Project description:Rationale— Aortic dissection (AD) is a fatal disease that occurs suddenly without preceding clinical signs or symptoms. It is desirable to prevent AD before the onset. Although high salt intake is an established risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, the relationship between high salt intake and AD has not been clarified. Although recent studies have shown that high salt intake promotes interleukin (IL)-17-dependent inflammation, it is unknown whether this mechanism is involved in the pathogenesis of AD. Objective— The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of high salt challenge on AD and involvement of IL-17. Methods and Results— We used a mouse AD model that was induced by continuous infusion of -aminopropionitrile and angiotensin II. High salt challenge exacerbated AD lesion length compared to the mice without high salt challenge, which was abolished in IL-17 knockout mice. Unexpectedly, deletion of IL-17 resulted in the activation of Smad pathway, induction of synthetic phenotype of smooth muscle cells, remodeling of extracellular matrix in aortic tunica media, reduced stiffness of aortic walls, and less stress-induced activation of NFkB. Conclusions— These findings establish the worsening effect of high salt intake on AD that involves IL-17 pathway through the extracellular matrix metabolism. Salt restriction may represent a low-cost and practical way to reduce AD risk.
Project description:Thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) is a perilous disease that can lead to aortic dissection (AD), the pathophysiological mechanisms of which remain largely elusive. To improve our understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying TAA, we conducted a tandem mass tag (TMT)-based proteomics analysis and identified two down-regulated proteins, integrin αV, and integrin αL, in serum samples from patients with type A aortic dissection. We confirmed that integrin αV is extensively expressed in the aortic media, and its expression decreases after dissection, whereas the expression of integrin αL showed no significant alteration. Subsequently, by employing a mouse model of TAA induced by β-Aminopropionitrile (BAPN), we discovered that the mice treated with integrin αV inhibitors Cilengitide or SB273005 developed dramatically expansive ascending TAA, accompanied by exacerbated disorganization or loss of elastic fibers. Bulk RNA sequencing results further indicated that the treatment with integrin αV inhibitors exacerbates the pro-inflammatory response in mouse TAA development. These data suggest that integrin αV may be a novel target for TAA intervention. However, it also raises concerns about exposure to integrin αV inhibitors, which are conducted in serious cancer clinical trials, may pose a potential risk of developing aortic aneurysm (AA)/AD.
Project description:Aneurysmatic and dissection cells show a specific alteration of gene expression, which allow a disease specific distinction. We used microarrays to analyse the cellular gene expression of controls, thoracic aortic aneurysm, and aortic dissection.
Project description:Thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) is a perilous disease that can lead to aortic dissection (AD), the pathophysiological mechanisms of which remain largely elusive. To improve our understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying TAA, we conducted a tandem mass tag (TMT)-based proteomics analysis and identified two down-regulated proteins, integrin αV, and integrin αL, in serum samples from patients with type A aortic dissection. We confirmed that integrin αV is extensively expressed in the aortic media, and its expression decreases after dissection, whereas the expression of integrin αL showed no significant alteration. Subsequently, by employing a mouse model of TAA induced by β-Aminopropionitrile (BAPN), we discovered that the mice treated with integrin αV inhibitors Cilengitide or SB273005 developed dramatically expansive ascending TAA, accompanied by exacerbated disorganization or loss of elastic fibers. Bulk RNA sequencing results further indicated that the treatment with integrin αV inhibitors exacerbates the pro-inflammatory response in mouse TAA development. These data suggest that integrin αV may be a novel target for TAA intervention. However, it also raises concerns about exposure to integrin αV inhibitors, which are conducted in serious cancer clinical trials, may pose a potential risk of developing aortic aneurysm (AA)/AD.
Project description:Genome wide DNA methylation profiling of ascending aorta tissue samples from normal, aortic dissection and bicuspid aortic valve patients with aortic dilation. The Illumina Infinium 450k Human DNA methylation Beadchip was used to obtain DNA methylation profiles across more than 450,000 CpGs in ascending aorta samples. Samples included 6 normal donors, 12 patients with aortic dissection and 6 patients with bicuspid aortic valve and dilated aorta.
Project description:The mechanisms of acute aortic dissection are not well understood. Transcriptomic strategy has been proven to be an effective way to find the potential mechanisms and also the reliable biomarkers for a specific disease. The whole-genome expression profiling was assayed in a panel of aortic tissues from 4 male acute aortic dissection patients and 4 male healthy controls.
Project description:We investigated the relationship between a developemnt of aortic dissection and inflammatory cells. Il-1b high expression macrophage contributed to developing an aortic dissection.
Project description:Colchicine is an alkaloid found in the plant Colchicum, which is currently used for the treatment of acute gout and familial Mediterranean fever, and is being considered for the treatment of a variety of cardiovascular diseases such as pericarditis, atrial fibrillation, and coronary syndromes due to its significant anti-inflammatory effects. Aortic dissection is a cardiovascular disease characterised by a tear in the intima and congestion of the vessel wall leading to vessel wall delamination, with a rapid onset and high lethality. This study investigated the role of colchicine in BAPN-induced aortic dissection in mice. Gavage administration of colchicine along with BAPN modelling for three weeks showed a significant decrease in morbidity and mortality, indicating that colchicine can inhibit the occurrence of aortic dissection in mice.
Project description:Background: Aortic aneurysm and dissection (AAD) is a fatal vascular emergency with limited mechanism-based therapies. The mitochondrial AAA⁺ ATPase ATAD3A, enriched at organelle contact sites, has been implicated in mitochondrial signaling, but its role in AAD remains unclear. Methods: AAD was induced in wild-type, ATAD3A knock-in (ATAD3A-KI), and vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC)-specific knockdown (sh-ATAD3A) mice by 3-week β-aminopropionitrile monofumarate (BAPN) intake or 28-day angiotensin II (AngII) infusion via osmotic minipumps. Aortic dilatation, dissection incidence, rupture-related mortality, and histology were assessed. VSMCs were stimulated with AngII in vitro. Mitochondrial function was evaluated using Seahorse bioenergetics, membrane potential assay, and Ca²⁺ imaging. ATAD3A-dihydrolipoamide s-succinyltransferase (DLST) interaction was examined by co-immunoprecipitation. Pharmacological modulation was performed with the copper chelator tetrathiomolybdate (TTM) and the lipoylation inhibitor Devimistat. Results: ATAD3A expression was upregulated in human thoracic aortic dissection samples and in BAPN-treated mouse aortas, with early downregulation then late upregulation in VSMCs. Systemic ATAD3A overexpression mitigated BAPN- and AngII-induced aortic dilatation, reduced dilation incidence, and improved survival, whereas VSMC-specific knockdown accelerated vascular pathology. Mechanistically, ATAD3A overexpression reduced mitochondria-lysosome contacts, limited mitochondrial Ca²⁺ influx, and suppressed the FDXR/FDX1/LIAS lipoylation pathway, decreasing DLST lipoylation and restraining cuproptosis, thereby preserving VSMC viability and delaying AAD progression. Pharmacological inhibition of cuproptosis using TTM or Devimistat attenuated disease severity in vivo. Conclusions: ATAD3A protects against AAD by coordinating organelle contact and metabolic signaling to restrain mitochondrial Ca²⁺ influx, NADPH flux, and DLST lipoylation-dependent cuproptosis in VSMCs. Targeting the ATAD3A-DLST-cuproptosis axis offers mechanistic insight and therapeutic potential for AAD.