The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma agonist pioglitazone modulates aberrant T cell responses in systemic lupus erythematosus
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ABSTRACT: Previous studies indicate that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-g) agonists suppress autoimmune responses and renal inflammation in murine lupus. However, the mechanisms implicated in this process remain unclear. We tested the effect of the PPAR-g agonist pioglitazone in human lupus and control PBMCs with regards to gene regulation and various functional assays. We used microarrays to analyze the effect of Pioglitazone on peripheral blood cells (PBMCs) from healthy and lupus patients.
Project description:Previous studies indicate that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-g) agonists suppress autoimmune responses and renal inflammation in murine lupus. However, the mechanisms implicated in this process remain unclear. We tested the effect of the PPAR-g agonist pioglitazone in human lupus and control PBMCs with regards to gene regulation and various functional assays. We used microarrays to analyze the effect of Pioglitazone on peripheral blood cells (PBMCs) from healthy and lupus patients. Human PBMCs were isolated; RNA from healthy and lupus PBMCs was extracted and processed for hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays. Samples are paired as follows: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20.
Project description:PPAR-? agonists can suppress autoimmune responses and renal inflammation in murine lupus but the mechanisms implicated in this process remain unclear. We tested the effect of the PPAR-? agonist pioglitazone in human lupus and control PBMCs with regard to gene regulation and various functional assays. By Affymetrix microarray analysis, several T cell-related pathways were significantly highlighted in pathway analysis in lupus PBMCs. Transcriptional network analysis showed IFN-? as an important regulatory node, with pioglitazone treatment inducing transcriptional repression of various genes implicated in T cell responses. Confirmation of these suppressive effects was observed specifically in purified CD4+ T cells. Pioglitazone downregulated lupus CD4+ T cell effector proliferation and activation, while it significantly increased proliferation and function of lupus T regulatory cells. We conclude that PPAR-? agonists selectively modulate CD4+ T cell function in SLE supporting the concept that pioglitazone and related,-agents should be explored as potential therapies in this disease.
Project description:ObjectivesPremature cardiovascular events in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) contribute to morbidity and mortality, with no effective preventive strategies described to date. Immune dysregulation and metabolic disturbances appear to play prominent roles in the induction of vascular disease in SLE. The peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-gamma agonist pioglitazone (PGZ suppresses vascular damage and immune dysregulation in murine lupus and improves endothelial dysfunction in other inflammatory diseases. We hypothesised that PGZ could improve vascular dysfunction and cardiometabolic parameters in SLE.MethodsEighty SLE subjects with mild to severe disease activity were randomised to a sequence of PGZ followed by placebo for 3 months, or vice versa, in a double-blind, cross-over design with a 2-month wash-out period. Primary endpoints were parameters of endothelial function and arterial inflammation, measured by multimodal assessments. Additional outcome measures of disease activity, neutrophil dysregulation, metabolic disturbances and gene expression studies were performed.ResultsSeventy-two subjects completed the study. PGZ was associated with a significant reduction in Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index (a measure of arterial stiffness) compared with placebo. Various metabolic parameters improved with PGZ, including insulin resistance and lipoprotein profiles. Circulating neutrophil extracellular trap levels also significantly decreased with PGZ compared with placebo. Most adverse events experienced while on PGZ were mild and resolved with reduction in PGZ dose.ConclusionPGZ was well tolerated and induced significant improvement in vascular stiffness and cardiometabolic parameters in SLE. The results suggest that PGZ should be further explored as a modulator of cardiovascular disease risk in SLE.Trial registration numberNCT02338999.
Project description:Pioglitazone (PGZ), a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ? agonist, which is known as a type 2 diabetes drug, inhibits cell proliferation in various cancer cell lines, including prostate carcinomas. This study focused on the effect of PGZ on prostate carcinogenesis using a transgenic rat for an adenocarcinoma of prostate (TRAP) model. Adenocarcinoma lesions as a percentage of overall lesions in the ventral prostate were significantly reduced by PGZ treatment in a dose-dependent manner. The number of adenocarcinomas per given area in the ventral prostate was also significantly reduced by PGZ treatment. The Ki67 labeling index in the ventral prostate was also significantly reduced by PGZ. Decreased cyclin D1 expression in addition to the inactivation of both p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor (NF)?B were detected in PGZ-treated TRAP rat groups. In LNCaP, a human androgen-dependent prostate cancer cell line, PGZ also inhibited cyclin D1 expression and the activation of both p38 MAPK and NF?B. The suppression of cultured cell growth was mainly regulated by the NF?B pathway as detected using specific inhibitors in both LNCaP and PC3, a human androgen-independent prostate cancer cell line. These data suggest that PGZ possesses a chemopreventive potential for prostate cancer.
