Introduction: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which mainly leads to diarrhea, fatigue, stool blood, abdominal pain, and cramping, is threatening public health. Tripartite motif-containing 52 (TRIM52) has been reported to play an important role in inflammatory responses via activating the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway. However, the causes of IBD need to be elucidated, and the function of TRIM52 in IBD remains unclear. Here, we demonstrated that TRIM52 aggravated inflammation and pyroptosis in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced IBD by activating TLR4/NF-κBs pathway.
Methods: The colitis model was established on mice through DSS induction. For the TRIM52 knockdown, the mice were infected with a recombinant adenoviral vector expressing sgRNAs targeting TRIM52. RT-qPCR, western blot, and immunohistochemistry were performed to verify TRIM52 expression in DSS-induced IBD. The body weight, disease activity index, colon length, and H&E staining were used to assess the IBD symptoms in mice with TRIM52 knockdown. The inflammatory responses were examined by RT-qPCR and ELISA measuring tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), inter-leukin 6 (IL-6), and interleukin 1β (IL-1β). Furthermore, the pyroptosis in colon tissue was detected by western blot. Finally, the TLR4/NF-κBs pathway activity was also examined by western blot.
Results: TRIM52 expression was up-regulated in DSS-induced IBD, and knockdown of TRIM52 could alleviate the symptoms of IBD. TRIM52 knockdown retarded DSS-induced inflammatory response and inhibited DSS-induced pyroptosis in colon tissue. In addition, TRIM52 played a role in activating TLR4/NF-κBs pathway.
Conclusion: Knockdown of TRIM52 alleviated inflammation and pyroptosis in IBD by regulating TLR4/NF-κBs pathway. TRIM52 is expected to be a novel diagnostic indicator for IBD and a target of therapeutic treatment.
Keywords: NF-κB; TLR4; TRIM52; inflammatory bowel disease; pyroptosis.