Biology subjects

Parini, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Parini, A..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Robust non-invasive detection of hyperglycemia in mouse models of metabolic dysregulation: the novel Urination Index biomarker

Blood glucose is one of the most essential parameters in metabolic research. Yet, accurate blood glucose monitoring in mouse models of diabetes is challenging due to the significant stress associated with the measurements and the variability in diabetes development among experimental mouse models. This variability necessitates frequent blood glucose measurements, which only provide intermittent data and may not accurately reflect continuous metabolic changes. To address these issues, we have utilized the Tecniplast DVC system to monitor bedding moisture, enabling the detection of increased urination (polyuria), a primary symptom of diabetes. Polyuria is a hallmark of (undiagnosed/untreated) diabetes, and we revealed high correlations between bedding moisture and blood glucose during hyperglycemia. Thus, our developed algorithm enhances animal welfare by reducing the need for invasive blood glucose tests and enabling non-invasive, continuous assessment of hyperglycemia onset, progression, and severity directly within the mices home cage. Continuous monitoring of polyuria allows detailed analysis of temporal and circadian urination patterns and enables assessment of the efficacy of glucose-lowering interventions, which is crucial in developing new pharmacological treatments. We propose that this innovative approach of a novel digital biomarker, the Urination Index (UI), offers a significant advance in the methodology for diabetes research in mouse models, improves animal welfare by reducing the need for invasive blood glucose tests, and enhances the reliability of data and the quality of life for the animals involved.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2024

Pathogenicity of Commensal Gut Biofilm In Prefrail Aging

Pathophysiological mechanisms of unhealthy aging, particularly the transition from robustness to frailty, remain poorly understood. Despite extensive microbiome research on taxonomy, the behavior of early prefrail gut bacteria in their natural community-host mucosal tissue context remains unexplored. Using fecal samples from the INSPIRE-T aging human cohort, we characterized gut microbiota phenotype during prefrailty stages using a polymicrobial biofilm model. Results revealed that prefrail-derived biofilms exhibited distinct taxonomic and physical alterations, enhanced dispersal, and increased epithelial virulence compared to robust counterparts. Multiparametric analyses linked biofilm characteristics to clinical traits, suggesting their potential as aging status indicators. Polyphenol-rich grape pomace extract partially reversed prefrail biofilm alterations and reduced proinflammatory prefrail biofilm responses in vitro. Microbiota from prefrail aged mice induced colon damage in antibiotic-treated recipients, establishing a prefrail microbiome-inflammation causality. Overall, the findings identified novel prefrail microbiome characteristics, established causal inflammatory links, and support microbiota-targeted geroprotective interventions for the prefrail populations.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2018

Length-independent telomere damage drives cardiomyocyte senescence

Ageing is the biggest risk factor for cardiovascular health and is associated with increased incidence of cardiovascular disease. Cellular senescence, a process driven in part by telomere shortening, has been implicated in age-related tissue dysfunction. Here, we address the question of how senescence is induced in rarely dividing/post-mitotic cardiomyocytes and investigate if clearance of senescent cells attenuates age related cardiac dysfunction. During ageing, human and murine cardiomyocytes acquire a senescent-like phenotype characterised by persistent DNA damage at telomere regions that can be driven by mitochondrial dysfunction, and crucially can occur independently of cell-division and telomere length. Length-independent telomere damage in cardiomyocytes activates the classical senescence-inducing pathways, p21CIP and p16INK4a and results in a non-canonical senescence-associated secretory phenotype. Pharmacological or genetic clearance of senescent cells in mice alleviates myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis, detrimental features of cardiac ageing, and promotes cardiomyocyte regeneration. Our data describes a mechanism by which senescence can occur and contribute to ageing in post-mitotic tissues.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Vasohibin1, a new IRES trans-acting factor for sequential induction of angiogenic factors in hypoxia

Hypoxia, a major inducer of angiogenesis, is known to trigger major changes of gene expression at the transcriptional level. Furthermore, global protein synthesis is blocked while internal ribosome entry sites (IRES) allow specific mRNAs to be translated. Here we report the transcriptome and translatome signatures of (lymph)angiogenic genes in hypoxic HL-1 cardiomyocytes: most genes are not induced at the transcriptome-, but at the translatome level, including all IRES-containing mRNAs. Our data reveal activation of (lymph)angiogenic mRNA IRESs in early hypoxia. We identify vasohibin1 (VASH1) as an IRES trans-acting factor (ITAF) able to activate FGF1 and VEGFD IRESs in hypoxia while it inhibits several IRESs in normoxia. Thus this new ITAF may have opposite effects on IRES activities. These data suggest a generalized process of IRES-dependent translational induction of (lymph)angiogenic growth factors expression in early hypoxia, whose pathophysiological relevance is to trigger formation of new functional vessels in ischemic heart. VASH1 is not always required, indicating that the IRESome composition is variable, thus allowing subgroups of IRESs to be activated under the control of different ITAFs.

cell biology↗