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Leptin treatment has vasculo-protective effects in lipodystrophic mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2110374119. [PMID: 36161905 PMCID: PMC9546548 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2110374119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Lipodystrophy syndromes are characterized by loss of adipose tissue, metabolic complications, and accelerated atherosclerosis. Adipose tissue deficiency results in reduced levels of the adipokine leptin. We investigated the effects of leptin on the functional properties of endothelial cells and atherogenesis in lipodystrophy. Leptin reduced endothelial to mesenchymal transition-induced expression of mesenchymal genes and prevented impairment of endothelial barrier function. Leptin administration in a lipodystrophy and atherosclerosis mouse model reduced plaque protrusion and endothelial cells with mesenchymal gene expression in vascular plaques. The effects were mediated by the growth/differentiation factor 15. The data identify an important role for leptin in controlling endothelial cell function in lipodystrophy syndromes. Lipodystrophy syndromes (LDs) are characterized by loss of adipose tissue, metabolic complications such as dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and fatty liver disease, as well as accelerated atherosclerosis. As a result of adipose tissue deficiency, the systemic concentration of the adipokine leptin is reduced. A current promising therapeutic option for patients with LD is treatment with recombinant leptin (metreleptin), resulting in reduced risk of mortality. Here, we investigate the effects of leptin on endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EndMT), which impair the functional properties of endothelial cells and promotes atherogenesis in LD. Leptin treatment reduced inflammation and TGF-β2–induced expression of mesenchymal genes and prevented impairment of endothelial barrier function. Treatment of lipodystrophic- and atherosclerosis-prone animals (Ldlr−/−; aP2-nSrebp1c-Tg) with leptin reduced macrophage accumulation in atherosclerotic lesions, vascular plaque protrusion, and the number of endothelial cells with mesenchymal gene expression, confirming a reduction in EndMT in LD after leptin treatment. Treatment with leptin inhibited LD-mediated induction of the proatherosclerotic cytokine growth/differentiation factor 15 (GDF15). Inhibition of GDF15 reduced EndMT induction triggered by plasma from patients with LD. Our study reveals that in addition to the effects on adipose tissue function, leptin treatment exerts beneficial effects protecting endothelial function and identity in LD by reducing GDF15.
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de Campos TDP, da Cruz Rodrigues KC, Pereira RM, Anaruma CP, Dos Santos Canciglieri R, de Melo DG, da Silva ASR, Cintra DE, Ropelle ER, Pauli JR, de Moura LP. The protective roles of clusterin in ocular diseases caused by obesity and diabetes mellitus type 2. Mol Biol Rep 2021; 48:4637-4645. [PMID: 34036481 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-021-06419-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Obesity is a chronic, non-transmissible and multifactorial disease commonly associated with systemic inflammation and damage to health. This disorder has been pointed out as leading to the development of a diversity of eye diseases and, consequently, damage to visual acuity. More specifically, cardiometabolic risk is associated with lacrimal gland dysfunctions, since it changes the inflammatory profile favoring the development and worsening of dry eye disease. In more severe and extreme cases, obesity, inflammation, and diabetes mellitus type 2 can trigger the total loss of vision. In this scenario, besides its numerous metabolic functions, clusterin, an apolipoprotein, has been described as protective to the ocular surface through the seal mechanism. Thus, the current review aimed to explain the role of clusterin in dry eye disease that can be triggered by obesity and diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thaís Dantis Pereira de Campos
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Exercise (LaBMEx), School of Applied Sciences, University of Campinas, 1300 Pedro Zaccaria Street, Limeira, SP, Brazil
| | - Kellen Cristina da Cruz Rodrigues
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Exercise (LaBMEx), School of Applied Sciences, University of Campinas, 1300 Pedro Zaccaria Street, Limeira, SP, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Martins Pereira
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Exercise (LaBMEx), School of Applied Sciences, University of Campinas, 1300 Pedro Zaccaria Street, Limeira, SP, Brazil
| | - Chadi Pellegrini Anaruma
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Exercise (LaBMEx), School of Applied Sciences, University of Campinas, 1300 Pedro Zaccaria Street, Limeira, SP, Brazil
| | - Raphael Dos Santos Canciglieri
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Exercise (LaBMEx), School of Applied Sciences, University of Campinas, 1300 Pedro Zaccaria Street, Limeira, SP, Brazil
| | - Diego Gomes de Melo
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Exercise (LaBMEx), School of Applied Sciences, University of Campinas, 1300 Pedro Zaccaria Street, Limeira, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Dennys Esper Cintra
- Laboratory of Nutritional Genomics (LABGeN), School of Applied Sciences, University of Campinas, Limeira, SP, Brazil
- CEPECE - Center of Research in Sport Sciences. School of Applied Sciences, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Limeira, SP, Brazil
| | - Eduardo Rochete Ropelle
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Exercise (LaBMEx), School of Applied Sciences, University of Campinas, 1300 Pedro Zaccaria Street, Limeira, SP, Brazil
- CEPECE - Center of Research in Sport Sciences. School of Applied Sciences, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Limeira, SP, Brazil
| | - José Rodrigo Pauli
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Exercise (LaBMEx), School of Applied Sciences, University of Campinas, 1300 Pedro Zaccaria Street, Limeira, SP, Brazil
- CEPECE - Center of Research in Sport Sciences. School of Applied Sciences, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Limeira, SP, Brazil
| | - Leandro Pereira de Moura
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Exercise (LaBMEx), School of Applied Sciences, University of Campinas, 1300 Pedro Zaccaria Street, Limeira, SP, Brazil.
