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Lester C, Li JM, Passang T, Wang Y, Waller EK, Blakey SB. Chemical Modifications to Enhance the Drug Properties of a VIP Receptor Antagonist (ANT) Peptide. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4391. [PMID: 38673976 PMCID: PMC11050070 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25084391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2024] [Revised: 04/06/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Antagonist peptides (ANTs) of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide receptors (VIP-Rs) are shown to enhance T cell activation and proliferation in vitro, as well as improving T cell-dependent anti-tumor response in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) murine models. However, peptide therapeutics often suffer from poor metabolic stability and exhibit a short half-life/fast elimination in vivo. In this study, we describe efforts to enhance the drug properties of ANTs via chemical modifications. The lead antagonist (ANT308) is derivatized with the following modifications: N-terminus acetylation, peptide stapling, and PEGylation. Acetylated ANT308 exhibits diminished T cell activation in vitro, indicating that N-terminus conservation is critical for antagonist activity. The replacement of residues 13 and 17 with cysteine to accommodate a chemical staple results in diminished survival using the modified peptide to treat mice with AML. However, the incorporation of the constraint increases survival and reduces tumor burden relative to its unstapled counterpart. Notably, PEGylation has a significant positive effect, with fewer doses of PEGylated ANT308 needed to achieve comparable overall survival and tumor burden in leukemic mice dosed with the parenteral ANT308 peptide, suggesting that polyethylene glycol (PEG) incorporation enhances longevity, and thus the antagonist activity of ANT308.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Lester
- Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA;
| | - Jian-Ming Li
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; (J.-M.L.); (Y.W.)
| | - Tenzin Passang
- Cancer Biology Graduate Program, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA;
| | - Yuou Wang
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; (J.-M.L.); (Y.W.)
| | - Edmund K. Waller
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; (J.-M.L.); (Y.W.)
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Simon B. Blakey
- Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA;
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Tan P, Cai S, Huang Z, Li M, Liu S, Chen J, Fu W, Zhao L. E3 ubiquitin ligase FBXW11 as a novel inflammatory biomarker is associated with immune infiltration and NF-κB pathway activation in pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. Cell Signal 2024; 116:111033. [PMID: 38182068 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2024.111033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/01/2024] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pancreatic cancer (pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, PDAC) is an aggressive disease with an overall poor prognosis. Pancreatitis is a major risk factor for the development of PDAC. Due to the lack of reliable and accurate biomarkers, the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of PDAC face great challenges. It is of great significance to elucidate the pathogenesis of PDAC and explore novel inflammatory biomarkers. METHODS We identified E3 ubiquitin ligases associated with pancreatic inflammation by combining multiple GEO datasets and UbiNet 2.0, and integrating the WGCNA algorithm and Limma R package. A risk score model for PDAC patients was established by using LASSO regression. We investigated the correlation between FBXW11 and immune cell infiltration using CIBERSORT, mMCP-counter, ImmuCellAI-mouse, QUANTISEQ, and TIMER algorithms, based on GEO, ArrayExpress, and TCGA datasets. We used Ubibrowser 2.0 to predict potential substrates for FBXW11. WikiPathway, MSigDB Hallmark, and Elsevier pathway analysis of FBXW11 key substrates were also performed using the EnrichR database. We detected protein expression through IHC, immunofluorescence, and western blot in the cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis mouse model. RESULTS We first identified that FBXW11 exhibited a clear tendency to gradually increase in normal, pancreatitis, and PDAC patients. The validation analysis revealed that the FBXW11 protein exhibited significantly high expression in cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis mice, with its distribution primarily observed in the cytoplasm. Simultaneously, we developed a risk model utilizing the genes associated with FBXW11 to forecast the outcome of patients with PDAC and the likelihood of pancreatitis advancing to pancreatic cancer. Functional analysis showed that FBXW11, as a novel inflammatory biomarker, had a significant positive correlation with macrophage infiltration and the NF-κB signaling pathway. Finally, the western blot assay of the NF-κB signaling pathway in pancreatic tissues demonstrated that high activation of NF-κB was correlated with high expression of FBXW11. CONCLUSIONS Our research not only provides evidence for FBXW11 as a novel inflammatory biomarker but also provides new insights into the research and clinical treatment of pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Tan
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an 710000, China; Metabolic Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Diseases Key Laboratory of Luzhou City, Academician (Expert) Workstation of Sichuan Province, Department of General Surgery (Hepatopancreatobiliary surgery), The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Shuang Cai
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an 710000, China
| | - Zhiwei Huang
- Department of General Surgery (Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery), The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Mo Li
- Department of General Surgery (Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery), The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Shenglu Liu
- Department of General Surgery (Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery), The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Jiatong Chen
- Department of General Surgery (Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery), The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Wenguang Fu
- Metabolic Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Diseases Key Laboratory of Luzhou City, Academician (Expert) Workstation of Sichuan Province, Department of General Surgery (Hepatopancreatobiliary surgery), The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China.; Department of General Surgery (Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery), The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Lingyu Zhao
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an 710000, China.