Project description:BACKGROUND: All the peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs) are found to be expressed in bone cells. The PPARgamma agonist rosiglitazone has been shown to decrease bone mass in mice and thiazolidinediones (TZDs) have recently been found to increase bone loss and fracture risk in humans treated for type 2 diabetes mellitus. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of the PPARalpha agonist fenofibrate (FENO) and the PPARgamma agonist pioglitazone (PIO) on bone in intact female rats. METHODS: Rats were given methylcellulose (vehicle), fenofibrate or pioglitazone (35 mg/kg body weight/day) by gavage for 4 months. BMC, BMD, and body composition were measured by DXA. Histomorphometry and biomechanical testing of excised femurs were performed. Effects of the compounds on bone cells were studied. RESULTS: The FENO group had higher femoral BMD and smaller medullary area at the distal femur; while trabecular bone volume was similar to controls. Whole body BMD, BMC, and trabecular bone volume were lower, while medullary area was increased in PIO rats compared to controls. Ultimate bending moment and energy absorption of the femoral shafts were reduced in the PIO group, while similar to controls in the FENO group. Plasma osteocalcin was higher in the FENO group than in the other groups. FENO stimulated proliferation and differentiation of, and OPG release from, the preosteoblast cell line MC3T3-E1. CONCLUSION: We show opposite skeletal effects of PPARalpha and gamma agonists in intact female rats. FENO resulted in significantly higher femoral BMD and lower medullary area, while PIO induced bone loss and impairment of the mechanical strength. This represents a novel effect of PPARalpha activation.
Project description:As PPAR-gamma is a nuclear receptor acting as a transcription factor regulating the expression of multiple genes and to better understand the signaling pathways involved, we performed RNAseq analysis on AML cell lines cultured in the absence or presence of pioglitazone or darglitazone.
Project description:Our aim was to investigate if the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma agonist pioglitazone modulates inflammation through PPARalpha mechanisms.The thiazolidinediones (TZDs) pioglitazone and rosiglitazone are insulin-sensitizing PPARgamma agonists used to treat type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Despite evidence for TZDs limiting inflammation and atherosclerosis, questions exist regarding differential responses to TZDs. In a double-blinded, placebo-controlled 16-week trial among recently diagnosed T2DM subjects (n = 34), pioglitazone-treated subjects manifested lower triglycerides and lacked the increase in soluble vascular cell adhesion molecules (sVCAM)-1 evident in the placebo group. Previously we reported PPARalpha but not PPARgamma agonists could repress VCAM-1 expression. Since both triglyceride-lowering and VCAM-1 repression characterize PPARalpha activation, we studied pioglitazone's effects via PPARalpha.Pioglitazone effects on known PPARalpha responses--ligand binding domain activation and PPARalpha target gene expression--were tested in vitro and in vivo, including in wild-type and PPARalpha-deficient cells and mice, and compared with the effects of other PPARgamma (rosiglitazone) and PPARalpha (WY14643) agonists.Pioglitazone repressed endothelial TNFalpha-induced VCAM-1 messenger ribonucleic acid expression and promoter activity, and induced hepatic IkappaBalpha in a manner dependent on both pioglitazone exposure and PPARalpha expression. Pioglitazone also activated the PPARalpha ligand binding domain and induced PPARalpha target gene expression, with in vitro effects that were most pronounced in endothelial cells. In vivo, pioglitazone administration modulated sVCAM-1 levels and IkappaBalpha expression in wild-type but not PPARalpha-deficient mice.Pioglitazone regulates inflammatory target genes in hepatic (IkappaBalpha) and endothelial (VCAM-1) settings in a PPARalpha-dependent manner. These data offer novel mechanisms that may underlie distinct TZD responses.
Project description:We evaluated the effects of pioglitazone in mouse organ of Corti (OC) explants to characterize its influence on signaling pathways involved in auditory hair cell damage. Organ of Corti explants were cultured with pioglitazone, gentamicin, or a combination of both agents. Pioglitazone treatment resulted in a significant repression of interferon (IFN)-alpha and -gamma pathways and downstream cytokines, as assessed by RNA sequencing and quantitative PCR gene expression assays. More detailed investigation at the single gene and protein level showed that pioglitazone mediated its anti-inflammatory effects through alterations of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) and STAT pathways. Together, these results indicate that pioglitazone significantly represses IFN and TLR in the cochlea, dampening the activity of gentamicin-induced pathways. These data support our previous results demonstrating significant protection of auditory hair cells in organ of Corti explants exposed to pioglitazone and other PPAR-targeted agents.
Project description:RXRA regulates transcription as part of a heterodimer with 14 other nuclear receptors, including the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs). Analysis from the TCGA raised the possibility that hyperactive PPAR signaling, either due to PPAR gamma gene amplification or RXRA hot-spot mutation (S427F/Y) drives 20-25% of bladder cancers. Here we characterize mutant RXRA, demonstrating it induces enhancer/promoter activity in the context of RXRA/PPAR heterodimers. Structure-function studies indicate the RXRA substitution allosterically regulates the PPAR AF2 domain via an aromatic interaction with the terminal tyrosine found in PPARs. In urothelium, we find PPAR agonism is sufficient to drive growth factor independent growth, but only after deletion of the tumor suppressors Kdm6a and Trp53. Similarly, mutant RXRA stimulates growth factor independent growth, in a manner reversible by PPAR inhibition. These studies reveal a pro-tumorigenic interaction between loss of tumor suppressors and PPAR activation and implicate PPARs as targetable drivers of bladder cancer.