Deep vein thrombus formation induced by flow reduction in mice is determined by venous side branches.

BACKGROUND: Interaction between vascular wall abnormalities, inflammatory leukocytes, platelets, coagulation factors and hemorheology in the pathogenesis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is incompletely understood, requiring well defined animal models of human disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: We subjected male C57BL/6 mice to ligation of the inferior vena cava (IVC) as a flow reduction model to induce DVT. Thrombus size and weight were analyzed macroscopically and sonographically by B-mode, pulse wave (pw) Doppler and power Doppler imaging (PDI) using high frequency ultrasound. Thrombus size varied substantially between individual procedures and mice, irrespective of the flow reduction achieved by the ligature. Interestingly, PDI accurately predicted thrombus size in a very robust fashion (r2 = 0.9734, p < 0.0001). Distance of the insertion of side branches from the ligature significantly determines thrombus weight (r2 = 0.5597, p < 0.0001) and length (r2 = 0.5441, p < 0.0001) in the IVC, regardless of the flow measured by pw-Doppler with distances <1.5 mm drastically impairing thrombus formation. Occlusion of side branches prior to ligation of IVC did not increase thrombus size, probably due to patent side branches inaccessible to surgery. CONCLUSION: Venous side branches influence thrombus size in experimental DVT and might therefore prevent thrombus formation. This renders vessel anatomy and hemorheology important determinants in mouse models of DVT, which should be controlled for.

CD40L contributes to angiotensin II-induced pro-thrombotic state, vascular inflammation, oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction.

CD40 ligand (CD40L) is involved in the vascular infiltration of immune cells and pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Additionally, T cell CD40L release causes platelet, dendritic cell and monocyte activation in thrombosis. However, the role of CD40L in angiotensin II (ATII)-driven vascular dysfunction and hypertension remains incompletely understood. We tested the hypothesis that CD40L contributes to ATII-driven vascular inflammation by promoting platelet-leukocyte activation, vascular infiltration of immune cells and by amplifying oxidative stress. C57BL/6 and CD40L-/- mice were infused with ATII (1 mg/kg/day for 7 days) using osmotic minipumps. Vascular function was recorded by isometric tension studies, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were monitored in blood and heart by optical methods. Western blot, immunohistochemistry, FACS analysis and real-time RT-PCR were used to analyze immune cell distribution, pro-inflammatory cytokines, NAPDH oxidase subunits, T cell transcription factors and other genes of interest. ATII-treated CD40L-/- mice showed improved endothelial function, suppression of blood platelet-monocyte interaction (FACS), platelet thrombin generation (calibrated automated thrombography) and coagulation (bleeding time), as well as decreased oxidative stress in the aorta, heart and blood compared to wild-type mice. Moreover, ATII-treated CD40L-/- mice displayed decreased levels of TH1 cytokines released by splenic CD4⁺ T cells (ELISA) and lower expression levels of NOX-2, T-bet and P-selectin as well as diminished immune cell infiltration in aortic tissue compared to controls. Our results demonstrate that many ATII-induced effects on vascular dysfunction, such as vascular inflammation, oxidative stress and a pro-thrombotic state, are mediated at least in part via CD40L.

Interferon-α suppresses cAMP to disarm human regulatory T cells.

IFN-α is an antineoplastic agent in the treatment of several solid and hematologic malignancies that exerts strong immune- and autoimmune-stimulating activity. However, the mechanisms of immune activation by IFN-α remain incompletely understood, particularly with regard to CD4(+)CD25(high)Foxp(+) regulatory T cells (Treg). Here, we show that IFN-α deactivates the suppressive function of human Treg by downregulating their intracellular cAMP level. IFN-α-mediated Treg inactivation increased CD4(+) effector T-cell activation and natural killer cell tumor cytotoxicity. Mechanistically, repression of cAMP in Treg was caused by IFN-α-induced MAP-ERK kinase (MEK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)-mediated phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) activation and accompanied by downregulation of IFN receptor (IFNAR)-2 and negative regulation of T-cell receptor signaling. IFN-α did not affect the anergic state, cytokine production, Foxp3 expression, or methylation state of the Treg-specific demethylated region (TSDR) within the FOXP3 locus associated with a stable imprinted phenotype of human Treg. Abrogated protection by IFN-α-treated Treg in a humanized mouse model of xenogeneic graft-versus-host disease confirmed IFN-α-dependent regulation of Treg activity in vivo. Collectively, the present study unravels Treg inactivation as a novel IFN-α activity that provides a conceivable explanation for the immune-promoting effect and induction of autoimmunity by IFN-α treatment in patients with cancer and suggests IFN-α for concomitant Treg blockade in the context of therapeutic vaccination against tumor antigens.