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Huang FF, Cui WH, Ma LY, Chen Q, Liu Y. Crosstalk of nervous and immune systems in pancreatic cancer. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1309738. [PMID: 38099290 PMCID: PMC10720593 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1309738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is a highly malignant tumor known for its extremely low survival rate. The combination of genetic disorders within pancreatic cells and the tumor microenvironment contributes to the emergence and progression of this devastating disease. Extensive research has shed light on the nature of the microenvironmental cells surrounding the pancreatic cancer, including peripheral nerves and immune cells. Peripheral nerves release neuropeptides that directly target pancreatic cancer cells in a paracrine manner, while immune cells play a crucial role in eliminating cancer cells that have not evaded the immune response. Recent studies have revealed the intricate interplay between the nervous and immune systems in homeostatic condition as well as in cancer development. In this review, we aim to summarize the function of nerves in pancreatic cancer, emphasizing the significance to investigate the neural-immune crosstalk during the advancement of this malignant cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei-Fei Huang
- The Innovation Centre of Ministry of Education for Development and Diseases, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wen-Hui Cui
- The Innovation Centre of Ministry of Education for Development and Diseases, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lan-Yue Ma
- Center for Cell Lineage and Development, CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, GIBH-HKU Guangdong-Hong Kong Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, GIBH-CUHK Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory on Biomedicine and Health, Guangzhou, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qi Chen
- Center for Cell Lineage and Development, CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, GIBH-HKU Guangdong-Hong Kong Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, GIBH-CUHK Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory on Biomedicine and Health, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yang Liu
- The Innovation Centre of Ministry of Education for Development and Diseases, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
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Chen Z, He Y, Ding C, Chen J, Gu Y, Xiao M, Li Q. Safety and Efficacy Analysis of PD-1 Inhibitors in Combination with Gemcitabine Plus Nab-Paclitaxel for Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: A Real-World, Single-Center Study. Onco Targets Ther 2023; 16:923-935. [PMID: 37965584 PMCID: PMC10642393 DOI: 10.2147/ott.s427942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Pancreatic cancer is a deadly disease with a low five years survival rate, and chemotherapy remains the standard treatment for advanced cases. However, the efficacy of chemotherapy alone is limited, and there is a need for new treatment options. Recently, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), particularly programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitors, have shown promising results in various cancers, including pancreatic cancer. In this study, we explore the safety and efficacy of PD-1 inhibitors in combination with chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer. Materials and Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data from 27 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who were administered a combination of anti-PD-1 antibody and gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (GnP) regimen. The study evaluated the safety of the treatment as well as the objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Results In this study, treatment with a combination of anti-PD-1 antibody and GnP regimen for pancreatic cancer resulted in partial response (PR) for 10 out of 27 (37.04%) patients, stable disease (SD) for 10 (37.04%) patients, and progressive disease (PD) for 7 (25.92%) patients. The study found that the median OS (mOS) for these patients was 16.4 months [standard error (SE) = 1.117, 95% confidence interval (CI) 14.211-18.589], while the median PFS (mPFS) was 6.4 months (SE = 1.217, 95% CI 3.981-8.752). Subgroup analysis revealed that pancreatic cancer patients' Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) (0 vs 1) and treatment cycles (≤6 cycles vs >6 cycles) significantly affected OS and PFS. Patients experienced mostly grade 1-2 adverse events (AEs), which were relieved through clinical treatment. Conclusion The combination of GnP with anti-PD-1 antibodies shows promise as a potential treatment option for advanced pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhitao Chen
- Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Shulan (Hangzhou) Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang Shuren University Shulan International Medical College, Hangzhou, 310003, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yahui He
- School of Medicine, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University Zhejiang Shuren College, Hangzhou, 310003, People’s Republic of China
| | - Chenchen Ding
- Child and Adolescent Psychology, Affiliated Mental Health Centre & Hangzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310013, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jun Chen
- School of Medicine, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University Zhejiang Shuren College, Hangzhou, 310003, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yangjun Gu
- Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Shulan (Hangzhou) Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang Shuren University Shulan International Medical College, Hangzhou, 310003, People’s Republic of China
| | - Min Xiao
- Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Shulan (Hangzhou) Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang Shuren University Shulan International Medical College, Hangzhou, 310003, People’s Republic of China
| | - Qiyong Li
- Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Shulan (Hangzhou) Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang Shuren University Shulan International Medical College, Hangzhou, 310003, People’s Republic of China
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Luo W, Wang J, Chen H, Qiu J, Wang R, Liu Y, Su D, Tao J, Weng G, Ma H, Zhang T. Novel strategies optimize immunotherapy by improving the cytotoxic function of T cells for pancreatic cancer treatment. Cancer Lett 2023; 576:216423. [PMID: 37778682 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2023.216423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer (PC) is considered highly malignant due to its unsatisfying prognosis and limited response to therapies. Immunotherapy has therefore been developed to harness the antigen-specific properties and cytotoxicity of the immune system, aiming to induce a robust anti-tumor immune response that specifically demolishes PC cells while minimizing lethality in healthy tissue. The activation and augmentation of cytotoxic T cells play a critical role in the initiation and final success of immunotherapy. PC, however, is often immunotherapy resistant due to its intrinsic immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment that consequently hampers effective T cell priming. Emerging therapeutic approaches are orientated to modulate the tumor microenvironment in PC to enhance immune system involvement and heighten T cell efficacy. These novel strategies have shown promising therapeutic effects in the treatment of PC either as standalone approaches or combinatorial with other therapeutic schemes. The objective of this article is to explore innovative approaches to optimize immunotherapy for PC patients through T cell cytotoxic function augmentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenhao Luo
- Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China.
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Hao Chen
- Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Jiangdong Qiu
- Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Ruobing Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Yueze Liu
- Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Dan Su
- Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Jinxin Tao
- Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Guihu Weng
- Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Haowei Ma
- Clinical Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Taiping Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China; Clinical Immunology Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China.
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Rao IH, Waller EK, Dhamsania RK, Chandrasekaran S. Gene Expression Analysis Links Autocrine Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide and ZEB1 in Gastrointestinal Cancers. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:3284. [PMID: 37444395 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15133284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
VIP (vasoactive intestinal peptide) is a 28-amino acid peptide hormone expressed by cancer and the healthy nervous system, digestive tract, cardiovascular, and immune cell tissues. Many cancers express VIP and its surface receptors VPAC1 and VPAC2, but the role of autocrine VIP signaling in cancer as a targetable prognostic and predictive biomarker remains poorly understood. Therefore, we conducted an in silico gene expression analysis to study the mechanisms of autocrine VIP signaling in cancer. VIP expression from TCGA PANCAN tissue samples was analyzed against the expression levels of 760 cancer-associated genes. Of the 760 genes, 10 (MAPK3, ZEB1, TEK, NOS2, PTCH1 EIF4G1, GMPS, CDK2, RUVBL1, and TIMELESS) showed statistically meaningful associations with the VIP (Pearson's R-coefficient > |0.3|; p < 0.05) across all cancer histologies. The strongest association with the VIP was for the epithelial-mesenchymal transition regulator ZEB1 in gastrointestinal malignancies. Similar positive correlations between the VIP and ZEB1 expression were also observed in healthy gastrointestinal tissues. Gene set analysis indicates the VIP is involved in the EMT and cell cycle pathways, and a high VIP and ZEB1 expression is associated with higher median estimate and stromal scores These findings uncover novel mechanisms for VIP- signaling in cancer and specifically suggest a role for VIP as a biomarker of ZEB1-mediated EMT. Further studies are warranted to characterize the specific mechanism of this interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ishani H Rao
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Edmund K Waller
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Rohan K Dhamsania
- Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM)-Georgia Campus, Suwanee, GA 30024, USA
| | - Sanjay Chandrasekaran
- Harold C. Simmons Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
