Efficacy of pentosan polysulfate in in vitro models of lysosomal storage disorders: Fabry and Gaucher Disease.

Gaucher and Fabry diseases are the most prevalent sphingolipidoses. Chronic inflammation is activated in those disorders, which could play a role in pathogenesis. Significant degrees of amelioration occur in patients upon introduction of specific therapies; however, restoration to complete health status is not always achieved. The idea of an adjunctive therapy that targets inflammation may be a suitable option for patients. PPS is a mixture of semisynthetic sulfated polyanions that have been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects in mucopolysaccharidosis type I and II patients and animal models of type I, IIIA and VI. We hypothesized PPS could be a useful adjunctive therapy to inflammation for Gaucher and Fabry diseases. The objective of this work is to analyze the in vitro effect of PPS on inflammatory cytokines in cellular models of Gaucher and Fabry diseases, and to study its effect in Gaucher disease associated in vitro bone alterations. Cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from Fabry and Gaucher patients were exposed to PPS. The secretion of proinflammatory cytokines was significantly reduced. Peripheral blood cells exposed to PPS from Gaucher patients revealed a reduced tendency to differentiate to osteoclasts. Osteoblasts and osteocytes cell lines were incubated with an inhibitor of glucocerebrosidase, and conditioned media was harvested in order to analyze if those cells secrete factors that induce osteoclastogenesis. Conditioned media from this cell cultures exposed to PPS produced lower numbers of osteoclasts. We could demonstrate PPS is an effective molecule to reduce the production of proinflammatory cytokines in in vitro models of Fabry and Gaucher diseases. Moreover, it was effective at ameliorating bone alterations of in vitro models of Gaucher disease. These results serve as preclinical supportive data to start clinical trials in human patients to analyze the effect of PPS as a potential adjunctive therapy for Fabry and Gaucher diseases.

Uncoupling of osteoblast-osteoclast regulation in a chemical murine model of Gaucher disease.

Gaucher disease (GD) is caused by mutations in the GBA gene that confer a deficient level of activity of glucocerebrosidase (GCase). This deficiency leads to accumulation of the glycolipid glucocerebroside in the lysosomes of cells of monocyte/macrophage system. Type I GD is the mildest form and is characterized by the absence of neuronopathic affection. Bone compromise in Gaucher disease patients is the most disabling aspect of the disease. However, pathophysiological aspects of skeletal alterations are still poorly understood. The homeostasis of bone tissue is maintained by the balanced processes of bone resorption by osteoclasts and formation by osteoblasts. We decided to test whether bone resorption and/or bone formation could be altered by the use of a chemical in vitro murine model of Gaucher disease. We used two sources of cells from monocyte/macrophages lineage isolated from normal mice, splenocytes (S) and peritoneal macrophages (PM), and were exposed to CBE, the inhibitor of GCase (S-CBE and PM-CBE, respectively). Addition of both conditioned media (CM) from S-CBE and PM-CBE induced the differentiation of osteoclasts precursors from bone marrow to mature and functional osteoclasts. TNF-α could be one of the factors responsible for this effect. On the other hand, addition of CM to an osteoblast cell culture resulted in a reduction in expression of alkaline phosphatase and mineralization process. In conclusion, these results suggest implication of changes in both bone formation and bone resorption and are consistent with the idea that both sides of the homeostatic balance are affected in GD.

Fabry disease peripheral blood immune cells release inflammatory cytokines: role of globotriaosylceramide.

Fabry disease is an X-linked lysosomal disorder (LD) due to deficiency of the enzyme α-galactosidase A (αGal), which leads to the accumulation of neutral glycosphingolipids, mainly globotriaosylceramide (Gb3). Several mechanisms contribute to the diverse physiopathological alterations observed in this disease, and it has been suggested that an underlying proinflammatory state could play a significant role. The aim of this study is to investigate the presence of a proinflammatory state in the different subsets of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and to understand the mechanisms that contribute to its onset and perpetuation. We have shown that cultured PBMC from Fabry patients present a higher proinflammatory cytokine expression and production. Moreover, we determined that among PBMC, dendritic cells and monocytes present a basal proinflammatory cytokine production profile, which is further exacerbated with an inflammatory stimulus. Finally we established that normal, monocyte-derived dendritic cells and macrophages display the same proinflammatory profile when cultured in the presence of Gb3 and an inhibitor of αGal. Furthermore, this effect can be abolished using a TLR4 blocking antibody, indicating that TLR4 is necessary in the process. In summary, our results demonstrate the presence of a proinflammatory state involving two key subsets of innate immunity, and provide direct evidence of Gb3 having a proinflammatory role, likely mediated by TLR4, a finding that could help in the understanding of the underlying causes of the inflammatory pathogenesis of Fabry disease.

Induction of osteoclastogenesis in an in vitro model of Gaucher disease is mediated by T cells via TNF-α.

Gaucher disease is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by deficiency of glucocerebrosidase enzymatic activity leading to accumulation of its substrate glucocerebrosidase mainly in macrophages. Skeletal disorder of Gaucher disease is the major cause of morbidity and is highly refractory to enzyme replacement therapy. However, pathological mechanisms of bone alterations in Gaucher disease are still poorly understood. We hypothesized that cellular alteration in Gaucher disease produces a proinflammatory milieu leading to bone destruction through enhancement of monocyte differentiation to osteoclasts and osteoclasts resorption activity. Against this background we decided to investigate in an in vitro chemical model of Gaucher disease, the capacity of secreted soluble mediators to induce osteoclastogenesis, and the mechanism responsible for this phenomena. We demonstrated that soluble factors produced by CBE-treated PBMC induced differentiation of osteoclasts precursors into mature and active osteoclasts that express chitotriosidase and secrete proinflammatory cytokines. We also showed a role of TNF-α in promoting osteoclastogenesis in Gaucher disease chemical model. To analyze the biological relevance of T cells in osteoclastogenesis of Gaucher disease, we investigated this process in T cell-depleted PBMC cultures. The findings suggest that T cells play a role in osteoclast formation in Gaucher disease. In conclusion, our data suggests that in vitro GCASE deficiency, along with concomitant glucosylceramide accumulation, generates a state of osteoclastogenesis mediated in part by pro-resorptive cytokines, especially TNF-α. Moreover, T cells are involved in osteoclastogenesis in Gaucher disease chemical model.

Higher apoptotic state in Fabry disease peripheral blood mononuclear cells.: effect of globotriaosylceramide.

Fabry disease is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder (LSD) due to deficiency of the enzyme α-galactosidase A, resulting in intracellular deposition of globotriaosylceramide (Gb3). Accumulation of Gb3 is probably related to tissue and organ dysfunctions. Diverse pathological mechanisms are elicited in LSDs, giving together the phenotypic expression of each disease. The purpose of the present study is to investigate if apoptosis could play a role in Fabry disease pathogenesis and to understand the mechanisms involved in the proapoptotic state. We have demonstrated that Fabry disease peripheral blood mononuclear cells display a higher apoptotic state, which is reduced by enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), and is mediated, at least in part, by activation of the intrinsic pathway of caspases. We could rule out the implication of "unfolded protein response-ER stress" in this apoptotic process. To further confirm the suggestion that Gb3 is associated to apoptotic cell death, we treated normal cells with Gb3 at concentrations found in Fabry patients. Addition of Gb3 resulted in a dose-dependent induction of apoptosis involving the intrinsic pathway. In summary, PBMC from Fabry patients display a higher apoptotic state, which could be mainly related to elevated Gb3.