Variable cartilage degradation in mice with diet-induced metabolic dysfunction: food for thought.

OBJECTIVE: Human cohort studies have demonstrated a role for systemic metabolic dysfunction in osteoarthritis (OA) pathogenesis in obese patients. To explore the mechanisms underlying this metabolic phenotype of OA, we examined cartilage degradation in the knees of mice from different genetic backgrounds in which a metabolic phenotype was established by various dietary approaches. DESIGN: Wild-type C57BL/6J mice and genetically modified mice (hCRP, LDLr-/-. Leiden and ApoE*3Leiden.CETP mice) based on C57BL/6J background were used to investigate the contribution of inflammation and altered lipoprotein handling on diet-induced cartilage degradation. High-caloric diets of different macronutrient composition (i.e., high-carbohydrate or high-fat) were given in regimens of varying duration to induce a metabolic phenotype with aggravated cartilage degradation relative to controls. RESULTS: Metabolic phenotypes were confirmed in all studies as mice developed obesity, hypercholesteremia, glucose intolerance and/or insulin resistance. Aggravated cartilage degradation was only observed in two out of the twelve experimental setups, specifically in long-term studies in male hCRP and female ApoE*3Leiden.CETP mice. C57BL/6J and LDLr-/-. Leiden mice did not develop HFD-induced OA under the conditions studied. Osteophyte formation and synovitis scores showed variable results between studies, but also between strains and gender. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term feeding of high-caloric diets consistently induced a metabolic phenotype in various C57BL/6J (-based) mouse strains. In contrast, the induction of articular cartilage degradation proved variable, which suggests that an additional trigger might be necessary to accelerate diet-induced OA progression. Gender and genetic modifications that result in a humanized pro-inflammatory state (human CRP) or lipoprotein metabolism (human-E3L.CETP) were identified as important contributing factors.

Targeting multiple pathways reduces renal and cardiac fibrosis in rats with subtotal nephrectomy followed by coronary ligation.

AIM: Multiple interacting pathways contribute to progression of renal and cardiac damage in chronic kidney disease followed by chronic heart failure (renocardiac syndrome). We hypothesized that simultaneous pharmacological modulation of critical pathways implicated in renocardiac syndrome would effectively reduce fibrosis in and preserve function of heart and kidney. METHODS: Rats were subjected to subtotal nephrectomy followed 9 weeks later by coronary artery ligation. From week 11 until week 16, rats received vehicle or losartan, or a combination of the NF-kB inhibitor PDTC, the NO donor molsidomine and superoxide dismutase mimetic tempol, or a combination of all four of these plus metoprolol together. At week 16, renal and cardiac structure, function and gene expression were assessed. RESULTS: Individual and combined treatments were similarly effective in limiting cardiac fibrosis and further decline in systolic function. Combined treatment with all five drugs reduced renal fibrosis and CTGF gene expression more effectively than other strategies. Combining all five drugs reduced heart rate, inotropy and mean arterial pressure (MAP). CONCLUSION: Thus, in our model of chronic renocardiac syndrome, combined treatments similarly decreased cardiac fibrosis and stabilized systolic function as losartan alone, perhaps suggesting a dominant role for a single factor such as angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor activation or inflammation in the network of aberrant systems in the heart. However, tubulointerstitial fibrosis was most effectively reduced by a five-drug regimen, pointing to additive effects of multiple pathophysiological pathways in the kidney.

Rapid hepatic clearance of full length CCN-2/CTGF: a putative role for LRP1-mediated endocytosis.

