scholarly journals Tumor necrosis factor-α impairs cerebral blood flow in pregnant rats: role of vascular β-epithelial Na+ channel

2020 ◽  
Vol 318 (4) ◽  
pp. H1018-H1027 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy W. Duncan ◽  
Subhi Talal Younes ◽  
Emily Hildebrandt ◽  
Michael J. Ryan ◽  
Joey P. Granger ◽  
...  

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-related disorder characterized by hypertension, vascular dysfunction and an increase in circulating inflammatory factors including the cytokine, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Studies have shown that placental ischemia is associated with 1) increased circulating TNF-α, 2) attenuated pressure-induced cerebral vascular tone, and 3) suppression of β-epithelial Na+ channel (βENaC) protein in cerebral vessels. In addition to its role in epithelial Na+ and water transport, βENaC is an essential signaling element in transduction of pressure-induced (aka “myogenic”) constriction, a critical mechanism of blood flow autoregulation. While cytokines inhibit expression of certain ENaC proteins in epithelial tissue, it is unknown if the increased circulating TNF-α associated with placental ischemia mediates the loss of cerebrovascular βENaC and cerebral blood flow regulation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that increasing plasma TNF-α in normal pregnant rats reduces cerebrovascular βENaC expression and impairs cerebral blood flow (CBF) regulation. In vivo TNF-α infusion (200 ng/day, 5 days) inhibited cerebrovascular expression of βENaC and impaired CBF regulation in pregnant rats. To determine the direct effects of TNF-α and underlying pathways mediating vascular smooth muscle cell βENaC reduction, we exposed cultured VSMCs (A10 cell line) to TNF-α (1–100 ng/mL) for 16–24 h. TNF-α reduced βENaC protein expression in a concentration-dependent fashion from 0.1 to 100 ng/mL, without affecting cell death. To assess the role of canonical MAPK signaling in this response, VSMCs were treated with p38MAPK or c-Jun kinase (JNK) inhibitors in the presence of TNF-α. We found that both p38MAPK and JNK blockade prevented TNF-α-mediated βENaC protein suppression. These data provide evidence that disorders associated with increased circulating TNF-α could lead to impaired cerebrovascular regulation, possibly due to reduced βENaC-mediated vascular function. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This manuscript identifies TNF-α as a possible placental-derived cytokine that could be involved in declining cerebrovascular health observed in preeclampsia. We found that infusion of TNF-α during pregnancy impaired cerebral blood flow control in rats at high arterial pressures. We further discovered that cerebrovascular β-epithelial sodium channel (βENaC) protein, a degenerin protein involved in mechanotransduction, was reduced by TNF-α in pregnant rats, indicating a potential link between impaired blood flow and this myogenic player. We next examined this effect in vitro using a rat vascular smooth muscle cell line. TNF-α reduced βENaC through canonical MAPK-signaling pathways and was not dependent on cell death. This study demonstrates the pejorative effects of TNF-α on cerebrovascular function during pregnancy and warrants future investigations to study the role of cytokines on vascular function during pregnancy.

2013 ◽  
Vol 304 (2) ◽  
pp. R130-R135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sydney R. Murphy ◽  
B. Babbette D. LaMarca ◽  
Marc Parrish ◽  
Kathy Cockrell ◽  
Joey P. Granger

Although abnormal soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) production is thought to be an important factor in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia (PE), the mechanisms that regulate the production of sFlt-1 during PE are unclear. While our laboratory has shown tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and sFlt-1 to be elevated in pregnant rats in response to placental ischemia, the importance of TNF-α in the regulation of sFlt-1 production is unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the role of TNF-α in mediating the increase in sFlt-1 in response to placental ischemia or hypoxia. Reductions in uterine perfusion pressure in pregnant rats significantly increased plasma levels of sFlt-1 and tended to increase TNF-α, an effect markedly attenuated by pretreatment with a TNF-α inhibitor etanercept (0.4 mg/kg). To further assess chronic interactions between TNF-α and sFlt-1, we examined a chronic effect of TNF-α infusion (50 ng/day) into normal pregnant rats to increase plasma sFlt-1 levels, as well as the effects of acute hypoxia on placental sFlt-1 production in the absence and presence of TNF-α blockade. Placental explants exposed to hypoxic conditions had enhanced TNF-α levels versus normoxic conditions, as well as increased sFlt-1 production. Pretreatment of placental explants with etanercept (15 μM) significantly reduced TNF-α levels in response to hypoxia but did not attenuate sFlt-1 production. These data suggest that while TNF-α may not play an important role in stimulating sFlt-1 production in response to acute hypoxia, a more chronic hypoxia, or placental ischemia may be an important stimulus for enhanced sFlt-l production.


Author(s):  
Maryam Gholamalizadeh ◽  
Samaneh Mirzaei Dahka ◽  
Hadi Sedigh Ebrahim-Saraie ◽  
Mohammad Esmail Akbari ◽  
Azam Pourtaheri ◽  
...  

