Blood Endothelial Cells Research Articles

CD146 expression profile in human skin and pre-vascularized dermo-epidermal skin substitutes in vivo

BackgroundCD146 is a cell adhesion molecule whose expression profile in human skin has not yet been elucidated. Here, we characterize CD146 expression pattern in human skin, in particular in blood endothelial cells (BECs) and lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs), which constitute human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMECs), as well as in perivascular cells.ResultsWe demonstrated that CD146 is a specific marker of BECs, but not of LECs. Moreover, we found CD146 expression also in human pericytes surrounding blood capillaries in human skin. In addition, we demonstrated that CD146 expression is up-regulated by the TNFα-IL-1β/NF-kB axis in both BECs and pericytes. Finally, we engineered 3D collagen hydrogels composed of HDMECs, CD146+ pericytes, and fibroblasts which developed, in vitro and in vivo, a complete microvasculature network composed of blood and lymphatic capillaries with pericytes investing blood capillaries.ConclusionsOverall, our results proved that CD146 is a specific marker of BECs and pericytes, but not LECs in human skin. Further, the combination of CD146+ pericytes with HDMECs in skin substitutes allowed to bioengineer a comprehensive 3D in vitro and in vivo model of the human dermal microvasculature.

Nanoparticles Bind to Endothelial Cells in Injured Blood Vessels via a Transient Protein Corona.

Nanoparticles travel through blood vessels to reach disease sites, but the local environment they encounter may affect their surface chemistry and cellular interactions. Here, we found that as nanoparticles transit through injured blood vessels they may interact with a highly localized concentration of platelet factor 4 proteins released from activated platelets. The platelet factor 4 binds to the nanoparticle surface and interacts with heparan sulfate proteoglycans on endothelial cells, and induces uptake. Understanding nanoparticle interactions with blood proteins and endothelial cells during circulation is critical to optimizing their design for diseased tissue targeting and delivery.

Cancel cancer: The immunotherapeutic potential of CD200/CD200R blockade.

Immune checkpoint molecules function to inhibit and regulate immune response pathways to prevent hyperactive immune activity from damaging healthy tissues. In cancer patients, targeting these key molecules may serve as a valuable therapeutic mechanism to bolster immune function and restore the body's natural defenses against tumors. CD200, an immune checkpoint molecule, is a surface glycoprotein that is widely but not ubiquitously expressed throughout the body. By interacting with its inhibitory receptor CD200R, CD200 suppresses immune cell activity within the tumor microenvironment, creating conditions that foster tumor growth. Targeting the CD200/CD200R pathway, either through the use of monoclonal antibodies or peptide inhibitors, has shown to be effective in boosting anti-tumor immune activity. This review will explore CD200 and the protein's expression and role within the tumor microenvironment, blood endothelial cells, and lymph nodes. This paper will also discuss the advantages and challenges of current strategies used to target CD200 and briefly summarize relevant preclinical/clinical studies investigating the immunotherapeutic efficacy of CD200/CD200R blockade.

Next generation oncolytic viruses expressing PADI1 and TIMP2 exhibit anti-tumor activity against melanoma in nude and humanized mouse models

Immunotherapy of metastatic melanoma (MM) has vastly improved the longevity of only a minority of patients. To broaden the repertoire of agents against MM, we investigated the effectiveness of locally interrupting tumor blood endothelial cell proliferation and angiogenesis, arginine deprivation, or both on the growth of melanoma by constructing and characterizing the effectiveness of four oncolytic adenoviruses. ONCOS-207 (which expressed tissue inhibitor of metalloprotease type 2 [TIMP2]), ONCOS-209 (which expressed peptidyl arginine deiminase [PADI1]), and ONCOS-210 and ONCOS-212 (which expressed both TIMP2 and PADI1) exhibited oncolytic activity against four melanoma cell lines invitro. ONCOS-212 treatments significantly inhibited tumor growth in an A2058 tumor model in nude mice compared with vehicle control. The inhibitory effects of the two transgenes of ONCOS-212 on tumor growth appeared to be synergistic. These viruses also significantly inhibited tumor growth in a humanized NOG model of melanoma (A2058 xenograft). All viruses significantly increased the percentage of activated CD8+ Tcells in the tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. The abscopal effect of ONCOS-212 treatments in the A2058 tumor challenge model in hNOG mice supports the hypothesis that the human immune response contributes to the anti-tumor activity of ONCOS-212. These results support the further development of ONCOS-212 for cancer treatment.

SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Induces Hemagglutination: Implications for COVID-19 Morbidities and Therapeutics and for Vaccine Adverse Effects

Experimental findings for SARS-CoV-2 related to the glycan biochemistry of coronaviruses indicate that attachments from spike protein to glycoconjugates on the surfaces of red blood cells (RBCs), other blood cells and endothelial cells are key to the infectivity and morbidity of COVID-19. To provide further insight into these glycan attachments and their potential clinical relevance, the classic hemagglutination (HA) assay was applied using spike protein from the Wuhan, Alpha, Delta and Omicron B.1.1.529 lineages of SARS-CoV-2 mixed with human RBCs. The electrostatic potential of the central region of spike protein from these four lineages was studied through molecular modeling simulations. Inhibition of spike protein-induced HA was tested using the macrocyclic lactone ivermectin (IVM), which is indicated to bind strongly to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein glycan sites. The results of these experiments were, first, that spike protein from these four lineages of SARS-CoV-2 induced HA. Omicron induced HA at a significantly lower threshold concentration of spike protein than the three prior lineages and was much more electropositive on its central spike protein region. IVM blocked HA when added to RBCs prior to spike protein and reversed HA when added afterward. These results validate and extend prior findings on the role of glycan bindings of viral spike protein in COVID-19. They furthermore suggest therapeutic options using competitive glycan-binding agents such as IVM and may help elucidate rare serious adverse effects (AEs) associated with COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, which use spike protein as the generated antigen.

Activation of NOX4 NADPH oxidase signalling restores angiogenic function of cord blood endothelial colony-forming cells in hypoxia

Activation of NOX4 NADPH oxidase signalling restores angiogenic function of cord blood endothelial colony-forming cells in hypoxia

ЭНДОТЕЛИАЛЬНАЯ ДИСФУНКЦИЯ В ОЦЕНКЕ СТЕПЕНИ ТЯЖЕСТИ ОСТРОГО ПАНКРЕАТИТА

Abstract. Introduction. The questions of the efficacy estimation of the treatment carried out at various forms of acute pancreatitis and the choice of the optimal terms of surgical treatment are still debatable. The given work is an attempt to find effective indications for the adequate treatment of patients with this pathology. Aim. Aim is to estimate the number of desquamated peripheral blood endothelial cells and degree of their coloring in patients with acute pancreatitis in the dynamics of the disease. Material and methods. We studied desquamated endothelial cells in 22 patients divided into 2 groups: group A – with acute edematous pancreatitis, and group B – with acute destructive pancreatitis with surgical treatment. We were studied the dynamics of the number of desquamated peripheral blood endothelial cells and degree of their coloring in both ways of treatment and their compliance with the scales that shows the severity of the disease. Results and discussion. In group A patients on day 7–9 while clinical and laboratory parameters of acute pancreatitis was decreased we noticed that the number of desquamated endothelial cells was decreased in the field of vision from 8 to 4,7. In group B the increasement of the parameters of the scales of criteria for acute pancreatitis and leukocyte intoxication has the same result – number of cells in the field of vision were decreased from 195 to 50. This patterns of the dynamics of the intensity of coloring of desquamated endothelial cells in both groups are reflected in the coloring coefficient, that was made by our study group. We found that in group A the color coefficient decreases from 1,5 to 0,2 (hyperchromically colored cells prevail), and in group B the coefficient increases from 0,8 to 1,2 (hypochromically colored cells increased). Conclusion. The study of the degree of endotheliocyte staining, reflecting the compensatory possibilities of the organism and treatment efficacy, is of great importance in the assessment of the severity and prognosis of acute pancreatitis treatment. An increasment of the color coefficient of desquamated endothelial cells by 0,4 may indicate that it’s time for surgical methods of treatment.

Lymphatic drainage at the meningeal‐brain interface in aging and Alzheimer’s disease

AbstractBackgroundAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia. We have recently shown that proper meningeal lymphatic drainage is important for brain fluid flow, learning and memory in aging and for brain amyloid beta (Aβ) clearance in mouse models of AD. Interestingly, genetic factors that increased the risk for AD are also linked to altered meningeal lymphatic function.MethodMeningeal lymphatic function was evaluated in mouse models of AD at different ages by RNA sequencing of sorted meningeal lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) and by assessing of lymphatic vessel morphology and drainage capacity. Meningeal lymphatic dysfunction was induced by photoablation, whereas enhancement of meningeal lymphatic drainage was achieved by increasing the levels of VEGF‐C. The transcriptional signatures of brain blood endothelial cells and microglia were determined by single‐cell RNA sequencing upon manipulation of meningeal lymphatic drainage. Changes in Aβ plaque clearance by monoclonal antibodies were assessed upon prolonged manipulation of meningeal lymphatic drainage. Integrated analysis was performed using murine and human cell RNA‐seq data, as well as AD summary statistics.ResultWe show that a progressive deposition of meningeal Aβ with aging leads to gene expression changes in meningeal lymphatic endothelial cells and an accelerated reduction in meningeal lymphatic vessel coverage in the 5xFAD mouse model. Interestingly, modulating meningeal lymphatic function in AD transgenic mice affects the clearance of Aβ by monoclonal antibodies, a feature that is closely associated with the activation signatures in brain blood endothelial cells and microglia. Furthermore, genes that are highly expressed in lymphatic vasculature are associated with increased risk for AD and altered levels of Aβ in the CSF of AD patients. Integrated analysis of murine and human microglia transcriptomes revealed an association between the signatures of activated microglia from mice with defective meningeal lymphatic function and activated microglia isolated from the AD brain. We are now turning our attention to the interaction between the main genetic risk factor for AD, expression of the apolipoprotein E4, and changes in brain drainage by the meningeal lymphatic vascular system.ConclusionCollectively, our data underline the notion that a dysfunctional meningeal lymphatic vasculature may impact on AD pathophysiology and therapeutic outcome.

