ABSTRACT
Neuronal death and neuroinflammation play critical roles in regulating the progression of traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, associated pathogenesis has not been fully understood. Tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 7 (TRAF7), as the unique noncanonical member of the TRAF family, mediates various essential biological processes. Nevertheless, the effects of TRAF7 on TBI are still unclear. In this study, we showed that TRAF7 expression was markedly up-regulated in cortex and hippocampus of mice after TBI. Brain-specific TRAF7 deletion markedly ameliorated neuronal death in cortical and hippocampal samples of TBI mice, accompanied with cognitive impairments and motor dysfunction. Moreover, the aberrant activation of astrocyte and microglia in cortex and hippocampus of TBI mice was significantly restrained by TRAF7 conditional knockout in brain, as indicated by the increased expression of GFAP and Iba1. In addition, the releases of pro-inflammatory factors caused by TBI were also considerably diminished by brain-specific TRAF7 knockout, which were largely through the blockage of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) signaling pathways. Importantly, mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 3 (MEKK3) expression levels were greatly enhanced in cortex and hippocampus of mice with TBI, while being dramatically ameliorated by TRAF7 knockout in brain. Mechanistically, we showed that TRAF7 directly interacted with MEKK3. Of note, MEKK3 over-expression almost abrogated the capacity of TRAF7 knockout to mitigate neuronal death and neuroinflammation in the isolated primary cortical neurons and glial cells upon oxygen-glucose-deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) stimulation. Collectively, TRAF7 may be an important molecular switch that leads to TBI in a MEKK3-dependent manner, and can be served as a therapeutic target for TBI treatment.
Subject(s)
Brain Injuries, Traumatic/immunology , Brain/physiology , Neuroglia/physiology , Neurons/physiology , Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor-Associated Peptides and Proteins/metabolism , Animals , Apoptosis , Cells, Cultured , Humans , Immunosuppression Therapy , MAP Kinase Kinase Kinase 3/metabolism , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Neurogenic Inflammation , Organ Specificity , Sequence Deletion , Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor-Associated Peptides and Proteins/geneticsABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the role of haeme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in remote limb ischemic preconditioning (RLIP)-induced attenuation of lung ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in rabbits.Methods Twenty-four Japanese White Rabbits,aged 4-5 months,weighing 2.0-2.5 kg,were randomly divided into 4 groups (n =6 each) using a random number table:sham operation group (S group),I/R group,RLIP group and zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP,an inhibitor of HO-1) plus RLIP group (ZnPP + RLIP group).Lung I/R was produced by 60 min occlusion of the left lung hilum followed by 180 min of reperfusion in I/R,RLIP and ZnPP + RLIP groups.RLIP and ZnPP + RLIP groups received 3 cycles of 10 min ischemia followed by 10 min reperfusion in the bilateral hind limbs immediately before occlusion of the left lung hilum.In ZnPP + RLIP group,ZnPP 10 μmol/kg was injected intravenously 10 min prior to hind limb ischemia and the rest of the procedures were similar to those previously described in RLIP group.At the end of reperfusion,arterial blood samples were collected for blood gas analysis.The animals were then sacrificed and pulmonary specimens were obtained for microscopic examination of the pathological changes which were scored (lung injury score,LIS) and for determination of wet/dry lung weight ratio (W/D ratio),myleoperoxidase (MPO) activity,malondialdehyde (MDA) content and expression and activity of HO-1 in the lung tissues.Results Compared with group S,PaO2 was significantly decreased,and LIS,W/D ratio,MPO activity,MDA content,and HO-1 expression and activity were increased in I/R group (P ＜ 0.01).Compared with I/R group,PaO2 and HO-1 expression and activity were significantly increased,and LIS,W/D ratio,MPO activity and MDA content were decreased in RLIP group (P ＜ 0.01).Compared with RLIP group,PaO2 and HO-1 expression and activity were significantly decreased,and LIS,W/D ratio,MPO activity and MDA content were increased in ZnPP + RLIP group (P ＜ 0.01).Conclusion RLIP up-regulates HO-1 expression and enhances HO-1 activity,thus reducing lung I/R injury in rabbits.
