CLEC5A knockdown protects against cardiac dysfunction after myocardial infarction by suppressing macrophage polarization, NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and pyroptosis

Increasing evidence has shown that the NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and pyroptotic cell death play vital roles in the pathophysiology of myocardial infarction (MI), a common cardiovascular disease characterized by cardiac dysfunction. C-type lectin member 5A (CLEC5A) has been reported to be strongly associated with activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and pyroptosis. In this study, an in vivo MI model was established by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery in male C57BL/6 mice, and CLEC5A knockdown was further achieved by intra-myocardial injection of adenovirus delivering shRNA-CLEC5A. CLEC5A was found to be highly expressed in the left ventricle of MI mice, while CLEC5A knockdown alleviated cardiac dysfunction in MI mice. In addition, MI-induced classical activation of macrophages was significantly inhibited after CLEC5A silencing. Additionally, CLEC5A knockdown dramatically inhibited MI-triggered activation of NLRP3 inflammasome, pyroptosis, and NF-κB signaling in the left ventricle of mice. In vitro experiments further validated that CLEC5A knockdown suppressed M1 polarization in LPS/IFNγ-stimulated RAW264.7 cells and inhibited the polarized RAW264.7-induced activation of NLRP3 inflammasome/pyroptosis signaling in co-cultured cardiomyocytes. In conclusion, CLEC5A knockdown protects against MI-induced cardiac dysfunction by regulating macrophage polarization, NLRP3 inflammasome, and cell pyroptosis.