ABSTRACT
ObjectiveOn the basis of determining the protective effect of berberine （BBR） on cerebral ischemia， crucial transcription factors （TFs） of BBR against cerebral ischemia was identified by using transcriptome and proteome sequencing. MethodThe model of middle cerebral artery occlusion （MCAO） was established by thread embolization. The sham operation group， model group， low-dose group of BBR （dose of 37.5 mg·kg-1·d-1） and high-dose group of BBR （75 mg·kg-1·d-1） were set up. The rats were killed after continuous intragastric administration for 7 days. The pharmacodynamics was evaluated by Longa score and cerebral infarction rate， and the expressions of inflammatory cytokines， such as interleukin （IL）-1β， tumor necrosis factor （TNF）-α and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 （MCP-1） were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Then， RNA-Seq technique was used to detect the differentially expressed genes （DEGs） before and after BBR intervention， and DAVID 6.8 was used for enrichment analysis of DEGs. CatTFREs technique was used to detect differential TFs before and after BBR intervention， and DAVID 6.8 and STRING 11.0 were used for enrichment analysis and TFs association analysis. Finally， by integrating the activity of TFs and the changes of downstream target genes， crucial TFs were identified and the related regulatory network was constructed by Cytoscape 3.7.1. ResultCompared with the sham operation group， the neurological impairment was significant in the model group （P<0.01）， and compared with the model group， the low and high dose BBR groups could significantly reduce the neurological function damage （P<0.01） and decrease the rate of cerebral infarction （P<0.01）. Transcriptome data analysis showed that BBR was involved in the recovery process after cerebral ischemia mainly by affecting cell adhesion， brain development， neuron migration， calcium signaling pathway， cyclic adenosine monophosphate （cAMP） signaling pathway， inflammatory response and other related functions and signaling pathways. Proteomic data analysis showed that the differentially expressed TFs after BBR intervention interfered with cerebral ischemia mainly by regulating cell differentiation， immune system process， cell proliferation and other biological processes. In addition， integration analysis of TFs and DEGs revealed that transcription factor CP2-like 1 （TFCP2L1）， nuclear factor erythroid-2 like 1 （NFE2L1）， neurogenic differentiation protein 6 （NeuroD6） and POU domain， class 2， transcription factor 1 （POU2F1） were crucial TFs against cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury mediated by BBR. ConclusionBBR has obvious protective effect on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury and its crucial TFs include TFCP2L1， NFE2L1， NeuroD6 and POU2F1.
ABSTRACT
Objective::Based on the protective effect of Guhong injection (GH) on cerebral ischemia, mechanism of GH against cerebral ischemia was identified using RNA-seq transcriptome and bioinformation analysis. Method::The model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was established through thread embolization. Sham group, model group, low-dose GH group (0.625 mL·kg-1·d-1), high-dose GH group (2.5 mL·kg-1·d-1), positive group (Ginaton, 8 mL·kg-1·d-1) were set up. Ludmila Belayev 12-point scoring method was applied to assess the protective effect of GH against MCAO-induced cerebral ischemia. And the differentially expressed genes after treatment with GH were identified by RNA-Seq technology. Enrichment analysis, cluster analysis and association analysis on disease targets of cerebral ischemia were carried out through such databases as DAVID, String and The Human Phenotype Ontology. Finally, the regulatory network was constructed by Cytoscape3.4.0. Result::Compared with the sham group, the neurological impairment was obvious in the model group (P<0.01), and the neurological impairment was alleviated in the GH group compared with the model group (P<0.05). RNA-Seq technology analysis showed that GH regulated genes involving such biological processes as cell apoptosis, inflammation, oxidative stress, toll-like signaling pathway and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Twenty disease targets and 64 MAPK signaling pathway genes were associated with differentially expressed genes after GH treatment, in which 23 genes were involved in apoptosis and inflammation. Conclusion::GH protected against cerebral ischemia in many ways, among which MAPK signaling pathway is an important way to exert its effect in inhibiting apoptosis and inflammation.