南方医科大学学报 ›› 2021, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (2): 200-209.doi: 10.12122/j.issn.1673-4254.2021.02.06

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富心方通过调控c-Fos-NR4A1-p38通路改善人动脉血管内皮细胞缺氧引起的损伤

徐 俊, 史嘉炜, 蔡欣玲, 黄盛娜, 李 刚, 徐 燕   

  • 发布日期:2021-02-05

Fuxinfang improves hypoxia-induced injury of human aortic endothelial cells by regulating c-Fos-NR4A1-p38 pathway

  • Published:2021-02-05

摘要:

目的 探讨富心方改善动脉内皮细胞损伤的分子机制。方法 将13只雄性SPF级SD大鼠随机分为含药血清组(8只)与普通血清组(5只),通过灌药物、生理盐水分别制备血清。通过预实验采用体外培养的HAECs,分为21% O2常氧培养细胞,2% O2的缺氧培养细胞,两部分细胞都分别给予普通大鼠血清与低、高浓度富心方含药血清(1%,10%);确定RNA高通量测序检测比较21% O2培养对照组(普通血清10%)、2% O2的缺氧模型组(普通血清10%)、2% O2的缺氧模型组加载富心方含药血清(1%和10%)给药组之间的差异基因(DEGs),并从中筛选出本研究的目标基因:既因缺氧发生表达变化,且这些DEG又因富心方作用发生表达变化,同时也是动脉血管内皮细胞损伤相关基因。再结合AmiGO和String数据库筛选推测这些目标基因的相互关系,然后通过ELISA方法和Western blot法验证这些最终筛选出的目标因子在不同细胞模型中的蛋白表达水平和RNA高通量测序基因筛选结果的一致性。结果 预实验结果显示,21% O2培养对照组,2% O2的缺氧模型组(两组各加入普通血清1%,10%),不因为不同血清浓度的加入影响细胞的形态和缺氧细胞模型验证因子(eNOS、ACE、ACE2、AGT、IL17、IL18)的表达差异。高通量测序结果显示,缺氧条件下的HAECs中共有7134个基因的表达和正常对照组细胞中的基因表达相比发生了显著变化(上调基因4205个,下调基因2929个),而在富心方作用后的缺氧HAEC中共有762个DEGs(上升305个,下调457个)的变化水平比缺氧模型组细胞中的相同基因变化有显著不同(P<0.05)。最终根据在高通量变化中变化显著,从中选择了与抑制动脉粥样硬化和动脉血管内皮细胞损伤有关的基因,并结合AmiGO和String数据库通过Cytoscape软件构建蛋白质之间相互作用网络确认以下3个基因:原癌基因(c-Fos)、孤儿核受体(NR4A1)和p38丝裂原活化蛋白激酶(p38MAPK),既在缺氧条件下相对表达升高,又在富心方加入后相对表达降低,故选择作为本研究的研究靶点基因。ELISA与Western blot结果显示,与21% O2常氧处理的对照组HAEC细胞相比,缺氧模型组c-Fos、NR4A1、p38MAPK的水平在缺氧条件下升高(P<0.05);与缺氧模型组比较,富心方含药血清处理后的细胞HAEC中的c-Fos、NR4A1、p-p38MAPK的蛋白表达水平明显下降,并且是富心方浓度依赖性的(P<0.05)。结论 缺氧可导致动脉血管内皮细胞损伤有关的基因的表达水平发生变化,但是富心方含药血清可以浓度依赖性的逆转这些基因的表达,推测富心方通过下调缺氧条件下HEAC细胞中c-Fos基因的表达从而抑制NR4A1基因,并降低由于缺氧升高的p38的磷酸化起到改善动脉血管内皮细胞损伤引起的动脉粥样硬化的作用,该机制还需要进一步通过in vivo 和in vitro的实验加以求证。

关键词:

Abstract:

Objective To explore the molecular mechanism of Fuxinfang for improving injury of human aortic endothelial progenitor cells (HAECs). Methods Serum samples were collected from male SD rats treated with Fuxinfang (n=8) or saline (n=5). HAECs cultured in normoxia or hypoxic condition (2% O2) were treated with serum from normal rats or with diluted serum (1% and 10% ) from rats treated with Fuxinfang. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between Fuxinfang-treated and control cells were detected using high-throughput sequencing to screen the target DEGs that participated in arterial endothelial cell injury and underwent changes in response to both hypoxia and Fuxinfang treatment. AmiGo and String databases were used to infer the interactions among the target genes, and the expressions of the genes were analyzed in HAECs with different treatments using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blotting. Results HAECs cultured in hypoxia did not show obvious changes in cell morphology or expressions of hypoxia-related factors in response to treatment with 1% or 10% serum from Fuxinfang-treated rats. The results of high- throughput sequencing showed a total of 7134 DEGs (4205 up- regulated and 2929 down- regulated genes) in HAECs in hypoxia model group and 762 DEGs (305 up-regulated and 457 down-regulated genes) in Fuxinfang-treated HAECs. Analysis of AmiGo and String databases and the constructed protein- protein interaction network identified c-Fos, NR4A1, and p38MAPK as the target genes. The results of ELISA and Western blotting showed that the expressions of c-Fos, NR4A1, p38MAPK and p-p38MAPK increased significantly in cells with hypoxic exposure (P<0.05); treatment with the serum containing Fuxinfang significantly reduced the expression levels of c-Fos, NR4A1 and p-p38MAPK in hypoxic HAECs in a concentration-dependent manner (P<0.05). Conclusions The serum from Fuxinfang-treated rats can concentration-dependently inhibit the expressions of the DEGs occurring in hypoxia. Fuxinfang improves hypoxic injuries of HAECs possibly by down-regulating the expression of c-Fos to inhibit NR4A1 expression and suppressing hypoxia-induced p38 phosphorylation.

Key words:

human aortic endothelial progenitor cells