Endothelial cells and SARS-CoV-2: An intimate relationship.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is an important player of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) in regulating the conversion of angiotensin II into angiotensin (1-7). While expressed on the surface of human cells, such as lung, heart, kidney, neurons, and endothelial cells (EC), ACE2 is the entry receptor for SARS-CoV-2. Here, we would like to highlight that ACE2 is predominant on the EC membrane. Many of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms have been associated with the large recruitment of immune cells, directly affecting EC. Additionally, cytokines, hypoxia, and complement activation can trigger the activation of EC leading to the coagulation cascade. The EC dysfunction plus the inflammation due to SARS-CoV-2 infection may lead to abnormal coagulation, actively participating in thrombo-inflammatory processes resulting in vasculopathy and indicating poor prognosis in patients with COVID-19. Considering the intrinsic relationship between EC and the pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2, EC-associated therapies such as anticoagulants, fibrinolytic drugs, immunomodulators, and molecular therapies have been proposed. In this review, we will discuss the role of EC in the lung inflammation and edema, in the disseminate coagulation process, ACE2 positive cancer patients, and current and future EC-associated therapies to treat COVID-19.

Glioblastoma Factors Increase the Migration of Human Brain Endothelial Cells In Vitro by Increasing MMP-9/CXCR4 Levels.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Glioblastoma (GB) is the most aggressive type of tumor in the central nervous system and is characterized by resistance to therapy and abundant vasculature. Tumor vessels contribute to the growth of GB, and the tumor microenvironment is thought to influence tumor vessels. We evaluated the molecular communication between human GB cells and human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC) in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated whether GB-conditioned media (GB-CM) influenced HBMEC proliferation and migration, as well as the levels of MMP-9, CXCL12, CXCR4, CXCR7, VEGFs, VEGFR-2, and WNT5a in HBMEC. RESULTS: Although HBMEC proliferation was not modified, increased HBMEC migration was detected after GB-CM treatment. Furthermore, treatment of HBMEC with GB-CM resulted in increased levels of MMP-9 and CXCR4. The levels of WNT5a, VEGFs and VEGFR-2 were not affected. CONCLUSION: GB-secreted factors lead to increased endothelial cell migration and to increased levels of MMP-9 and CXCR4.

GBM-Derived Wnt3a Induces M2-Like Phenotype in Microglial Cells Through Wnt/ß-Catenin Signaling.

Glioblastoma is an extremely aggressive and deadly brain tumor known for its striking cellular heterogeneity and capability to communicate with microenvironment components, such as microglia. Microglia-glioblastoma interaction contributes to an increase in tumor invasiveness, and Wnt signaling pathway is one of the main cascades related to tumor progression through changes in cell migration and invasion. However, very little is known about the role of canonical Wnt signaling during microglia-glioblastoma crosstalk. Here, we show for the first time that Wnt3a is one of the factors that regulate interactions between microglia and glioblastoma cells. Wnt3a activates the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling of both glioblastoma and microglial cells. Glioblastoma-conditioned medium not only induces nuclear translocation of microglial ß-catenin but also increases microglia viability and proliferation as well as Wnt3a, cyclin-D1, and c-myc expression. Moreover, glioblastoma-derived Wnt3a increases microglial ARG-1 and STI1 expression, followed by an upregulation of IL-10 mRNA levels, and a decrease in IL1ß gene expression. The presence of Wnt3a in microglia-glioblastoma co-cultures increases the formation of membrane nanotubes accompanied by changes in migration capability. In vivo, tumors formed from Wnt3a-stimulated glioblastoma cells presented greater microglial infiltration and more aggressive characteristics such as growth rate than untreated tumors. Thus, we propose that Wnt3a belongs to the arsenal of factors capable of stimulating the induction of M2-like phenotype on microglial cells, which contributes to the poor prognostic of glioblastoma, reinforcing that Wnt/ß-catenin pathway can be a potential therapeutic target to attenuate glioblastoma progression.

Dual treatment with shikonin and temozolomide reduces glioblastoma tumor growth, migration and glial-to-mesenchymal transition.

PURPOSE: Glioblastomas (GBM) comprise 17% of all primary brain tumors. These tumors are extremely aggressive due to their infiltrative capacity and chemoresistance, with glial-to-mesenchymal transition (GMT) proteins playing a prominent role in tumor invasion. One compound that has recently been used to reduce the expression of these proteins is shikonin (SHK), a naphthoquinone with anti-tumor properties. Temozolomide (TMZ), the most commonly used chemotherapeutic agent in GBM treatment, has so far not been studied in combination with SHK. Here, we investigated the combined effects of these two drugs on the proliferation and motility of GBM-derived cells. METHODS: The cytotoxic and proliferative effects of SHK and TMZ on human GBM-derived cells were tested using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT), Ki67 staining and BrdU incorporation assays. The migration capacities of these cells were evaluated using a scratch wound assay. The expression levels of ß3 integrin, metalloproteinases (MMPs) and GMT-associated proteins were determined by Western blotting and immunocytochemistry. RESULTS: We found that GBM-derived cells treated with a combination of SHK and TMZ showed decreases in their proliferation and migration capacities. These decreases were followed by the suppression of GMT through a reduction of ß3 integrin, MMP-2, MMP-9, Slug and vimentin expression via inactivation of PI3K/AKT signaling. CONCLUSION: From our results we conclude that dual treatment with SHK and TMZ may constitute a powerful new tool for GBM treatment by reducing therapy resistance and tumor recurrence.