Abstract 17385: Endothelium Specific Reduction in Mitochondrial ROS Reverses the Deleterious Effects on Coronary Endothelium Caused by Prolonged Increase in NADPH Oxidase Derived ROS
Introduction: Recent findings from our lab demnstrated that prolonged increase in NADPH oxidase (NOX)-derived ROS results in increased mitochondrial (mito) ROS levels, reduced aspartate/dNTP synthesis, reduced coronary endothelial cell (EC) proliferation, and decreased recovery of post-MI cardiac function. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that endothelium-specific reduction in mitochondrial ROS will reverse the deleterious effects of prolonged NOX-ROS increase by improving mitochondrial function and aspartate/dNTP synthesis. Methods: Tetracycline (Tet)-ON/Tet-OFF binary transgenic mice, Tet-Nox2:VE-Cad-tTA (NOX-OE), were used as a model for endothelium-specific increase in the expression of the catalytic subunit of NADPH oxidase resulting in increased ROS. Mouse heart EC (MHEC) were isolated from Tet-ON and Tet-OFF Tg-Nox2 mice that were exposed to >16 weeks of increased EC-ROS. MHECs were then subject to mitochondrial antioxidants nitroxide (XJB-131) and nanoparticle (CeTiO2) followed by determination of mito-ROS, aspartate/dNTP synthesis, and EC proliferation. NOX-OE was crossbred with SOD-OE to generate a double-transgenic mice with EC-specific overexpression of mitochondrial antioxidant MnSOD (Sod2), Tet-Sod2:Tet-Nox2:VE-Cad-tTA ( SOD-OE ). Both NOX-OE and SOD-OE were subject to myocardial infarction (MI) LAD ligation experiments. Results: Mito-ROS levels were significantly reduced (by >2-fold) in MHEC from SOD-OE compared to NOX-OE. Both dNTP and proliferation were increased in SOD-OE, and also in NOX-EC treated with XJB-131 and CeTiO2. Together, these data suggest that reduction in mito-ROS abrogated negative effects of NOX-ROS in EC. Preliminary data demonstrate that there was an increase in capillary density (by 34± 5.8 %; p<0.05) and angiogenesis (by 2-fold) in SOD-OE post-MI myocardium compared to that of NOX-OE. Infarct sizes and cardiac function between NOX-OE and SOD-OE will be presented. Conclusion: These results suggest that reduction in mito-ROS can abrogate deleterious effects coronary endothelium caused by prolonged exposure to NOX-ROS. EC-specific modulation of mito-ROS may thus help develop therapeutic modalities to improve cardiovascular health and myocardial preservation in the post-MI heart.