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Bathrinarayanan PV, Hallam SM, Grover LM, Vigolo D, Simmons MJH. Microfluidics as a Powerful Tool to Investigate Microvascular Dysfunction in Trauma Conditions: A Review of the State-of-the-Art. Adv Biol (Weinh) 2024:e2400037. [PMID: 39031943 DOI: 10.1002/adbi.202400037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2024] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/22/2024]
Abstract
Skeletal muscle trauma such as fracture or crush injury can result in a life-threatening condition called acute compartment syndrome (ACS), which involves elevated compartmental pressure within a closed osteo-fascial compartment, leading to collapse of the microvasculature and resulting in necrosis of the tissue due to ischemia. Diagnosis of ACS is complex and controversial due to the lack of standardized objective methods, which results in high rates of misdiagnosis/late diagnosis, leading to permanent neuro-muscular damage. ACS pathophysiology is poorly understood at a cellular level due to the lack of physiologically relevant models. In this context, microfluidics organ-on-chip systems (OOCs) provide an exciting opportunity to investigate the cellular mechanisms of microvascular dysfunction that leads to ACS. In this article, the state-of-the-art OOCs designs and strategies used to investigate microvasculature dysfunction mechanisms is reviewed. The differential effects of hemodynamic shear stress on endothelial cell characteristics such as morphology, permeability, and inflammation, all of which are altered during microvascular dysfunction is highlighted. The article then critically reviews the importance of microfluidics to investigate closely related microvascular pathologies that cause ACS. The article concludes by discussing potential biomarkers of ACS with a special emphasis on glycocalyx and providing a future perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Vasanthi Bathrinarayanan
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B152TT, UK
- Healthcare Technologies Institute, School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - S M Hallam
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B152TT, UK
| | - L M Grover
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B152TT, UK
- Healthcare Technologies Institute, School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - D Vigolo
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B152TT, UK
- The University of Sydney, School of Biomedical Engineering, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
- The University of Sydney Nano Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - M J H Simmons
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B152TT, UK
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Vascular structural and functional changes: their association with causality in hypertension: models, remodeling and relevance. Hypertens Res 2016; 40:311-323. [PMID: 27784889 DOI: 10.1038/hr.2016.145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2016] [Revised: 09/09/2016] [Accepted: 09/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Essential hypertension is a complex multifactorial disease process that involves the interaction of multiple genes at various loci throughout the genome, and the influence of environmental factors such as diet and lifestyle, to ultimately determine long-term arterial pressure. These factors converge with physiological signaling pathways to regulate the set-point of long-term blood pressure. In hypertension, structural changes in arteries occur and show differences within and between vascular beds, between species, models and sexes. Such changes can also reflect the development of hypertension, and the levels of circulating humoral and vasoactive compounds. The role of perivascular adipose tissue in the modulation of vascular structure under various disease states such as hypertension, obesity and metabolic syndrome is an emerging area of research, and is likely to contribute to the heterogeneity described in this review. Diversity in structure and related function is the norm, with morphological changes being causative in some beds and states, and in others, a consequence of hypertension. Specific animal models of hypertension have advantages and limitations, each with factors influencing the relevance of the model to the human hypertensive state/s. However, understanding the fundamental properties of artery function and how these relate to signalling mechanisms in real (intact) tissues is key for translating isolated cell and model data to have an impact and relevance in human disease etiology. Indeed, the ultimate aim of developing new treatments to correct vascular dysfunction requires understanding and recognition of the limitations of the methodologies used.
