Effects of angiopoietin-1 on inflammatory injury in endothelial progenitor cells and blood vessels

Curr Gene Ther. 2014;14(2):128-35. doi: 10.2174/1566523214666140307111138.

Abstract

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) play important roles in vasculogenesis and angiogenesis, respectively. Thus, targeting both aspects of cardiovascular tissue regeneration may offer promising therapeutic options for cardiovascular disorders. To this end, we constructed a lentiviral vector (pNL) with the Ang-1 gene and transfected EPCs with it (Ang-1-EPCs) to investigate vasculogenesis in both cellular and animal models. Compared to controls, intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) increased significantly in both untreated EPCs and in the pNL vector group. After Ang-1 transcription, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 decreased considerably in those treatment groups. Ang-1-modified EPCs alleviated inflammatory responses induced by tumor-necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in vitro. Moreover, Ang-1-EPC implantation inhibited neointimal hyperplasia after balloon catheter injury in rats, dramatically diminishing the intimal-media (I/M) ratio and decreasing the neointimal area. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression in the Ang-1-EPC group was lower than the EPC non-treatment group as well, suggesting that Ang-1-EPC improved cell survival during inflammation and promoted endothelialization in damaged blood vessels.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Angiopoietin-1 / genetics*
  • Angiopoietin-1 / metabolism*
  • Animals
  • Blood Vessels / metabolism*
  • Blood Vessels / virology
  • Cell Survival / genetics
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Endothelial Progenitor Cells / metabolism*
  • Endothelial Progenitor Cells / virology
  • Genetic Therapy / methods
  • Genetic Vectors / genetics
  • Inflammation / genetics
  • Inflammation / metabolism*
  • Inflammation / virology
  • Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / genetics
  • Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / metabolism
  • Lentivirus / genetics
  • Male
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / genetics
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / metabolism
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / virology
  • Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / genetics
  • Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / metabolism
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Transcription, Genetic / genetics
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / genetics
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / metabolism
  • Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / genetics
  • Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / metabolism

Substances

  • Angiopoietin-1
  • Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
  • Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1
  • Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1