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Background. Circular RNA (circRNA) is a noncoding RNA that forms a closed-loop structure, and its abnormal expression may cause disease. We aimed to find potential network for circRNA-related competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) in atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods. The circRNA, miRNA, and mRNA expression profiles in the heart tissue from AF patients were retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus database and analyzed comprehensively. Differentially expressed circRNAs (DEcircRNAs), differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs), and differentially expressed mRNAs (DEmRNAs) were identified, followed by the establishment of DEcircRNA-DEmiRNA-DEmRNA regulatory network. Functional annotation analysis of host gene of DEcircRNAs and DEmRNAs in ceRNA regulatory network was performed. In vitro experiment and electronic validation were used to validate the expression of DEcircRNAs, DEmiRNAs, and DEmRNAs. Results. A total of 1611 DEcircRNAs, 51 DEmiRNAs, and 1250 DEmRNAs were identified in AF. The DEcircRNA-DEmiRNA-DEmRNA network contained 62 circRNAs, 14 miRNAs, and 728 mRNAs. Among which, two ceRNA regulatory pairs of hsa-circRNA-100053-hsa-miR-455-5p-TRPV1 and hsa-circRNA-005843-hsa-miR-188-5p-SPON1 were identified. In addition, six miRNA-mRNA regulatory pairs including hsa-miR-34c-5p-INMT, hsa-miR-1253-DDIT4L, hsa-miR-508-5p-SMOC2, hsa-miR-943-ACTA1, hsa-miR-338-3p-WIPI1, and hsa-miR-199a-3p-RAP1GAP2 were also obtained. MTOR was a significantly enriched signaling pathway of host gene of DEcircRNAs. In addition, arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy were remarkably enriched signaling pathways of DEmRNAs in DEcircRNA-DEmiRNA-DEmRNA regulatory network. The expression validation of hsa-circRNA-402565, hsa-miR-34c-5p, hsa-miR-188-5p, SPON1, DDIT4L, SMOC2, and WIPI1 was consistent with the integrated analysis. Conclusion. We speculated that hsa-circRNA-100053-hsa-miR-455-5p-TRPV1 and hsa-circRNA-005843-hsa-miR-188-5p-SPON1 interaction pairs may be involved in AF.

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Background/Aims: Extensive research has explored the role of aldosterone in insulin resistance. Recent evidence suggests that the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) mediates aldosterone-induced dysregulation of cytokines, and most of this research has focused on adjustments in fat tissue and adipocytes. However, the direct effect of MR blockade on insulin resistance in cardiomyocytes remains largely unknown. In the present study, we investigated whether MR blockade improves insulin-sensitizing factors in insulin-resistant rats and attenuates the dysregulation of the aldosterone-related transport of adiponectin and glucose in cardiomyocytes and examined the underlying mechanisms. Methods: The effects of aldosterone, MR inhibitors (e.g., eplerenone), a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) α agonist, and a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor on adiponectin and glucose transport were studied at the mRNA and protein levels in vitro and in vivo. Results: Our data revealed that aldosterone reduced the expression of adiponectin and inhibited the transport of glucose in cardiomyocytes and that MR blockade reversed these affects. In vivo, MR blockade improved insulin-sensitive parameters and increased adiponectin expression in the myocardia of high-fat diet rats. Furthermore, aldosterone promoted p38MAPK expression but negatively affected PPARα expression, and the downregulation of adiponectin by aldosterone was reversed by MR blockade, a PPARα agonist, and a p38 MAPK inhibitor. Conclusion: The above results suggested that aldosterone promoted insulin resistance in the heart and that this effect could be partly reversed by MR blockade through signal transduction in the P38 MAPK pathway and PPARα.

Capsicum chinense Jacq. is classified under the Solanaceae family, which is an extensively consumed spice and vegetable globally. Therefore, to gain more knowledge and insight into the diversity of Capsicum chinense Jacq. metabolites, a total of 18 placental tissues from various development stages were collected and untargeted metabolomics was conducted by means of ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS). Principal component analysis (PCA) analysis established the existence of distinct metabolite distribution patterns as observed at 16 days post anthesis (DPA), compared with the metabolites at 36 and 48 DPA groups, whereas there was a difference in metabolites between the orange ripening period (B) and the red ripening period (C), which intersected with each other. Furthermore, several pathways including metabolic pathways, biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids, ABC transporters, alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, fatty acid biosynthesis, pentose and glucoronate pathways, secondary metabolites biosynthesis, cutin, biosynthesis of suberine and wax were significantly enriched across the fruit ripening stages. The capsaicin content was observed to be less in the early ripening stages, but gradually increased to a high concentration during the late ripening stages. In conclusion, our study findings submit a suitable approach for interpreting the biochemical variances of non-targeted metabolomics in hot pepper developmental stages, as well as offer new findings that can be applied in the development strategies in breeding of Capsicum chinense Jacq.