Metformin Inhibits the Expression of Biomarkers of Fibrosis of EPCs In Vitro
Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are a group of circulating cells with important functions in vascular repair and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. However, in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), the number and function of EPCs reportedly are decreased. TGF-β is highly expressed in AF pat...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2019-01-01
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| Series: | Stem Cells International |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/9019648 |
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| author | Fei Han Jie Shu Shunjun Wang Can-e Tang Fanyan Luo |
| author_facet | Fei Han Jie Shu Shunjun Wang Can-e Tang Fanyan Luo |
| author_sort | Fei Han |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are a group of circulating cells with important functions in vascular repair and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. However, in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), the number and function of EPCs reportedly are decreased. TGF-β is highly expressed in AF patients. In this study, we examined the effect of TGF-β1 on EPCs and the therapeutic outcome of metformin treatment on TGF-β1-induced EPCs. EPCs were induced with TGF-β1 at different concentrations (5 ng/ml, 10 ng/ml, and 20 ng/ml) for 48 h followed by western blot, qPCR, and immunofluorescence analyses to investigate changes in the levels of the fibrosis-related proteins, α-SMA, Col I, Col III, CTGF, and MMP-1. Live-dead cell staining was used to evaluate cell apoptosis. Compared with the control, TGF-β1 treatment significantly (p<0.05) enhanced the levels of α-SMA, Col I, Col III, CTGF, and MMP-1 in a dose-dependent manner. The most effective concentration of TGF-β1 (20 ng/ml) was then used to induce fibrosis biomarker expression in EPCs, followed by treatment with metformin at different concentrations (0.5, 1, and 2 mmol/l). Metformin treatment suppressed TGF-β-induced expression of all above factors, with the effect at 2 mmol/l being significant (p<0.05). Live-dead cell staining showed no difference among the control, TGF-β1-treated, and metformin-treated groups. In conclusion, our study showed that TGF-β1 induces the expression of fibrosis biomarkers in EPCs, which is attenuated by treatment with metformin. Thus, metformin may have therapeutic potential for improving EPC function in cardiovascular diseases. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-00fc0cb582914c62b4b3ad0609d353ad |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1687-966X 1687-9678 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2019-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Stem Cells International |
| spelling | doaj-art-00fc0cb582914c62b4b3ad0609d353ad2025-08-20T03:22:33ZengWileyStem Cells International1687-966X1687-96782019-01-01201910.1155/2019/90196489019648Metformin Inhibits the Expression of Biomarkers of Fibrosis of EPCs In VitroFei Han0Jie Shu1Shunjun Wang2Can-e Tang3Fanyan Luo4Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008 Hunan, ChinaDepartment of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008 Hunan, ChinaDepartment of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008 Hunan, ChinaThe Institute of Medical Science Research, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008 Hunan, ChinaDepartment of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008 Hunan, ChinaEndothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are a group of circulating cells with important functions in vascular repair and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. However, in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), the number and function of EPCs reportedly are decreased. TGF-β is highly expressed in AF patients. In this study, we examined the effect of TGF-β1 on EPCs and the therapeutic outcome of metformin treatment on TGF-β1-induced EPCs. EPCs were induced with TGF-β1 at different concentrations (5 ng/ml, 10 ng/ml, and 20 ng/ml) for 48 h followed by western blot, qPCR, and immunofluorescence analyses to investigate changes in the levels of the fibrosis-related proteins, α-SMA, Col I, Col III, CTGF, and MMP-1. Live-dead cell staining was used to evaluate cell apoptosis. Compared with the control, TGF-β1 treatment significantly (p<0.05) enhanced the levels of α-SMA, Col I, Col III, CTGF, and MMP-1 in a dose-dependent manner. The most effective concentration of TGF-β1 (20 ng/ml) was then used to induce fibrosis biomarker expression in EPCs, followed by treatment with metformin at different concentrations (0.5, 1, and 2 mmol/l). Metformin treatment suppressed TGF-β-induced expression of all above factors, with the effect at 2 mmol/l being significant (p<0.05). Live-dead cell staining showed no difference among the control, TGF-β1-treated, and metformin-treated groups. In conclusion, our study showed that TGF-β1 induces the expression of fibrosis biomarkers in EPCs, which is attenuated by treatment with metformin. Thus, metformin may have therapeutic potential for improving EPC function in cardiovascular diseases.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/9019648 |
| spellingShingle | Fei Han Jie Shu Shunjun Wang Can-e Tang Fanyan Luo Metformin Inhibits the Expression of Biomarkers of Fibrosis of EPCs In Vitro Stem Cells International |
| title | Metformin Inhibits the Expression of Biomarkers of Fibrosis of EPCs In Vitro |
| title_full | Metformin Inhibits the Expression of Biomarkers of Fibrosis of EPCs In Vitro |
| title_fullStr | Metformin Inhibits the Expression of Biomarkers of Fibrosis of EPCs In Vitro |
| title_full_unstemmed | Metformin Inhibits the Expression of Biomarkers of Fibrosis of EPCs In Vitro |
| title_short | Metformin Inhibits the Expression of Biomarkers of Fibrosis of EPCs In Vitro |
| title_sort | metformin inhibits the expression of biomarkers of fibrosis of epcs in vitro |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/9019648 |
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