Dataset Information

Endoglin haplo-insufficiency modifies the inflammatory response in irradiated mouse hearts without affecting structural and mircovascular changes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

It is now widely recognized that radiotherapy of thoracic and chest wall tumors increases the long-term risk of cardiovascular damage although the underlying mechanisms are not fully elucidated. There is increasing evidence that microvascular damage is involved. Endoglin, an accessory receptor for TGF-?1, is highly expressed in damaged endothelial cells and may play a crucial role in cell proliferation and revascularization of damaged heart tissue. We have therefore specifically examined the role of endoglin in microvascular damage and repair in the irradiated heart.

Materials & methods

A single dose of 16 Gy was delivered to the heart of adult Eng(+/+) or Eng(+/-) mice and damage was evaluated at 4, 20 and 40 weeks, relative to age-matched controls. Gated single photon emission computed tomography (gSPECT) was used to measure cardiac geometry and function, and related to histo-morphology, microvascular damage (detected using immuno- and enzyme-histochemistry) and gene expression (detected by microarray and real time PCR).

Results

Genes categorized according to known inflammatory and immunological related disease were less prominently regulated in irradiated Eng(+/-) mice compared to Eng(+/+) littermates. Fibrosis related genes, TGF-?1, ALK 5 and PDGF, were only upregulated in Eng(+/+) mice during the early phase of radiation-induced cardiac damage (4 weeks). In addition, only the Eng(+/+) mice showed significant upregulation of collagen deposition in the early fibrotic phase (20 weeks) after irradiation. Despite these differences in gene expression, there was no reduction in inflammatory invasion (CD45+cells) of irradiated Eng(+/-) hearts. Microvascular damage (microvascular density, alkaline phosphatase and von-Willebrand-Factor expression) was also similar in both strains.

Conclusion

Eng(+/-) mice displayed impaired early inflammatory and fibrotic responses to high dose irradiation compared to Eng(+/+) littermates. This did not result in significant differences in microvascular damage or cardiac function between the strains.

SUBMITTER: Seemann I

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3722207 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Endoglin haplo-insufficiency modifies the inflammatory response in irradiated mouse hearts without affecting structural and mircovascular changes.

Seemann Ingar I Te Poele Johannes A M JA Luikinga Sophia J SJ Hoving Saske S Stewart Fiona A FA

PloS one 20130724 7

<h4>Background</h4>It is now widely recognized that radiotherapy of thoracic and chest wall tumors increases the long-term risk of cardiovascular damage although the underlying mechanisms are not fully elucidated. There is increasing evidence that microvascular damage is involved. Endoglin, an accessory receptor for TGF-β1, is highly expressed in damaged endothelial cells and may play a crucial role in cell proliferation and revascularization of damaged heart tissue. We have therefore specifical ...[more]

PMID: 23894375

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Project description:Soluble endoglin (sEng) released into the circulation was suggested to be related to cardiovascular based pathologies. It was demonstrated that a combination of high sEng levels and long-term exposure (six months) to high fat diet (HFD) resulted in aggravation of endothelial dysfunction in the aorta. Thus, in this study, we hypothesized that a similar experimental design would affect the heart morphology, TGF? signaling, inflammation, fibrosis, oxidative stress and eNOS signaling in myocardium in transgenic mice overexpressing human sEng. Three-month-old female transgenic mice overexpressing human sEng in plasma (Sol-Eng+ high) and their age-matched littermates with low levels of human sEng (Sol-Eng+ low) were fed a high-fat diet containing 1.25% of cholesterol and 40% of fat for six months. A blood analysis was performed, and the heart samples were analyzed by qRT-PCR and Western blot. The results of this study showed no effects of sEng and HFD on myocardial morphology/hypertrophy/fibrosis. However, the expression of pSmad2/3 and p-eNOS was reduced in Sol-Eng+ high mice. On the other hand, sEng and HFD did not significantly affect the expression of selected members of TGF? signaling (membrane endoglin, TGF?RII, ALK-5, ALK-1, Id-1, PAI-1), inflammation (VCAM-1, ICAM-1), oxidative stress (NQO1, HO-1) and heart remodeling (PDGF?, COL1A1, ?-MHC). In conclusion, the results of this study confirmed that sEng, even combined with a high-fat diet inducing hypercholesterolemia administered for six months, does not affect the structure of the heart with respect to hypertrophy, fibrosis, inflammation and oxidative stress. Interestingly, pSmad2/3/p-eNOS signaling was reduced in both the heart in this study and the aorta in the previous study, suggesting a possible alteration of NO metabolism caused by six months exposure to high sEng levels and HFD. Thus, we might conclude that sEng combined with a high-fat diet might be related to the alteration of NO production due to altered pSmad2/3/p-eNOS signaling in the heart and aorta.

Dataset Information

Endoglin haplo-insufficiency modifies the inflammatory response in irradiated mouse hearts without affecting structural and mircovascular changes.

Background

Materials & methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Endoglin haplo-insufficiency modifies the inflammatory response in irradiated mouse hearts without affecting structural and mircovascular changes.

Similar Datasets

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