An oligonucleotide decoy for nuclear factor-kappa B inhibits tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced human umbilical cord vein endothelial cell tissue factor expression in vitro

Harnessing the Therapeutic Potential of Decoys in Non-Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Diseases: State of the Art

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the main cause of global death, highlighting the fact that conventional therapeutic approaches for the treatment of CVD patients are insufficient, and there is a need to develop new therapeutic approaches. In recent years, decoy technology, decoy oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN), and decoy peptides show promising results for the future treatment of CVDs. Decoy ODN inhibits transcription by binding to the transcriptional factor, while decoy peptide neutralizes receptors by binding to the ligands. This review focused on studies that have investigated the effects of decoy ODN and decoy peptides on non-atherosclerotic CVD.

Disseminated intravascular coagulation in a novel porcine model of severe Staphylococcus aureus sepsis fulfills human clinical criteria

Sepsis is a common and often fatal complication in human patients in intensive care units. Relevant and well characterized animal models of sepsis may provide valuable information on pathophysiological mechanisms and be a mean of testing new therapeutic strategies. Large animal models of Staphylococcus aureus sepsis are rare, even though S. aureus increasingly affects human patients. Sepsis changes the haemostatic balance and leads to endothelial cell (EC) activation, coagulopathy and, in severe cases, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). The aim of this study was to characterize the haemostatic and vascular alterations in a novel porcine model of severe S. aureus sepsis, investigating whether the changes fulfill the human clinical criteria for DIC. Five pigs were inoculated intravenously with S. aureus and two control animals were sham-inoculated. Blood samples were collected for thromboelastography (TEG) and assessment of plasma-based haemostatic parameters. Tissue was collected for histopathology and reverse transcriptase quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction for measurement of mRNA encoding EC markers. All infected animals developed DIC; including procoagulant activation represented by hypercoagulable TEG profiles and prolonged clotting time. Histologically, numerous pulmonary thrombi were present in one pig. Inhibitor consumption was represented by decreasing antithrombin levels in infected pigs. Hyaline globules were found in three infected pigs, confirming fibrinolytic activation. EC activation was identified by expression of von Willebrand factor in small vessels together with elevated mRNA encoding activated EC markers. Severe haemostatic and vascular changes fulfilling the human criteria for DIC were therefore seen in all infected pigs. A tendency towards uncompensated DIC was seen in two animals.

The delivery of thrombi-specific nanoparticles incorporating oligonucleotides into injured cerebrovascular endothelium

In acute vascular events, the endothelium derived tissue factor (TF) is the trigger of the coagulation cascade. In this study, EGFP-EGF1 protein-conjugated PEG-PLGA nanoparticle was employed as a TF targeting vehicle, the NF-κB decoy oligonucleotides (ODNs) was incorporated into it and the resulting EGF1-EGFP-NP-ODNs were evaluated as a vector for therapy of cortex infarction. At 2 h after transfection of TF expressed rat brain capillary endothelial cell, EGF1-EGFP-NP-ODNs was more efficiently internalized and located in the cytoplasm than NP-ODNs. At 4 h and 6 h after administration, ODNs were present in the nuclei and obviously inhibited the TF expression. At 6 h after i.v. administration in vivo, most EGF1-EGFP-NP were accumulated in the embolism vessels, distributed in the damaged endothelial cells and lowered the TF expression. At 24 h after i.v. administration, MR imaging of cortex infarcts were predominantly dwindled.

Venous thromboembolism in patients with cancer and its relationship to the coagulation cascade and vascular endothelial growth factor

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a well-recognized problem in malignancy. Patients with cancer who have VTE have a worse prognosis than other patients with cancer. Hypercoagulability in patients with cancer is related to malignancy itself and its treatment. These patients have multiple risk factors for thromboembolism, such as being immobilized, having central venous catheters, and receiving chemoradiation therapy. Cancer procoagulant, tissue factor, factor VIII, and thrombin have important roles in causing cancer-associated thromboembolism. Tumors require neovascularization for delivering oxygen and other nutrients. Therefore, angiogenesis facilitates tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis. New blood vessels formed by angiogenesis are thrombogenic. Hypercoagulability and tumor growth are closely related. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a proangiogenic factor that may also cause VTE in patients with cancer. The relationship between cancer, angiogenesis, VEGF, and thrombosis is reviewed herein. Studies are ongoing to enhance our understanding of this complex interaction.

A decoy oligonucleotide inhibiting nuclear factor-kappaB binding to the IgGkappaB consensus site reduces cerebral injury and apoptosis in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

We examined the effect of treatment with intraventricular injection of a decoy oligonucleotide that binds and inhibits nuclear factor-kappaB on cytokine expression, ICAM-1 expression, neutrophil recruitment, apoptosis, and tissue injury in a model of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic cerebral injury with varying degrees of hypoxia. We found a reduction of interleukin-1beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, soluble ICAM-1, neutrophil counts, and activity after 2 hr of hypoxia, but not with 90 min of hypoxia. By contrast, a significant reduction of apoptosis was seen in animals treated after 90 min of hypoxia but not in those treated after 2 hr of hypoxia. Overall evidence of an inflammatory response was sparse, with low levels of ICAM-1 expression and neutrophil recruitment even in the more severe hypoxic ischemic injury. It is likely that the decoy oligonucleotide affects cerebral injury and apoptosis not through suppression of downstream elements of the inflammatory response but through other mechanisms, one of which is the reduction of transcription and synthesis of cytokines, which are known to affect other responses to cellular injury.