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Yu QQ, Cheng DX, Xu LR, Li YK, Zheng XY, Liu Y, Li YF, Liu HL, Bai L, Wang R, Fan JL, Liu EQ, Zhao SH. Urotensin II and urantide exert opposite effects on the cellular components of atherosclerotic plaque in hypercholesterolemic rabbits. Acta Pharmacol Sin 2020; 41:546-553. [PMID: 31685976 PMCID: PMC7468446 DOI: 10.1038/s41401-019-0315-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2019] [Accepted: 09/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing levels of plasma urotensin II (UII) are positively associated with atherosclerosis. In this study we investigated the role of macrophage-secreted UII in atherosclerosis progression, and evaluated the therapeutic value of urantide, a potent competitive UII receptor antagonist, in atherosclerosis treatment. Macrophage-specific human UII-transgenic rabbits and their nontransgenic littermates were fed a high cholesterol diet for 16 weeks to induce atherosclerosis. Immunohistochemical staining of the cellular components (macrophages and smooth muscle cells) of aortic atherosclerotic lesions revealed a significant increase (52%) in the macrophage-positive area in only male transgenic rabbits compared with that in the nontransgenic littermates. However, both male and female transgenic rabbits showed a significant decrease (45% in males and 31% in females) in the smooth muscle cell-positive area compared with that of their control littermates. The effects of macrophage-secreted UII on the plaque cellular components were independent of plasma lipid level. Meanwhile the wild-type rabbits were continuously subcutaneously infused with urantide (5.4 µg· kg-1· h-1) using osmotic mini-pumps. Infusion of urantide exerted effects opposite to those caused by UII, as it significantly decreased the macrophage-positive area in male wild-type rabbits compared with that of control rabbits. In cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells, treatment with UII dose-dependently increased the expression of the adhesion molecules VCAM-1 and ICAM-1, and this effect was partially reversed by urantide. The current study provides direct evidence that macrophage-secreted UII plays a key role in atherogenesis. Targeting UII with urantide may promote plaque stability by decreasing macrophage-derived foam cell formation, which is an indicator of unstable plaque.
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Goetz TG, Mamillapalli R, Sahin C, Majidi-Zolbin M, Ge G, Mani A, Taylor HS. Addition of Estradiol to Cross-Sex Testosterone Therapy Reduces Atherosclerosis Plaque Formation in Female ApoE-/- Mice. Endocrinology 2018; 159:754-762. [PMID: 29253190 PMCID: PMC5774248 DOI: 10.1210/en.2017-00884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2017] [Accepted: 12/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The contributions of estradiol and testosterone to atherosclerotic lesion progression are not entirely understood. Cross-sex hormone therapy (XHT) for transgender individuals dramatically alters estrogen and testosterone levels and consequently could have widespread consequences for cardiovascular health. Yet, no preclinical research has assessed atherosclerosis risk after XHT. We examined the effects of testosterone XHT after ovariectomy on atherosclerosis plaque formation in female mice and evaluated whether adding low-dose estradiol to cross-sex testosterone treatments after ovariectomy reduced lesion formation. Six-week-old female ApoE-/- C57BL/6 mice underwent ovariectomy and began treatments with testosterone, estradiol, testosterone with low-dose estradiol, or vehicle alone until euthanized at 23 weeks of age. Atherosclerosis lesion progression was measured by Oil Red O stain and confirmed histologically. We found reduced atherosclerosis in the estradiol- and combined testosterone/estradiol-treated mice compared with those treated with testosterone or vehicle only in the whole aorta (-75%), aortic arch (-80%), and thoracic aorta (-80%). Plaque size was similarly reduced in the aortic sinus. These reductions in lesion size after combined testosterone/estradiol treatment were comparable to those obtained with estrogen alone. Testosterone/estradiol combined therapy resulted in less atherosclerosis plaque formation than either vehicle or testosterone alone after ovariectomy. Testosterone/estradiol therapy was comparable to estradiol replacement alone, whereas mice treated with testosterone only fared no better than untreated controls after ovariectomy. Adding low-dose estrogen to cross-sex testosterone therapy after oophorectomy could improve cardiovascular outcomes for transgender patients. Additionally, these results contribute to understanding of the effects of estrogen and testosterone on atherosclerosis progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teddy G. Goetz
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Ramanaiah Mamillapalli
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Cagdas Sahin
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Masoumeh Majidi-Zolbin
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Guanghao Ge
- Yale Cardiovascular Genetics Program, Yale Cardiovascular Research Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Arya Mani
- Yale Cardiovascular Genetics Program, Yale Cardiovascular Research Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Hugh S. Taylor
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- Correspondence: Hugh S. Taylor, MD, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, 310 Cedar Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06510. E-mail:
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Abstract
The use of hormone replacement therapy for coronary heart disease prevention in humans has been an area of intense controversy. The atheroprotective qualities of estrogens have been challenged recently by several negative results of randomized clinical trials in postmenopausal women. However, the inhibitory effects of estrogens on atherogenesis are well documented in numerous animals, including atherosclerotic mouse models, but the detailed mechanisms of this protection are not understood. In this minireview, we will focus on the considerable success that has been achieved in demonstrating the atheroprotective effects of 17beta-estradiol in apolipoprotein E and low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient mice and the use of these atherosclerotic mouse models in pharmacological and genetic study designs to investigate antiatherogenic mechanisms of estrogens. Mouse models of atherosclerosis should prove beneficial to understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of estrogen-mediated atheroprotection and aid the development of improved therapies to confer the benefits and reduce the risks associated with hormone replacement therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey B Hodgin
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7525, USA
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