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Updated: Aug 2, 2025
Establishment of Deep Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest in Rats
Published on: December 16, 2022
Transcriptomic Profiling of circRNAs in rat Hippocampus after Deep Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest
Tianlong Wang1, Weidong Yan1, Shengqiang Pei2
1Department of Cardiopulmonary Bypass, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Disease, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100037, China.
Insights
Deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) can cause brain injury. This study identified 339 altered circular RNAs (circRNAs) in rat hippocampus after DHCA, offering potential neuroprotection targets.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Neurologic deficits after deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) are a significant clinical issue.
- The precise molecular mechanisms underlying DHCA-induced cerebral injury remain poorly understood.
- Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are emerging as key regulators in various cerebral injuries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the circRNA expression profile in the rat hippocampus following DHCA.
- To explore the potential roles of circRNAs in the pathogenesis of DHCA-related cerebral injury.
- To identify potential therapeutic targets for neuroprotection.
Main Methods:
- Establishment of a DHCA rat model.
- Transcriptomic profiling of circRNAs in rat hippocampus.
- Bioinformatic analyses including Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes.
- Validation of selected circRNAs using RT-qPCR.
- Construction of a circRNA-microRNA (miRNA) interaction network.
Main Results:
- Identification of 35,192 circRNAs, with 339 significantly dysregulated (194 downregulated, 145 upregulated) in the DHCA group compared to sham.
- Functional enrichment analysis of host genes and miRNA-targeting mRNAs provided insights into the biological pathways affected.
- Four specific circRNAs (rno_circ_0028462, rno_circ_0037165, rno_circ_0045161, rno_circ_0019047) were validated.
Conclusions:
- This study provides a comprehensive overview of circRNA expression changes in the rat hippocampus after DHCA.
- The identified dysregulated circRNAs and their associated pathways offer a deeper understanding of DHCA-related cerebral injury mechanisms.
- Candidate circRNAs and their regulatory networks present potential targets for future neuroprotective strategies.
Abstract:
Neurologic abnormalities occurring after deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) remain a significant concern. However, molecular mechanisms leading to DHCA-related cerebral injury are still ill-defined. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of covalently closed non-coding RNAs and can play important roles in different types of cerebral injury. This study aimed to investigate circRNAs expression profiles in rat hippocampus after DHCA and explore the potential functions of circRNAs in DHCA-related cerebral injury. Hence, the DHCA procedure in rats was established and a transcriptomic profiling of circRNAs in rat hippocampus was done. As a result, a total of 35192 circRNAs were identified. Among them, 339 circRNAs were dysregulated, including 194 down-regulated and 145 up-regulated between DHCA and sham group. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses were performed based on the host genes of all dysregulated circRNAs. Also, 4 circRNAs were validated by RT-qPCR (rno_circ_0028462, rno_circ_0037165, rno_circ_0045161 and rno_circ_0019047). Then a circRNA-microRNA (miRNA) interaction network involving 4 candidate circRNAs was constructed. Furthermore, functional enrichment analysis of the miRNA-targeting mRNAs of every candidate circRNA was conducted to gain insight into each of the 4 circRNAs. Our study provided a better understanding of circRNAs in the mechanisms of DHCA-related cerebral injury and some potential targets for neuroprotection.
