| First Author | Fujisawa T | Year | 2017 |
| Journal | Cardiovasc Res | Volume | 113 |
| Issue | 1 | Pages | 81-89 |
| PubMed ID | 28069704 | Mgi Jnum | J:258823 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6141406 | Doi | 10.1093/cvr/cvw223 |
| Citation | Fujisawa T, et al. (2017) Angiopoietin-1 promotes atherosclerosis by increasing the proportion of circulating Gr1+ monocytes. Cardiovasc Res 113(1):81-89 |
| abstractText | AIMS: Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease occurring within the artery wall. A crucial step in atherogenesis is the infiltration and retention of monocytes into the subendothelial space of large arteries induced by chemokines and growth factors. Angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) regulates angiogenesis and reduces vascular permeability and has also been reported to promote monocyte migration in vitro. We investigated the role of Ang-1 in atherosclerosis-prone apolipoprotein-E (Apo-E) knockout mouse. METHODS AND RESULTS: Apo-E knockout (Apo-E(-/-)) mice fed a western or normal chow diet received a single iv injection of adenovirus encoding Ang-1 or control vector. Adenovirus-mediated systemic expression of Ang-1 induced a significant increase in early atherosclerotic lesion size and monocyte/macrophage accumulation compared with control animals receiving empty vector. Ang-1 significantly increased plasma MCP-1 and VEGF levels as measured by ELISA. FACS analysis showed that Ang-1 selectively increased inflammatory Gr1(+ )monocytes in the circulation, while the cell-surface expression of CD11b, which mediates monocyte emigration, was significantly reduced. CONCLUSIONS: Ang-1 specifically increases circulating Gr1(+ )inflammatory monocytes and increases monocyte/macrophage retention in atherosclerotic plaques, thereby contributing to development of atherosclerosis. |
