scholarly journals Creation of disease-inspired biomaterial environments to mimic pathological events in early calcific aortic valve disease

2017 ◽  
Vol 115 (3) ◽  
pp. E363-E371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana M. Porras ◽  
Jennifer A. Westlund ◽  
Austin D. Evans ◽  
Kristyn S. Masters

An insufficient understanding of calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) pathogenesis remains a major obstacle in developing treatment strategies for this disease. The aim of the present study was to create engineered environments that mimic the earliest known features of CAVD and apply this in vitro platform to decipher relationships relevant to early valve lesion pathobiology. Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) enrichment is a dominant hallmark of early CAVD, but culture of valvular interstitial cells (VICs) in biomaterial environments containing pathological amounts of hyaluronic acid (HA) or chondroitin sulfate (CS) did not directly increase indicators of disease progression such as VIC activation or inflammatory cytokine production. However, HA-enriched matrices increased production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), while matrices displaying pathological levels of CS were effective at retaining lipoproteins, whose deposition is also found in early CAVD. Retained oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL), in turn, stimulated myofibroblastic VIC differentiation and secretion of numerous inflammatory cytokines. OxLDL also increased VIC deposition of GAGs, thereby creating a positive feedback loop to further enrich GAG content and promote disease progression. Using this disease-inspired in vitro platform, we were able to model a complex, multistep pathological sequence, with our findings suggesting distinct roles for individual GAGs in outcomes related to valve lesion progression, as well as key differences in cell–lipoprotein interactions compared with atherosclerosis. We propose a pathogenesis cascade that may be relevant to understanding early CAVD and envision the extension of such models to investigate other tissue pathologies or test pharmacological treatments.

2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. P3908-P3908 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Hjortnaes ◽  
G. Gamci-Unal ◽  
C. Goettsch ◽  
K. Scherer ◽  
L. Lax ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Stephen Biddle ◽  
Clara Seaman ◽  
Philippe Sucosky

Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is the most prevalent heart valve disease in the U.S. and is characterized by the formation of calcific lesions within the valve leaflets [1]. The emerging hemodynamic theory of CAVD pathogenesis assumes a link between gradual hemodynamic alterations caused by the growing lesions and further disease progression [2–5]. In order to test this hypothesis, it is necessary to quantify the hemodynamic changes experienced downstream of a calcifying valve.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (10) ◽  
pp. 030006052096535
Author(s):  
Hongzhi Dong ◽  
Hongliang Cong ◽  
Jing Wang ◽  
Yiyao Jiang ◽  
Chao Liu ◽  
...  

Objective To investigate the relationship between lipoprotein(a) gene ( LPA) polymorphisms and calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) and coronary heart disease (CHD) in Han Chinese. Methods A total of 148 patients were recruited (n = 71 with CAVD and n = 77 with CHD) based on a diagnosis achieved using color Doppler echocardiography, coronary angiography, or computed tomography angiography. Seventy-one control individuals without CAVD or CHD were also recruited. Biomarkers including levels of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, apolipoprotein A1, and apolipoprotein B were tested. LPA polymorphisms rs10455872, rs6415084, rs3798221, and rs7770628 were analyzed using SNaPshot SNP. Results Lp(a) levels were significantly higher in CAVD and CHD groups compared with controls. There was no significant difference in the allelic frequency distribution of rs3798221, rs7770628, or rs6415084 between CHD, CAVD, and control groups. Linear regression showed that rs3798221, rs7770628, and rs6415084 were associated with increased Lp(a) concentrations. Two CAVD patients among the 219 participants carried AG minor alleles at rs10455872, while the remainder carried AA minor alleles. Conclusion rs3798221, rs6415084, and rs7770628 polymorphisms within LPA are associated with higher Lp(a) plasma levels, which correlate with increased CAVD and CHD risks.


Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 474
Author(s):  
Andreas Weber ◽  
Melissa Pfaff ◽  
Friederike Schöttler ◽  
Vera Schmidt ◽  
Artur Lichtenberg ◽  
...  

The hallmarks of calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD), an active and regulated process involving the creation of calcium nodules, lipoprotein accumulation, and chronic inflammation, are the significant changes that occur in the composition, organization, and mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the aortic valve (AV). Most research regarding CAVD is based on experiments using two-dimensional (2D) cell culture or artificially created three-dimensional (3D) environments of valvular interstitial cells (VICs). Because the valvular ECM has a powerful influence in regulating pathological events, we developed an in vitro AV tissue culture model, which is more closely able to mimic natural conditions to study cellular responses underlying CAVD. AV leaflets, isolated from the hearts of 6–8-month-old sheep, were fixed with needles on silicon rubber rings to achieve passive tension and treated in vitro under pro-degenerative and pro-calcifying conditions. The degeneration of AV leaflets progressed over time, commencing with the first visible calcified domains after 14 d and winding up with the distinct formation of calcium nodules, heightened stiffness, and clear disruption of the ECM after 56 d. Both the expression of pro-degenerative genes and the myofibroblastic differentiation of VICs were altered in AV leaflets compared to that in VIC cultures. In this study, we have established an easily applicable, reproducible, and cost-effective in vitro AV tissue culture model to study pathological mechanisms underlying CAVD. The valvular ECM and realistic VIC–VEC interactions mimic natural conditions more closely than VIC cultures or 3D environments. The application of various culture conditions enables the examination of different pathological mechanisms underlying CAVD and could lead to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that lead to VIC degeneration and AS. Our model provides a valuable tool to study the complex pathobiology of CAVD and can be used to identify potential therapeutic targets for slowing disease progression.


2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Alejandro Lerman ◽  
Sai Prasad ◽  
Nasri Alotti ◽  
◽  
◽  
...  

Calcification occurs in atherosclerotic vascular lesions and in the aortic valve. Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is a slow, progressive disorder that ranges from mild valve thickening without obstruction of blood flow, termed aortic sclerosis, to severe calcification with impaired leaflet motion, termed aortic stenosis. In the past, this process was thought to be ‘degenerative’ because of time-dependent wear and tear of the leaflets, with passive calcium deposition. The presence of osteoblasts in atherosclerotic vascular lesions and in CAVD implies that calcification is an active, regulated process akin to atherosclerosis, with lipoprotein deposition and chronic inflammation. If calcification is active, via pro-osteogenic pathways, one might expect that development and progression of calcification could be inhibited. The overlap in the clinical factors associated with calcific valve disease and atherosclerosis provides further support for a shared disease mechanism. In our recent research we used an in vitro porcine valve interstitial cell model to study spontaneous calcification and potential promoters and inhibitors. Using this model, we found that denosumab, a human monoclonal antibody targeting the receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand may, at a working concentration of 50 μg/mL, inhibit induced calcium deposition to basal levels.


Author(s):  
Shinji Goto ◽  
Maximillian A. Rogers ◽  
Mark C. Blaser ◽  
Hideyuki Higashi ◽  
Lang H. Lee ◽  
...  

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