- CEPECE - Center of Research in Sport Sciences. School of Applied Sciences, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Limeira, SP, Brazil.
- Postgraduate Program in Motricity Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), São Paulo, Brazil.
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Coroniti R, Farjo R, Nuno DJ, Otvos L, Scolaro L, Surmacz E. Designer Leptin Receptor Antagonist Allo-aca Inhibits VEGF Effects in Ophthalmic Neoangiogenesis Models. Front Mol Biosci 2016; 3:67. [PMID: 27790618 PMCID: PMC5062870 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2016.00067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2016] [Accepted: 09/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Experimental and clinical data suggest that pro-angiogenic, pro-inflammatory and mitogenic cytokine leptin can be implicated in ocular neovascularization and other eye pathologies. At least in part, leptin action appears to be mediated through functional interplay with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). VEGF is a potent regulator of neoangiogenesis and vascular leakage with a proven role in conditions such as proliferative diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema. Accordingly, drugs targeting VEGF are becoming mainstream treatments for these diseases. The crosstalk between leptin and VEGF has been noted in different tissues, but its involvement in the development of eye pathologies is unclear. Leptin is coexpressed with VEGF during ocular neovascularization and can potentiate VEGF synthesis and angiogenic function. However, whether or not VEGF regulates leptin expression or signaling has never been studied. Consequently, we addressed this aspect of leptin/VEGF crosstalk in ocular models, focusing on therapeutic exploration of underlying mechanisms. Here we show, for the first time, that in retinal (RF/6A) and corneal (BCE) endothelial cells, VEGF (100 ng/mL, 24 h) stimulated leptin mRNA synthesis by 70 and 30%, respectively, and protein expression by 56 and 28%, respectively. In parallel, VEGF induced RF/6A and BCE cell growth by 33 and 20%, respectively. In addition, VEGF upregulated chemotaxis and chemokinesis in retinal cells by ~40%. VEGF-dependent proliferation and migration were significantly reduced in the presence of the leptin receptor antagonist, Allo-aca, at 100-250 nmol/L concentrations. Furthermore, Allo-aca suppressed VEGF-dependent long-term (24 h), but not acute (15 min) stimulation of the Akt and ERK1/2 signaling pathways. The efficacy of Allo-aca was validated in the rat laser-induced choroidal neovascularization model where the compound (5 μg/eye) significantly reduced pathological vascularization with the efficacy similar to that of a standard treatment (anti-VEGF antibody, 1 μg/eye). Cumulatively, our results suggest that chronic exposure to VEGF upregulates leptin expression and function. As leptin can in turn activate VEGF, the increased abundance of both cytokines could amplify pro-angiogenic and pro-inflammatory environement in the eye. Thus, combined therapies targeting ObR and VEGF should be considered in the treatment of ocular diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Coroniti
- Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA, USA
| | - Rafal Farjo
- Department of Biology, Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA, USA
| | - Didier J. Nuno
- Department of Biology, Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Laura Scolaro
- Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA, USA
| | - Eva Surmacz
- Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA, USA
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Fiedor E, Gregoraszczuk EŁ. The molecular mechanism of action of superactive human leptin antagonist (SHLA) and quadruple leptin mutein Lan-2 on human ovarian epithelial cell lines. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2016; 78:611-22. [PMID: 27480179 PMCID: PMC5010610 DOI: 10.1007/s00280-016-3113-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2016] [Accepted: 07/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Introduction A number of leptin receptor antagonists have been synthesised for therapeutic use, with pre-clinical tests suggesting their future use in anticancer therapy. To our knowledge, there are no data concerning the possible application of leptin receptor blockers in ovarian cancer. Methods In this study, we evaluated two leptin receptor antagonists: superactive human leptin antagonist (SHLA) and quadruple leptin mutein, Lan-2 (L39A/D40A/F41A/I42A), on cell proliferation (Alamar Blue test, BrdU assay), cell cycle gene (qPCR) and protein expression (Western blot) and cell signalling pathways (Western blot) in three different types of cell lines: OVCAR-3, CaOV-3 and