Pharmacological activation of PPARβ/δ preserves mitochondrial respiratory function in ischemia/reperfusion via stimulation of fatty acid oxidation-linked respiration and PGC-1α/NRF-1 signaling

Funding Information: The work was supported by core institutional funds and the Graduate Program “Applications of Biology” of the School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Funding Information: The authors thank Dr Reinis Vilskersts for his assistance during ex vivo experimental procedures and Stanislava Korzh for her assistance during high resolution fluorespirometry procedures. This article is based upon work from COST Action EU-CARDIOPROTECTION CA16225 supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2022 Papatheodorou, Makrecka-Kuka, Kuka, Liepinsh, Dambrova and Lazou.Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury leads to significant impairment of cardiac function and remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor β/δ (PPARβ/δ) confers cardioprotection via pleiotropic effects including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions; however, the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of PPARβ/δ activation on myocardial mitochondrial respiratory function and link this effect with cardioprotection after ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). For this purpose, rats were treated with the PPARβ/δ agonist GW0742 and/or antagonist GSK0660 in vivo. Mitochondrial respiration and ROS production rates were determined using high-resolution fluororespirometry. Activation of PPARβ/δ did not alter mitochondrial respiratory function in the healthy heart, however, inhibition of PPARβ/δ reduced fatty acid oxidation (FAO) and complex II-linked mitochondrial respiration and shifted the substrate dependence away from succinate-related energy production and towards NADH. Activation of PPARβ/δ reduced mitochondrial stress during in vitro anoxia/reoxygenation. Furthermore, it preserved FAO-dependent mitochondrial respiration and lowered ROS production at oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS)-dependent state during ex vivo I/R. PPARβ/δ activation was also followed by increased mRNA expression of components of FAO -linked respiration and of transcription factors governing mitochondrial homeostasis (carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1b and 2-CPT-1b and CPT-2, electron transfer flavoprotein dehydrogenase -ETFDH, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator 1 alpha- PGC-1α and nuclear respiratory factor 1-NRF-1). In conclusion, activation of PPARβ/δ stimulated both FAO-linked respiration and PGC-1α/NRF -1 signaling and preserved mitochondrial respiratory function during I/R. These effects are associated with reduced infarct size.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Inhibition of Fatty Acid Metabolism Increases EPA and DHA Levels and Protects against Myocardial Ischaemia-Reperfusion Injury in Zucker Rats

Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Janis Kuka et al.Long-chain ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are known to induce cardiometabolic benefits, but the metabolic pathways of their biosynthesis ensuring sufficient bioavailability require further investigation. Here, we show that a pharmacological decrease in overall fatty acid utilization promotes an increase in the levels of PUFAs and attenuates cardiometabolic disturbances in a Zucker rat metabolic syndrome model. Metabolome analysis showed that inhibition of fatty acid utilization by methyl-GBB increased the concentration of PUFAs but not the total fatty acid levels in plasma. Insulin sensitivity was improved, and the plasma insulin concentration was decreased. Overall, pharmacological modulation of fatty acid handling preserved cardiac glucose and pyruvate oxidation, protected mitochondrial functionality by decreasing long-chain acylcarnitine levels, and decreased myocardial infarct size twofold. Our work shows that partial pharmacological inhibition of fatty acid oxidation is a novel approach to selectively increase the levels of PUFAs and modulate lipid handling to prevent cardiometabolic disturbances.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Energy substrate metabolism and mitochondrial oxidative stress in cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury

Funding Information: This article is based upon work from COST Action EU‐CARDIOPROTECTION CA16225 supported by COST ( European Cooperation in Science and Technology ). C.J.Z. was supported by a grant from European Foundation of the Study of Diabetes and from Boehringer –Ingelheim to investigate the cardiac working mechanism of empagliflozin. V.B. received funding from the European Social Fund (project No 09.3.3-LMT-K-712-01-0131) under grant agreement with the Research Council of Lithuania . E.L. research is supported by funding from the Latvian Council of Science , project TRILYSOX, grant No. LZP-2018/1–0082. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s)The heart is the most metabolically flexible organ with respect to the use of substrates available in different states of energy metabolism. Cardiac mitochondria sense substrate availability and ensure the efficiency of oxidative phosphorylation and heart function. Mitochondria also play a critical role in cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury, during which they are directly involved in ROS-producing pathophysiological mechanisms. This review explores the mechanisms of ROS production within the energy metabolism pathways and focuses on the impact of different substrates. We describe the main metabolites accumulating during ischemia in the glucose, fatty acid, and Krebs cycle pathways. Hyperglycemia, often present in the acute stress condition of ischemia/reperfusion, increases cytosolic ROS concentrations through the activation of NADPH oxidase 2 and increases mitochondrial ROS through the metabolic overloading and decreased binding of hexokinase II to mitochondria. Fatty acid-linked ROS production is related to the increased fatty acid flux and corresponding accumulation of long-chain acylcarnitines. Succinate that accumulates during anoxia/ischemia is suggested to be the main source of ROS, and the role of itaconate as an inhibitor of succinate dehydrogenase is emerging. We discuss the strategies to modulate and counteract the accumulation of substrates that yield ROS and the therapeutic implications of this concept.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Letter to the editor : "Serum carnitine metabolites and incident type 2 diabetes mellitus in patients with suspected stable angina pectoris"