Angiotensin II-induced vascular dysfunction depends on interferon-γ-driven immune cell recruitment and mutual activation of monocytes and NK-cells.

OBJECTIVE: Immune cells contribute to angiotensin II (ATII)-induced vascular dysfunction and inflammation. Interferon-γ (IFN-γ), an inflammatory cytokine exclusively produced by immune cells, seems to be involved in ATII-driven cardiovascular injury, but the actions and cellular source of IFN-γ remain incompletely understood. APPROACH AND RESULTS: IFN-γ(-/-) and Tbx21(-/-) mice were partially protected from ATII-induced (1 mg/kg per day of ATII, infused subcutaneously by miniosmotic pumps) vascular endothelial and smooth muscle dysfunction, whereas mice overexpressing IFN-γ showed constitutive vascular dysfunction. Absence of T-box expressed in T cells (T-bet), the IFN-γ transcription factor encoded by Tbx21, reduced vascular superoxide and peroxynitrite formation and attenuated expression of nicotinamide adenosine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase subunits as well as inducible NO synthase, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, and interleukin-12 in aortas of ATII-infused mice. Compared with controls, IFN-γ(-/-) and Tbx21(-/-) mice were characterized by reduced ATII-mediated vascular recruitment of both natural killer (NK)1.1(+) NK-cells as the major producers of IFN-γ and CD11b(+)Gr-1(low) interleukin-12 secreting monocytes. Selective depletion and adoptive transfer experiments identified NK-cells as essential contributors to vascular dysfunction and showed that T-bet(+)lysozyme M(+) myelomonocytic cells were required for NK-cell recruitment into vascular tissue and local IFN-γ production. CONCLUSIONS: We provide first evidence that NK-cells play an essential role in ATII-induced vascular dysfunction. In addition, we disclose the T-bet-IFN-γ pathway and mutual monocyte-NK-cell activation as potential therapeutic targets in cardiovascular disease.

Lysozyme M-positive monocytes mediate angiotensin II-induced arterial hypertension and vascular dysfunction.

BACKGROUND: Angiotensin II (ATII), a potent vasoconstrictor, causes hypertension, promotes infiltration of myelomonocytic cells into the vessel wall, and stimulates both vascular and inflammatory cell NADPH oxidases. The predominant source of reactive oxygen species, eg, vascular (endothelial, smooth muscle, adventitial) versus phagocytic NADPH oxidase, and the role of myelomonocytic cells in mediating arterial hypertension have not been defined yet. METHODS AND RESULTS: Angiotensin II (1 mg · kg(-1) · d(-1) for 7 days) increased the number of both CD11b(+)Gr-1(low)F4/80(+) macrophages and CD11b(+)Gr-1(high)F4/80(-) neutrophils in mouse aorta (verified by flow cytometry). Selective ablation of lysozyme M-positive (LysM(+)) myelomonocytic cells by low-dose diphtheria toxin in mice with inducible expression of the diphtheria toxin receptor (LysM(iDTR) mice) reduced the number of monocytes in the circulation and limited ATII-induced infiltration of these cells into the vascular wall, whereas the number of neutrophils was not reduced. Depletion of LysM(+) cells attenuated ATII-induced blood pressure increase (measured by radiotelemetry) and vascular endothelial and smooth muscle dysfunction (assessed by aortic ring relaxation studies) and reduced vascular superoxide formation (measured by chemiluminescence, cytochrome c assay, and oxidative fluorescence microtopography) and the expression of NADPH oxidase subunits gp91(phox) and p67(phox) (assessed by Western blot and mRNA reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction). Adoptive transfer of wild-type CD11b(+)Gr-1(+) monocytes into depleted LysM(iDTR) mice reestablished ATII-induced vascular dysfunction, oxidative stress, and arterial hypertension, whereas transfer of CD11b(+)Gr-1(+) neutrophils or monocytes from gp91(phox) or ATII receptor type 1 knockout mice did not. CONCLUSIONS- Infiltrating monocytes with a proinflammatory phenotype and macrophages rather than neutrophils appear to be essential for ATII-induced vascular dysfunction and arterial hypertension.