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Schmidt K, Windler R, de Wit C. Communication Through Gap Junctions in the Endothelium. ADVANCES IN PHARMACOLOGY (SAN DIEGO, CALIF.) 2016; 77:209-40. [PMID: 27451099 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apha.2016.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
A swarm of fish displays a collective behavior (swarm behavior) and moves "en masse" despite the huge number of individual animals. In analogy, organ function is supported by a huge number of cells that act in an orchestrated fashion and this applies also to vascular cells along the vessel length. It is obvious that communication is required to achieve this vital goal. Gap junctions with their modular bricks, connexins (Cxs), provide channels that interlink the cytosol of adjacent cells by a pore sealed against the extracellular space. This allows the transfer of ions and charge and thereby the travel of membrane potential changes along the vascular wall. The endothelium provides a low-resistance pathway that depends crucially on connexin40 which is required for long-distance conduction of dilator signals in the microcirculation. The experimental evidence for membrane potential changes synchronizing vascular behavior is manifold but the functional verification of a physiologic role is still open. Other molecules may also be exchanged that possibly contribute to the synchronization (eg, Ca(2+)). Recent data suggest that vascular Cxs have more functions than just facilitating communication. As pharmacological tools to modulate gap junctions are lacking, Cx-deficient mice provide currently the standard to unravel their vascular functions. These include arteriolar dilation during functional hyperemia, hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, vascular collateralization after ischemia, and feedback inhibition on renin secretion in the kidney.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Schmidt
- Institut für Physiologie, Universität zu Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany; Deutsches Zentrum für Herz-Kreislauf-Forschung (DZHK) e.V. (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - R Windler
- Institut für Physiologie, Universität zu Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany; Deutsches Zentrum für Herz-Kreislauf-Forschung (DZHK) e.V. (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - C de Wit
- Institut für Physiologie, Universität zu Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany; Deutsches Zentrum für Herz-Kreislauf-Forschung (DZHK) e.V. (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
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Lindemann H, Sechtem U, Ong P. Recurrent Angina Due to Epicardial Coronary Artery Spasm After Successful Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold Implantation. Circ J 2015; 79:1853-1854. [DOI: 10.1253/circj.cj-15-0279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Udo Sechtem
- Department of Cardiology, Robert Bosch Krankenhaus
| | - Peter Ong
- Department of Cardiology, Robert Bosch Krankenhaus
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Hald BO, Jacobsen JCB, Sandow SL, Holstein-Rathlou NH, Welsh DG. Less is more: minimal expression of myoendothelial gap junctions optimizes cell-cell communication in virtual arterioles. J Physiol 2014; 592:3243-55. [PMID: 24907303 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2014.272815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Dysfunctional electrical signalling within the arteriolar wall is a major cause of cardiovascular disease. The endothelial cell layer constitutes the primary electrical pathway, co-ordinating contraction of the overlying smooth muscle cell (SMC) layer. As myoendothelial gap junctions (MEGJs) provide direct contact between the cell layers, proper vasomotor responses are thought to depend on a high, uniform MEGJ density. However, MEGJs are observed to be expressed heterogeneously within and among vascular beds. This discrepancy is addressed in the present study. As no direct measures of MEGJ conductance exist, we employed a computational modelling approach to vary the number, conductance and distribution of MEGJs. Our simulations demonstrate that a minimal number of randomly distributed MEGJs augment arteriolar cell-cell communication by increasing conduction efficiency and ensuring appropriate membrane potential responses in SMCs. We show that electrical coupling between SMCs must be tailored to the particular MEGJ distribution. Finally, observation of non-decaying mechanical conduction in arterioles without regeneration has been a long-standing controversy in the microvascular field. As heterogeneous MEGJ distributions provide for different conduction profiles along the cell layers, we demonstrate that a non-decaying conduction profile is possible in the SMC layer of a vessel with passive electrical properties. These intriguing findings redefine the concept of efficient electrical communication in the microcirculation, illustrating how heterogeneous properties, ubiquitous in biological systems, may have a profound impact on system behaviour and how acute local and global flow control is explained from the biophysical foundations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bjørn Olav Hald
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Shaun L Sandow
- Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queensland, Australia Department of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Donald G Welsh
- Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Ong P, Athanasiadis A, Perne A, Mahrholdt H, Schäufele T, Hill S, Sechtem U. Coronary vasomotor abnormalities in patients with stable angina after successful stent implantation but without in-stent restenosis. Clin Res Cardiol 2013; 103:11-9. [DOI: 10.1007/s00392-013-0615-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2013] [Accepted: 08/22/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE VaD is the second-most common form of dementia, second only to that caused by AD. As the name indicates, VaD is predominantly considered a disease caused by vascular phenomena. METHODS In this invited review, we introduce the reader to recent developments in defining VaD as a unique form of dementia by reviewing the current pertinent literature. We discuss the clinical and experimental evidence that supports the notion that the microcirculation, specifically cell-to-cell communication, likely contributes to the development of VaD. Through exploration of the concept of the NVU, we elucidate the extensive cerebrovascular communication that exists and highlight models that may help test the contribution(s) of cell-to-cell communication at the microvascular level to the development and progression of VaD. Lastly, we explore the possibility that some dementia, generally considered to be purely neurodegenerative, may actually have a vascular component at the neurovascular level. CONCLUSION This latter recognition potentially broadens the critical involvement of microvascular events that contribute to the numerous dementias affecting an increasingly larger sector of the adult population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans H Dietrich
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110-1010, USA.
