Purpose: Necroptosis is an important form of cell death following myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) and phosphoglycerate mutase 5 (PGAM5) functions as the convergent point for multiple necrosis pathways. This study aims to investigate whether inhibition of PGAM5 could reduce I/R-induced myocardial necroptosis and the underlying mechanisms.
Methods: The SD rat hearts (or H9c2 cells) were subjected to 1-h ischemia (or 10-h hypoxia) plus 3-h reperfusion (or 4-h reoxygenation) to establish the I/R (or H/R) injury model. The myocardial injury was assessed by the methods of biochemistry, H&E (hematoxylin and eosin), and PI/DAPI (propidium iodide/4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) staining, respectively. Drug interventions or gene knockdown was used to verify the role of PGAM5 in I/R (or H/R)-induced myocardial necroptosis and possible mechanisms.
Results: The I/R-treated heart showed the injuries (increase in infarct size and creatine kinase release), upregulation of PGAM5, dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1), p-Drp1-S616, and necroptosis-relevant proteins (RIPK1/RIPK3, receptor-interacting protein kinase 1/3; MLKL, mixed lineage kinase domain-like); these phenomena were attenuated by inhibition of PGAM5 or RIPK1. In H9c2 cells, H/R treatment elevated the levels of PGAM5, RIPK1, RIPK3, MLKL, Drp1, and p-Drp1-S616 and induced mitochondrial dysfunctions (elevation in mitochondrial membrane potential and ROS level) and cellular necrosis (increase in LDH release and the ratio of PI+/DAPI+ cells); these effects were blocked by inhibition or knockdown of PGAM5.
Conclusions: Inhibition of PGAM5 can reduce necroptosis in I/R-treated rat hearts through suppression of Drp1; there is a positive feedback between RIPK1 and PGAM5, and PGAM5 might serve as a novel therapeutic target for prevention of myocardial I/R injury.
Keywords: Dynamin-related protein 1(DRP1); Ischemia/reperfusion; Necroptosis; Phosphoglycerate mutase 5 (PGAM5); Phosphoglycolic acid.