scholarly journals Methods for evaluating endothelial function: a position statement from the European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Peripheral Circulation

2011 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 775-789 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Lekakis ◽  
Pierre Abraham ◽  
Alberto Balbarini ◽  
Andrew Blann ◽  
Chantal M Boulanger ◽  
...  

The endothelium holds a pivotal role in cardiovascular health and disease. Assessment of its function was until recently limited to experimental designs due to its location. The advent of novel techniques has facilitated testing on a more detailed basis, with focus on distinct pathways. This review presents available in-vivo and ex-vivo methods for evaluating endothelial function with special focus on more recent ones. The diagnostic modalities covered include assessment of epicardial and microvascular coronary endothelial function, local vasodilation by venous occlusion plethysmography and flow-mediated dilatation, arterial pulse wave analysis and pulse amplitude tonometry, microvascular blood flow by laser Doppler flowmetry, biochemical markers and bioassays, measurement of endothelial-derived microparticles and progenitor cells, and glycocalyx measurements. Insights and practical information on the theoretical basis, methodological aspects, and clinical application in various disease states are discussed. The ability of these methods to detect endothelial dysfunction before overt cardiovascular disease manifests make them attractive clinical tools for prevention and rehabilitation.

2015 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Donatella Ruggiero ◽  
Stefania Paolillo ◽  
Giuseppe Della Ratta ◽  
Antonio Mariniello ◽  
Tiziana Formisano ◽  
...  

Endothelium plays a key role in maintenance of vascular homeostasis. Cardiovascular risk factors promote development of endothelial dysfunction, characterized by increased vasoconstriction and by procoagulant/pro-inflammatory endothelial activities. In coronary artery, endothelium-dependent dilation improves blood flow, while the occurrence of endothelial dysfunction reduces myocardial perfusion, so new methods have been developed for assessment of endothelial function in coronary and peripheral arteries. The quantitative angiography with intracoronary infusion of acetylcholine remains the “gold standard” to assess the endothelium-dependent vasodilatation. The use of this technique is restricted to patients who have a clinical indication for coronary angiography, so new imaging methods have been considered for noninvasive diagnosis of coronary microvascular disease, such as magnetic resonance imaging phase contrast and positron emission tomography. The advent of new techniques has facilitated testing of endothelial dysfunction in peripheral arteries with non-invasive methods. This review presents available invivo and ex-vivo methods for evaluating endothelial function with special focus on more recent ones. The diagnostic tools include local vasodilatation by venous occlusion plethysmography and assessment of flow-mediated dilatation, arterial pulse wave analysis and pulse amplitude tonometry, laser Doppler flowmetry. The possibility to detect endothelial dysfunction as an early marker of atherosclerosis makes these instruments useful for early stratification of patients at risk for cardiovascular events. Aim of this review is to summarize the characteristics of non-invasive assessment of endothelial function in order to optimize cardiovascular risk management.


1992 ◽  
Vol 262 (1) ◽  
pp. G92-G98 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Wang ◽  
Z. F. Ba ◽  
J. Burkhardt ◽  
I. H. Chaudry

Although Ringer lactate (RL) is routinely used for resuscitation, it is not known whether the volume of RL that restores cardiac output after severe hemorrhagic shock also restores the depressed effective hepatic blood flow (EHBF). To study this, a 5-cm midline laparotomy was performed in rats (i.e., trauma induced), and the animals were then bled to and maintained at a mean arterial pressure of 40 mmHg until 40% of maximum bleedout volume was returned in the form of RL. Animals were then resuscitated with four or five times the volume of maximum bleedout with RL. EHBF was determined during hemorrhage and at various intervals thereafter by an in vivo indocyanine green (ICG) clearance technique and corrected by the appropriate hepatic extraction ratio for ICG. Cardiac output was determined by ICG dilution, and hepatic microvascular blood flow (HMBF) was measured with laser Doppler flowmetry. In addition, hepatic blood flow was assessed by using radioactive microspheres. Results indicate that resuscitation markedly improved but did not restore the depressed EHBF after trauma and hemorrhagic shock despite the fact that cardiac output was restored. Similar changes in EHBF, HMBF, and hepatic blood flow as determined by microspheres were observed, suggesting that the in vivo ICG clearance is a reliable method to assess effective hepatic perfusion. Thus the lack of restoration of EHBF may be responsible for the subsequent hepatocellular dysfunction after trauma and severe hemorrhage.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (541) ◽  
pp. eaav8824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioannis Akoumianakis ◽  
Ileana Badi ◽  
Gillian Douglas ◽  
Surawee Chuaiphichai ◽  
Laura Herdman ◽  
...  