Endothelial Cells Activate Alloreactive CD4+ T Cells to Initiate Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease

Allogeneic donor T cells can exert an anti-leukemic response (GvL effect) after hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). However, allogeneic donor T cells can also cause life-threatening acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD). Therefore, donor T cell priming is considered as a crucial event determining allo-HCT outcome. In aGvHD, donor CD4+ T cells are activated by antigen presenting cells (APCs), proliferate, differentiate and migrate to cause tissue damage. However, non-hematopoietic APCs have been shown to drive aGvHD pathology, making hematopoietic APCs dispensable in the initiation of aGvHD (Toubai et al., Blood 2012, Koyama et al., Nat Med 2012). During the aGvHD initiation phase allogenic T cells exclusively migrate to secondary lymphoid organs (SLOs) before they enter target tissues in the aGvHD effector phase (Beilhack et al., Blood 2005, Beilhack et al., Blood 2008). These observations led us to investigate the role of MHC class II mediated antigen presentation by non-hematopoietic lymph node (LN) stromal (SCs) and endothelial cells (ECs) in aGvHD. Recently we learned that alloreactive CD4+ T cells are activated in SLOs by non-hematopoietic APCs independently from Ccl19 expressing SCs, while these SCs provide protective niches to donor Tregs mitigating GvHD. Consequently, here we explored MHCII mediated antigen presentation by SLO blood endothelial cells (BECs) and lymph endothelial cells (LECs). BECs and LECs expressed endogenous MHCII, costimulatory receptors CD80/CD86 and acquired MHCII from dendritic cells via trogocytosis. Upon myeloablative irradiation, BECs and LECs upregulated CD80 and CD86 whereas MHCII expression decreased upon loss of radiosensitive host DCs. scRNA-seq revealed, BECs and LECs subsets expressing genes involved in MHCII antigen presentation (e.g. Cd74, Ctss, Ctsl, Tap2, H2-Aa, H2-Ab1, H2-Eb1) leading to exogenous antigen presentation (DQ-OVA) by EC subsets. To elucidate MHCII antigen presentation in ECs we crossed Cdh5-Cre to H2-Ab1fl mice to conditionally knockout MHCII on ECs (MHCIIΔCdh5). Allo-HCT in MHCIIΔCdh5 recipients utilizing an MHC major mismatched model (FVB→B6) did not alter allogeneic CD4+ T cell activation during aGvHD initiation. However, MHCIIΔCdh5 showed marginally reduced aGvHD and better survival. Notably, MHCIIΔCdh5 recipients retained functional hematopoietic APCs presenting alloantigens via MHCII. Therefore, we generated bone marrow (BM) chimeras by syngeneic (syn) HCT from MHCII-deficient (MHCIIΔ) donors into B6.WT mice. After allo-HCT of these BM chimeras, donor CD4+ T cells got activated in SLOs during the aGvHD initiation phase. However, to our surprise also syngeneic BM chimeric animals spontaneously developed GvHD-like symptoms making them unsuitable for studying MHCII mediated non-hematopoietic antigen presentation after allo-HCT. This striking phenotype could be explained by a defective CD44hiCD62Llow CD4+ T cell memory development in MHCIIΔ BM chimeras (Huang et al., J Immunol. 2014). Utilizing our scRNA seq dataset we identified Tie2 and Vav1 to be expressed on cells of hematopoietic lineage, however Tie2 expression was observed on ECs of the LNs. Therefore, we generated MHCIIΔVav1 mice by crossing Vav1-Cre to H2-Ab1fl. CD45- LNs cells from these animals activated CD4+ T cell in mixed lymphocyte reaction as well as in vivo. MHCIIΔVav1 mice developed less aGvHD with delayed kinetics. Subsequently, we surgically transplanted LNs from syngeneic MHCIIΔVav1 mice into complete MHCIIΔ mice. After MHCIIΔVav1 LN engraftment, these MHCIIΔ recipients underwent allo-HCT with allogenic CD4+ T cells. Alloreactive donor CD4+ T cells expressed more IFNγ and TNFα compared to controls. These experiments proved that non-hematopoietic cells in LNs can activate alloreactive CD4+ T cells to initiate aGvHD. Ultimately, we crossed MHCIIΔCdh5 to MHCIIΔVav1, resulting in mice deficient for MHCII in the entire hematopoietic and endothelial compartments. After allo-HCT MHCIIΔVav1ΔCdh5 were significantly better protected from aGvHD than littermate controls, revealing a previously unidentified role of ECs in initiating CD4+ T cell mediated aGvHD. Based on these findings we propose ECs as important non-hematopoietic APCs to activate alloreactive CD4+ T cells to trigger aGvHD suited for therapeutic interventions after allo-HCT.

