NR3C2 mediates oxidised low-density lipoprotein-induced human coronary endothelial cells dysfunction via modulation of NLRP3 inflammasome activation

Abstract

Nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group C member 2 (NR3C2) has been revealed to affect the progression of multiple inflammatory diseases, while NR3C2’s efficacy in coronary artery disease (CAD) remains largely unsolved. The study intended to elucidate the possible mechanisms of NR3C2 in oxidised low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-induced inflammation in human coronary endothelial cells (HCAECs) via regulating NACHT, LRR, and PYD domains-containing protein 3 (NLRP3). Patients who underwent CT angiography or coronary angiography for suspected CAD in our hospital were collected. The patients were divided into the CAD and the non-CAD (NCAD) groups. The expression of NR3C2 and NLRP3 in the peripheral blood of patients in both groups was examined by RT-qPCR. HCAECs were treated with ox-LDL to establish the model. The expression of NR3C2 and NLRP3 in ox-LDL-induced HCAECs was tested by RT-qPCR. The proliferation of HCAECs was measured using CCK-8 assay, the apoptosis of HCAECs was assessed by flow cytometry, and the levels of inflammation-related factors IL-1β and IL-18 in the cell supernatant were evaluated by ELISA. The molecular mechanisms of these factors in the proliferation and apoptosis of HCAECs and in the inflammatory response were further determined by knockdown and overexpression systems. The relationship between NR3C2 and NLRP3 was determined by ChIP and luciferase activity assays and bioinformatics analysis. NR3C2 and NLRP3 levels were elevated in the serum of CAD patients. The ox-LDL treatment elevated NR3C2 levels, evoked apoptosis and inflammation, and impeded cell viability in HCAECs, whereas downregulation of NR3C2 increased cell viability and reduced apoptosis and inflammatory response in ox-LDL-induced inflammation in HCAECs. NR3C2 levels were positively correlated with NLRP3, and NR3C2 elevated NLRP3 expression through transcription. Overexpression of NLRP3 counteracted the impacts of silencing NR3C2 on cell viability, cell apoptosis, and inflammatory response in ox-LDL-induced HCAECs. Our research stresses that NR3C2 transcription promotes NLRP3 to induce inflammatory responses in ox-LDL-induced HCAECs.

Keywords:

• Coronary artery disease
• NR3C2
• NLRP3
• human coronary endothelial cells
• atherosclerosis
• apoptosis
• inflammation

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province [LQ19H020008] and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 82000345).