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Zhang H, Passang T, Ravindranathan S, Bommireddy R, Jajja MR, Yang L, Selvaraj P, Paulos CM, Waller EK. The magic of small-molecule drugs during ex vivo expansion in adoptive cell therapy. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1154566. [PMID: 37153607 PMCID: PMC10160370 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1154566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
In the past decades, advances in the use of adoptive cellular therapy to treat cancer have led to unprecedented responses in patients with relapsed/refractory or late-stage malignancies. However, cellular exhaustion and senescence limit the efficacy of FDA-approved T-cell therapies in patients with hematologic malignancies and the widespread application of this approach in treating patients with solid tumors. Investigators are addressing the current obstacles by focusing on the manufacturing process of effector T cells, including engineering approaches and ex vivo expansion strategies to regulate T-cell differentiation. Here we reviewed the current small-molecule strategies to enhance T-cell expansion, persistence, and functionality during ex vivo manufacturing. We further discussed the synergistic benefits of the dual-targeting approaches and proposed novel vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor antagonists (VIPR-ANT) peptides as emerging candidates to enhance cell-based immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanwen Zhang
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Tenzin Passang
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Sruthi Ravindranathan
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Ramireddy Bommireddy
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Mohammad Raheel Jajja
- Departmert of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Lily Yang
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Periasamy Selvaraj
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Chrystal M. Paulos
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University of School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Edmund K. Waller
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
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Privalov E, Zenkel M, Schloetzer-Schrehardt U, Kuerten S, Bergua A, Hohberger B. Pressure-Dependent Elevation of Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide Level in Chicken Choroid. Biology (Basel) 2023; 12:biology12040495. [PMID: 37106696 PMCID: PMC10136289 DOI: 10.3390/biology12040495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Autonomic control is important in maintaining ocular integrity. As recent data suggested that intrinsic choroidal neurons (ICN), an intrinsic choroidal autonomic control, may regulate choroidal thickening via release of the vasodilative vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), it was the aim of the study to investigate the level of choroidal VIP (VIPchor) in the presence of an increased atmospheric pressure in a chicken model. METHODS Chicken choroidal whole mounts were exposed to ambient pressure (n = 20) and 40 mm Hg (n = 20) in a PC-controlled, open chamber system for 24 and 72 h, respectively. The VIP concentration was analyzed by ELISA, and the total protein concentration was measured by the BCA assay. Statistical analysis was done using an unpaired two-tailed t-test. RESULTS The pressurization systems enabled choroidal whole mount pressurization (40 mm Hg) with humidifying, pressure, temperature, and gas exchange. Overall, the VIPchor level concentration was significantly increased at 40 mmHg compared to the ambient pressure (30.09 ± 7.18 pg vs. 20.69 ± 3.24 pg; p < 0.0001). Subgroup analysis yielded a significantly increased VIPchor level at 40 mmHg compared to the ambient pressure after 24 h (28.42 ± 6.03 pg vs. 20.76 ± 4.06 pg; p = 0.005) and 72 h (31.77 ± 7.82 pg vs. 20.61 ± 2.12 pg; p = 0.002), respectively. The VIPchor elevation at 40 mm Hg ranged between 1.37- (24 h) and 1.54-fold (72 h) compared to the ambient pressure. No difference was observed between the VIPchor level at 24 h and 72 h (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The increase of the total choroidal VIP level, representing the intracellular VIP content, in the presence of an increased ambient pressure argues for a retention of VIP within the neurons, decreasing both vasodilatation and, consequently, choroid thickness. This finding might be a passive or even active function of ICN in the regulation of choroidal thickness, ocular integrity and IOP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evgeny Privalov
- Department of Ophthalmology, Universität of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Friedrich-Alexander-University-Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Matthias Zenkel
- Department of Ophthalmology, Universität of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Friedrich-Alexander-University-Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Ursula Schloetzer-Schrehardt
- Department of Ophthalmology, Universität of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Friedrich-Alexander-University-Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Stefanie Kuerten
- Institute of Neuroanatomy, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Antonio Bergua
- Department of Ophthalmology, Universität of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Friedrich-Alexander-University-Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Bettina Hohberger
- Department of Ophthalmology, Universität of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Friedrich-Alexander-University-Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany
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