Recent clinical trials have revealed that aggressive insulin treatment has a neutral effect on cardiovascular risk in patients with diabetes despite improved glycemic control, which may suggest confounding direct effects of insulin on the human vasculature. We studied 580 patients with coronary atherosclerosis undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG), finding that high endogenous insulin was associated with reduced nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability ex vivo in vessels obtained during surgery. Ex vivo experiments with human internal mammary arteries and saphenous veins obtained from 94 patients undergoing CABG revealed that both long-acting insulin analogs and human insulin triggered abnormal responses of post–insulin receptor substrate 1 downstream signaling ex vivo, independently of systemic insulin resistance status. These abnormal responses led to reduced NO bioavailability, activation of NADPH oxidases, and uncoupling of endothelial NO synthase. Treatment with an oral dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor (DPP4i) in vivo or DPP4i administered to vessels ex vivo restored physiological insulin signaling, reversed vascular insulin responses, reduced vascular oxidative stress, and improved endothelial function in humans. The detrimental effects of insulin on vascular redox state and endothelial function as well as the insulin-sensitizing effect of DPP4i were also validated in high-fat diet-fed ApoE−/− mice treated with DPP4i. High plasma DPP4 activity and high insulin were additively related with higher cardiac mortality in patients with coronary atherosclerosis undergoing CABG. These findings may explain the inability of aggressive insulin treatment to improve cardiovascular outcomes, raising the question whether vascular insulin sensitization with DPP4i should precede initiation of insulin treatment and continue as part of a long-term combination therapy.


