Gene Expression Analysis of Inflammation, Proliferation, and Tissue Repair in Fibroblasts Treated with Ishtx-k Toxin and Mucilage

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Department of Genetics, Faculty of Science, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran

Abstract

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of a combination derived from okra extract and the sea anemone toxin Ishtx-K under cell culture conditions. Fibroblasts are one of the most important cells involved in tissue repair. Modulation of fibroblast growth rate is useful for wound-healing management. In this study, in order to more precisely evaluate alterations in gene expression under in vitro conditions, cell cultures treated with mucilage and the Ishtx-K peptide were employed. Real-time RT-PCR assays were performed to analyze the expression changes of key genes associated with inflammation and tissue repair, including FGF1, TAC3, NF-κB, and the two long non-coding transcripts H19 and NEAT1. Statistical analysis was performed in the P≤ 0.05 significant range. The results demonstrated that treatment with okra mucilage and the Ishtx-K peptide reduced the expression of NF-Κb (fold change/FC= 0.47, P= 0.000), one of the most important regulators of inflammation. Significant alterations were also observed in the expression of FGF1 (overexpression to 4.2-fold, P= 0.000) and a decrease of about 50% in TAC3 in the group treated with mucilage, indicating stimulation of regenerative processes and modulation of pathways associated with tissue repair. In addition, diminished expression changes of the non-coding transcripts H19 and NEAT1, confirmed their potential roles in the molecular mechanisms underlying cell signaling related to cell growth and cell physiology, were FC= 0.2-0.25 in the mucilage-treated group for two molecules, P= 0.000 and about 0.39 for LncRNA NEATA1 in the mucilage-toxin combined treated group, P= 0.000. The combined application of the plant-derived and peptide-based compounds exhibited greater efficacy in reducing inflammation and improving the regenerative process compared with individual treatments. These findings suggest that the combined therapy presented in this study, through modulation of inflammatory and molecular pathways, may represent a novel and effective therapeutic approach for some important process in tissue repair.

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References

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Journal of Genetic Resources
Volume 12, Issue 1
2026
Pages 74-83

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