Persisting Endothelial Cell Activation and Hypercoagulability after Recovering from COVID-19: The Roadmap-Post COVID-19 Study

Background: In patients with severe COVID-19, activation of blood coagulation and endothelial cells orchestrated with complement activation and cytokine storm leads to disease worsening and death. Hypercoagulable state and endothelial cell activation and fibrinolytic unbalance are common alterations in patients with COVID-19 hospitalized either at the conventional medical ward or at the intensive care unit (ICU). Two systematic reviews highlight that D-dimer values are higher in non survivors as well as in patients with severe COVID-19 than in those with mild disease, showing the association between D-dimer levels and disease severity or death. Nevertheless, there are limited data in small series of patient, on the persistence of hypercoagulability and endothelial cell activation following recovery from COVID-19. Aims: To investigate the persistence of endothelial cell activation and hypercoagulability after recovery from COVID-19. Patients/Methods. COVID-19 survivors (n = 208) and 30 healthy individuals were enrolled in this study. Methods: In ,total, 208 COVID-19 survivors were included in the study; 125 males (60%) and 83 females (40%) with a median age of 50 years (IQR = 20, range 18 to 78 years). Biomarkers of hypercoagulability and endothelial cell activation: The procoagulant phospholipid-dependent clotting time (PPL-ct) was measured using a factor Xa-based clotting assay STA®-Procoag-PPL. Free-TFPI levels were measured with the ELISA Free TFPI, Asserachrom®; D-dimer and fibrin monomers (FM) were measured by STA Liatest D-Di and STA Liatest FM; soluble thrombomodulin (sTM) was measured by Asserachrom® TM. All assays were from Diagnostica Stago, Asnières, France. Heparanase-levels were measured with ELISA kits R&D. Systems (Lille France). Detection of anti-SARS-CoV2 antibodies: IgG and IgA anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were detected in the sera of the survivors using a semi-quantitative commercial ELISA methodology (Euroimmun Medizinische Labordiagnostika AG, Lubeck, Germany) Results: The median interval between symptom onset and screening for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was 62 days (IQR = 22 days). Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were detected in all survivors enrolled in the study. The median level of IgG and IgA antibodies was 5.68 U (IQR = 6.19) and 3.62 U (IQR = 5.36), respectively. In 112 survivors with known blood group, 48 (43%) were group O, 44 (39%) were group A, 14 (13%) were group B, and 6 (5.4%) were group AB. Survivors showed significantly higher levels of D-Dimers, FM, TFPI, and heparanase as compared to that of the control group. Survivors had significantly shorter PPL-ct . One out of four of COVID-19 survivors showed increase at least one biomarker of endothelial cell activation or hypercoagulability (Table1). Elevated D-dimer was associated with older age. Elevated FM was associated with female gender. Elevated heparanase was independently associated with male gender. Decreased Procoag-PPL clotting time was associated with female gender. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis examining predictors of hypercoagulability in study cohort of COVID-19 survivors are reported in table 2 . The interval between COVID-19 diagnosis and assessment was not associated with the changes of the studied biomarkers. Conclusion: The ROADMAP-postCOVID-19 study offers an analysis of a large panel of biomarkers of endothelial cell activation and hypercoagulability in survivors of COVID-19. The study documents that two months after symptoms' onset, activation of endothelial cells, in vivo thrombin generation, and fibrin lysis are frequent phenomena up to two months from COVID-19 symptom onset. The data presented herein allow to propose that evaluation of blood hypercoagulability (using D-dimer for instance) and endothelial cell activation could offer the possibility of prompt identification of COVID-19 survivors at risk of post-COVID-19 vascular complications. The findings of the present study underline the need for a thorough evaluation of a potential correlation between the sustained hypercoagulability and endothelial cell activation with the symptomatology of long-COVID-19 to apply anticipated diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. The clinical relevance of the identified biomarkers of endothelial activation and hypercoagulability in the assessment of the risk of long COVID-19 must be investigated in a prospective study. Figure 1View largeDownload PPTFigure 1View largeDownload PPT Close modal

