Vitamin D status influences cytokine production and MALAT1 expression from the PBMCs of patients with coronary artery disease and healthy controls

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the long non-coding RNA metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (lncRNA MALAT1) expression and its role in cytokine production from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and non-CAD participants (NCAD). METHODS: Blood samples were taken from 15 patients with CAD and 15 NCAD individuals. The plasma was used for biochemical analyses. MALAT1 and CD36 expressions were evaluated in the isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) by real-time PCR. Furthermore, the levels of inflammatory cytokines e.g. interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, and IL-22 were measured in the supernatants of the cultured PBMCs by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The levels of MALAT1 and CD36 were not significantly different between the CAD and NCAD groups. However, a lower level of MALAT1 and CD36 was observed in PBMCs of vitamin D deficient (<15 ng/ml) CAD and NCAD participants. Furthermore, the vitamin D deficient (<15 ng/ml) group showed a significantly higher plasma level of IL-6, IL-10, and IL-22 compared to the non-deficient (≥15 ng/ml) group. In addition, significant positive correlations were found between CD36, IL-22, and fasting blood sugar (FBS) with MALAT1. CONCLUSION: Given that in vitamin D deficient individuals a decreased level of MALAT1 was associated with CD36 expression and increased IL-22 production, vitamin D supplementation may play a role in reducing MALAT1/CD36/IL-22 mediated complications such as T2DM and CAD, especially in vitamin D deficiency.

RESUMO OBJETIVO: O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a expressão do RNA longo não codificante lncRNA MALAT1 e o seu papel na produção de citocinas a partir de células mononucleares do sangue periférico (PBMCs) em pacientes com doença arterial coronariana (DAC) e participantes sem DAC (NDAC). MÉTODOS: Amostras de sangue foram coletadas de 15 pacientes com DAC e 15 indivíduos NCAD. O plasma foi usado para análises bioquímicas. As expressões de MALAT1 e CD36 foram avaliadas nas células mononucleares do sangue periférico (PBMCs) isoladas por PCR em tempo real. Além disso, os níveis de citocinas inflamatórias, como a interleucina (IL)-6, IL-10 e IL-22 foram medidas no sobrenadante da cultura de PBMCs por citometria de fluxo. RESULTADOS: Os níveis de MALAT1 e CD36 não foram significativamente diferentes entre os grupos DAC e NDAC. No entanto, um nível inferior de MALAT1 e CD36 foi observado nas PBMCs de participantes com deficiência de vitamina D (< 15 ng/ml) tanto no grupo DAC quanto no NDAC. Além disso, o grupo com deficiência de vitamina D (< 15 ng/ml) apresentou um nível plasmático significativamente maior de IL-6, IL-10 e IL-22 em comparação com o grupo sem a deficiência (≥15 ng/ml). Além disso, foram encontradas correlações positivas significativas entre CD36, IL-22, e glicemia de jejum (GJ) e o MALAT1. CONCLUSÃO: Dado que em indivíduos com deficiência de vitamina D a diminuição do nível de MALAT1 foi associada com a expressão de CD36 e produção aumentada de IL-22, a suplementação de vitamina D pode ter um papel importante na redução de complicações mediadas por MALAT1/CD36/IL-22, tais como DMT2 e DAC, especialmente em casos de deficiência de vitamina D.

Plasma CD36 and Incident Diabetes: A Case-Cohort Study in Danish Men and Women

BACKGROUND: Membrane CD36 is a fatty acid transporter implicated in the pathogenesis of metabolic disease. We aimed to evaluate the association between plasma CD36 levels and diabetes risk and to examine if the association was independent of adiposity among Danish population.METHODS: We conducted a case-cohort study nested within the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health study among participants free of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer and with blood samples and anthropometric measurements (height, weight, waist circumference, and body fat percentage) at baseline (1993 to 1997). CD36 levels were measured in 647 incident diabetes cases that occurred before December 2011 and a total of 3,515 case-cohort participants (236 cases overlap).RESULTS: Higher plasma CD36 levels were associated with higher diabetes risk after adjusting for age, sex and other lifestyle factors. The hazard ratio (HR) comparing high versus low tertile of plasma CD36 levels was 1.36 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00 to 1.86). However, the association lost its significance after further adjustment for different adiposity indices such as body mass index (HR, 1.23; 95% CI, 0.87 to 1.73), waist circumference (HR, 1.21; 95% CI, 0.88 to 1.68) or body fat percentage (HR, 1.20; 95% CI, 0.86 to 1.66). Moreover, raised plasma CD36 levels were moderately associated with diabetes risk among lean participants, but the association was not present among overweight/obese individuals.CONCLUSION: Higher plasma CD36 levels were associated with higher diabetes risk, but the association was not independent of adiposity. In this Danish population, the association of CD36 with diabetes risk could be either mediated or confounded by adiposity.

Reno-protective effects of atorvastatin independent of blood cholesterol lowering / 第二军医大学学报

Objective: To investigate whether atorvastatin can prevent renal injury in mice independent of the lipid-lowering effects. Methods: CD36-/- SR-A-/- ApoE-/- mice were randomly assigned to a high fat diet (high fat group) and high fat diet plus atorvastatin (atorvastatin) group; male C57BL mice with a chow diet served as controls. Terminal blood samples were taken for plasma cholesterol assay 14 weeks later. Renal sections were used for histological and immunohistochemistry assessments. The lipid accumulation in the kidney was evaluated by Oil Red O (ORO) staining. The mRNA expression of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), collagen I and IV, fibronectin, and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were analyzed by real-time PCR. Results: Blood total cholesterol levels (LDL-cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol) were not nd high fat group. Meanwhile, ORO staining showed that atorvastatin significantly different between atorvastatin group a decreased lipid accumulation in the kidney; Masson and H-E staining demonstrated that atorvastatin therapy attenuated massive structural changes, including mesangial proliferation, interstitial matrix deposition, accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins, tubular-interstitial inflammatory cell infiltration, and renal deformations with glomerulosclerosis/tubulointerstitial fibrosis in the high fat group. Moreover, atorvastatin therapy not only decreased TGF-β expression at mRNA and protein levels, but also decreased the expression of factors related to fibrosis. Conclusion: Atorvastatin can protect the kidney independent of the lipid-lowering effects and SR-A, CD36 receptor pathways, and it might be related to decrease of TGF-beta expression.