Dan-Deng-Tong-Nao softgel capsule promotes angiogenesis of cerebral microvasculature to protect cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury via activating HIF-1α-VEGFA-Notch1 signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: A proprietary Chinese herbal product called Dan-Deng-Tong-Nao softgel capsule (DDTNC) is used to treat ischemic stroke. However, the preventive mechanisms of DDTNC against cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury (CIRI) haven not been characterized. OBJECTIVE: To explore the mechanisms of protective effects of DDTNC against CIRI from both internal and external levels. METHODS: Chemical characterization was performed using UPLC. The potential protective mechanisms of DDTNC against CIRI were predicted using network pharmacology. Model of middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) was established in rats. An model of brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) was also established. We evaluated neurological deficits, cerebral infarct volume, cortical neuron damage, and mitochondrial swelling in vivo. We evaluated the expression of VEGFR2, VEGFA, HIF-1α, CD31, and CD34 in ischemic cortex, and VEGF, bFGF, BDNF, angiostatin, and endostatin in serum of rats and in BMEC supernatants. We also evaluated cell viability, cytotoxicity, intracellular ROS, apoptosis, and migration ability in vitro. RESULTS: Seven components were detected in DDTNC. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that DDTNC may modulate angiogenesis via the HIF-1 signaling pathway. DDTNC treatment reduced neurological score and infarct volume, and improved cell morphology of damaged neurons. Transmission electron microscopy showed that DDTNC reduced mitochondria swelling in cortical neurons. Furthermore, DDTNC reduced intracellular ROS and inhibited apoptosis. DDTNC boosted the expression of CD31, CD34, VEGFR2, VEGFA and HIF-1α, highlighting its involvement in angiogenesis, according to immunofluorescence studies. Furthermore, DDTNC enhanced tube formation and migration of BMECs in vitro. ELISA and western blotting indicated that DDTNCCSF induced the expression of VEGF, BDNF and bFGF, reduced the level of angiostatin and endostatin, increased the protein expression of VEGFA, Notch1 and HIF-1α in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: DDTNC promoted angiogenesis to protect brain tissue against MCAO/R, and exerted protective effects against OGD/R in BMECs via activating HIF-1α-VEGFA-NOTCH1 signal transduction pathway.

Aerobic training and l-arginine supplementation promotes rat heart and hindleg muscles arteriogenesis after myocardial infarction.

Arteriogenesis is a main defense mechanism to prevent heart and local tissues dysfunction in occlusive artery disease. TGF-ß and angiostatin have a pivotal role in arteriogenesis. We tested the hypothesis that aerobic training and l-arginine supplementation promotes cardiac and skeletal muscles arteriogenesis after myocardial infarction (MI) parallel to upregulation of TGF-ß and downregulation of angiostatin. For this purpose, 4 weeks after LAD occlusion, 50 male Wistar rats were randomly distributed into five groups: (1) sham surgery without MI (sham, n = 10), (2) control-MI (Con-MI, n = 10), (3) l-arginine-MI (La-MI, n = 10), (4) exercise training-MI (Ex-MI, n = 10), and (5) exercise and l-arginine-MI (Ex + La-MI). Exercise training groups running on a treadmill for 10 weeks with moderate intensity. Rats in the l-arginine-treated groups drank water containing 4 % l-arginine. Arteriolar density with different diameters (11-25, 26-50, 51-75, and 76-150 µm), TGF-ß, and angiostatin gene expression were measured in cardiac (area at risk) and skeletal (soleus and gastrocnemius) muscles. Smaller arterioles decreased in cardiac after MI. Aerobic training and l-arginine increased the number of cardiac arterioles with 11-25 and 26-50 µm diameters parallel to TGF-ß overexpression. In gastrocnemius muscle, the number of arterioles/mm(2) was only increased in the 11 to 25 µm in response to training with and without l-arginine parallel to angiostatin downregulation. Soleus arteriolar density with different size was not different between experimental groups. Results showed that 10 weeks aerobic exercise training and l-arginine supplementation promotes arteriogenesis of heart and gastrocnemius muscles parallel to overexpression of TGF-ß and downregulation of angiostatin in MI rats.

