Proteomics Profiling of Bilirubin Nanoparticle Treatment against Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

In myocardial infarction, ischemia-reperfusion injury
(IRI) poses
a significant challenge due to a lack of effective treatments. Bilirubin,
a natural compound known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant
properties, has been identified as a potential therapeutic agent for
IRI. Currently, there are no reports about proteomic studies related
to IRI and bilirubin treatment. In this study, we explored the effects
of bilirubin nanoparticles in a rat model of myocardial IRI. A total
of 3616 protein groups comprising 76,681 distinct peptides were identified
using LC-MS/MS, where we distinguished two kinds of protein groups:
those showing increased expression in IRI and decreased expression
in IRI with bilirubin treatment, and vice versa, accounting for 202
and 35 proteins, respectively. Our proteomic analysis identified significant
upregulation in the Wnt and insulin signaling pathways and increased
Golgi markers, indicating their role in mediating bilirubin nanoparticle’s
protective effects. This research contributes to the proteomic understanding
of myocardial IRI and suggests bilirubin nanoparticles as a promising
strategy for cardiac protection, warranting further investigation
in human models.