Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2024, Vol. 19 ›› Issue (5): 1064-1071.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.385311

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Tumor necrosis factor-stimulated gene-6 ameliorates early brain injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage by suppressing NLRC4 inflammasome-mediated astrocyte pyroptosis

Mingxiang Ding1, 2, #, Lei Jin1, #, Boyang Wei1, #, Wenping Cheng1, Wenchao Liu1, Xifeng Li1, *, Chuanzhi Duan1, *   

  1. 1Neurosurgery Center, Department of Cerebrovascular Surgery, The National Key Clinical Specialty, The Engineering Technology Research Center of Education Ministry of China on Diagnosis and Treatment of Cerebrovascular Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration, The Neurosurgery Institute of Guangdong Province, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China; 2Department of Cerebrovascular Intervention, Zhongshan City People’s Hospital, Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, China
  • Online:2024-05-15 Published:2023-10-31
  • Contact: Xifeng Li, PhD, nflxf@126.com; Chuanzhi Duan, MD, doctor_duanzj@163.com.
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81974178 (to CD).

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Abstract: Subarachnoid hemorrhage is associated with high morbidity and mortality and lacks effective treatment. Pyroptosis is a crucial mechanism underlying early brain injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage. Previous studies have confirmed that tumor necrosis factor-stimulated gene-6 (TSG-6) can exert a neuroprotective effect by suppressing oxidative stress and apoptosis. However, no study to date has explored whether TSG-6 can alleviate pyroptosis in early brain injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage. In this study, a C57BL/6J mouse model of subarachnoid hemorrhage was established using the endovascular perforation method. Our results indicated that TSG-6 expression was predominantly detected in astrocytes, along with NLRC4 and gasdermin-D (GSDMD). The expression of NLRC4, GSDMD and its N-terminal domain (GSDMD-N), and cleaved caspase-1 was significantly enhanced after subarachnoid hemorrhage and accompanied by brain edema and neurological impairment. To explore how TSG-6 affects pyroptosis during early brain injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage, recombinant human TSG-6 or a siRNA targeting TSG-6 was injected into the cerebral ventricles. Exogenous TSG-6 administration downregulated the expression of NLRC4 and pyroptosis-associated proteins and alleviated brain edema and neurological deficits. Moreover, TSG-6 knockdown further increased the expression of NLRC4, which was accompanied by more severe astrocyte pyroptosis. In summary, our study revealed that TSG-6 provides neuroprotection against early brain injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage by suppressing NLRC4 inflammasome activation-induced astrocyte pyroptosis.

Key words: astrocyte, early brain injury, inflammasome, NLRC4, pyroptosis, subarachnoid hemorrhage, tumor necrosis factor-stimulated gene-6 (TSG-6)