Graft-Versus-Host Disease Induces Immune Dysregulation through Irreversible Damage to Specialized Immune-Interacting Fibroblastic Stromal Cells in Secondary Lymphoid Organs

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) is a potentially life-saving treatment for patients with leukemia and other hematological disorders. However, its success is limited by graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a life-threatening syndrome caused by alloreactive donor T cells that induce damage in normal host tissues. Many patients who survive transplantation develop chronic GVHD which can be severe and has few effective therapeutic options. Chronic GVHD is characterized both by immune hyperreactivity, reminiscent of autoimmunity, and defective immune responses, including poor responses to vaccination and infectious challenges. The mechanisms underlying the complex immune dysregulation of chronic GVHD remain incompletely understood. Previous work indicates that pathogenic alloreactive T cells can damage lymph node fibroblastic stromal cells, a group of specialized cells increasingly recognized to regulate multiple aspects of immune homeostasis. Using mouse models of allo-HCT, we sought to identify the populations of specialized fibroblastic stromal cells and other stromal elements that were most sensitive to GVHD-mediated injury and to assess the functional impact of this damage during chronic GVHD. We used a sublethal allo-HCT model with a low T cell dose that allowed for long-term survival over 100 days after transplantation (B6 into lethally irradiated B6xBALB/c F1 mice, 2x 5.5 Gy). Unlike allo-HCT recipients of T cell-depleted bone marrow (no GVHD control), recipients of T cell-depleted bone marrow plus allo-T cells (1-5x106 splenocytes) developed low-grade systemic GVHD with mild reversible weight loss. At day 30-60 after transplantation, allo-T cell recipients showed modestly decreased thymopoiesis, consistent with the thymus being a sensitive target organ of GVHD, as previously reported. In contrast to this mild injury, peripheral lymph nodes (pLN) showed profound long-lasting depletion of CD31-/podoplanin+ fibroblastic stromal cells as assessed by flow cytometry. Among these cells, MAdCAM-hi marginal reticular cells (MRCs) and CD157-hi fibroblastic reticular cells were most severely affected, including most cells lineage-traced by a Ccl19-Cre transgene. Total blood endothelial cells and lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) were only modestly decreased by GVHD at day 30, but the LEC subset characterized by high MAdCAM expression consistent with a floor LEC phenotype virtually disappeared. Thus, MRCs and floor LECs lining the marginal sinus were severely affected by GVHD, suggesting that antigen uptake and processing could be defective in these pLN. Single cell RNA-seq revealed a near complete loss of floor LECs, MRCs and Ccl19/Ccl21+ T zone FRCs in GVHD-affected pLNs. Instead, residual fibroblastic stromal cells showed accumulation of collagen-expressing Cxcl14+ fibroblasts with loss of immune-interacting properties. In terms of functional consequences, GVHD pLNs had a markedly decreased abundance of naïve B and T cells, the latter despite relatively preserved naïve T cell production in the thymus. Compared to pLNs, the spleen was less profoundly affected and remained more receptive than pLNs to homing of adoptively transferred T cells. Immune responses to SARS-CoV2 mRNA used as a potent and clinically relevant T-dependent antigen were profoundly impaired in GVHD pLNs. In summary, our data suggest that specialized fibroblastic stromal cells and LECs in secondary lymphoid organs are even more sensitive to GVHD than thymic epithelial cells, with little evidence of functional recovery. We speculate that subclinical damage to pLN stromal compartments may underlie many aspects of immune dysregulation in chronic GVHD, including persistently impaired responses to vaccination and loss of peripheral tolerance.

Sinusoidal and lymphatic vessel growth is controlled by reciprocal VEGF-C-CDH5 inhibition.

Sinusoids are specialized, low pressure blood vessels in the liver, bone marrow, and spleen required for definitive hematopoiesis. Unlike other blood endothelial cells (ECs), sinusoidal ECs express high levels of VEGFR3. VEGFR3 and its ligand VEGF-C are known to support lymphatic growth, but their function in sinusoidal vessels is unknown. In this study, we define a reciprocal VEGF-C/VEGFR3-CDH5 (VE-cadherin) signaling axis that controls growth of both sinusoidal and lymphatic vessels. Loss of VEGF-C or VEGFR3 resulted in cutaneous edema, reduced fetal liver size, and bloodless bone marrow due to impaired lymphatic and sinusoidal vessel growth. Mice with membrane-retained VE-cadherin conferred identical lymphatic and sinusoidal defects, suggesting that VE-cadherin opposes VEGF-C/VEGFR3 signaling. In developing mice, loss of VE-cadherin rescued defects in sinusoidal and lymphatic growth caused by loss of VEGFR3 but not loss of VEGF-C, findings explained by potentiated VEGF-C/VEGFR2 signaling in VEGFR3-deficient lymphatic ECs. Mechanistically, VEGF-C/VEGFR3 signaling induces VE-cadherin endocytosis and loss of function via SRC-mediated phosphorylation, while VE-cadherin prevents VEGFR3 endocytosis required for optimal receptor signaling. These findings establish an essential role for VEGF-C/VEGFR3 signaling during sinusoidal vascular growth, identify VE-cadherin as a powerful negative regulator of VEGF-C signaling that acts through both VEGFR3 and VEGFR2 receptors, and suggest that negative regulation of VE-cadherin is required for effective VEGF-C/VEGFR3 signaling during growth of sinusoidal and lymphatic vessels. Manipulation of this reciprocal negative regulatory mechanism, e.g. by reducing VE-cadherin function, may be used to stimulate therapeutic sinusoidal or lymphatic vessel growth.

