scholarly journals Nano-Polyplexes Mediated Transfection of Runx2-shRNA Mitigates the Osteodifferentiation of Human Valvular Interstitial Cells

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geanina Voicu ◽  
Daniela Rebleanu ◽  
Cristina Ana Constantinescu ◽  
Elena Valeria Fuior ◽  
Letitia Ciortan ◽  
...  

Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is a progressive disorder that increases in prevalence with age. An important role in aortic valve calcification is played by valvular interstitial cells (VIC), that with age or in pathological conditions acquire an osteoblast-like phenotype that advances the disease. Therefore, pharmacological interventions aiming to stop or reverse the osteoblastic transition of VIC may represent a therapeutic option for CAVD. In this study, we aimed at developing a nanotherapeutic strategy able to prevent the phenotypic switch of human aortic VIC into osteoblast-like cells. We hypothesize that nanocarriers designed for silencing the Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) will stop the progress or reverse the osteodifferentiation of human VIC, induced by high glucose concentrations and pro-osteogenic factors. We report here the potential of fullerene (C60)-polyethyleneimine (PEI)/short hairpin (sh)RNA-Runx2 nano-polyplexes to efficiently down-regulate Runx2 mRNA and protein expression leading subsequently to a significant reduction in the expression of osteogenic proteins (i.e., ALP, BSP, OSP and BMP4) in osteoblast-committed VIC. The data suggest that the silencing of Runx2 could represent a novel strategy to impede the osteoblastic phenotypic shift of VIC and the ensuing progress of CAVD.

Circulation ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 132 (suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mickael Rosa ◽  
Rodrigo Lorenzi ◽  
Madjid Tagzirt ◽  
Francis Juthier ◽  
Antoine Rauch ◽  
...  

Introduction: Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) affects 2% to 6% of the population over 65 years and results from dysregulated processes such as calcification, supported in part by the osteoblast differentiation of valvular interstitial cells (VIC), the most prevalent cell type in the human aortic valves. Leptin has recently been linked to aortic valve calcification in ApoE-/- mice. Hypothesis: Our hypothesis is that leptin could play a role in the calcifying processes implicated in CAVD via direct effects on human VIC. Methods: Patients who underwent aortic valve replacement for severe CAVD (n=43) or with coronary artery disease (CAD) but without CAVD (n=129) were included in this study. Presence of leptin was analyzed in human explanted calcified aortic valves and blood samples. Leptin receptors expression was analyzed in aortic valves and VIC isolated from aortic valves. Leptin effects on osteoblast differentiation of VIC in presence or not of Akt and ERK inhibitors were investigated by alizarin red staining, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and RT-qPCR analysis for osteopontin, ALP, bone morphogenetic protein BMP-2, and RUNX2. Results: Patients with CAVD have significant higher serum leptin concentration than CAD patients (p=0.002). The presence of leptin was observed by immunochemistry in human calcified aortic valves, with higher concentrations in calcified vs non-calcified zones (p=0.01). Both short and long leptin receptor isoforms were expressed in VIC. Chronic leptin stimulation of VIC enhanced ALP, BMP-2 and RUNX2 expression and decreased osteopontin expression. This treatment led to a higher, dose dependent, ALP activity and calcium deposition in VIC. Inhibiting Akt or ERK during leptin stimulation led to a reduced calcification by bringing the expression of calcification genes to the control levels. Conclusions: Together, these novel findings depict the potential role of leptin in the process of CAVD by triggering calcification processes in human VIC.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 1486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Carracedo ◽  
Oscar Persson ◽  
Peter Saliba-Gustafsson ◽  
Gonzalo Artiach ◽  
Ewa Ehrenborg ◽  
...  

Autophagy serves as a cell survival mechanism which becomes dysregulated under pathological conditions and aging. Aortic valve thickening and calcification causing left ventricular outflow obstruction is known as calcific aortic valve stenosis (CAVS). CAVS is a chronic and progressive disease which increases in incidence and severity with age. Currently, no medical treatment exists for CAVS, and the role of autophagy in the disease remains largely unexplored. To further understand the role of autophagy in the progression of CAVS, we analyzed expression of key autophagy genes in healthy, thickened, and calcified valve tissue from 55 patients, and compared them with nine patients without significant CAVS, undergoing surgery for aortic regurgitation (AR). This revealed a upregulation in autophagy exclusively in the calcified tissue of CAVS patients. This difference in autophagy between CAVS and AR was explored by LC3 lipidation in valvular interstitial cells (VICs), revealing an upregulation in autophagic flux in CAVS patients. Inhibition of autophagy by bafilomycin-A1 led to a decrease in VIC survival. Finally, treatment of VICs with high phosphate led to an increase in autophagic activity. In conclusion, our data suggests that autophagy is upregulated in the calcified tissue of CAVS, serving as a compensatory and pro-survival mechanism.


2014 ◽  
Vol 72 ◽  
pp. 146-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diala El Husseini ◽  
Marie-Chloé Boulanger ◽  
Ablajan Mahmut ◽  
Rihab Bouchareb ◽  
Marie-Hélène Laflamme ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Kutryb-Zajac ◽  
Patrycja Jablonska ◽  
Marcin Serocki ◽  
Alicja Bulinska ◽  
Paulina Mierzejewska ◽  
...  

AbstractExtracellular nucleotide catabolism contributes to immunomodulation, cell differentiation and tissue mineralization by controlling nucleotide and adenosine concentrations and its purinergic effects. Disturbances of purinergic signaling in valves may lead to its calcification. This study aimed to investigate the side-specific changes in extracellular nucleotide and adenosine metabolism in the aortic valve during calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) and to identify the individual enzymes that are involved in these pathways as well as their cellular origin.Stenotic aortic valves were characterized by reduced levels of extracellular ATP removal and impaired production of adenosine. Respectively, already reduced levels of extracellular adenosine were immediately degraded further due to the elevated rate of adenosine deamination. For the first time, we revealed that this metabolic pattern was observed only on the fibrosa surface of stenotic valve that is consistent with the mineral deposition on the aortic side of the valve. Furthermore, we demonstrated that non-stenotic valves expressed mostly ecto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase 1 (eNTPD1) and ecto-5’nucleotidase (e5NT), while stenotic valves ecto-nucleotide pyrophosphatase/ phosphodiesterase 1, alkaline phosphatase and ecto-adenosine deaminase (eADA). On the surface of endothelial cells, isolated from non-stenotic valves, high activities of eNTPD1 and e5NT were found. Whereas, in valvular interstitial cells, eNPP1 activity was also detected. Stenotic valve immune infiltrate was an additional source of eADA. We demonstrated the presence of A1, A2a and A2b adenosine receptors in both, non-stenotic and stenotic valves with diminished expression of A2a and A2b in the former.Extracellular nucleotide and adenosine metabolism that involves complex ecto-enzyme pathways and adenosine receptor signaling were adversely modified in CAVD. In particular, diminished activities of eNTPD1 and e5NT with the increase in eADA that originated from valvular endothelial and interstitial cells as well as from immune inflitrate may affect aortic valve extracellular nucleotide concentrations to favor a proinflammatory milieu, highlighting a potential mechanism and target for CAVD therapy.


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