Ferrostatin-1 attenuates hypoxic-ischemic brain damage in neonatal rats by inhibiting ferroptosis.

Background: Hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) is a type of brain damage that is caused by perinatal asphyxia and serious damages the central nervous system. At present, there is no effective drug for the treatment of this disease. Besides, the pathogenesis of HIBD remains elusive. While studies have shown that ferroptosis plays an important role in HIBD, its role and mechanism in HIBD are yet to be fully understood. Methods: The HIBD model of neonatal rats was established using the Rice-Vannucci method. A complete medium of PC12 cells was adjusted to a low-sugar medium, and the oxygen-glucose deprivation model was established after continuous hypoxia for 12 h. Laser Doppler blood flow imaging was used to detect the blood flow intensity after modeling. 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining was employed to detect ischemic cerebral infarction in rat brain tissue, and hematoxylin and eosin staining and transmission electron microscopy were used to observe brain injury and mitochondrial damage. Immunofluorescence was applied to monitor the expression of GFAP. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blot, and immunofluorescence were utilized to detect the expression of messenger RNA and protein. The level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells was detected using the ROS detection kit. Results: The results showed that ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1) significantly alleviated the brain injury caused by hypoxia and ischemia. Fer-1 significantly increased the expression of SLC3A2, SLC7A11, ACSL3, GSS, and GPX4 (P<0.05) and dramatically decreased the expressions of GFAP, ACSL4, TFRC, FHC, FLC, 4-HNE, HIF-1α, and ROS (P<0.05). Conclusions: Fer-1 inhibits ferroptosis and alleviates HIBD by potentially targeting the GPX4/ACSL3/ACSL4 axis; however, its specific mechanism warrants further exploration.

Effect of arctigenin on neurological diseases: A review.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Arctium lappa L. is a common specie of Asteraceae. Its main active ingredient, Arctigenin (AG), in mature seeds exerts pharmacological effects on the Central Nervous System (CNS). AIM OF THE STUDY: To review studies on the specific effects of the AG mechanism on various CNS diseases and elucidate signal transduction mechanisms and their pharmacological actions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This investigation reviewed the essential role of AG in treating neurological disorders. Basic information on Arctium lappa L. was retrieved from the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China. The related articles from 1981 to 2022 on the network database (including CNKI, PubMed, and Wan Fang and so on) were reviewed using AG and CNS diseases-related terms such as Arctigenin and Epilepsy. RESULTS: It was confirmed that AG has a therapeutic effect on Alzheimer's disease, Glioma, infectious CNS diseases (such as Toxoplasma and Japanese Encephalitis Virus), Parkinson's disease, Epilepsy, etc. In these diseases, related experiments such as a Western blot analysis revealed that AG could alter the content of some key factors (such as the reduction of Aß in Alzheimer's disease). However, in-vivo AG's metabolic process and possible metabolites are still undetermined. CONCLUSION: Based on this review, the existing pharmacological research has indeed made objective progress to elucidate how AG prevents and treats CNS diseases, especially senile degenerative disease such as Alzheimer's diseases. It was revealed that AG could be used as a potential nervous system drug as it has a wide range of effects in theory with markedly high application value, especially in the elder group. However, the existing studies are limited to in-vitro experiments; therefore, little is known about how AG metabolizes and functions in-vivo, limiting its clinical application and requiring further research.

Progranulin Promotes the Formation and Development of Capsules Caused by Silicone in Sprague-Dawley Rats.

Background: Silicone implants are currently the most widely used artificial materials in plastic surgery. Capsule formation following implant application is unavoidable. When the capsule is excessively thick and strongly contracted, it can lead to obvious symptoms, clinically known as capsular contracture. Biological factors have always been the focus of research on the capsule formation. As a growth factor, progranulin (PGRN) plays an important regulatory role in wound healing, tissue fibrosis, tumor proliferation and invasion, and inflammation regulation. At present, the research on the capsule mainly involves the regulation of tissue healing and fibrosis under the influence of inflammation. Because PGRN has a regulatory role in these processes, we believe that the study of both can provide a new theoretical basis and intervention sites for monitoring and inhibiting the development of the capsule. Methods: In this experiment, the effects of different surgical operations on the content of PGRN in the surgical site and plasma of rats were detected. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat dermal fibroblasts were co-cultured by recombinant PGRN. The effects of r-PGRN on fibroblasts were detected by 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay, wound healing assay and Western blot assay. Finally, the effect of PGRN on capsule formation and contracture was studied by changing the content of PGRN in the prosthesis in rats after operation. Results: Surgical trauma and silicone implant increased plasma and local PGRN levels in SD rats. PGRN can activate the TGF-ß/SMAD signaling pathway in a dose-dependent manner, thereby promoting fibroblast proliferation, differentiation and migration and inhibiting apoptosis and enhancing cell function, thereby promoting capsule formation and contracture. Conclusion: PGRN promotes the formation and contracture of the silicone implant capsule in SD rats by activating the TGF-ß/SMAD signaling pathway. This discovery may provide new therapeutic targets and detection indicators.