publishersversionPeer reviewe

Excretion of the Polymyxin Derivative NAB739 in Murine Urine

Extremely multiresistant strains of Enterobacteriaceae are emerging and spreading at a worrisome pace. Polymyxins are used as the last-resort therapy against such strains, in spite of their nephrotoxicity. We have previously shown that novel polymyxin derivatives NAB739 and NAB815 are less nephrotoxic in cynomolgus monkeys than polymyxin B and are therapeutic in murine Escherichia coli pyelonephritis at doses only one-tenth of that needed for polymyxin B. Here we evaluated whether the increased efficacy is due to increased excretion of NAB739 in urine. Mice were treated with NAB739 and polymyxin B four times subcutaneously at doses of 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 mg/kg. In plasma, a clear dose-response relationship was observed. The linearity of C-max with the dose was 0.9987 for NAB739 and 0.975 for polymyxin B. After administration of NAB739 at a dose of 0.25 mg/kg, its plasma concentrations at all tested time points were above 0.5 mu g/mL while after administration at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg its plasma concentrations exceeded 1 mu g/mL. The C-max of NAB739 in plasma was up to 1.5-times higher after single (first) administration and up to two-times higher after the last administration when compared to polymyxin B. Polymyxin B was not detected in urine samples even when administered at 4 mg/kg. In contrast, the concentration of NAB739 in urine after single administration at a dose of 0.25 mg/kg was above 1 mu g/mL and after administration of 0.5 mg/kg its average urine concentration exceeded 2 mu g/mL. At the NAB739 dose of 4 mg/kg, the urinary concentrations were higher than 35 mu g/mL. These differences explain our previous finding that NAB739 is much more efficacious than polymyxin B in the therapy of murine E. coli pyelonephritis.Peer reviewe

Acute and long-term administration of palmitoylcarnitine induces muscle-specific insulin resistance in mice

Publisher Copyright: © 2017 The Authors BioFactors published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyAcylcarnitine accumulation has been linked to perturbations in energy metabolism pathways. In this study, we demonstrate that long-chain (LC) acylcarnitines are active metabolites involved in the regulation of glucose metabolism in vivo. Single-dose administration of palmitoylcarnitine (PC) in fed mice induced marked insulin insensitivity, decreased glucose uptake in muscles, and elevated blood glucose levels. Increase in the content of LC acylcarnitine induced insulin resistance by impairing Akt phosphorylation at Ser473. The long-term administration of PC using slow-release osmotic minipumps induced marked hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, and glucose intolerance, suggesting that the permanent accumulation of LC acylcarnitines can accelerate the progression of insulin resistance. The decrease of acylcarnitine content significantly improved glucose tolerance in a mouse model of diet-induced glucose intolerance. In conclusion, we show that the physiological increase in content of acylcarnitines ensures the transition from a fed to fasted state in order to limit glucose metabolism in the fasted state. In the fed state, the inability of insulin to inhibit LC acylcarnitine production induces disturbances in glucose uptake and metabolism. The reduction of acylcarnitine content could be an effective strategy to improve insulin sensitivity.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Low cardiac content of long-chain acylcarnitines in TMLHE knockout mice prevents ischaemia-reperfusion-induced mitochondrial and cardiac damage

Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.Increased tissue content of long-chain acylcarnitines may induce mitochondrial and cardiac damage by stimulating ROS production. N6-trimethyllysine dioxygenase (TMLD) is the first enzyme in the carnitine/acylcarnitine biosynthesis pathway. Inactivation of the TMLHE gene (TMLHE KO) in mice is expected to limit long-chain acylcarnitine synthesis and thus induce a cardio- and mitochondria-protective phenotype. TMLHE gene deletion in male mice lowered acylcarnitine concentrations in blood and cardiac tissues by up to 85% and decreased fatty acid oxidation by 30% but did not affect muscle and heart function in mice. Metabolome profile analysis revealed increased levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and a global shift in fatty acid content from saturated to unsaturated lipids. In the risk area of ischemic hearts in TMLHE KO mouse, the OXPHOS-dependent respiration rate and OXPHOS coupling efficiency were fully preserved. Additionally, the decreased long-chain acylcarnitine synthesis rate in TMLHE KO mice prevented ischaemia-reperfusion-induced ROS production in cardiac mitochondria. This was associated with a 39% smaller infarct size in the TMLHE KO mice. The arrest of the acylcarnitine biosynthesis pathway in TMLHE KO mice prevents ischaemia-reperfusion-induced damage in cardiac mitochondria and decreases infarct size. These results confirm that the decreased accumulation of ROS-increasing fatty acid metabolism intermediates prevents mitochondrial and cardiac damage during ischaemia-reperfusion.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Protective effects of meldonium in experimental models of cardiovascular complications with a potential application in COVID‐19

