scholarly journals Leptin Inhibits the Proliferation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Induced by Angiotensin II through Nitric Oxide-Dependent Mechanisms

2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amaia Rodríguez ◽  
Javier Gómez-Ambrosi ◽  
Victoria Catalán ◽  
Ana Fortuño ◽  
Gema Frühbeck

Objective. This study was designed to investigate whether leptin modifies angiotensin (Ang) II-induced proliferation of aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) from 10-week-old male Wistar and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), and the possible role of nitric oxide (NO).Methods. NO and NO synthase (NOS) activity were assessed by the Griess and3H-arginine/citrulline conversion assays, respectively. Inducible NOS (iNOS) and NADPH oxidase subutnit Nox2 expression was determined by Western-blot. The proliferative responses to Ang II were evaluated through enzymatic methods.Results. Leptin inhibited the Ang II-induced proliferative response of VSMCs from control rats. This inhibitory effect of leptin was abolished by NOS inhibitor, NMMA, and iNOS selective inhibitor, L-NIL, and was not observed in leptin receptor-deficientfa/farats. SHR showed increased serum leptin concentrations and lipid peroxidation. Despite a similar leptin-induced iNOS up-regulation, VSMCs from SHR showed an impaired NOS activity and NO production induced by leptin, and an increased basal Nox2 expression. The inhibitory effect of leptin on Ang II-induced VSMC proliferation was attenuated.Conclusion. Leptin blocks the proliferative response to Ang II through NO-dependent mechanisms. The attenuation of this inhibitory effect of leptin in spontaneous hypertension appears to be due to a reduced NO bioavailability in VSMCs.

Endocrinology ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 148 (1) ◽  
pp. 324-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amaia Rodríguez ◽  
Ana Fortuño ◽  
Javier Gómez-Ambrosi ◽  
Guillermo Zalba ◽  
Javier Díez ◽  
...  

Leptin inhibits the contractile response induced by angiotensin (Ang) II in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) of the aorta. We studied in vitro and ex vivo the role of nitric oxide (NO) in the effect of leptin on the Ang II-induced vasoconstriction of the aorta of 10-wk-old Wistar rats. NO and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity were assessed by the Griess and 3H-arginine/citrulline conversion assays, respectively. Stimulation of inducible NOS (iNOS) as well as Janus kinases/signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAK/STAT) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathways were determined by Western blot. The contractile responses to Ang II were evaluated in endothelium-denuded aortic rings using the organ bath system. Changes in intracellular Ca2+ were measured in VSMCs using fura-2 fluorescence. Leptin significantly (P ≤ 0.01) stimulated NO release and NOS activity in VSMCs. Leptin’s effect on NO was abolished by the NOS inhibitor, NG-monomethyl l-arginine, or the iNOS selective inhibitor l-N6-(1-iminoethyl)-lysine. Accordingly, leptin increased iNOS protein expression, with a comparable time course with that of NO production and NOS activity. Leptin also significantly increased STAT3 (P ≤ 0.01) and Akt (P ≤ 0.001) phosphorylation. Moreover, either the JAK2 inhibitor, AG490, or the PI3K inhibitor, wortmannin, significantly (P ≤ 0.05) abrogated the leptin-induced increase in iNOS protein. Finally, both NG-monomethyl l-arginine and l-N6-(1-iminoethyl)-lysine inhibitors completely blunted (P ≤ 0.001) the leptin-mediated inhibition of the Ang II-induced VSMC activation and vasoconstriction. These findings suggest that the endothelium-independent depressor action of leptin is mediated by an increase of NO bioavailability in VSMCs. This process requires the up-regulation of iNOS through mechanisms involving JAK2/STAT3 and PI3K/Akt pathways.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun-Ho Lee ◽  
Keshav Raj Paudel ◽  
Dong-Wook Kim

Pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and neointima formation after angioplasty involves vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) migration and proliferation followed by inflammatory responses mediated by recruited macrophages in the neointima.Terminalia chebulais widely used traditional medicine in Asia for its beneficial effects against cancer, diabetes, and bacterial infection. The study was designed to determine whetherTerminalia chebulafructus water extract (TFW) suppresses VSMC migration and proliferation and inflammatory mediators production in macrophage (RAW 264.7). Our results showed that TFW possessed strong antioxidative effects in 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging and lipid peroxidation assays. In addition, TFW reduced nitric oxide (NO) production, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in RAW 264.7 cells. Also, TFW inhibited platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-BB) induced VSMC migration as determined by wound healing and Boyden chamber assays. The antimigratory effect of TFW was due to its inhibitory effect on metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression, focal adhesion kinase (FAK) activation, and Rho-family of small GTPases (Cdc42 and RhoA) expression in VSMCs. Furthermore, TFW suppressed PDGF-BB induced VSMC proliferation by downregulation of mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) signaling molecules. These results suggest that TFW could be a beneficial resource in the prevention of atherosclerosis.


1997 ◽  
Vol 272 (1) ◽  
pp. H576-H584 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Li ◽  
S. X. Fan ◽  
T. M. McKenna

Treatment of vascular tissue with low levels of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity and diminishes vascular contractility. However, in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC), very high doses of LPS or the combination of LPS with cytokines are required for the induction of nitric oxide (NO) formation. The aims of this study were to establish a cell model to investigate LPS-induced hypocontractility and NO production and to test the hypothesis that responses of VSMC to LPS are differentiation regulated. We used Matrigel basement membrane matrix to maintain VSMC differentiation and found that VSMC cultured on Matrigel retained significant contractility in response to KCl stimulation. Incubation of VSMC with low levels of LPS(1–100 ng/ml) induced NOS mRNA and protein, induced NO production, and decreased cell contractility in a time- and dose-dependent fashion. The NOS inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) partially restored LPS-treated VSMC contractility, whereas L-arginine reversed the contractility-restoring effect of L-NAME. These results suggest that VSMC grown on Matrigel are a useful experimental model for investigations into signal transduction mechanisms responsible for LPS-induced vascular hypocontractility.


1995 ◽  
Vol 74 (03) ◽  
pp. 980-986 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valérie B Schini-Kerth ◽  
Beate Fißithaler ◽  
Thomas T Andersen ◽  
John W Fenton ◽  
Paul M Vanhoutte ◽  
...  

SummaryProteolytically active forms of thrombin (α- and γ-thrombin) and thrombin receptor peptides inhibited the release of nitrite, a stable endproduct of nitric oxide, evoked by interleukin-1 β(IL-1 β) in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells while proteolytically inactive forms [D-Phe-Pro-Arg chloromethyl ketone-α-thrombin (PPACK-α- thrombin) and diisopropylphosphoryl-α-thrombin (DIP-α-thrombin)] had either no or only minimal inhibitory effects. Under bioassay conditions, perfusates from columns containing IL-1 β-activated vascular smooth muscle cells or cells treated with IL-1βplus PPACK-α-thrombin relaxed detector blood vessels. These relaxations were abolished by the inhibitor of nitric oxide synthesis, NG-nitro-L arginine. No relaxations were obtained with untreated cells or IL-1 β-treated cells in the presence of α-thrombin. The expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase mRNA and protein in vascular smooth muscle cells by IL-1 β was impaired by α-thrombin. These results demonstrate that thrombin regulates the expression of the inducible nitric oxide synthase at a transcriptional level via the proteolytic activation of the thrombin receptor in vascular smooth muscle cells


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