Blood ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 116 (21) ◽  
pp. 262-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ted Wun ◽  
Laura M. De Castro ◽  
Lori Styles ◽  
Anthony Cheung ◽  
Shannon Chase ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 262 Adhesion molecules are critically involved in the pathophysiology of sickle cell disease (SCD). A growing body of evidence from animal models and humans supports the role of selectin-mediated cell adhesion in the pathophysiology of vaso-occlusion. Leukocyte adhesion has been demonstrated to reduce microvascular blood flow in a sickle cell mouse model, and there is evidence to suggest leukocyte adhesion in humans contributes to vaso-occlusion (Stuart et al, Lancet 2004; Turhan et al, PNAS 2002). GMI-1070 is a pan-selectin inhibitor that targets E-, P-, and L-selectins and has previously been shown to restore blood flow and improve survival in a mouse model of vaso-occlusion (Chang et al, Blood 2010). Also, it is potent inhibitor of adhesion of human neutrophils to immobilized E-selectin and ICAM-1 under flow conditions in vitro. As part of a Phase 1/2 study of GMI-1070 in patients with SCD we determined the effects of the drug on biomarkers of adhesion in vivo and ex vivo. Methods: An open-label phase 1/2 study of the safety, PK, and activity of GMI-1070 was performed, enrolling adults with SCD at steady state. Here we are reporting data on GMI-1070 anti-adhesion activity. GMI-1070 was administered in two IV doses given on the same day: 20 mg/kg as a loading dose, followed 10 hours later by 10 mg/kg. Serial WBC count with differential (all 15 subjects), computer-assisted intravital microscopy (CAIM) (4 subjects), and ex vivo activity of GMI-1070 in plasma (4 subjects) were measured. CAIM is a non-invasive technique for quantitative measurement of microvascular blood flow in vessels of the bulbar conjunctiva. In this study it was used to measure RBC velocity before and after dosing (at 30 minutes, 2, 4, 8, and 24 hours) with GMI-1070. Ex vivo evaluation of plasma GMI-1070 activity in a cell adhesion assay was also performed, with samples taken at 0, 8, 24, and 48 hours after first infusion. Results: Adults were enrolled at three centers: 13 with HbSS, 2 with HbSB0thal. All were African-American, and 9 were male. All subjects received both doses of study drug. The t1/2 was 7.7 hours. Mean baseline WBC was 10 K/mm3, and baseline absolute neutrophil count (ANC) was 5.4 K/mm3. The mean WBC was 10.4, 11.6, 10.2, and 8.7 K/mm3 at 8, 24, 48 hours and 7 days, respectively. The ANC mean was 5.5, 7.5, 5.6, and 4.2 K/mm3 at the same time points. ANC % change from baseline was significant at 24 and 48 hours (p=0.001, 0.025 mixed effects model) (Figure). There were no significant changes in absolute monocyte or lymphocyte counts. There was no correlation with any clinical adverse events. In one subject, the WBC rose from 10.4 to a peak of 28, with no clinical symptoms or significant changes in other lab values. CAIM (n=4) evaluating microvascular blood flow in the bulbar conjunctiva (measured in screen pixels/sec), showed mean RBC velocity at baseline was 335 (SD 70) pixels/sec, with mean values at 30 min., 2, 4, and 8 hours of 368 (59), 345 (63), 341 (59), and 338 (83) pixels/sec respectively, and returned to baseline of 317 (82) pixels/sec at 24 h. These differences did not reach statistical significance (mixed effects model). In ex vivo evaluation of neutrophil adhesion to matrix proteins (as quantified by # of bound neutrophils per 50× field) from samples 0, 4, 8, 24, and 48 hours after the first infusion revealed reduction in adhesions at 4 and 8 hours; mean adhered neutrophils were 33 (17), 20 (11), 18 (9), 47 (49), and 42 (15) respectively. However, these differences did not reach statistical significance. In conclusion, GMI-1070 infusion resulted in neutrophilia, a trend towards increased RBC velocity in the vessels of the bulbar conjunctiva immediately after infusion, and reduced leukoctye adhesion in an ex vivo assay despite neutrophilia. All of these findings are consistent with an anti-adhesive effect on leukocyte adhesion in vivo and suggest that the findings in sickle mouse studies can be translated into SCD patients. This study supports further evaluation of GMI-1070 for the treatment of vaso-occlusive episodes in SCD.Figure:Observed (mean/SE) absolute WBC and ANC over timeFigure:. Observed (mean/SE) absolute WBC and ANC over time Disclosures: Wun: GlycoMimetics: Clinical Trial Sponsorship, Consultancy; Eli Lilly: Clinical Trial Sponsorship, Consultancy. Off Label Use: This drug (GMI-1070) has not been approved for any clinical indication. De Castro:GlycoMimetics: clinical trial sponsorship. Styles:GlycoMimetics: Clinical Trial Sponsorship, Consultancy. Cheung:GlycoMimetics: clinical trial sponsorship. Chase:GlycoMimetics: clinical trial sponsorship. Simon:GlycoMimetics: Research Funding. Magnani:GlycoMimetics: Employment, Equity Ownership. Thackray:GlycoMimetics: Employment, Equity Ownership.


2005 ◽  
Vol 73 (7) ◽  
pp. 4288-4294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine T. Andrews ◽  
Nicole Klatt ◽  
Yvonne Adams ◽  
Petra Mischnick ◽  
Reinhard Schwartz-Albiez

