Role of SIRT2 in intestinal barrier under cold exposure.

Prolonged cold exposure causes body stress and damages health. The intestinal environment is complex and variable, and direct contact with the external environment can easily cause stress, damage and even lead to diseases such as diarrhea. AIMS: This study aimed to reveal the role of cold exposure on ileum damage and the role of SIRT2 in this process. MAIN METHODS: C57BL6 mice and SIRT2 knockout mice were used to construct a chronic cold exposure model (21 days, random 4 °C exposure for 3 h per day), which was tested by various methods, including intestinal permeability assays, morphological assays, ultrastructural assays, western blotting, and fluorescence staining. In vitro assays were performed on the mouse small intestinal epithelial cell line MODE-K to investigate the role of endoplasmic reticulum stress, SIRT2 knockout, and autophagy on tight junctions. KEY FINDINGS: The results showed that chronic cold exposure damaged the ileal epithelial barrier, with endoplasmic reticulum stress. Knockout of SIRT2 alleviates ileal injury via enhanced autophagy under cold exposure. And autophagy can restore the expression of ZO-1 under stress. SIGNIFICANCE: This study can provide potential target and basic data for the treatment of IBD and other disorders of the intestinal barrier. Autophagy may be an important means of restoring damage to the intestinal barrier.

Cold exposure-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress regulates autophagy through the SIRT2/FoxO1 signaling pathway.

Cold is a factor affecting health in humans and animals. The liver, a major metabolic center, is highly susceptible to ambient air temperature. Recent studies have shown that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is associated with the liver, and regulates the occurrence and development of liver injury and autophagy. However, the mechanism underlying the relationship between cold exposure and ER stress in the liver is not well understood. In this study, we investigated the effect of ER stress on liver autophagy and its mechanism under cold exposure. AML12 cells were treated with Tg to construct an ER stress model, and the level of autophagy increased. To further explore the mechanism through which ER stress regulates autophagy, we knocked down SIRT2 with shRNA in Tg-treated AML12 cells. Knockdown of SIRT2 significantly increased ER stress and autophagy, increased FoxO1 acetylation, and promoted its entry into the nucleus. To further verify the results of in vitro experiments, we exposed mice to 4°C for 3 h per day for 3 weeks to exacerbate the burden on the liver after cold exposure. Cold exposure damaged the structure and function of the liver and promoted the inflammatory response. It also activated ER stress and promoted autophagy. In addition, cold exposure inhibited the expression of SIRT2, promoted FoxO1 acetylation, and enhanced the interaction with autophagy. Our findings indicated that cold exposure induces liver damage, ER stress, and autophagy through the SIRT2/FoxO1 pathway. These findings suggest that SIRT2 may be a potential target for regulating health under cold exposure.

Cold Exposure Induces Intestinal Barrier Damage and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in the Colon via the SIRT1/Nrf2 Signaling Pathway.

Ambient air temperature is a key factor affecting human health. Long-term exposure to a cold environment can cause various diseases, while the impact on the intestine, the organ which has the largest contact area with the external environment, cannot be ignored. In this study, we investigated the effect of chronic cold exposure on the colon and its preliminary mechanism of action. Mice were exposed to 4°C for 3 hours a day for 10 days. We found that cold exposure damaged the morphology and structure of the colon, destroyed the tight junctions of the colonic epithelial tissue, and promoted inflammation of the colon. At the same time, cold exposure also activated the unfolded protein response (UPR) in the colon and promoted apoptosis in intestinal epithelial cells. Chronic cold exposure induced oxidative stress in vivo, but also significantly enhanced the response of the Nrf2 pathway that promotes an anti-oxidant effect. Furthermore, we demonstrated that chronic cold exposure promoted p65 acetylation to aggravate the inflammatory response by inhibiting SIRT1. Similar results were observed following SIRT1 knock-down by shRNA in Caco-2 cells treated with Thapsigargin (Tg). Knock-down of SIRT1 promoted nuclear localization of Nrf2, and increased the level of Nrf2 acetylation. Taken together, our study indicates that cold exposure may aggravate endoplasmic reticulum stress and damage epithelial tight junctions in the colon by inhibiting SIRT1, which promotes nuclear localization of Nrf2 and induces an anti-oxidant response to maintain intestinal homeostasis. These findings suggest that SIRT1 is a potential target for regulating intestinal health under cold exposure conditions.