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- Ruuth, M., et al.
(author)
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Susceptibility of low-density lipoprotein particles to aggregate depends on particle lipidome, ismodifiable, and associates with future cardiovascular deaths
- 2018
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In: European Heart Journal. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0195-668X .- 1522-9645. ; 39:27
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aims Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles cause atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) through their retention, modification, and accumulation within the arterial intima. High plasma concentrations of LDL drive this disease, but LDL quality may also contribute. Here, we focused on the intrinsic propensity of LDL to aggregate upon modification. We examined whether inter-individual differences in this quality are linked with LDL lipid composition and coronary artery disease (CAD) death, and basic mechanisms for plaque growth and destabilization. Methods and results We developed a novel, reproducible method to assess the susceptibility of LDL particles to aggregate during lipolysis induced ex vivo by human recombinant secretory sphingomyelinase. Among patients with an established CAD, we found that the presence of aggregation-prone LDL was predictive of future cardiovascular deaths, independently of conventional risk factors. Aggregation-prone LDL contained more sphingolipids and less phosphatidylcholines than did aggregation-resistant LDL. Three interventions in animal models to rationally alter LDL composition lowered its susceptibility to aggregate and slowed atherosclerosis. Similar compositional changes induced in humans by PCSK9 inhibition or healthy diet also lowered LDL aggregation susceptibility. Aggregated LDL in vitro activated macrophages and T cells, two key cell types involved in plaque progression and rupture. Conclusion Our results identify the susceptibility of LDL to aggregate as a novel measurable and modifiable factor in the progression of human ASCVD.
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- Ahmed, M., et al.
(author)
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Molecular Imaging of Inflammation in a Mouse Model of Atherosclerosis Using a Zirconium-89-Labeled Probe
- 2020
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In: International Journal of Nanomedicine. - 1178-2013. ; 15, s. 6137-6152
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Beyond clinical atherosclerosis imaging of vessel stenosis and plaque morphology, early detection of inflamed atherosclerotic lesions by molecular imaging could improve risk assessment and clinical management in high-risk patients. To identify inflamed atherosclerotic lesions by molecular imaging in vivo, we studied the specificity of our radiotracer based on maleylated (Mal) human serum albumin (HSA), which targets key features of unstable atherosclerotic lesions. Materials and Methods: Mal-HSA was radiolabeled with a positron-emitting metal ion, zirconium-89 (Zr-89(4+)). The targeting potential of this probe was compared with unspecific Zr-89-HSA and F-18-FDG in an experimental model of atherosclerosis (Apoe(-/-) mice, n=22), and compared with wild-type (WT) mice (C57BL/6J, n=21) as controls. Results: PET/MRI, gamma counter measurements, and autoradiography showed the accumulation of Zr-89-Mal-HSA in the atherosclerotic lesions of Apoe(-/-) mice. The maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) for Zr-89-Mal-HSA at 16 and 20 weeks were 26% and 20% higher (P<0.05) in Apoe(-/-) mice than in control WT mice, whereas no difference in SUVmax was observed for F-18-FDG in the same animals. Zr-89-Mal-HSA uptake in the aorta, as evaluated by a gamma counter 48 h postinjection, was 32% higher (P<0.01) for Apoe(-/-) mice than in WT mice, and the aorta-to-blood ratio was 8-fold higher (P<0.001) for Zr-89-Mal-HSA compared with unspecific Zr-89-HSA. HSA-based probes were mainly distributed to the liver, spleen, kidneys, bone, and lymph nodes. The phosphor imaging autoradiography (PI-ARG) results corroborated the PET and gamma counter measurements, showing higher accumulation of Zr-89-Mal-HSA in the aortas of Apoe(-/-) mice than in WT mice (9.4 +/- 1.4 vs 0.8 +/- 0.3%; P<0.001). Conclusion: Zr-89 radiolabeling of Mal-HSA probes resulted in detectable activity in atherosclerotic lesions in aortas of Apoe(-/-) mice, as demonstrated by quantitative in vivo PET/MRI. Zr-89-Mal-HSA appears to be a promising diagnostic tool for the early identification of macrophage-rich areas of inflammation in atherosclerosis.
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- Arora, A, et al.
