Silencing ANGPT2 alleviates ulcerative colitis by regulating autophagy-mediated NLRP3 inflammasome inactivation via the mTOR signaling pathway

Braz J Med Biol Res. 2024 May 20:57:e13379. doi: 10.1590/1414-431X2024e13379. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a difficult intestinal disease characterized by inflammation, and its mechanism is complex and diverse. Angiopoietin-like protein 2 (ANGPT2) plays an important regulatory role in inflammatory diseases. However, the role of ANGPT2 in UC has not been reported so far. After exploring the expression level of ANGPT2 in serum of UC patients, the reaction mechanism of ANGPT2 was investigated in dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced UC mice. After ANGPT2 expression was suppressed, the clinical symptoms and pathological changes of UC mice were detected. Colonic infiltration, oxidative stress, and colonic mucosal barrier in UC mice were evaluated utilizing immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and related kits. Finally, western blot was applied for the estimation of mTOR signaling pathway and NLRP3 inflammasome-related proteins. ANGPT2 silencing improved clinical symptoms and pathological changes, alleviated colonic inflammatory infiltration and oxidative stress, and maintained the colonic mucosal barrier in DSS-induced UC mice. The regulatory effect of ANGPT2 on UC disease might occur by regulating the mTOR signaling pathway and thus affecting autophagy-mediated NLRP3 inflammasome inactivation. ANGPT2 silencing alleviated UC by regulating autophagy-mediated NLRP3 inflammasome inactivation via the mTOR signaling pathway.

MeSH terms

  • Angiopoietin-2 / metabolism
  • Angiopoietin-Like Protein 2
  • Animals
  • Autophagy* / physiology
  • Blotting, Western
  • Colitis, Ulcerative* / chemically induced
  • Colitis, Ulcerative* / metabolism
  • Colitis, Ulcerative* / pathology
  • Dextran Sulfate
  • Disease Models, Animal*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Inflammasomes* / metabolism
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein* / metabolism
  • Oxidative Stress
  • Signal Transduction*
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases* / metabolism

Substances

  • Angiopoietin-2
  • Angiopoietin-Like Protein 2
  • Dextran Sulfate
  • Inflammasomes
  • NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • ANGPT2 protein, human
  • Angpt2 protein, mouse