Zuoxu Hou1, Xinghua Qin1, Yuanyuan Hu1, Xing Zhang1, Guohua Li1, Jie Wu1, Jia Li1, Jianding Sha2, Jiangwei Chen1, Jielai Xia3, Lifeng Wang4, Feng Gao1. 1. From the School of Aerospace Medicine (Z.H., X.Q., Y.H., X.Z., G.L., J.W., J.L., F.G.), Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China. 2. Department of Physical Education (J.S.), Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China. 3. Department of Health Statistics (J.X.), Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China. 4. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (L.W.), Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Abstract
RATIONALE: Exercise training, in addition to reducing cardiovascular risk factors, confers direct protection against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury and has been associated with improved heart attack survival in humans. However, the underlying mechanisms of exercise-afforded cardioprotection are still unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of exercise-derived circulating exosomes in cardioprotection and the molecular mechanisms involved. METHODS AND RESULTS: Circulating exosomes were isolated from the plasma of volunteers with or without exercise training and rats subjected to 4-week swim exercise or sedentary littermates 24 hours after the last training session. Although the total circulating exosome level did not change significantly in exercised subjects 24 hours post-exercise compared with the sedentary control, the isolated plasma exosomes from exercised rats afforded remarkable protection against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury. miRNA sequencing combined with quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction validation identified 12 differentially expressed miRNAs from the circulating exosomes of exercised rats, among which miR-342-5p stood out as the most potent cardioprotective molecule. Importantly, the cardioprotective effects and the elevation of exosomal miR-342-5p were also observed in exercise-trained human volunteers. Moreover, inhibition of miR-342-5p significantly blunted the protective effects of exercise-derived circulating exosomes in hypoxia/reoxygenation cardiomyocytes; in vivo cardiac-specific inhibition of miR-342-5p through serotype 9 adeno-associated virus-mediated gene delivery attenuated exercise-afforded cardioprotection in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion rats. Mechanistically, miR-342-5p inhibited hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis via targeting Caspase 9 and Jnk2; it also enhanced survival signaling (p-Akt) via targeting phosphatase gene Ppm1f. Of note, exercise training or laminar shear stress directly enhanced the synthesis of miR-342-5p in endothelial cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reveal a novel endogenous cardioprotective mechanism that long-term exercise-derived circulating exosomes protect the heart against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury via exosomal miR-342-5p.
RATIONALE: Exercise training, in addition to reducing cardiovascular risk factors, confers direct protection against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury and has been associated with improved heart attack survival in humans. However, the underlying mechanisms of exercise-afforded cardioprotection are still unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of exercise-derived circulating exosomes in cardioprotection and the molecular mechanisms involved. METHODS AND RESULTS: Circulating exosomes were isolated from the plasma of volunteers with or without exercise training and rats subjected to 4-week swim exercise or sedentary littermates 24 hours after the last training session. Although the total circulating exosome level did not change significantly in exercised subjects 24 hours post-exercise compared with the sedentary control, the isolated plasma exosomes from exercised rats afforded remarkable protection against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury. miRNA sequencing combined with quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction validation identified 12 differentially expressed miRNAs from the circulating exosomes of exercised rats, among which miR-342-5p stood out as the most potent cardioprotective molecule. Importantly, the cardioprotective effects and the elevation of exosomal miR-342-5p were also observed in exercise-trained human volunteers. Moreover, inhibition of miR-342-5p significantly blunted the protective effects of exercise-derived circulating exosomes in hypoxia/reoxygenation cardiomyocytes; in vivo cardiac-specific inhibition of miR-342-5p through serotype 9 adeno-associated virus-mediated gene delivery attenuated exercise-afforded cardioprotection in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion rats. Mechanistically, miR-342-5p inhibited hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis via targeting Caspase 9 and Jnk2; it also enhanced survival signaling (p-Akt) via targeting phosphatase gene Ppm1f. Of note, exercise training or laminar shear stress directly enhanced the synthesis of miR-342-5p in endothelial cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reveal a novel endogenous cardioprotective mechanism that long-term exercise-derived circulating exosomes protect the heart against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury via exosomal miR-342-5p.
Authors: Haobo Li; Margaret H Hastings; James Rhee; Lena E Trager; Jason D Roh; Anthony Rosenzweig Journal: Circ Res Date: 2020-02-13 Impact factor: 17.367