UNC93B1 Mediates the Effects of cGAS-STING on ER Stress and Iron Death, and Reduces Renal Toxicity in Cadmium-Exposed Rats.

BACKGROUND: Long-term exposure to cadmium can induce renal toxicity in rats, leading to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and iron death. Notably, in cadmium-exposed rats, there is an increased expression of UNC93B1 (unc-93 homolog B1). Consequently, our investigation aims to determine the impact of UNC93B1 on ER stress and iron death in cadmium-exposed rats by modulating the cGAS-STING (cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of interferon genes) pathway. METHODS: A cadmium-exposed rat model was established by intrabacally injecting chromium chloride (5 mg/kg, once a day for 4 weeks), and the levels of UCd (urine cadmium), UNAG (urine N-acetyl-ß-D-glucosaminidase), and UCr (urine creatinine) in urine were assessed. A silent UNC93B1 lentivirus was constructed, and STING agonists were procured and administered to the rats. Subsequently, kidney tissues were extracted post-mortem, and pathological changes in renal tissue were observed through hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. The expression and mRNA levels of UNC93B1, cGAS, and STING were examined using western blot (WB) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Autophagy proteins (light chain 3 (LC3), Beclin-1, p62) were also assessed by WB. Additionally, iron concentration was determined using a kit, while oxidative stress markers (cytochrome oxidase subunit 2 (COX2), glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH)) were measured through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Furthermore, endoplasmic reticulum stress proteins (protein kinase RNA-like ER kinase (PERK), CCAAT enhance-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP), activating transcription factor-4 (ATF4)) were analyzed by WB. RESULTS: Wstaining, WB, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), ELISA, and HE staining collectively revealed a heightened expression of UNC93B1, cGAS, and STING, accompanied by increased levels of autophagy, oxidative stress, and ER stress in cadmium-exposed rats (p < 0.05). Nephrotoxicity exhibited a reduction following the inhibition of UNC93B1, leading to decreased levels of oxidative stress, autophagy, and ER stress (p < 0.05). Notably, this observed phenomenon was reversed upon the addition of STING agonists, suggesting that UNC93B1 might exert a nephroprotective effect in cadmium-exposed rats through modulation of the cGAS-STING pathway. CONCLUSIONS: The inhibition of UNC93B1 mitigates nephrotoxicity in cadmium-exposed rats, and this protective effect is mechanistically linked to the cGAS-STING pathway.

[Effect of ventricle injection of Nogo-A antibody on neuronal regeneration following hypoxic-ischemic brain damage in the neonatal rat].

OBJECTIVE: Nogo-A antibody IN-1 can neutralize Nogo-A, a neurite growth inhibitory protein, promoting axonal regeneration following lesions of the central nervous system (CNS) in adult rats. This study aimed to examine the effect of ventricle injection of Nogo-A antibody on neuronal regeneration in neonatal rats following hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD). METHODS: A model of neonatal HIBD was prepared by the ligation of the left common carotid artery, followed by 8% hypoxia exposure. Forty HIBD rats were randomly given a ventricle injection of 10 microL Nogo-A antibody IN-1 (IN-1 group) or 10 microL artificial cerebrospinal fluid (artificial CSF group) (n=20 each). Another 20 neonatal rats were sham-operated, without hypoxia-ischemia, and were used as the controls. The levels of Nogo-A and GAP-43 protein in the brain were measured by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The number of immunohistory positive cells of Nogo-A in the brain in the IN-1 group (28.61+/-1.70) was obviously less than that in the artificial CSF (39.52 +/-1.40) and the sham-operated groups (32.78 +/- 1.87) (both P < 0.01). There were significant differences in the Nogo-A protein expression between the artificial CSF and the sham-operated groups (P < 0.01). The GAP-43 protein expression in the IN-1 group (31.14 +/- 1.88) was noticeably higher than that in the artificial CSF group (27.73 +/- 1.43 ) (P < 0.01). Both the IN-1 and the artificial CSF groups showed lower GAP-43 protein levels than the sham-operated groups (33.64 +/- 1.24) (both P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Nogo-A antibody can reduce the expression of Nogo-A protein in the brain and thus promote neuronal regeneration in neonatal rats following HIBD. An increased GAP-43 protein expression in the brain after Nogo-A antibody administration shows an enhanced neuronal regeneration in the neonatal rats following HIBD.