ABSTRACT Adhesion of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes to placental chondroitin 4-sulfate (CSA) has been linked to the severe disease outcome of pregnancy-associated malaria. Soluble polysaccharides that release mature-stage parasitized erythrocytes into the peripheral circulation may help elucidate these interactions and have the potential to aid in developing therapeutic strategies. We have screened a panel of 11 sulfated polysaccharides for their capacities to inhibit adhesion of infected erythrocytes to CSA expressed on CHO-K1 cells and ex vivo human placental tissue. Two carrageenans and a cellulose sulfate (CS10) were able to inhibit adhesion to CSA and to cause already bound infected erythrocytes to de-adhere in a dose-dependent manner. CS10, like CSA and in contrast to all other compounds tested, remained bound to infected erythrocytes after washing and continued to inhibit binding. Both carrageenans and CS10 inhibited adhesion to placental tissue. Although highly sulfated dextran sulfate can inhibit CSA-mediated adhesion to CHO cells, this polysaccharide amplified adhesion to placental tissue severalfold, demonstrating the importance of evaluating inhibitory compounds in systems as close to in vivo as possible. Interestingly, and in contrast to all other compounds tested, which had a random distribution of sulfate groups, CS10 exhibited a clustered sulfate pattern along the polymer chain, similar to that of the undersulfated placental CSA preferred by placental-tissue-binding infected erythrocytes. Therefore, the specific antiadhesive capacity observed here seems to depend not only on the degree of charge and sulfation but also on a particular pattern of sulfation.


Circulation ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 132 (suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heike Langbein ◽  
Coy Brunssen ◽  
Anja Hofmann ◽  
Peter Cimalla ◽  
Stefan R Bornstein ◽  
...  

Introduction: Endothelial dysfunction is an early step in the development of atherosclerosis. Increased formation of superoxide anions by NADPH oxidase Nox1, 2 and 5 reduce NO availability and can promote endothelial dysfunction. In contrast, recent evidence supports a vasoprotective role of H2O2 produced by main endothelial isoform Nox4. Therefore, we assessed the hypothesis genetic deletion of Nox4 influences endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis in the low-density lipoprotein receptor (Ldlr) knockout model. Methods and Results: Ex vivo analysis of endothelial function by Mulvany myograph showed impaired endothelial function in thoracic aorta of Nox4-/-/Ldlr-/- mice. Further progression of endothelial dysfunction by high-fat diet increased atherosclerotic plaque burden and galectin-3 staining in Nox4-/-/Ldlr-/- mice compared to Ldlr-/- mice. In addition, we obtained evidence that under physiological conditions the loss of Nox4-derived H2O2 production could partially be compensated by nNOS upregulation. Using a self-developed optical coherence tomography device we were able to analyse endothelial function by flow-mediated vasodilation in the murine saphenous artery in vivo. This new approach observed an altered flow-mediated dilation in Nox4-/- mice, indicating a role for Nox4 under physiological conditions in vivo likewise. Conclusion: Nox4 plays an important role under physiological and pathological conditions to maintain endothelial function. Loss of Nox4-derived H2O2 could partially be compensated by nNOS upregulation, but severe endothelial dysfunction is not reversible. This leads to increased atherosclerosis under atherosclerotic prone conditions.


Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (11) ◽  
pp. 817-817
Author(s):  
Athanasia D. Panopoulos ◽  
Donghoon Yoon ◽  
Ling Zhang ◽  
Stephanie S. Watowich