Sustainable green synthesized nanoparticles for neurodegenerative diseases diagnosis and treatment

The methods used to create treatments for neurodegenerative diseases issues are very complicated and difficult due to the the blood–brain barrier and the tightly spaced blood artery and endothelial cell network that function to prevent access to undesirable materials within the mind. The rise and development of nanotechnology point to promising opportunities to cater this issue. Engineered nanoparticles having pharmacological moieties and imaging agents attached, ranging in size from one to a hundred nanometers will undoubtedly use to make sure superior efficacy, cell uptake, unique transport, and shipping of unique molecules to the mind due to their altered physicochemical properties. Because of their herbal richness, nanoparticles and therapeutic plants conjugates, or their additions, are currently gaining importance in the creation of revolutionary neuro-therapeutics, which is promising and has a lower capacity to display adverse consequences. The purpose of the current study was to sumarize the novel features and promising applications of nanotechnology and phytomedicine in the treatment of neurological illnesses in comparison to regular therapy. Alzheimer's and Parkinson's illnesses are important neurodegenerative disorders that generate significant neurodegenerative damage and impede neuronal function. Selenium, gold, copper oxides, copper and other nanoparticles are utilized in diagnosis and drug delivery systems for neurodegenerative diseases. Nanoparticles are crucial in their applications to neurodegenerative illnesses. This study comprehends the green production of nanoparticles employing environmentally friendly techniques, their characterization using different analytical techniques, along with their application to disease diagnosis and therapy.

Age-Related Changes in Skeletal Muscle Oxygen Utilization.

The cardiovascular and skeletal muscle systems are intrinsically interconnected, sharing the goal of delivering oxygen to metabolically active tissue. Deficiencies within those systems that affect oxygen delivery to working tissues are a hallmark of advancing age. Oxygen delivery and utilization are reflected as muscle oxygen saturation (SmO2) and are assessed using near-infrared resonance spectroscopy (NIRS). SmO2 has been observed to be reduced by ~38% at rest, ~24% during submaximal exercise, and ~59% during maximal exercise with aging (>65 y). Furthermore, aging prolongs restoration of SmO2 back to baseline by >50% after intense exercise. Regulatory factors that contribute to reduced SmO2 with age include blood flow, capillarization, endothelial cells, nitric oxide, and mitochondrial function. These mechanisms are governed by reactive oxygen species (ROS) at the cellular level. However, mishandling of ROS with age ultimately leads to alterations in structure and function of the regulatory factors tasked with maintaining SmO2. The purpose of this review is to provide an update on the current state of the literature regarding age-related effects in SmO2. Furthermore, we attempt to bridge the gap between SmO2 and associated underlying mechanisms affected by aging.

Biofunctionalization of cardiovascular stents to induce endothelialization: Implications for in- stent thrombosis in diabetes.

Stent thrombosis remains one of the main causes that lead to vascular stent failure in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Type 2 diabetes mellitus is accompanied by endothelial dysfunction and platelet hyperactivity and is associated with suboptimal outcomes following PCI, and an increase in the incidence of late stent thrombosis. Evidence suggests that late stent thrombosis is caused by the delayed and impaired endothelialization of the lumen of the stent. The endothelium has a key role in modulating inflammation and thrombosis and maintaining homeostasis, thus restoring a functional endothelial cell layer is an important target for the prevention of stent thrombosis. Modifications using specific molecules to induce endothelial cell adhesion, proliferation and function can improve stents endothelialization and prevent thrombosis. Blood endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) represent a potential cell source for the in situ-endothelialization of vascular conduits and stents. We aim in this review to summarize the main biofunctionalization strategies to induce the in-situ endothelialization of coronary artery stents using circulating endothelial stem cells.