Funding Information: This study was supported by the Latvian State Research Program project VPP?COVID? 2020/1?0014 ?Towards new therapeutic and prophylactic treatments against Covid?19 and corona-viruses?. Dana Kigitovica received Doctoral study grant from Riga Stradins University. Funding Information: Funding: This study was supported by the Latvian State Research Program project VPP‐COVID‐ 2020/1‐0014 ʺTowards new therapeutic and prophylactic treatments against Covid‐19 and corona‐ virusesʺ. Dana Kigitovica received Doctoral study grant from Riga Stradins University. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Right ventricular (RV) and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction is common in a significant number of hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) patients. This study was conducted to assess whether the improved mitochondrial bioenergetics by cardiometabolic drug meldonium can attenuate the development of ventricular dysfunction in experimental RV and LV dysfunction models, which resemble ventricular dysfunction in COVID‐19 patients. Effects of meldonium were assessed in rats with pulmonary hypertension‐induced RV failure and in mice with inflammation-induced LV dysfunction. Rats with RV failure showed decreased RV fractional area change (RVFAC) and hypertrophy. Treatment with meldonium attenuated the development of RV hyper-trophy and increased RVFAC by 50%. Mice with inflammation‐induced LV dysfunction had decreased LV ejection fraction (LVEF) by 30%. Treatment with meldonium prevented the decrease in LVEF. A decrease in the mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation with a concomitant increase in pyruvate metabolism was noted in the cardiac fibers of the rats and mice with RV and LV failure, respectively. Meldonium treatment in both models restored mitochondrial bioenergetics. The results show that meldonium treatment prevents the development of RV and LV systolic dysfunction by enhancing mitochondrial function in experimental models of ventricular dysfunction that resembles cardiovascular complications in COVID‐19 patients.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Penetration of Wood Preservatives into Thermally Modified Birch and Pine Wood

The objective of the present study was to investigate the interaction between Cu-containing preservatives and birch (Betula spp.) and pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) wood, modified at a relatively mild temperatures (150 – 180ºC). The disposition of wood to absorb water was evaluated by capillary absorption (CA) tests through the specimens’ tangential and radial surface. Changes in wood drying characteristics due to thermal modification (TM) were evaluated by monitoring wood moisture dynamics after impregnation. In order to assess the capacity of wood to absorb preservatives, a vacuum/pressure process was used to impregnate small specimens for which uniform saturation into the entire volume can easily be reached. Quantitative determination of copper Cu content in the specimens was performed by using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). The fixation of the absorbed Cu was evaluated by subjecting the specimens to leaching procedures according to EN 84 and assessing the ratio of retained Cu in the specimens. The CA test showed deceleration of capillary absorption in TM birch wood through both surfaces, with similar absorption rates regardless of treatment temperatures. A significant increase in the absorption rate through the tangential surface was recorded for TM pine wood and the increase was greater for specimens treated at higher temperatures. The results of moisture content monitoring showed a similar reduction in the drying rate due to thermal modification regardless of species. Comparing wood of one species with similar densities, less preservative was absorbed by TM wood. However, the results of AAS showed that, in comparison with unmodified wood, 10% (birch) and 25% (pine) more Cu per one gram of wood was introduced during impregnation. Nevertheless, TM also resulted in higher Cu leaching rates for both species

Structure and function of CutC choline lyase from human microbiota bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae

Publisher Copyright: © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.CutC choline trimethylamine-lyase is an anaerobic bacterial glycyl radical enzyme (GRE) that cleaves choline to produce trimethylamine (TMA) and acetaldehyde. In humans, TMA is produced exclusively by the intestinal microbiota, and its metabolite, trimethylamine oxide, has been associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, information about the three-dimensional structures of TMA-producing enzymes is important for microbiota-targeted drug discovery. We have cloned, expressed, and purified the CutC GRE and the activating enzyme CutD from Klebsiella pneumoniae, a representative of the human microbiota. We have determined the first crystal structures of both the choline-bound and choline-free forms of CutC and have discovered that binding of choline at the ligand-binding site triggers conformational changes in the enzyme structure, a feature that has not been observed for any other characterized GRE.publishersversionPeer reviewe