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Tran CHT, Taylor MS, Plane F, Nagaraja S, Tsoukias NM, Solodushko V, Vigmond EJ, Furstenhaupt T, Brigdan M, Welsh DG. Endothelial Ca2+ wavelets and the induction of myoendothelial feedback. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2012; 302:C1226-42. [PMID: 22277756 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00418.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
When arteries constrict to agonists, the endothelium inversely responds, attenuating the initial vasomotor response. The basis of this feedback mechanism remains uncertain, although past studies suggest a key role for myoendothelial communication in the signaling process. The present study examined whether second messenger flux through myoendothelial gap junctions initiates a negative-feedback response in hamster retractor muscle feed arteries. We specifically hypothesized that when agonists elicit depolarization and a rise in second messenger concentration, inositol trisphosphate (IP(3)) flux activates a discrete pool of IP(3) receptors (IP(3)Rs), elicits localized endothelial Ca(2+) transients, and activates downstream effectors to moderate constriction. With use of integrated experimental techniques, this study provided three sets of supporting observations. Beginning at the functional level, we showed that blocking intermediate-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels (IK) and Ca(2+) mobilization from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) enhanced the contractile/electrical responsiveness of feed arteries to phenylephrine. Next, structural analysis confirmed that endothelial projections make contact with the overlying smooth muscle. These projections retained membranous ER networks, and IP(3)Rs and IK channels localized in or near this structure. Finally, Ca(2+) imaging revealed that phenylephrine induced discrete endothelial Ca(2+) events through IP(3)R activation. These events were termed recruitable Ca(2+) wavelets on the basis of their spatiotemporal characteristics. From these findings, we conclude that IP(3) flux across myoendothelial gap junctions is sufficient to induce focal Ca(2+) release from IP(3)Rs and activate a discrete pool of IK channels within or near endothelial projections. The resulting hyperpolarization feeds back on smooth muscle to moderate agonist-induced depolarization and constriction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cam Ha T Tran
- Hotchkiss Brain and Libin Cardiovascular Research Institute, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Canada
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Abstract
This edition of Microcirculation presents five current and emerging perspectives of the microcirculation in development, health, and disease. The onset of blood flow and pressure are central to cardiovascular development. These hemodynamic forces are explored in light of underlying molecular signaling pathways that affect vascular and cardiac cell shape and proliferation. Shear-induced strain exerted on the plasma membrane and cytoskeleton is transmitted to cell nuclei and thereby affects gene activation through mechanotransduction. Altered stiffness or disturbed surfaces of aberrant vascular cells may affect an array of vasculopathies through altered gene expression. The endothelium is both a site and source for inflammatory responses triggered by cardiovascular risk factors often mediated through reactive oxygen species and angiotensin II. Tumor microenvironments are disturbed with abnormal growth and remodeling of blood and lymphatic vessels. More effective targeting strategies for delivering anti-angiogenic and cytotoxic agents are being developed through advances in intravital imaging. Blood flow control requires both vasodilation and vasoconstriction to be coordinated along and among arterioles and feed arteries. Evolving insights into signaling pathways between smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells illuminate how such processes can be affected in vasculopathies. These timely reviews provide a novel reference for advancing research frontiers in microcirculation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven S Segal
- Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Missouri and Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, Columbia, MO 65212, USA.
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