ARCHIVES OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
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2025
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IF 3
Mengying Jin,Xiao Chen,Lanzhuoying Zheng,Yuanyuan Peng,Mingying Lin,Ke Liang,Xinran Liu,Zihan Xu,Yiming Yang,Baozhu Wei,Jing Wan
Background Astaxanthin (ASX), a fat-soluble carotenoid mainly sourced from Haematococcus pluvialis, shows promise for clinical applications in chronic inflammatory diseases. This study investigates whether ASX can mitigate atherosclerosis (AS) by modulating macrophage ferroptosis and provides astaxanthin-loaded polylactic acid-glycolic acid nanoparticles (ASX-PLGA NPs) as comparison. Method ApoE−/− mice were fed a high-fat diet with ASX or statin intervention. Plaque area, lipid aggregation, collagen content, and ferroptosis-related indicators were assessed. Moreover, ASX-PLGA NPs were synthesized and characterized and were used to pretreat macrophages induced with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL). Indicators linked to ferroptosis and oxidative stress were detected. Finally, the expression of nuclear factor erythroid -related factor 2 (NRF2) was evaluated. Results ASX intervention significantly delayed the progression of AS plaques, characterized by reductions in plaque area and increased collagen fibers. The observed improvements in AS were consistent with statins. ASX-PLGA NPs demonstrate good safety and stability and have better therapeutic effects than ASX alone. Indicators linked to ferroptosis and oxidative stress were significantly improved in groups containing ASX in vivo and vitro. Additionally, ASX facilitated the nuclear translocation of NRF2, which could be attenuated with ML385, a specific inhibitor of NRF 2. Conclusion ASX-PLGA NPs have better therapeutic effects than ASX alone. The regulation of NRF2/SLC7A11/GPX4 represents a novel mechanism by which ASX can counteract ferroptosis and impede AS progression.
研究领域:
医学
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药理学
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生物化学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
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2024
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IF 7.7
Hong Yang,Liyang Ding,Bo Xu,Zhen Zhang,Wenjie Dai,Tiantian He,Ling Liu,Xing Du,Xufeng Fu
Di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) is a common plasticizer that has been shown to significantly negatively affect male reproductive health. On the other hand, Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) has been shown to improve reproductive function. Therefore, we hypothesized that LBP may ameliorate DEHP-induced male reproductive damage. Herein, we found that LBP could alleviate DEHP-induced testicular damage and sperm abnormalities. Furthermore, histomorphological analysis of mice testis revealed that LBP primarily ameliorated the DEHP-induced male reproductive damage by targeting Sertoli cells. Moreover, the detection of the function-related genes of Sertoli cells confirmed this finding. The serum of mice in the Control, DEHP, and DEHP+LBP groups was analyzed using non-targeted metabolomics to further elucidate the mechanism of action of LBP in improving DEHP-induced male reproductive damage. According to the results, the differential metabolites were mainly enriched in the glutamate metabolism pathway, implying that LBP may alleviate the ferroptosis-related DEHP-induced testicular injury. Related ferroptosis markers were also found in mice testis. These findings collectively suggest that LBP may ameliorate DEHP-induced testicular injury via alleviating ferroptosis in Sertoli cells. To clarify the specific mechanism, we constructed a cell model in vitro by treating TM4 cells (the Sertoli cell line) with LBP and MEHP (the in vivo DEHP metabolite). Our findings revealed that LBP can improve the function of DEHP-affected Sertoli cells. Furthermore, the analysis of lipid peroxidation, Fe 2+ content, and ferroptosis-related protein expressions demonstrated that LBP could ameliorate MEHP-induced ferroptosis in TM4 cells. To clarify the specific mechanism, glutamate metabolism-related proteins involved in the ferroptosis pathway were detected. According to the results, there were significant changes in the expression of NRF2, SLC7A11 and GPX4 proteins, which are involved in the ferroptosis glutamate metabolism pathway. Furthermore, supplementation of NRF2, SLC7A11, and GPX4 inhibitors (ML385, Erastin, and RSL3, respectively) blocked the therapeutic effect of LBP in alleviating MEHP-induced ferroptosis in TM4 cells, implying that LBP could also ameliorate MEHP-induced ferroptosis via the NRF2/SLC7A11/GPX4 pathway. In summary, these findings show that LBP can alleviate DEHP/MEHP-induced ferroptosis through the NRF2/SLC7A11/GPX4 pathway, ameliorating Sertoli cell dysfunction and improving the DEHP-induced male reproductive damage. Therefore, the clinical administration of LBP could be an effective strategy for preventing DEHP-induced male reproductive injury.
研究领域:
生殖生物学
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毒理学
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药理学
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细胞生物学
✓ 已验证
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
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