[Effect of yifei qinghua granule on VEGF, bFGF, angiostatin, and endostatin in Lewis lung cancer mice: an experimental study].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Yifei Qinghua Granule (YQG) on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), angiostatin, and endostatin in tumor tissue of Lewis Lung cancer mice, and to explore its anti-tumor mechanisms. METHODS: Totally 70 C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the model group, the low, medium, and high dose YQG groups, the gefitinib group, the gefitinib plus medium dose YQG group, and the cyclophosphamide (CTX) group, 10 in each group. The models were established by subcutaneously injecting Lewis lung cancer cells from the right axilla of C57BL/6 mice. Mice in the model group were given with 0.4 mL pure water by gastrogavage, once daily. Mice in the low and medium dose YHG groups were given with YHG at the daily dose of 5 and 10 g/kg by gastrogavage, once daily. Those in the high dose YHG group were given with YHG at 10 g/kg by gastrogavage, twice daily. Those in the gefitinib group were given with gefitinib 100 mg/ kg by gastrogavage, once daily. Those in the gefitinib plus medium dose YHG group were given with gefitinib at 100 mg/kg by gastrogavage in the morning and YHG at 10 g/kg by gastrogavage in the afternoon. All medication was started from the 2nd day of inoculation, lasting 14 successive days. Those in the CTX group were given CTX at 60 mg/kg by peritoneal injection on the 3rd and the 7th day of the experiment. Mice were sacrificed at the fifteenth day of the experiment. Tumors were taken out. Expressions of VEGF, bFGF, angiostatin, and endostatin in the tumor tissue were detected using immunohistochemical assay. RESULTS: Compared with the model group, the expression of VEGF significantly decreased, expressions of angiostatin and endostatin significantly increased in each group (P < 0.01). The expression of bFGF significantly decreased in the gefitinib group (P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in VEGF among all groups (P > 0.05). The angiostatin expression was significantly higher in the CTX group than in the low dose YQG group (P < 0.01). The expression of endostatin was significantly higher in the high dose YQG group and the gefitinib plus medium dose YQG group than in the low and the medium dose YQG groups (P < 0.01). The expression of endostatin was significantly higher in the gefitinib plus medium dose YQG group than in the gefitinib group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The action mechanism of YQG in treating lung cancer might be achieved through reducing the expression of angiogenesis promoting factor VEGF and increasing expressions of angiogenesis inhibitors angiostatin and endostatin.

Transient repetitive exposure to low level light therapy enhances collateral blood vessel growth in the ischemic hindlimb of the tight skin mouse.

The tight skin mouse (Tsk(-/+)) is a model of scleroderma characterized by impaired vasoreactivity, increased oxidative stress, attenuated angiogenic response to VEGF and production of the angiogenesis inhibitor angiostatin. Low-level light therapy (LLLT) stimulates angiogenesis in myocardial infarction and chemotherapy-induced mucositis. We hypothesize that repetitive LLLT restores vessel growth in the ischemic hindlimb of Tsk(-/+) mice by attenuating angiostatin and enhancing angiomotin effects in vivo. C57Bl/6J and Tsk(-/+) mice underwent ligation of the femoral artery. Relative blood flow to the foot was measured using a laser Doppler imager. Tsk(-/+) mice received LLLT (670 nm, 50 mW cm(-2), 30 J cm(-2)) for 10 min per day for 14 days. Vascular density was determined using lycopersicom lectin staining. Immunofluorescent labeling, Western blot analysis and immunoprecipitation were used to determine angiostatin and angiomotin expression. Recovery of blood flow to the ischemic limb was reduced in Tsk(-/+) compared with C57Bl/6 mice 2 weeks after surgery. LLLT treatment of Tsk(-/+) mice restored blood flow to levels observed in C57Bl/6 mice. Vascular density was decreased, angiostatin expression was enhanced and angiomotin depressed in the ischemic hindlimb of Tsk(-/+) mice. LLLT treatment reversed these abnormalities. LLLT stimulates angiogenesis by increasing angiomotin and decreasing angiostatin expression in the ischemic hindlimb of Tsk(-/+) mice.

N-acetyl-cysteine promotes angiostatin production and vascular collapse in an orthotopic model of breast cancer.

The antioxidant N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) has been shown to be chemopreventive in clinical studies, and in recent studies, has shown promise in preventing tumor progression. Although the effects of NAC on tumorigenesis have been associated with decreased angiogenesis, the mechanism of the anti-angiogenic activity has not been determined. In the following study, we describe a novel mechanism whereby NAC therapy blocks MDA-MB-435 breast carcinoma cell proliferation and metastasis in an in vivo tumorigenic model. Athymic nude mice bearing MDA-MB-435 xenografts were treated with systemic NAC daily for 8 weeks. NAC treatment resulted in endothelial cell apoptosis and reduction of microvascular density within the core of the tumor leading to significant tumor cell apoptosis/necrosis. Angiostatin accumulated in tumors from NAC-treated but not control animals. Additional studies using a vascular endothelial growth factor-dependent chicken chorioallantoic membrane angiogenic assay recapitulated NAC-induced endothelial apoptosis and coordinate production of angiostatin, a potent endothelial apoptotic factor. In vitro studies showed angiostatin was formed in endothelial cultures in a vascular endothelial growth factor- and NAC-dependent manner, a process that requires endothelial cell surface plasminogen activation. These results suggest that systemic NAC therapy promotes anti-angiogenesis through angiostatin production, resulting in endothelial apoptosis and vascular collapse in the tumor.