Efficacy of recombinant annexin 2 for fibrinolytic therapy in a rat embolic stroke model: a magnetic resonance imaging study.

Efficacy of recombinant annexin 2 (rAN II) in a rat model of embolic stroke was examined using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histology. The right middle cerebral artery of male Wistar rats was occluded by autologous clots under anesthesia. Four doses of rAN II (0.125, 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg, n=10 for each group) or saline (1 ml/kg, n=10) were administrated intravenously within 5 min before clot infusion. Serial changes in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and relative blood flow (CBF) were measured with the use of MRI in half of the animals in each group. The remaining half of the animals in each group was evaluated for hemorrhage and final infarct size by histology at 48 h after embolization. At 3 h after embolization, lesion volumes with ADC were abnormality and CBF in the peripheral lesion was improved in groups treated with 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg, but not 0.125 mg/kg, of rAN II in comparison with the saline-treated group (P<0.05). Histological analyses were consistent with MRI findings. More importantly, no hemorrhagic transformation was documented in rats treated with 0.125 and 0.25 mg/kg of rAN II, whereas it was observed at higher doses. We concluded that rAN II at 0.25 mg/kg significantly reduced infarct size and improved CBF without hemorrhagic complications. rAN II is a novel compound that has the potential to be a promising fibrinolytic agent to treat embolic stroke.

Recombinant annexin-2 inhibits the progress of diabetic nephropathy in a diabetic mouse model via recovery of hypercoagulability.

Diabetic nephropathy, a major complication of diabetes mellitus that leads to mortality, has been shown to involve a dysregulation of the coagulation system. Annexin-2, a co-receptor for plasminogen and tissue plasminogen activator on endothelial cells, is one of the molecules required to maintain the antithrombogenic properties of endothelial cells. Previously, we showed that recombinant annexin-2 protein (rAN II) modulated impaired fibrinolytic activity in the carotid arteries of rats. In the present study, to investigate its protective effects against diabetic nephropathy, rAN II was administered to KK-Ay mice, a murine model of type 2 diabetes, for eight weeks, and albuminuria, kidney size, and histological glomerular lesions were investigated. The mean weight of kidneys from KK-Ay mice treated with rAN II was significantly less than that of those treated with PBS (control) (p < 0.02). Furthermore, the level of albuminuria observed in rAN II-treated KK-Ay mice was significantly less than that of the control group (rAN II, 0.90+/-0.12 microg/day; PBS, 1.55+/-0.31 microg/day; p < 0.01); also, the area of diffuse glomerular lesions was significantly smaller (rAN II, 41.51+/-4.54%; PBS, 81.81+/-8.10%; p < 0.01). Bleeding time, prothrombin time (PT), and active partial thromboplastin time (APTT) did not significantly differ between the two groups. Our results suggest that rAN II may inhibit the progression of diabetic nephropathy in KK-Ay mice without influencing the coagulation system, indicating that annexin-2 may be considered as a possible new therapeutic tool for patients with diabetic nephropathy.

Functional impact of IgA nephropathy-associated selectin gene haplotype on leukocyte-endothelial interaction.

Previously, we discovered single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with Immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy in selectin genes, which were 712C>T(P238S) in L selectin, -642A>G in the promoter region of L selectin, and 1402C>T(H468Y) in E selectin. Interestingly, these SNPs were in nearly complete linkage disequilibrium, thus two haplotypes, disease-associated TGT and wild-type (Wt) CAC, were constructed. To investigate the functional significance of TGT haplotype, a stable CHO transfectant expressing a P238S-L-selectin variant (CHO-varL) and a recombinant adenovirus vector containing an H468Y-E-selectin variant (Ad-varE) were established and compared to their Wt counterparts. Under flow, CHO-varL exhibited significantly less adhesion over IL-1beta-activated HUVEC monolayers compared to CHO-wtL. Furthermore, a luciferase reporter construct, containing a promoter region of the L-selectin variant (luc-varL), exhibited significantly less transcription activity compared to Wt (luc-wtL). These results suggest that the adhesive interactions and expression level of L selectin in disease-associated haplotypes are significantly compromised, indicating a potential role of these SNPs in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases, including IgA nephropathy.

MCP-1-induced enhancement of THP-1 adhesion to vascular endothelium was modulated by HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor through RhoA GTPase-, but not ERK1/2-dependent pathway.

