Liver fibrosis is a reversible pathological process caused by chronic liver damage and a major risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation is considered the main target for liver fibrosis therapy. However, the efficiency of this strategy is limited due to the complex microenvironment of liver fibrosis, including excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and hypoxia-induced imbalanced ECM metabolism. Herein, nilotinib (NIL)-loaded hyaluronic acid (HA)-coated Ag@Pt nanotriangular nanozymes (APNH NTs) were developed to inhibit HSCs activation and remodel the microenvironment of liver fibrosis. APNH NTs efficiently eliminated intrahepatic reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to their inherent superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities, thereby downregulating the expression of NADPH oxidase-4 (NOX-4) and inhibiting HSCs activation. Simultaneously, the oxygen produced by the APNH NTs further alleviated the hypoxic microenvironment. Importantly, the released NIL promoted collagen depletion by suppressing the expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), thus synergistically remodeling the microenvironment of liver fibrosis. Notably, an in vivo study in CCl4-induced mice revealed that APNH NTs exhibited significant antifibrogenic effects without obvious long-term toxicity. Taken together, the data from this work suggest that treatment with the synthesized APNH NTs provides an enlightening strategy for remodeling the microenvironment of liver fibrosis with boosted antifibrogenic activity.

• Klíčová slova
• Collagen, ECM, HSCs, Hypoxia, Liver fibrosis, Microenvironment remodeling, Nanozyme, Nilotinib,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

The presence of key hypoxia regulators, namely, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α or HIF-2α, in tumors is associated with poor patient prognosis. Hypoxia massively activates several genes, including the one encoding the BCRP transporter that proffers multidrug resistance to cancer cells through the xenobiotic efflux and is a determinant of the side population (SP) associated with cancer stem-like phenotypes. As natural medicine comes to the fore, it is instinctive to look for natural agents possessing powerful features against cancer resistance. Hypericin, a pleiotropic agent found in Hypericum plants, is a good example as it is a BCRP substrate and potential inhibitor, and an SP and HIF modulator. Here, we showed that hypericin efficiently accumulated in hypoxic cancer cells, degraded HIF-1/2α, and decreased BCRP efflux together with hypoxia, thus diminishing the SP population. On the contrary, this seemingly favorable result was accompanied by the stimulated migration of this minor population that preserved the SP phenotype. Because hypoxia unexpectedly decreased the BCRP level and SP fraction, we compared the SP and non-SP proteomes and their changes under hypoxia in the A549 cell line. We identified differences among protein groups connected to the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, although major changes were related to hypoxia, as the upregulation of many proteins, including serpin E1, PLOD2 and LOXL2, that ultimately contribute to the initiation of the metastatic cascade was detected. Altogether, this study helps in clarifying the innate and hypoxia-triggered resistance of cancer cells and highlights the ambivalent role of natural agents in the biology of these cells.

• Klíčová slova
• Breast cancer resistance protein, ECM reorganization, Hypericin, Hypoxia, Proteomics, Side population,
• MeSH
• ABC transportér z rodiny G, člen 2 genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• faktor 1 indukovatelný hypoxií - podjednotka alfa metabolismus   MeSH
• hypoxie buňky MeSH
• hypoxie MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• nádorové buněčné linie MeSH
• nádorové proteiny genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• nádory * metabolismus   MeSH
• regulace genové exprese u nádorů MeSH
• transkripční faktory bHLH genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• vedlejší populace buněk * patologie   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• ABC transportér z rodiny G, člen 2 MeSH
• faktor 1 indukovatelný hypoxií - podjednotka alfa MeSH
• hypericin MeSH Prohlížeč
• nádorové proteiny MeSH
• transkripční faktory bHLH MeSH

