Cardioprotective Effect of Paeonol on Chronic Heart Failure Induced by Doxorubicin via Regulating the miR-21-5p/S-Phase Kinase-Associated Protein 2 Axis

Cong Chen; Shuhong Liu; Gaozhen Cao; Yang Hu; Run Wang; Min Wu; Mingya Liu; Kai Hang Yiu

doi:10.3389/fcvm.2022.695004

Cardioprotective Effect of Paeonol on Chronic Heart Failure Induced by Doxorubicin via Regulating the miR-21-5p/S-Phase Kinase-Associated Protein 2 Axis

Front Cardiovasc Med. 2022 Jul 5:9:695004. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.695004. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Cong Chen¹, Shuhong Liu¹, Gaozhen Cao¹, Yang Hu^{1

2}, Run Wang¹, Min Wu¹, Mingya Liu¹, Kai Hang Yiu^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
² Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Shenzhen, China.

Abstract

Background: This study primarily explored the role of paeonol in doxorubicin (DOX)-induced chronic heart failure (CHF), considering the cardioprotective effect of paeonol on an epirubicin-induced cardiac injury.

Methods: DOX-induced CHF-modeled rats were treated with paeonol. Cardiac function and myocardial damage in rats were evaluated by using the multifunction instrument, and the histopathology, apoptosis, and the expression of miR-21-5p and S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (SKP2) in myocardium were detected. The target gene of miR-21-5p was confirmed by a dual-luciferase reporter assay. After the required transfection or paeonol treatment, the viability, apoptosis, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) of the DOX-induced cardiomyocytes were determined. Reverse-transcription quantitative-PCR (RT-qPCR) and Western blot were performed to quantify the expressions of miR-21-5p, SKP2, and apoptosis-related factors.

Results: Paeonol improved cardiac function and also ameliorated the cardiac damage of CHF-modeled rats, where the downregulation of abnormally elevated myocardial damage markers, including brain natriuretic peptide, lactate dehydrogenase, renin, angiotensin II, aldosterone, and endothelin 1, was observed. Paeonol alleviated the histopathological injury and suppressed the apoptosis in CHF-modeled rats, inhibited miR-21-5p expression, and upregulated SKP2 expression in vitro and in vivo. miR-21-5p targeted SKP2. Paeonol and SKP2 increased the viability and MMP, but reduced apoptosis and ROS in the DOX-induced cardiomyocytes. miR-21-5p exerted effects opposite to PAE and SKP2, and it downregulated the expression of Bcl-2 and mitochondrion-Cytochrome c (Cyt c) and upregulated the expression of Bax, C-caspase-3, and cytoplasm-Cyt c. miR-21-5p reversed the effects of paeonol, and its effects were further reversed by SKP2.

Conclusion: Paeonol shows a cardioprotective effect on DOX-induced CHF via regulating the miR-21-5p/SKP2 axis.

Keywords: SKP2; cardioprotective; chronic heart failure; miR-21-5p; paeonol.