miR-30-5p-mediated ferroptosis of trophoblasts is implicated in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia
REDOX BIOLOGY
Authors: Zhang, Heng; He, Yue; Wang, Jian-xia; Chen, Ming-hua; Xu, Jian-juan; Jiang, Min-hui; Feng, Ya-ling; Gu, Yan-fang
Abstract
Oxidative stress is a major cause of adverse outcomes in preeclampsia (PE). Ferroptosis, i.e. programmed cell death from iron-dependent lipid peroxidation, likely mediates PE pathogenesis. We evaluated specific markers for ferroptosis in normal and PE placental tissues, using in vitro (trophoblasts) and in vivo (rat) models. Increase in malondialdehyde content and total Fe2+ along with reduced the glutathione content and glutathione peroxidase activity was observed in PE placenta. While the trophoblasts experienced death under hypoxia, inhibitors of ferroptosis, apoptosis, autophagy, and necrosis increased the cell viability. Microarrays, bioinformatic analysis, and luciferase reporter assay revealed that upregulation of miR-30b-5p in PE models plays a pivotal role in ferroptosis, by downregulating Cys2/glutamate antiporter and PAX3 and decreasing ferroportin 1 (an iron exporter) expression, resulting in decreased GSH and increased labile Fe2+. Inhibition of miR-30b-5p expression and supplementation with ferroptosis inhibitors attenuated the PE symptoms in rat models, making miR-30b-5p a potential therapeutic target for PE.
Novel mouse model for evaluating in vivo efficacy of xCT inhibitor
JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Authors: Yoshioka, Ryosuke; Fujieda, Yusuke; Suzuki, Yamato; Kanno, Osamu; Nagahira, Asako; Honda, Tomohiro; Murakawa, Masao; Yukiura, Hiroshi
Abstract
xCT, a well-known cystine transporter, is reported to be involved in the proliferation of various cells, such as cancer cells, immune cells, and fibroblasts. xCT inhibitor is expected to be a promising drug for cancer or immune diseases. However, there are little studies reporting that xCT inhibitors improve disease progression in vivo. To invent potent xCT inhibitors in vivo, we established a new in vivo model for assessing efficacy of xCT inhibition. DL-propargylglycine (PPG) was administered intraperitoneally to wild- type C57BL/6J mice. Concentration of cystathionine, another substrate of xCT, in the thymus and spleen was measured by LC-MS/MS. PPG increased cystathionine amounts in the thymus and spleen in a dose- and time-dependent manner. At 7 h after PPG administration, the efficacy of erastin, a representative xCT inhibitor, was clearly shown. We synthesized a new compound, Compound A, which had much higher inhibitory effect on xCT than erastin both in vitro and in vivo. We established a mouse model of PPG-induced cystathionine accumulation for assessing xCT inhibition in vivo. By using this model, we discovered that Compound A was approximately 15 times more effective in vivo than erastin. (C) 2019 The Authors. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Japanese Pharmacological Society.