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies show that maternal diabetes predisposes offspring to cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. However, the precise mechanisms for the underlying penetrance and disease predisposition remain poorly understood. We examined whether hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha, in combination with exposure to a diabetic intrauterine environment, influences the function and molecular structure of the adult offspring heart. METHODS AND RESULTS: In a mouse model, we demonstrated that haploinsufficient (Hif1a+/-) offspring from a diabetic pregnancy developed left ventricle dysfunction at 12 weeks of age, as manifested by decreased fractional shortening and structural remodeling of the myocardium. Transcriptional profiling by RNA-seq revealed significant transcriptome changes in the left ventricle of diabetes-exposed Hif1a+/- offspring associated with development, metabolism, apoptosis, and blood vessel physiology. In contrast, both wild type and Hif1a+/- offspring from diabetic pregnancies showed changes in immune system processes and inflammatory responses. Immunohistochemical analyses demonstrated that the combination of haploinsufficiency of Hif1a and exposure to maternal diabetes resulted in impaired macrophage infiltration, increased levels of advanced glycation end products, and changes in vascular homeostasis in the adult offspring heart. CONCLUSIONS: Together our findings provide evidence that a global reduction in Hif1a gene dosage increases predisposition of the offspring exposed to maternal diabetes to cardiac dysfunction, and also underscore Hif1a as a critical factor in the fetal programming of adult cardiovascular disease.

• Klíčová slova
• Echocardiography, Fetal programming, Heart remodelling, Hif1a haploinsufficiency, Maternal diabetes,
• MeSH
• experimentální diabetes mellitus komplikace   metabolismus   patologie   MeSH
• faktor 1 indukovatelný hypoxií - podjednotka alfa genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• funkce levé komory srdeční MeSH
• gestační diabetes * metabolismus   patologie   MeSH
• haploinsuficience MeSH
• interakce genů a prostředí MeSH
• kardiovaskulární nemoci genetika   metabolismus   patologie   patofyziologie   MeSH
• mutace * MeSH
• myokard metabolismus   patologie   MeSH
• myši knockoutované MeSH
• remodelace komor MeSH
• rizikové faktory MeSH
• těhotenství MeSH
• vývojová regulace genové exprese MeSH
• zpožděný efekt prenatální expozice * MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• těhotenství MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• faktor 1 indukovatelný hypoxií - podjednotka alfa MeSH
• Hif1a protein, mouse MeSH Prohlížeč

Cardiac cell formation, cardiomyogenesis, is critically dependent on oxygen availability. It is known that hypoxia, a reduced oxygen level, modulates the in vitro differentiation of pluripotent cells into cardiomyocytes via hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1α)-dependent mechanisms. However, the direct impact of HIF-1α deficiency on the formation and maturation of cardiac-like cells derived from mouse embryonic stem cells (mESC) in vitro remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we demonstrated that HIF-1α deficiency significantly altered the quality and quantity of mESC-derived cardiomyocytes. It was accompanied with lower mRNA and protein levels of cardiac cell specific markers (myosin heavy chains 6 and 7) and with a decreasing percentage of myosin heavy chain α and β, and cardiac troponin T-positive cells. As to structural aspects of the differentiated cardiomyocytes, the localization of contractile proteins (cardiac troponin T, myosin heavy chain α and β) and the organization of myofibrils were also different. Simultaneously, HIF-1α deficiency was associated with a lower percentage of beating embryoid bodies. Interestingly, an observed alteration in the in vitro differentiation scheme of HIF-1α deficient cells was accompanied with significantly lower expression of the endodermal marker (hepatic nuclear factor 4 alpha). These findings thus suggest that HIF-1α deficiency attenuates spontaneous cardiomyogenesis through the negative regulation of endoderm development in mESC differentiating in vitro.

• MeSH
• aktinin metabolismus   MeSH
• buněčná diferenciace MeSH
• faktor 1 indukovatelný hypoxií - podjednotka alfa genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• genový knockout MeSH
• hypoxie buňky MeSH
• kardiomyocyty cytologie   metabolismus   MeSH
• kyslík chemie   MeSH
• lehké řetězce myosinu metabolismus   MeSH
• myší embryonální kmenové buňky cytologie   metabolismus   MeSH
• myši MeSH
• regenerace MeSH
• srdce embryologie   MeSH
• stanovení celkové genové exprese MeSH
• těžké řetězce myosinu metabolismus   MeSH
• troponin T metabolismus   MeSH
• vývoj svalů * MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• myši MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• aktinin MeSH
• faktor 1 indukovatelný hypoxií - podjednotka alfa MeSH
• Hif1a protein, mouse MeSH Prohlížeč
• kyslík MeSH
• lehké řetězce myosinu MeSH
• Mlc2a protein, mouse MeSH Prohlížeč
• těžké řetězce myosinu MeSH
• troponin T MeSH