SEM1 Downregulates HSPA8 to Suppress TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB Signaling and Alleviate Myocardial I/R Injury

Inflammation plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, highlighting inflammation suppression as a critical therapeutic strategy. The inflammatory response is largely mediated through Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), a transmembrane signal receptor whose expression is upregulated by Heat Shock Protein Family A Member 8 (HSPA8). Here, we investigated whether SEM1, a subunit of the 26S proteasome, interacts with HSPA8 and attenuates TLR4-mediated inflammation. Our results demonstrate that SEM1 expression is downregulated following myocardial I/R. Overexpression of SEM1 alleviated cardiac injury and dysfunction, inhibited myocardial inflammation, and downregulated HSPA8 expression in the I/R-injured heart. Co-IP assays confirmed a strong physical interaction between SEM1 and HSPA8, while the precise molecular mechanism responsible for SEM1-induced downregulation of HSPA8 remains to be fully elucidated. Mechanistically, SEM1 suppressed the activation of the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway. Collectively, these findings identify SEM1 as a novel regulator that protects against myocardial I/R injury via its association with HSPA8 and inhibition of the TLR4-mediated inflammatory cascade, offering a promising therapeutic target for this condition.