Parthanatos initiated by ROS-induced DNA damage is involved in intestinal epithelial injury during necrotizing enterocolitis

Abstract Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) involves intestinal epithelial damage and inflammatory response and is associated with high morbidity and mortality in infants. To improve therapeutic prospects, elucidating underlying molecular mechanisms of intestinal epithelial damage during NEC is of the essence. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1)-dependent parthanatos is a programmed inflammatory cell death. In the present study, the presence of parthanatos-associated proteins PARP1 and poly (ADP-ribose) (PAR), along with high expression of DNA damage-associated biomarkers, 8-hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and phosphorylation of histone H2AX (γH2AX), were discovered in the intestinal tissues of NEC infants. Additionally, the upregulated expression of PARP1 and PAR in NEC intestinal tissues correlated distinctly with clinical indices indicative of NEC incidence and severity. Furthermore, we demonstrated that inhibiting the expression of parthanatos-associated proteins, by either pharmacological blockage using 3-aminobenzamide (3-AB), an inhibitor of PARP1, or genetic knockout using Parp1 -deficient mice, resulted in substantial improvements in both histopathological severity scores associated with intestinal injury and inflammatory reactions. Moreover, in an in vitro NEC model, reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced DNA damage promoted the formation of PAR and nuclear translocation of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), thus activating PARP1-dependent parthanatos in Caco-2 cells and human intestinal organoids. Our work verifies a previously unexplored role for parthanatos in intestinal epithelial damage during NEC and suggests that inhibition of parthanatos may serve as a potential therapeutic strategy for intervention of NEC.