Abstract Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) and its receptor (G-CSFR) are essential for neutrophil development. The G-CSF/G-CSFR pathway supplies normal circulating neutrophil levels and supports neutrophil terminal maturation. These activities have been exploited clinically, where G-CSF is used frequently to treat congenital or therapeutically induced neutropenia, or to mobilize hematopoietic stem cells for bone marrow transplant. Previous work from our laboratory and others has shown a role for the major G-CSF-responsive signaling molecule STAT3 in granulopoiesis. It is well established that STAT3 has an important negative function in controlling neutrophil production. Importantly, our studies have elucidated a critical positive regulatory role for STAT3 in G-CSF-responsiveness and development of functional neutrophils in vivo. Mice lacking STAT3 in the bone marrow (TIE2cre/Stat3f/Δ) fail to upregulate circulating neutrophil levels in response to a single dose of G-CSF administered subcutaneously, while their wild type littermates demonstrate a two-fold increase in circulating neutrophil levels (e.g., Gr-1+/CD11b+ cells) under these conditions. Inspection of bone marrow responses revealed an increase in the Gr-1lo/CD11bhi population and a corresponding decrease in the Gr-1hi/CD11bhi population of littermate control animals following G-CSF administration. Strikingly, mice that lack functional STAT3 in the bone marrow fail to respond to G-CSF similarly; these animals do not demonstrate an induction in the Gr-1lo/CD11bhi population, or a decrease in the Gr-1hi/CD11bhi population within the bone marrow following G-CSF treatment. These results indicate that in vivo G-CSF administration recruits early progenitors (e.g., Gr-1lo/CD11bhi cells) into the granulocytic lineage while concomitantly decreasing levels of more mature granulocytes (e.g., Gr-1hi/CD11bhi) within the marrow, which are likely mobilized to the peripheral circulation, and suggest an essential role for STAT3 in these responses. Furthermore, neutrophils isolated from TIE2cre/Stat3f/Δ mice demonstrate defective chemotaxis in response to MIP-2. This deficiency appears to be cell autonomous since granulocytes derived from an ex vivo differentiation system show a similar phenotype. Defective chemotaxis may be due in part to improper actin rearrangement dynamics, since STAT3 deficient neutrophils show enhanced actin polymerization in response to MIP-2 compared to wild type controls. To examine potential pathways by which STAT3 may function, we investigated the expression of the PU.1 transcription factor in TIE2cre/Stat3f/Δ mice. PU.1 is known to control expression of genes that are essential for mature neutrophil functions. Our results demonstrate that PU.1 is expressed at high levels in the Gr-1lo/CD11bhi population relative to the Gr-1hi/CD11bhi population isolated from bone marrow of wild type mice. Ex vivo G-CSF treatment of wild type bone marrow stimulates an increase in the proportion of Gr-1lo/CD11bhi cells within the culture, as well as the total PU.1 protein level of the population. By contrast, induction of Gr-1lo/CD11bhi cells and total PU.1 expression by G-CSF treatment ex vivo is abrogated in bone marrow from TIE2cre/Stat3f/Δ mice. Importantly, these effects are not due to significant changes in cell survival or selection in the ex vivo culture system. Collectively, our results indicate that STAT3 is essential for G-CSF-mediated neutrophil responses and function in vivo, and suggest that STAT3-dependent regulation of PU.1 may be an important intermediate in this pathway.


2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 265-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bengt-Olof Nilsson ◽  
Lo Persson

Abstract Recent and exciting in vivo studies show that supplementation with the polyamine spermidine (Spd) is cardioprotective and prolongs lifespan in both mice and humans. The mechanisms behind Spd-induced cardioprotection are supposed to involve Spd-evoked stimulation of autophagy, mitophagy and mitochondrial respiration and improved the mechano-elastical function of cardiomyocytes. Although cellular uptake of Spd was not characterized, these results suggest that Spd is imported by the cardiomyocytes and acts intracellularly. In the light of these new and thrilling data, we discuss in the present review cellular polyamine import with a special focus on mechanisms that may be relevant for Spd uptake by electrically excitable cells such as cardiomyocytes.


2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Robertson ◽  
Gillian A Gray ◽  
Rodger Duffin ◽  
Steven G McLean ◽  
Catherine A Shaw ◽  
...  

Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 802
Author(s):  
Shamil Akhmedov ◽  
Sergey Afanasyev ◽  
Marina Trusova ◽  
Pavel Postnikov ◽  
Yulia Rogovskaya ◽  
...  

Atherosclerosis, a systematic degenerative disease related to the buildup of plaques in human vessels, remains the major cause of morbidity in the field of cardiovascular health problems, which are the number one cause of death globally. Novel atheroprotective HDL-mimicking chemically modified carbon-coated iron nanoparticles (Fe@C NPs) were produced by gas-phase synthesis and modified with organic functional groups of a lipophilic nature. Modified and non-modified Fe@C NPs, immobilized with polycaprolactone on stainless steel, showed high cytocompatibility in human endothelial cell culture. Furthermore, after ex vivo treatment of native atherosclerotic plaques obtained during open carotid endarterectomy surgery, Fe@C NPs penetrated the inner structures and caused structural changes of atherosclerotic plaques, depending on the period of implantation in Wistar rats, serving as a natural bioreactor. The high biocompatibility of the Fe@C NPs shows great potential in the treatment of atherosclerosis disease as an active substance of stent coatings to prevent restenosis and the formation of atherosclerotic plaques.


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