition of STAT3 activation mediated by toll-like receptor 4 attenuates angiotensin II-induced renal fibrosis and dysfunction.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Hypertension adversely affects the kidney and is the second leading cause of kidney failure. Overproduction of angiotensin II greatly contributes to the progression of hypertensive kidney disease. Angiotensin II has recently been shown to activate STAT3 in cardiovascular cells. However, the underlying mechanisms of STAT3 activation by angiotensin II and downstream functional consequences in the kidneys are not fully understood. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: C57BL/6 mice were treated with angiotensin II by subcutaneous infusion for 1 month to develop nephropathy. Mice were treated with either adeno-associated virus expressing STAT3 shRNA or STAT3 inhibitor, S3I-201. Human archival kidney samples from five patients with hypertension and five individuals without hypertension were also examined. In vitro, STAT3 was blocked using siRNA or STAT3 inhibitor S3I-201 in the renal proximal tubular cell line, NRK52E, after exposure to angiotensin II. KEY RESULTS: Angiotensin II activated STAT3 in kidney epithelial cells through engaging toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and JAK2, which was independent of IL-6/gp130 and angiotensin AT1 receptors. Angiotensin II-mediated STAT3 activation increased fibrotic proteins and resulted in renal dysfunction. Both STAT3 inhibition by the low MW compound S3I-201 and TLR4 deficiency normalized renal fibrosis and dysfunction caused by Ang II in mice, without affecting hypertension. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Our study reveals a novel mechanism of STAT3 activation, induced by angiotensin II, in kidney tissues and highlights a translational significance of a STAT3 inhibitor as potential therapeutic agent for hypertensive kidney disease.

Schisandrin A inhibits triple negative breast cancer cells by regulating Wnt/ER stress signaling pathway.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer lacking prognostic and effective therapeutic targets currently. In this study, we evaluated the toxic potential of schisandrin A (SchA), a bioactive phytochemical found in Schisandra chinensis in TNBC. The anti-cancer effect and underlying mechanism of SchA on MDA-MB-231 and BT-549 cells were determined in vitro and in xenograft mouse model. Our data show that SchA markedly inhibited the growth of TNBC cells via induction of cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis. Moreover, over activation of Wnt signaling was observed in TNBC cells, which was significantly suppressed by the treatment of SchA. Also, SchA treatment activated ER stress in TNBC cells. Finally, we verified these inhibitory effects of SchA in the MDA-MB-231 xenograft mouse model. In conclusion, SchA effectively inhibited TNBC in preclinical models by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis via regulating Wnt/ER stress signaling pathway. All of these data indicate that SchA could be a potential candidate for the treatment of TNBC.

MD2 blockade prevents oxLDL-induced renal epithelial cell injury and protects against high-fat-diet-induced kidney dysfunction.

There is a strong epidemiological link between obesity, a growing worldwide concern, and kidney disease. Emerging evidence indicates that the pathogenic basis of obesity-related kidney disease may be attributed to Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) of the innate immune system. We hypothesized that renal epithelial cell injury in response to oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) requires myeloid differentiation factor 2 (MD2), a co-receptor of TLR4. Moreover, we also hypothesized that renal dysfunction is MD2-dependent in the high-fat diet (HFD) mouse model. Results indicated that the MD2 selective inhibitor (L6H21) abrogated the oxLDL-induced formation of MD2-TLR4 dimerization in the renal proximal tubular epithelial cell line NRK-52E. Further, MD2 blockade in NRK-52E cells using siRNA target sequences or L6H21 prevented oxLDL-induced cell injury as indicated by expression of profibrotic molecules, autophagic activity and apoptosis. Similarly, TLR4 knockdown in NRK-52E cells using siRNA target sequences prevented oxLDL-induced cell injury. In the HFD mouse model, MD2 knockout protected against development of kidney dysfunction and renal tissue injury, corroborating the observations observed in NRK-52E cells. Thus, the oxLDL-induced renal tubular epithelial cell profibrotic responses, autophagy and apoptosis were dependent on MD2, as were the renal dysfunction and tissue impairment in HFD mice. These are new findings indicating that the MD2-TLR4 immune signaling complex is a critical pathogenic factor in the development of kidney disease related to obesity or metabolic syndrome.