Project description:A growing concern regards plastic fragments mainly nanoplastics (NP). The present study was set up on aortic endothelial cells (CnAEOC) since dog is a model for translational medicine. Through fluorescence microscopy, we observed an interaction between NP and cells, demonstrating a localization at the cytoplasmic level. Furthermore, the data collected show a disruption of both cell proliferation and metabolic activity. The results also show the induction of oxidative stress. In detail, NP caused an increase in the levels of ROS production and an inhibition of enzymatic defense systems. On the contrary, there was no alteration of the non-enzymatic defense mechanism. The analysis conducted to evaluate a possible induction of autophagy, a survival mechanism implemented by cells, following exposure to NP reported the absence of autophagy involvement in the model analyzed. Finally, investigations were conducted regarding the involvement of NP in gene expression processes. Both RNA-seq and RT-PCR did not highlight differentially expressed genes in treated cells.
Project description:Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPLs) have emerged as pervasive environmental pollutants, raising growing concerns about their potential health risks. Their documented presence in the human bloodstream highlights the need to understand their interactions with endothelial cells and their role in cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis. However, the full implications of these interactions remain largely unknown. To address this, we investigated the impact of three sizes (30, 50, and 100 nm) of polystyrene carboxylated nanoplastics (PS-C-NPLs) on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) at 100 µg/mL. By integrating in vitro assays with bioinformatic transcriptomic analyses, we employed a multimodal approach to comprehensively investigate the effects of PS-C-NPLs on endothelial cells. In vitro assessments included nanoplastics (NPLs) internalisation (flow cytometry, confocal microscopy, TEM), morphological and internal complexity changes (flow cytometry), genotoxicity (comet assay), and functional alterations, such as cholesterol biosynthesis (Filipin III staining), migration (wound healing assay), angiogenesis, and inflammation (IL-6 ELISA). Additionally, RNA sequencing provided transcriptomic insights into the cellular response to PS-C-NPLs, complementing the in vitro findings and revealing molecular pathways underlying the observed effects. All three PS-C-NPL sizes were rapidly internalised by HUVECs within 20 minutes, inducing significant alterations in cell morphology, internal complexity, and function. PS-C-NPLs caused genotoxic damage and disrupted cholesterol metabolism, migration, angiogenesis, and inflammatory responses. Notably, some effects exhibited a size-dependent trend, with similarities emerging between carboxylated polystyrene (PS-C) 50 and 100 nm NPLs, while the smallest 30 nm NPL showed slightly distinct responses. Transcriptomic analyses reinforced these findings, revealing shared pathways across all three PS-C-NPLs —linked to cholesterol metabolism, endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition, DNA damage, and inflammation — alongside size-specific molecular signatures. This study is the first to comprehensively link transcriptomic changes to size-dependent functional alterations in endothelial cells induced by PS-C-NPLs. Our findings demonstrate that PS-C-NPLs significantly impair endothelial cell function and integrity in a size-dependent manner, underscoring their potential cardiovascular risks.
Project description:Porcine aortic and aortic valve endothelial cells were exposed to 20 dynes/cm2 steady laminar shear stress with static cultures serving as controls. Total RNA was hybridized to Agilent Human 1 cDNA arrays and processed using the Agilent Feature Extraction Software Keywords = aortic valve Keywords = endothelial Keywords = shear stress Keywords: other
Project description:Analysis of primary bovine aortic endothelial cells treated for 24 hours with TGF-beta 1 5 ng/ml. TGF-beta 1 has been shown to induce endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) and to be implicated in differentiation of endothelial cells into smooth muscle-like cells as occurred in vascular neointimal formation. Primary aortic endothelial cells seeded on 10 mm diameter plates were incubated with TGF-beta 1 (5 ng/ml) for 24 hours or left under basal conditions. Triplicates from three different cultures.
Project description:This is a pilot SILAC study wherein bovine aortic endothelial cells in culture were treated with the oxidant peroxynitrite, and compared to a control condition that consisted of reverse addition generated from peroxynitrite that underwent complete decomposition prior to mixing with cells. The study targets the protein cytochrome c, and hence, the results were confined to a search of all proteins under 45 kDa. The goal of this pilot study were to:
1) Identify the presence of cytochrome c in nuclear and cytosolic fractions
2) Identify amino acid residues in cytochrome c presenting post-translational modifications, such as tyrosine nitration or methionine oxidation
Project description:SAGE libraries were prepared from mRNA of cultured bovine glomerular and aortic endothelial cells. Cells both cell lines were positive for acetylated LDL uptake and vWF expression, and were proven to be free of non-endothelial cells. Cultures were studied at passage 9-10. The cells were confluent, cultured in parallel, under identical conditions. Cells were plated on gelatin coated cell culture plastic in RPMI 1640 medium containing 10% FBS and streptomycin/penicillin. The last medium change was 48 hours prior to mRNA harvest. Keywords = endothelial, glomerular, kidney, aorta, Keywords: other
Project description:Gene expression changes in subconfluent mouse aortic endothelial cells were compared with confluent endothelial cells. Compartmental analysis showed coordinater response in several endothelial-specific functions and organelles (endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi, lysosomes, peroxisomes) which were downregulated, and upregulation of the microtubular system and proliferation. Keywords = endothelium Keywords = confluent Keywords = subconfluent Keywords = organelles Keywords: other
Project description:Gene expression changes in subconfluent mouse aortic endothelial cells were compared with confluent endothelial cells. Compartmental analysis showed coordinater response in several endothelial-specific functions and organelles (endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi, lysosomes, peroxisomes) which were downregulated, and upregulation of the microtubular system and proliferation.
Project description:Endocardial (EE) and Aortic (AE) endothelial cells were isolated from the same two rats, pooled (EE and AE kept separately) and cultured for 2 passages. Culture conditions and confluence of EE and AE cell cultures were kept as identical as possible. RNA was isolated and the expression profile of both endothelial cell types was compared using the Affymetrix rat genome U34A array.