(author)
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Genetic Deficiency of Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase Aggravates Vascular but Not Liver Disease in a Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis and Atherosclerosis Comorbidity Model
- 2022
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In: International journal of molecular sciences. - : MDPI AG. - 1422-0067. ; 23:9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a chronic liver disease that increases cardiovascular disease risk. Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase-1 (IDO1)-mediated tryptophan (Trp) metabolism has been proposed to play an immunomodulatory role in several diseases. The potential of IDO1 to be a link between NASH and cardiovascular disease has never been investigated. Using Apoe−/−and Apoe−/−Ido1−/− mice that were fed a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet (HFCD) to simultaneously induce NASH and atherosclerosis, we found that Ido1 deficiency significantly accelerated atherosclerosis after 7 weeks. Surprisingly, Apoe−/−Ido1−/− mice did not present a more aggressive NASH phenotype, including hepatic lipid deposition, release of liver enzymes, and histopathological parameters. As expected, a lower L-kynurenine/Trp (Kyn/Trp) ratio was found in the plasma and arteries of Apoe−/−Ido1−/− mice compared to controls. However, no difference in the hepatic Kyn/Trp ratio was found between the groups. Hepatic transcript analyses revealed that HFCD induced a temporal increase in tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (Tdo2) mRNA, indicating an alternative manner to maintain Trp degradation during NASH development in both Apoe−/− and Apoe−/−Ido1−/mice−. Using HepG2 hepatoma cell and THP1 macrophage cultures, we found that iron, TDO2, and Trp degradation may act as important mediators of cross-communication between hepatocytes and macrophages regulating liver inflammation. In conclusion, we show that Ido1 deficiency aggravates atherosclerosis, but not liver disease, in a newly established NASH and atherosclerosis comorbidity model. Our data indicate that the overexpression of TDO2 is an important mechanism that helps in balancing the kynurenine pathway and inflammation in the liver, but not in the artery wall, which likely determined disease outcome in these two target tissues.
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- Gallina, AL, et al.
(author)
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AMPA-Type Glutamate Receptors Associated With Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Subpopulations in Atherosclerosis and Vascular Injury
- 2021
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In: Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2297-055X. ; 8, s. 655869-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objectives and Aims: Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are key constituents of both normal arteries and atherosclerotic plaques. They have an ability to adapt to changes in the local environment by undergoing phenotypic modulation. An improved understanding of the mechanisms that regulate VSMC phenotypic changes may provide insights that suggest new therapeutic targets in treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The amino-acid glutamate has been associated with CVD risk and VSMCs metabolism in experimental models, and glutamate receptors regulate VSMC biology and promote pulmonary vascular remodeling. However, glutamate-signaling in human atherosclerosis has not been explored.Methods and Results: We identified glutamate receptors and glutamate metabolism-related enzymes in VSMCs from human atherosclerotic lesions, as determined by single cell RNA sequencing and microarray analysis. Expression of the receptor subunits glutamate receptor, ionotropic, α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic (AMPA)-type subunit 1 (GRIA1) and 2 (GRIA2) was restricted to cells of mesenchymal origin, primarily VSMCs, as confirmed by immunostaining. In a rat model of arterial injury and repair, changes of GRIA1 and GRIA2 mRNA level were most pronounced at time points associated with VSMC proliferation, migration, and phenotypic modulation. In vitro, human carotid artery SMCs expressed GRIA1, and selective AMPA-type receptor blocking inhibited expression of typical contractile markers and promoted pathways associated with VSMC phenotypic modulation. In our biobank of human carotid endarterectomies, low expression of AMPA-type receptor subunits was associated with higher content of inflammatory cells and a higher frequency of adverse clinical events such as stroke.Conclusion: AMPA-type glutamate receptors are expressed in VSMCs and are associated with phenotypic modulation. Patients suffering from adverse clinical events showed significantly lower mRNA level of GRIA1 and GRIA2 in their atherosclerotic lesions compared to asymptomatic patients. These results warrant further mapping of neurotransmitter signaling in the pathogenesis of human atherosclerosis.
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- Berg, M, et al.
(author)
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3-Hydroxyanthralinic acid metabolism controls the hepatic SREBP/lipoprotein axis, inhibits inflammasome activation in macrophages, and decreases atherosclerosis in Ldlr-/- mice
- 2020
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In: Cardiovascular research. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1755-3245 .- 0008-6363. ; 116:12, s. 1948-1957
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- AimsAtherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease involving immunological and metabolic processes. Metabolism of tryptophan (Trp) via the kynurenine pathway has shown immunomodulatory properties and the ability to modulate atherosclerosis. We identified 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid (3-HAA) as a key metabolite of Trp modulating vascular inflammation and lipid metabolism. The molecular mechanisms driven by 3-HAA in atherosclerosis have not been completely elucidated. In this study, we investigated whether two major signalling pathways, activation of SREBPs and inflammasome, are associated with the 3-HAA-dependent regulation of lipoprotein synthesis and inflammation in the atherogenesis process. Moreover, we examined whether inhibition of endogenous 3-HAA degradation affects hyperlipidaemia and plaque formation.Methods and resultsIn vitro, we showed that 3-HAA reduces SREBP-2 expression and nuclear translocation and apolipoprotein B secretion in HepG2 cell cultures, and inhibits inflammasome activation and IL-1β production by macrophages. Using Ldlr−/− mice, we showed that inhibition of 3-HAA 3,4-dioxygenase (HAAO), which increases the endogenous levels of 3-HAA, decreases plasma lipids and atherosclerosis. Notably, HAAO inhibition led to decreased hepatic SREBP-2 mRNA levels and lipid accumulation, and improved liver pathology scores.ConclusionsWe show that the activity of SREBP-2 and the inflammasome can be regulated by 3-HAA metabolism. Moreover, our study highlights that targeting HAAO is a promising strategy to prevent and treat hypercholesterolaemia and atherosclerosis.
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- Gistera, A, et al.
(author)
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The immunology of atherosclerosis
- 2017
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In: Nature reviews. Nephrology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1759-507X .- 1759-5061. ; 13:6, s. 368-380
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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