Blood Endothelial-Cell Extracellular Vesicles as Potential Biomarkers for the Selection of Plasma in COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Therapy

Despite the advancement of vaccination and therapies currently available, deaths due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are still heavily documented. Severely infected individuals experience a generalized inflammatory storm, caused by massive secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines that can lead to endothelial dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, multi-organ failure, and even death. COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) therapy, selected primarily based on anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels, has not been as convincing as expected in the fight against COVID-19. Given the consequences of a dysfunctional endothelium on the progression of the disease, we propose that the selection of plasma for CCP therapy should be based on more specific parameters that take into consideration the effect on vascular inflammation. Thus, in the present study, we have characterized a subset of CCP that have been used for CCP therapy and measured their anti- or pro-inflammatory effect on human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs). Our data revealed that the longer the time lapse between the onset of symptoms and the plasma donation, the more mitochondrial dysfunction can be evidenced. The concentration of blood endothelial cell extracellular vesicles (BEC-EVs) was increased in the plasma of young individuals with mild symptoms. This type of selected convalescent plasma promoted the activation of the blood vascular endothelium, as reflected by the overexpression of ICAM1 and NFκB1 and the downregulation of VE-Cadherin. We propose this mechanism is a warning signal sent by the injured endothelium to trigger self-defense of peripheral blood vessels against excessive inflammation. Therefore, these results are in line with our previous data. They suggest that a more specific selection of COVID-19 convalescent plasma should be based on the time of donation following the onset of the clinical symptoms of the donor, the severity of the symptoms, and the age of the donor. These characteristics are relatively easy to identify in any hospital and would reflect the concentration of plasma BEC-EVs and be optimal in CCP therapy.

Tumor necrosis factor receptor regulation of peripheral node addressin biosynthetic components in tumor endothelial cells.

Tumor-associated tertiary lymphoid structures are ectopic lymphoid aggregates that have considerable morphological, cellular, and molecular similarity to secondary lymphoid organs, particularly lymph nodes. Tumor vessels expressing peripheral node addressin (PNAd) are hallmark features of these structures. Previous work from our laboratory demonstrated that PNAd is displayed on intratumoral vasculature of murine tumors, and its expression is controlled by the engagement of lymphotoxin-α3, secreted by effector CD8 T cells, with tumor necrosis factor receptors (TNFR) on tumor endothelial cells (TEC). The goals of the present work were: 1) to identify differences in expression of genes encoding the scaffolding proteins and glycosyl transferases associated with PNAd biosynthesis in TEC and lymph node blood endothelial cells (LN BEC); and 2) to determine which of these PNAd associated components are regulated by TNFR signaling. We found that the same genes encoding scaffolding proteins and glycosyl transferases were upregulated in PNAd+ LN BEC and PNAd+ TEC relative to their PNAdneg counterparts. The lower level of PNAd expression on TEC vs LN BEC was associated with relatively lower expression of these genes, particularly the carbohydrate sulfotransferase Chst4. Loss of PNAd on TEC in the absence of TNFR signaling was associated with lack of upregulation of these same genes. A small subset of PNAd+ TEC remaining in the absence of TNFR signaling showed normal upregulation of a subset of these genes, but reduced upregulation of genes encoding the scaffolding proteins podocalyxin and nepmucin, and carbohydrate sulfotransferase Chst2. Lastly, we found that checkpoint immunotherapy augmented both the fraction of TEC expressing PNAd and their surface level of this ligand. This work points to strong similarities in the regulation of PNAd expression on TEC by TNFR signaling and on LN BEC by lymphotoxin-β receptor signaling, and provides a platform for the development of novel strategies that manipulate PNAd expression on tumor vasculature as an element of cancer immunotherapy.

P17.10: Effect of Factor H on Complement Alternative Pathway Activation in Human Serum Remains on Porcine Cells Lacking N-Glycolylneuraminic Acid

Background: Triple knockout (TKO) donor pigs lacking alpha-1,3-galactose (Gal), N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc), and Sd(a) expressions were developed to improve the clinical success of xenotransplantation. Neu5Gc, a sialic acid expressed on cell surfaces, recruits factor H to protect cells from attack by the complement system. Lack of Neu5Gc expression may cause unwanted complement activation, abrogating the potential benefit of gene-modified donor pigs. To investigate whether TKO porcine cells display increased susceptibility to complement activation in human serum, pathway-specific complement activation, apoptosis, and human platelet aggregation by porcine cells were compared between alpha-1,3-galactosyltransferase gene-knockout (GTKO) and TKO porcine cells. Methods: Primary porcine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pPBMCs) and endothelial cells (pECs) from GTKO and TKO pigs were used. Cells were incubated in human serum diluted in gelatin veronal buffer (GVB++) or Mg++-EGTA GVB, and C3 deposition and apoptotic changes in these cells were measured by flow cytometry. C3 deposition levels were also measured after incubating these cells in 10% human serum supplemented with human factor H. Platelet aggregation in human platelet-rich plasma containing GTKO or TKO pECs was analyzed. Results: The C3 deposition level in GTKO pPBMCs or pECs in GVB++ was significantly higher than that of TKO pPBMCs or pECs, respectively, but C3 deposition levels in Mg++-EGTA-GVB were comparable between them. The addition of factor H into the porcine cell suspension in 10% serum in Mg++ -EGTA-GVB inhibited C3 deposition in a dose-dependent manner, and the extent of inhibition by factor H was similar between GTKO and TKO porcine cells. The percentage of late apoptotic cells in porcine cell suspension in GVB++ increased with the addition of human serum, of which the net increase was significantly less in TKO pPBMCs than in GTKO pPBMCs. Finally, the lag time of platelet aggregation in recalcified human plasma was significantly prolonged in the presence of TKO pECs compared to that in the presence of GTKO pECs. Conclusion: TKO genetic modification protects porcine cells from serum-induced complement activation and apoptotic changes, and delays recalcification-induced human platelet aggregation. It does not hamper factor H recruitment on cell surfaces, allowing the suppression of alternative complement pathway activation. This work was carried out with the support of the “Cooperative Research Program for Agriculture Science and Technology Development [Project No. PJ015607 (HK and KO)], Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea. This research was partly supported by Hallym University Research Fund (HL).