1999 ◽  
Vol 112 (21) ◽  
pp. 3603-3617 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Schlondorff ◽  
C.P. Blobel

Metalloprotease-disintegrins (ADAMs) have captured our attention as key players in fertilization and in the processing of the ectodomains of proteins such as tumor necrosis factor (α) (TNF(α)), and because of their roles in Notch-mediated signaling, neurogenesis and muscle fusion. ADAMs are integral membrane glycoproteins that contain a disintegrin domain, which is related to snake-venom integrin ligands, and a metalloprotease domain (which can contain or lack a catalytic site). Here, we review and critically discuss current topics in the ADAMs field, including the central role of fertilin in fertilization, the role of the TNF(α) convertase in protein ectodomain processing, the role of Kuzbanian in Notch signaling, and links between ADAMs and processing of the amyloid-precursor protein.


2005 ◽  
Vol 33 (04) ◽  
pp. 547-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jae-Young Um ◽  
Jae-Heung Lee ◽  
Jong-Cheon Joo ◽  
Kyung-Yo Kim ◽  
Eun-Hee Lee ◽  
...  

During the last decade, a growing corpus of evidence has indicated an important role of cytokines in the development of brain damage following cerebral ischemia. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), a potent immunomodulator and pro-inflammatory cytokine, has been implicated in many pathological processes. In this study, we examined whether promoter region polymorphism in the TNF-α gene at position –308 affects the odds of cerebral infarction (CI) and whether genetic risk is enhanced by Sasang constitutional classification. Two hundred and twelve CI patients and 610 healthy controls were genotyped and determined according to Sasang constitutional classification. A significant decrease was found for the TNF-α A allele in CI patients compared with controls ( p = 0.033, odds ratio, OR: 0.622). However, there was no significant association between TNF-α polymorphism and Sasang constitution in CI patients. Our finding suggests that TNF-α promoter region polymorphism is responsible for susceptibility to CI in Koreans.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 117957351772251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniah Shamim ◽  
Michael Laskowski

Tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) inhibitors have long been used as disease-modifying agents in immune disorders. Recently, research has shown a role of chronic neuroinflammation in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer disease, and interest has been generated in the use of anti-TNF agents and TNF-modulating agents for prevention and treatment. This article extensively reviewed literature on animal studies testing these agents. The results showed a role for direct and indirect TNF-α inhibition through agents such as thalidomide, 3,6-dithiothalidomide, etanercept, infliximab, exendin-4, sodium hydrosulfide, minocycline, imipramine, and atorvastatin. Studies were performed on mice, rats, and monkeys, with induction of neurodegenerative physiology either through the use of chemical agents or through the use of transgenic animals. Most of these agents showed an improvement in cognitive function as tested with the Morris water maze, and immunohistochemical and histopathological staining studies consistently showed better outcomes with these agents. Brains of treated animals showed significant reduction in pro-inflammatory TNF-α and reduced the burden of neurofibrillary tangles, amyloid precursor protein, and β-amyloid plaques. Also, recruitment of microglial cells in the central nervous system was significantly reduced through these drugs. These studies provide a clearer mechanistic understanding of the role of TNF-α modulation in Alzheimer disease. All studies in this review explored the use of these drugs as prophylactic agents to prevent Alzheimer disease through immune modulation of the TNF inflammatory pathway, and their success highlights the need for further research of these drugs as therapeutic agents.


2002 ◽  
Vol 283 (1) ◽  
pp. R218-R226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander V. Gourine ◽  
Valery N. Gourine ◽  
Yohannes Tesfaigzi ◽  
Nathalie Caluwaerts ◽  
Fred Van Leuven ◽  
...  

α2-Macroglobulin (α2M) is not only a proteinase inhibitor in mammals, but it is also a specific cytokine carrier that binds pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines implicated in fever, including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). To define the role of α2M in regulation of febrile and cytokine responses, wild-type mice and mice deficient in α2M (α2M −/−) were injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Changes in body temperature as well as plasma levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α and hepatic TNF-α mRNA level during fever in α2M −/− mice were compared with those in wild-type control mice. The α2M −/− mice developed a short-term markedly attenuated (ANOVA, P < 0.05) fever in response to LPS (2.5 mg/kg ip) compared with the wild-type mice. At 1.5 h after injection of LPS, the plasma concentration of TNF-α, but not IL-1β or IL-6, was significantly lower (by 58%) in the α2M −/− mice compared with their wild-type controls (ANOVA, P < 0.05). There was no difference in hepatic TNF-α mRNA levels between α2M −/− and wild-type mice 1.5 h after injection of LPS. These data support the hypotheses that 1) α2M is important for the normal development of LPS-induced fever and 2) a putative mechanism of α2M involvement in fever is through the inhibition of TNF-α clearance. These findings indicate a novel physiological role for α2M.


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