Monocyte-endothelial interaction plays a pivotal role in atherosclerosis. We previously showed that HMG CoA reductase inhibitor reduces adhesion, however, not the rolling of monocytes to vascular endothelium under flow in vitro. In the present study, we investigated the effect of pitavastatin, a novel HMG CoA reductase inhibitor, on the transition from monocyte rolling on vascular endothelium to stable adhesion induced by MCP-1 under flow (shear stress = 1.0 dyne/cm(2)). Control THP-1 cells rolled on activated (IL-1beta, 4 hours) human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and the number of adhered THP-1 cells were significantly enhanced following the addition of 50 nM of MCP-1 (p < 0.002). In contrast, MCP-1 failed to convert pitavastatin-treated (10 microM, 48 hours) THP-1 rolling to stable adhesion, as compared to baseline adhesion, prior to the addition of MCP-1 (p > 0.4). Pitavastatin-induced changes in THP-1 cells were reversed by treatment with 10 microM of mevalonate, the intermediate of cholesterol biosynthesis. To elucidate the mechanism by which pitavastatin modulates MCP-1-induced THP-1 adhesive interactions, the possible involvement of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) was examined. Western blotting analysis using an anti-ERK1/2 Ab and an antibody against phosphorylated-ERK1/2 (p-ERK) revealed that pitavastatin treatment significantly inhibited the MCP-1-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2. Further, a RhoA pull-down assay revealed that activation of RhoA GTPase was reduced after pitavastatin treatment. Interestingly, an inhibitor of RhoA GTPase, but not that of the ERK1/2 pathway, attenuated MCP-1-dependent adhesion of THP-1 cells to HUVEC. These findings indicate a role for pitavastatin in modulating the MCP-1-induced phenotypic changes of monocyte-endothelial interactions, which may account for the anti-inflammatory effects of statins.

Pioglitazone reduces monocyte adhesion to vascular endothelium under flow by modulating RhoA GTPase and focal adhesion kinase.

Thiazolidinediones (TZDs), potent peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma ligands, have been shown to improve endothelial function in vascular diseases. We investigated the effects of pioglitazone, a TZD, on monocyte-endothelial interaction under flow and found that pretreatment (20 mumol/l, 48 h) significantly reduced U937 adhesion to human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Integrin expression was not altered, however, the activation of RhoA GTPase was significantly reduced after treatment. Further, pioglitazone treatment significantly reduced phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) at 925Y, but not at 397Y, suggesting a specific role in FAK-dependent signaling. These results indicate a novel anti-inflammatory role for this compound.

Introduction of short interfering RNA to silence endogenous E-selectin in vascular endothelium leads to successful inhibition of leukocyte adhesion.

Short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are powerful sequence-specific reagents that suppress gene expression in mammalian cells. We report for the first time that gene silencing of endothelial E-selectin by siRNAs leads to successful inhibition of leukocyte-endothelial interaction under flow. siRNAs designed to target human E-selectin were tranfected into human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Western blotting analysis revealed that transfection of these siRNAs, but not the scrambled control siRNA (100nM each), attenuated E-selectin expression in HUVEC activated with TNF-alpha (10ng/ml, 4h) without affecting expression of ICAM-1. Moreover, a leukocyte adhesion assay under flow (shear stress=1.0dyne/cm(2)) demonstrated that HUVEC transfected with a siRNA against E-selectin (siE-01) supported significantly less HL60 adhesion as compared to those transfected with the control siRNA (scE-01) after activation (p<0.03). This technique provides a powerful strategy to dissect a specific function of a given molecule in leukocyte-endothelial interaction.

Exploring the stereochemistry of CXCR4-peptide recognition and inhibiting HIV-1 entry with D-peptides derived from chemokines.

Chemokine receptor CXCR4 plays an important role in the immune system and the cellular entry of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). To probe the stereospecificity of the CXCR4-ligand interface, d-amino acid peptides derived from natural chemokines, viral macrophage inflammatory protein II (vMIP-II) and stromal cell-derived factor-1alpha (SDF-1alpha), were synthesized and found to compete with (125)I-SDF-1alpha and monoclonal antibody 12G5 binding to CXCR4 with potency and selectivity comparable with or higher than their l-peptide counterparts. This was surprising because of the profoundly different side chain topologies between d- and l-enantiomers, which circular dichroism spectroscopy showed adopt mirror image conformations. Further direct binding experiments using d-peptide labeled with fluorescein (designated as FAM-DV1) demonstrated that d- and l-peptides shared similar or at least overlapping binding site(s) on the CXCR4 receptor. Structure-activity analyses of related peptide analogs of mixed chiralities or containing alanine replacements revealed specific residues at the N-terminal half of the peptides as key binding determinants. Acting as CXCR4 antagonists and with much higher biological stability than l-counterparts, the d-peptides showed significant activity in inhibiting the replication of CXCR4-dependent HIV-1 strains. These results show the remarkable stereochemical flexibility of the CXCR4-peptide interface. Further studies to understand the mechanism of this unusual feature of the CXCR4 binding surface might aid the development of novel CXCR4-binding molecules like the d-peptides that have high affinity and stability.