Hyperphosphatemia and its relationship with blood pressure, vasoconstriction, and endothelial cell dysfunction in hypertensive hemodialysis patients

BackgroundHyperphosphatemia occurs frequently in end-stage renal disease patients on hemodialysis and is associated with increased mortality. Hyperphosphatemia contributes to vascular calcification in these patients, but there is emerging evidence that it is also associated with endothelial cell dysfunction.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study in hypertensive hemodialysis patients. We obtained pre-hemodialysis measurements of total peripheral resistance index (TPRI, non-invasive cardiac output monitor) and plasma levels of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA). We ascertained the routine peridialytic blood pressure (BP) measurements from that treatment and the most recent pre-hemodialysis serum phosphate levels. We used generalized linear regression analyses to determine independent associations between serum phosphate with BP, TPRI, ET-1, and ADMA while controlling for demographic variables, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and interdialytic weight gain.ResultsThere were 54 patients analyzed. Mean pre-HD supine and seated systolic and diastolic BP were 164 (27), 158 (21), 91.5 (17), and 86.1 (16) mmHg. Mean serum phosphate was 5.89 (1.8) mg/dL. There were significant correlations between phosphate with all pre-hemodialysis BP measurements (r = 0.3, p = .04; r = 0.4, p = .002; r = 0.5, p < .0001; and r = 0.5, p = .0003.) The correlations with phosphate and TPRI, ET-1, and ADMA were 0.3 (p = .01), 0.4 (p = .007), and 0.3 (p = .04). In our final linear regression analyses controlling for baseline characteristics, PTH, and interdialytic weight gain, independent associations between phosphate with pre-hemodialysis diastolic BP, TPRI, and ET-1 were retained (β = 4.33, p = .0002; log transformed β = 0.05, p = .005; reciprocal transformed β = -0.03, p = .047).ConclusionsSerum phosphate concentration is independently associated with higher pre-HD BP, vasoconstriction, and markers of endothelial cell dysfunction. These findings demonstrate an additional negative impact of hyperphosphatemia on cardiovascular health beyond vascular calcification.Trial registrationThe study was part of a registered clinical trial, NCT01862497 (May 24, 2013).

Podoplanin is Responsible for the Distinct Blood and Lymphatic Capillaries

IntroductionControlling the formation of blood and lymphatic vasculatures is crucial for engineered tissues. Although the lymphatic vessels originate from embryonic blood vessels, the two retain functional and physiological differences even as they develop in the vicinity of each other. This suggests that there is a previously unknown molecular mechanism by which blood (BECs) and lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) recognize each other and coordinate to generate distinct capillary networks.MethodsWe utilized Matrigel and fibrin assays to determine how cord-like structures (CLS) can be controlled by altering LEC and BEC identity through podoplanin (PDPN) and folliculin (FLCN) expressions. We generated BECΔFLCN and LECΔPDPN, and observed cell migration to characterize loss lymphatic and blood characteristics due to respective knockouts.ResultsWe observed that LECs and BECs form distinct CLS in Matrigel and fibrin gels despite being cultured in close proximity with each other. We confirmed that the LECs and BECs do not recognize each other through paracrine signaling, as proliferation and migration of both cells were unaffected by paracrine signals. On the other hand, we found PDPN to be the key surface protein that is responsible for LEC-BEC recognition, and LECs lacking PDPN became pseudo-BECs and vice versa. We also found that FLCN maintains BEC identity through downregulation of PDPN.ConclusionsOverall, these observations reveal a new molecular pathway through which LECs and BECs form distinct CLS through physical contact by PDPN which in turn is regulated by FLCN, which has important implications toward designing functional engineered tissues.