Retrospective analysis of 23 Chinese children with congenital hyperinsulinism undergoing pancreatectomy.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to discuss therapeutic effect and prognosis of pancreatectomy in the treatment of congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 23 Chinese children with CHI, who had undergone pancreatectomy, were selected as the study objects. The clinical data, the results of the ¹8Fluoro-L-3-4 dihydroxyphenylalanine positron emission tomography/computerized tomography (¹8F-DOPA PET/CT) scanning, and the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up were analysed retrospectively. RESULTS: Among the 23 cases, 14 patients were diagnosed with focal-type CHI via a ¹8F-DOPA PET/CT scan prior to the operation, with the lesions removed via partial pancreatectomy. After the operation, ten patients (71%) had normal blood glucose levels, while frequent feeding was required in four patients (29%) to control the hypoglycaemia. Three cases were diagnosed as diffuse-type CHI via preoperative scanning, two of which were treated by subtotal pancreatectomy. The other case was treated by near-total pancreatectomy, and the blood glucose level was normal following the operation. The remaining six cases were not diagnosed via the pancreatic scanning prior to the operation due to the limitation of certain conditions. Here, pancreatectomy was performed directly due to severe hypoglycaemia. CONCLUSIONS: ¹8F-DOPA PET/CT scanning was a reliable method for determining the histological type and localizing the lesion before the operation. Partial pancreatectomy for focal-type CHI had a high cure rate.

Analysis of clinical and genetic characteristics of Chinese children with congenital hyperinsulinemia that is spontaneously relieved.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the clinical and genetic characteristics of Chinese children with congenital hyperinsulinemia (CHI) that is spontaneously relieved. METHODS: The patient group comprised 200 children with CHI that were treated at the Beijing Children's Hospital from January 2006 to December 2018. The patients were divided into two groups according to their prognosis: the spontaneous remission group (n = 92) and the nonspontaneous remission group (n = 108). The clinical characteristics, pathogenic genes, diagnosis and treatment process, and follow-up data of both groups were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Of the 200 children with CHI, 92 achieved spontaneous remission. The age of spontaneous remission was between one month and nine years, and 47 of the children were relieved before the age of one year. The median age of onset was 85 days (range: 1-2825 days) in the spontaneous remission group and 2 days (range: 1-210 days) in the nonspontaneous remission group (P < 0.05). The mean birth weight was 3.44 ± 0.76 kg for the spontaneous remission group and 3.95 ± 0.75 kg for the nonspontaneous remission group (P < 0.05). Of the 92 children in the spontaneous remission group, 65 were treated with diazoxide with effective rate of 81.5% (53/65). In 12 cases in which diazoxide treatment failed, octreotide was used with an effective rate of 83.3% (10/12). Of the 108 children in the nonspontaneous remission group, 88 were treated with diazoxide with an effective rate of 43.2 % (38/88), and 29 children were treated with octreotide with an effective rate of 48.28% (14/29). Of the 30 children in the spontaneous remission group that underwent mutation analysis of CHI-related pathogenic genes, 10 children (10/30, 33.3%) carried mutations. Of the 48 children in the nonspontaneous remission group that underwent mutation analysis of CHI-related pathogenic genes, 37 children (37/48, 77.1%) were found to carry mutations. All of the differences in the indices mentioned above were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of spontaneous remission of CHI was significantly higher in children with late age of CHI onset, light birth weight, effective diazoxide treatment, and no common pathogenic gene mutations. Spontaneous remission was also possible for a small number of children that carried mutations in the ABCC and KCNJ11 genes and in whom diazoxide treatment failed.

Analysis on the pathogenic genes of 60 Chinese children with congenital hyperinsulinemia.

This study aims to summarize and analyze the clinical manifestations, genetic characteristics, treatment modalities and long-term prognosis of congenital hyperinsulinemia (CHI) in Chinese children. Sixty children with CHI, who were treated at Beijing Children's Hospital from January 2014 to August 2017, and their families, were selected as subjects. The CHI-related causative genes in children were sequenced and analyzed using second-generation sequencing technology. Furthermore, the genetic pathogenesis and clinical characteristics of Chinese children with CHI were explored. Among the 60 CHI children, 27 children (27/60, 45%) carried known CHI-related gene mutations: 16 children (26.7%) carried ABCC8 gene mutations, seven children (11.7%) carried GLUD1 gene mutations, one child carried GCK gene mutations, two children carried HNF4α gene mutations and one child carried HADH gene mutations. In these 60 patients, 8 patients underwent 18F-L-DOPA PET scan for the pancreas, and five children were found to be focal type. The treatment of diazoxide was ineffective in these five patients, and hypoglycemia could be controlled after receiving partial pancreatectomy. Conclusions: ABCC8 gene mutation is the most common cause of CHI in Chinese children. The early genetic analysis of children's families has an important guiding significance for treatment planning and prognosis assessment.