HOSEpiC. Results Both receptor blockers had no effect on non-cancerous HOSEpiC cell line proliferation; however, both reversed the stimulatory effect of leptin on CaOV-3 cell line proliferation to control levels and to below control levels in OVCAR-3 cells. In metastatic carcinoma CaOV-3, both ObR antagonists had an inhibitory effect on the cdk2/cyclin D1 complex, while in serous carcinoma, OVCAR-3, they only had an effect on cdk2 and cdk4 protein expression. SHLA had an inhibitory effect on all investigated signalling pathways in OVCAR-3, while only on Stat3 in CaOV-3. Lan-2 had an inhibitory effect on Stat3 and ERK1/2 in CaOV-3, while in OVCAR-3 it only affected Akt protein phosphorylation. Conclusion Based on these results, we conclude that SHLA and Lan-2 are promising leptin receptor inhibitors which could be used to block leptin activity, eliminating its negative effects on activities related to carcinogenesis. However, the selection of a specific antagonist should be related to tumour type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elżbieta Fiedor
- Department of Physiology and Toxicology of Reproduction, Chair of Animal Physiology, Institute of Zoology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387, Kraków, Poland
| | - Ewa Łucja Gregoraszczuk
- Department of Physiology and Toxicology of Reproduction, Chair of Animal Physiology, Institute of Zoology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387, Kraków, Poland.
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Otvos L, Kovalszky I, Olah J, Coroniti R, Knappe D, Nollmann FI, Hoffmann R, Wade JD, Lovas S, Surmacz E. Optimization of adiponectin-derived peptides for inhibition of cancer cell growth and signaling. Biopolymers 2015; 104:156-66. [DOI: 10.1002/bip.22627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2015] [Revised: 01/27/2015] [Accepted: 02/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laszlo Otvos
- Department of Biology; Temple University; Philadelphia PA 19122
| | - Ilona Kovalszky
- 1st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research; Semmelweis University; Budapest 1085 Hungary
| | - Julia Olah
- 1st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research; Semmelweis University; Budapest 1085 Hungary
| | - Roberta Coroniti
- Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine; Temple University; Philadelphia PA 19122
| | - Daniel Knappe
- Institute of Bioanalytical Chemistry; Leipzig University; Leipzig 04103 Germany
| | | | - Ralf Hoffmann
- Institute of Bioanalytical Chemistry; Leipzig University; Leipzig 04103 Germany
| | - John D. Wade
- Florey Neurosciences Institutes; University of Melbourne; Victoria 3010 Australia
- School of Chemistry; University of Melbourne; Victoria 3010 Australia
| | - Sandor Lovas
- Department of Biomedical Sciences; Creighton University; Omaha NE 68178
| | - Eva Surmacz
- Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine; Temple University; Philadelphia PA 19122
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The designer leptin antagonist peptide Allo-aca compensates for short serum half-life with very tight binding to the receptor. Amino Acids 2013; 46:873-82. [PMID: 24366600 DOI: 10.1007/s00726-013-1650-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2013] [Accepted: 12/12/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The leptin receptor antagonist peptide Allo-aca exhibits picomolar activities in various cellular systems and sub-mg/kg subcutaneous efficacies in animal models making it a prime drug candidate and target validation tool. Here we identified the biochemical basis for its remarkable in vivo activity. Allo-aca decomposed within 30 min in pooled human serum and was undetectable beyond the same time period from mouse plasma during pharmacokinetic measurements. The C max of 8.9 μg/mL at 5 min corresponds to approximately 22% injected peptide present in the circulation. The half-life was extended to over 2 h in bovine vitreous fluid and 10 h in human tears suggesting potential efficacy in ophthalmic diseases. The peptide retained picomolar anti-proliferation activity against a chronic myeloid leukemia cell line; addition of a C-terminal biotin label increased the IC50 value by approximately 200-fold. In surface plasmon resonance assays with the biotin-labeled peptide immobilized to a NeutrAvidin-coated chip, Allo-aca exhibited exceptionally tight binding to the binding domain of the human leptin receptor with ka = 5 × 10(5) M(-1) s(-1) and kdiss = 1.5 × 10(-4) s(-1) values. Peptides excel in terms of high activity and selectivity to their targets, and may activate or inactivate receptor functions considerably longer than molecular turnovers that take place in experimental animals.
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