Asymmetric Synthesis and Biological Screening of Quinoxaline-Containing Synthetic Lipoxin A4 Mimetics (QNX-sLXms).

Failure to resolve inflammation underlies many prevalent pathologies. Recent insights have identified lipid mediators, typified by lipoxins (LXs), as drivers of inflammation resolution, suggesting potential therapeutic benefit. We report the asymmetric preparation of novel quinoxaline-containing synthetic-LXA4-mimetics (QNX-sLXms). Eight novel compounds were screened for their impact on inflammatory responses. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies showed that (R)-6 (also referred to as AT-02-CT) was the most efficacious and potent anti-inflammatory compound of those tested. (R)-6 significantly attenuated lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- and tumor-necrosis-factor-α (TNF-α)-induced NF-κB activity in monocytes and vascular smooth muscle cells. The molecular target of (R)-6 was investigated. (R)-6 activated the endogenous LX receptor formyl peptide receptor 2 (ALX/FPR2). The anti-inflammatory properties of (R)-6 were further investigated in vivo in murine models of acute inflammation. Consistent with in vitro observations, (R)-6 attenuated inflammatory responses. These results support the therapeutic potential of the lead QNX-sLXm (R)-6 in the context of novel inflammatory regulators.

Identification of Naf1/ABIN-1 among TNF-alpha-induced expressed genes in human synoviocytes using oligonucleotide microarrays.

The cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is a critical effector of the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We used oligonucleotide microarray (OM) analysis to assess TNF-alpha-modulated gene expression in cultured primary human synoviocytes in vitro. Genes identified include cytokines and inflammatory mediators, extracellular matrix and adhesion molecules, cell cycle and proliferation related proteins, transcription related proteins, and apoptotic mediators. OM identified 1185 differentially expressed genes in TNF-alpha-treated synoviocytes. The regulation of Nef-associated factor-1 (Naf1), an A20-binding, nuclear factor kappa B (NFkappaB) inhibitory protein was probed further given its putative role as an endogenous brake for the expression of some TNF-alpha-driven genes. Naf1 mRNA levels were higher in synovial biopsies from patients with active RA and seronegative arthropathy than in those from patients with osteoarthritis. These findings underscore the value of transcriptome analysis in cytokine-activated synoviocyte cultures in vitro as a means of identifying disease-associated genes in human arthritis, and implicate Naf1 as a potential modulator of TNF-alpha bioactivity in RA.

Modification of the transcriptomic response to renal ischemia/reperfusion injury by lipoxin analog.

BACKGROUND: Lipoxins are lipoxygenase-derived eicosanoids with anti-inflammatory and proresolution bioactivities in vitro and in vivo. We have previously demonstrated that the stable synthetic LXA4 analog 15-epi-16-(FPhO)-LXA4-Me is renoprotective in murine renal ischemia/reperfusion injury, as gauged by lower serum creatinine, attenuated leukocyte infiltration, and reduced morphologic tubule injury. METHODS: We employed complementary oligonucleotide microarray and bioinformatic analyses to probe the transcriptomic events that underpin lipoxin renoprotection in this setting. RESULTS: Microarray-based analysis identified three broad categories of genes whose mRNA levels are altered in response to ischemia/reperfusion injury, including known genes previously implicated in the pathogenesis of ischemia/reperfusion injury [e.g., intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), p21, KIM-1], known genes not previously associated with ischemia/reperfusion injury, and cDNAs representing yet uncharacterized genes. Characterization of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) displayed on microarrays represents a major challenge in studies of global gene expression. A bioinformatic annotation pipeline successfully annotated a large proportion of ESTs modulated during ischemia/reperfusion injury. The differential expression of a representative group of these ischemia/reperfusion injury-modulated genes was confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Prominent among the up-regulated genes were claudin-1, -3, and -7, and ADAM8. Interestingly, the former response was claudin-specific and was not observed with other claudins expressed by the kidney (e.g., claudin-8 and -6) or indeed with other components of the renal tight junctions (e.g., occludin and junctional adhesion molecule). Noteworthy among the down-regulated genes was a cluster of transport proteins (e.g., aquaporin-1) and the zinc metalloendopeptidase meprin-1 beta implicated in renal remodeling. CONCLUSION: Treatment with the lipoxin analog 15-epi-16-(FPhO)-LXA4-Me prior to injury modified the expression of many differentially expressed pathogenic mediators, including cytokines, growth factors, adhesion molecules, and proteases, suggesting a renoprotective action at the core of the pathophysiology of acute renal failure (ARF). Importantly, this lipoxin-modulated transcriptomic response included many genes expressed by renal parenchymal cells and was not merely a reflection of a reduced renal mRNA load resulting from attenuated leukocyte recruitment. The data presented herein suggest a framework for understanding drivers of kidney injury in ischemia/reperfusion and the molecular basis for renoprotection by lipoxins in this setting.

High glucose-altered gene expression in mesangial cells. Actin-regulatory protein gene expression is triggered by oxidative stress and cytoskeletal disassembly.

High extracellular glucose plays a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of diabetic nephropathy. Here we report 200 genes, identified using suppression-subtractive hybridization, that are differentially expressed when human mesangial cells are propagated in high ambient glucose in vitro. The major functional classes of genes identified included modulators and products of extracellular matrix protein metabolism, regulators of cell growth and turnover, and a cohort of actin cytoskeleton regulatory proteins. Actin cytoskeletal disassembly is a prominent feature of diabetic nephropathy. The induction of actin cytoskeleton regulatory gene expression by high glucose was attenuated by the inhibitor of reactive oxygen species generation, carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone but not by the protein kinase C inhibitor GF 109203X and was not mimicked by the addition of transforming growth factor beta. Enhanced expression of actin cytoskeleton regulatory genes was also observed following disruption of the mesangial cell actin cytoskeleton by cytochalasin D. In aggregate, these results suggest that the induction of genes encoding actin cytoskeleton regulatory proteins (a) is a prominent component of the mesangial cell transcriptomic response in diabetic nephropathy and (b) is dependent on oxidative stress, is independent of protein kinase C and transforming growth factor-beta, and represents an adaptive response to actin cytoskeleton disassembly.