CCN-2 (connective tissue growth factor; CTGF) is a key factor in fibrosis. Plasma CCN-2 has biomarker potential in numerous fibrotic disorders, but it is unknown which pathophysiological factors determine plasma CCN-2 levels. The proteolytic amino-terminal fragment of CCN-2 is primarily eliminated by the kidney. Here, we investigated elimination and distribution profiles of full length CCN-2 by intravenous administration of recombinant CCN-2 to rodents. After bolus injection in mice, we observed a large initial distribution volume (454 mL/kg) and a fast initial clearance (120 mL/kg/min). Immunosorbent assay and immunostaining showed that CCN-2 distributed mainly to the liver and was taken up by hepatocytes. Steady state clearance in rats, determined by continuous infusion of CCN-2, was fast (45 mL/kg/min). Renal CCN-2 clearance, determined by arterial and renal vein sampling, accounted for only 12 % of total clearance. Co-infusion of CCN-2 with receptor-associated protein (RAP), an antagonist of LDL-receptor family proteins, showed that RAP prolonged CCN-2 half-life and completely prevented CCN-2 internalization by hepatocytes. This suggests that hepatic uptake of CCN-2 is mediated by a RAP-sensitive mechanism most likely involving LRP1, a member of the LDL-receptor family involved in hepatic clearance of various plasma proteins. Surface plasmon resonance binding studies confirmed that CCN-2 is an LRP1 ligand. Co-infusion of CCN-2 with an excess of the heparan sulphate-binding protamine lowered the large initial distribution volume of CCN-2 by 88 % and reduced interstitial staining of CCN-2, suggesting binding of CCN-2 to heparan sulphate proteoglycans (HSPGs). Protamine did not affect clearance rate, indicating that RAP-sensitive clearance of CCN-2 is HSPG independent. In conclusion, unlike its amino-terminal fragment which is cleared by the kidney, full length CCN-2 is primarily eliminated by the liver via a fast RAP-sensitive, probably LRP1-dependent pathway.

PDGF-AB requires PDGF receptor alpha-subunits for high-affinity, but not for low-affinity, binding and signal transduction.

There are two PDGF receptor proteins (PDGFR alpha and PDGFR beta) which are proposed to function as subunits to form a high-affinity dimeric PDGF receptor. One aspect of this model about which there is still disagreement is whether PDGF-AB can bind to cells that express only PDGFR beta and, if so, whether PDGF-AB can act as an agonist or an antagonist. To address this question, we derived 3T3 cell lines from Patch mutant mouse embryos in which the PDGFR alpha gene is deleted but which express normal levels of PDGFR beta. Comparison between the binding and response properties of mutant and wild type 3T3 cell lines allowed us to define the contribution that PDGFR alpha makes to the ability of a cell to bind, and respond to, PDGF-AB. We found that PDGF-AB binds to PDGFR alpha-negative 3T3 cells and can induce DNA synthesis, PDGFR beta dimerization, and phosphorylation on tyrosine. In addition we found that PDGF-AB binding and stimulation of these activities is strongly temperature-dependent, whereas PDGF-AB binding and activation of PDGFR beta in the presence of PDGFR alpha is not. However, 3T3 cells that do not express PDGFR alpha require for activation PDGF-AB concentrations that were nearly 100-fold greater than for cells that do express PDGFR alpha. These results suggest that neither PDGF-AA nor PDGF-AB are likely to be physiologically significant activators of cells unless the cells express PDGFR alpha.

Regulation and role of PDGF receptor alpha-subunit expression during embryogenesis.

The platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha-subunit (PDGFR alpha) is the form of the PDGF receptor that is required for binding of PDGF A-chain. Expression of PDGFR alpha within the early embryo is first detected as the mesoderm forms, and remains characteristic of many mesodermal derivatives during later development. By 9.5 days of development, embryos homozygous for the Patch mutation (a deletion of the PDGFR alpha) display obvious growth retardation and deficiencies in mesodermal structures, resulting in the death of more than half of these embryos. Mutant embryos that survive this first critical period are viable until a new set of defects become apparent in most connective tissues. For example, the skin is missing the dermis and connective tissue components are reduced in many organs. By this stage, expression of PDGFR alpha mRNA is also found in neural crest-derived mesenchyme, and late embryonic defects are associated with both mesodermal and neural crest derivatives. Except for the neural crest, the lens and choroid plexus, PDGFR alpha mRNA is not detected in ectodermal derivatives until late in development in the central nervous system. Expression is not detected in any embryonic endodermal derivative at any stage of development. These results demonstrate that PDGFR alpha is differentially expressed during development and that this expression is necessary for the development of specific tissues.

Is PDGF really important? Testing the hypotheses.

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) has been proposed to be one of the growth factors that drive proliferation during normal development and in various pathological conditions. Support for these hypotheses has been largely circumstantial. We discuss the pros and cons of the different experimental approaches that have been taken to test these hypotheses, and evaluate the information to be gained by characterizing the consequences of deletion of one of the PDGF receptor genes in the Patch mutant mouse.