Mutational analysis of ABCC8, KCNJ11, GLUD1, HNF4A and GCK genes in 30 Chinese patients with congenital hyperinsulinism.

We conducted a cohort study to elucidate the molecular spectrum of congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) in Chinese pediatric patients. Thirty Chinese children with CHI were chosen as research subjects, 16 of whom were responsive to diazoxide and 13 of whom were not (1 patient was not given the drug for medical reasons). All exons of the adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-sensitive potassium channel (KATP channel) genes KCNJ11 and ABCC8, the hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 α (HNF4A) gene, and the Glucokinase (GCK) gene as well as exons 6 and 7 and 10-12 of the glutamate dehydrogenase 1 (GLUD1) gene were amplified from genomic DNA and directly sequenced. Mutations were identified in 14 of 30 patients (47%): 3 in GLUD1 (10%) and 11 in the KATP channel genes (37%). Six patients had paternally derived monoallelic KATP channel mutations predictive of the focal CHI form. We found a novel de novo ABCC8 mutation, p. C1000*, a novel paternally inherited ABCC8 mutation, D1505H, and a dominantly inherited ABCC8 mutation, R1217K. The GLUD1 activating mutation R269H was found in 2 patients: 1 de novo and the other paternally inherited. A de novo S445L mutation was found in 1 patient. No significant HNF4A or GCK mutations were found. CHI has complex genetic onset mechanisms. Paternally inherited monoallelic mutations of ABCC8 and KCNJ11 are likely the main causes of KATP-CHI in Chinese patients. Glutamate dehydrogenase-CHI is the second most common cause of CHI, while HNF4A and GCK are rare types of CHI in Chinese patients.

[ABCC8, KCNJ11 and GLUD1 gene mutation analysis in congenital hyperinsulinism pedigree].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the ABCC8, KCNJ11, and GLUD1 gene mutations of the 11 patients diagnosed as congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI). METHODS: A total of 11 CHI children hospitalized in Beijing Children's Hospital from November 2008 to February 2012 and their parents were chosen as the study subjects. Direct sequencing of PCR-DNA was used to analyze the 39 exons of ABCC8 gene, non-translational region and exon of KCNJ11 gene and 6, 7, 10, 11 and 12 exons of GLUD1 gene. RESULTS: An P629PfsX17 heterozygous mutation of ABCC8 gene was detected in case 1 and his father, an W288X heterozygous mutation of ABCC8 gene was detected in case 4 and his father, A640V and Q1196X mutations in ABCC8 gene in case 5 whose father only carried the Q1196X mutation. In case 6 and his father, an R269H mutation was found in GLUD1 gene. The genotype of 4 children's mothers was normal. No mutations were found in other 7 patients and their parents. CONCLUSIONS: The ABCC8 gene mutations are the main pathogenic mechanisms of Chinese children with CHI. In Chinese, P629PfsX17, W288X, A640V and Q1196X heterozygous mutation of ABCC8 gene and R269H heterozygous mutation of GLUD1 gene may lead to CHI. The inheritance mode of the mutations may be paternally or de novo.

The treatment effect of diazoxide on 44 patients with congenital hyperinsulinism.

OBJECTIVE: To study the treatment effect and safety of diazoxide on patients with congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 44 patients who have been hospitalized to our hospital and used diazoxide as a trial after diagnosis of CHI were chosen as research subjects. The clinical data of the patients were analyzed, and the treatment effects and safety of diazoxide on CHI were evaluated. RESULTS: In the 44 patients studied, the blood glucoses of 36 cases recovered to normal level after using diazoxide, indicating that the 36 patients respond to the treatment of diazoxide. Eight cases still showed severe hypoglycemia after using diazoxide for 10 days, which indicated that the eight patients were unresponsive to diazoxide treatment. Eighteen patients suffered the side effect of fluid retention, and 12 patients suffered transient gastrointestinal reactions. CONCLUSION: Diazoxide is a first-line treatment of CHI with high safety. Most of the patients with CHI were responsive to diazoxide treatment. Diazoxide should be used as a trial immediately after CHI diagnosis was made.