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Vieceli Dalla Sega F, Fortini F, Licastro D, Monego SD, Degasperi M, Ascierto A, Marracino L, Severi P, D'Accolti M, Soffritti I, Brambilla M, Camera M, Tremoli E, Contoli M, Spadaro S, Campo G, Ferrari R, Caselli E, Rizzo P. Serum from COVID-19 patients promotes endothelial cell dysfunction through protease-activated receptor 2. Inflamm Res 2024; 73:117-130. [PMID: 38117300 DOI: 10.1007/s00011-023-01823-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Endothelial dysfunction plays a central role in the pathophysiology of COVID-19 and is closely linked to the severity and mortality of the disease. The inflammatory response to SARS-CoV-2 infection can alter the capacity of the endothelium to regulate vascular tone, immune responses, and the balance between anti-thrombotic and pro-thrombotic properties. However, the specific endothelial pathways altered during COVID-19 still need to be fully understood. OBJECTIVE In this study, we sought to identify molecular changes in endothelial cells induced by circulating factors characteristic of COVID-19. METHODS AND RESULTS To this aim, we cultured endothelial cells with sera from patients with COVID-19 or non-COVID-19 pneumonia. Through transcriptomic analysis, we were able to identify a distinctive endothelial phenotype that is induced by sera from COVID-19 patients. We confirmed and expanded this observation in vitro by showing that COVID-19 serum alters functional properties of endothelial cells leading to increased apoptosis, loss of barrier integrity, and hypercoagulability. Furthermore, we demonstrated that these endothelial dysfunctions are mediated by protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR-2), as predicted by transcriptome network analysis validated by in vitro functional assays. CONCLUSION Our findings provide the rationale for further studies to evaluate whether targeting PAR-2 may be a clinically effective strategy to counteract endothelial dysfunction in COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Alessia Ascierto
- Department of Translational Medicine and Laboratory for Technologies of Advanced Therapies (LTTA), University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Luisa Marracino
- Department of Translational Medicine and Laboratory for Technologies of Advanced Therapies (LTTA), University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Paolo Severi
- Department of Translational Medicine and Laboratory for Technologies of Advanced Therapies (LTTA), University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Maria D'Accolti
- Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical, and Agricultural Sciences, and LTTA, Section of Microbiology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Irene Soffritti
- Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical, and Agricultural Sciences, and LTTA, Section of Microbiology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | | | - Marina Camera
- Centro Cardiologico Monzino IRCCS, Milan, Italy
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Tremoli
- Maria Cecilia Hospital, GVM Care & Research, Cotignola, Italy
| | - Marco Contoli
- Respiratory Section, Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Savino Spadaro
- Intensive Care Unit, Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Gianluca Campo
- Cardiology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Ferrara, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Roberto Ferrari
- Department of Translational Medicine and Laboratory for Technologies of Advanced Therapies (LTTA), University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Caselli
- Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical, and Agricultural Sciences, and LTTA, Section of Microbiology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Paola Rizzo
- Maria Cecilia Hospital, GVM Care & Research, Cotignola, Italy
- Department of Translational Medicine and Laboratory for Technologies of Advanced Therapies (LTTA), University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
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Fei X, Cen X, Zhao R, Wang J, Cui H. PRMT5 knockdown enhances cell viability and suppresses cell apoptosis, oxidative stress, inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in ox-LDL-induced vascular endothelial cells via interacting with PDCD4. Int Immunopharmacol 2023; 122:110529. [PMID: 37399609 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.110529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
Atherosclerosis (AS) is an important pathological basis of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The development of AS commences with endothelial dysfunction due to vascular endothelial cell injury. It is well documented that protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) is highly related to cardiovascular events. BioGRID database analysis indicates that PRMT5 may interact with programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4), which is reported to be involved in AS progression. This present research was formulated to elucidate the biological roles of PRMT5/PDCD4 in vascular endothelial cell injury during AS. In this current work, HUVECs were stimulated with 100 mg/L ox-LDL for 48 h to construct an in vitro AS model. Expression levels of PRMT5 and PDCD4 were analyzed by performing RT-qPCR and western blot. The viability and apoptosis of HUVECs were determined using CCK-8, flow cytometry and western blot assays. The status of oxidative stress and inflammation was assessed via commercial detection kits and ELISA assay, respectively. Besides, biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction were detected via commercial detection kit and western blot assay. In addition, the interacting relationship between PRMT5 and PDCD4 was verified by Co-IP assay. Highly expressed PRMT5 was observed in ox-LDL-stimulated HUVECs. Knockdown of PRMT5 enhanced the viability and inhibited the apoptosis of ox-LDL-induced HUVECs as well as alleviated ox-LDL-triggered oxidative stress, inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in HUVECs. PRMT5 interacted and bound with PDCD4. Furthermore, the enhancing effect on cell viability as well as the suppressing effects on cell apoptosis, oxidative stress, inflammation and endothelial dysfunction of PRMT5 knockdown in ox-LDL-induced HUVECs were partially abolished upon up-regulation of PDCD4. To conclude, down-regulation of PRMT5 might exert protective effects against vascular endothelial cell injury during AS by suppressing PDCD4 expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohong Fei
- Cardiology Center, Ningbo First Hospital, Ningbo, 315010, Zhejiang, PR China; Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Atherosclerotic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo First Hospital, Ningbo, 315010, Zhejiang, PR China.
| | - Xuejiang Cen
- Cardiology Center, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Hangzhou, 310014, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Ruochi Zhao
- Cardiology Center, Ningbo First Hospital, Ningbo, 315010, Zhejiang, PR China; Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Atherosclerotic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo First Hospital, Ningbo, 315010, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Jian Wang
- Cardiology Center, Ningbo First Hospital, Ningbo, 315010, Zhejiang, PR China; Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Atherosclerotic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo First Hospital, Ningbo, 315010, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Hanbin Cui
- Cardiology Center, Ningbo First Hospital, Ningbo, 315010, Zhejiang, PR China; Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Atherosclerotic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo First Hospital, Ningbo, 315010, Zhejiang, PR China
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