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Weinberger Y, Budnik I, Nisgav Y, Palevski D, Ben-David G, Fernández JA, Margalit SN, Levy-Mendelovich S, Kenet G, Weinberger D, Griffin JH, Livnat T. 3K3A-Activated Protein C Inhibits Choroidal Neovascularization Growth and Leakage and Reduces NLRP3 Inflammasome, IL-1β, and Inflammatory Cell Accumulation in the Retina. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10642. [PMID: 37445820 PMCID: PMC10341424 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241310642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
3K3A-Activated Protein C (APC) is a recombinant variant of the physiological anticoagulant APC with cytoprotective properties and reduced bleeding risks. We studied the potential use of 3K3A-APC as a multi-target therapeutic option for choroidal neovascularization (CNV), a common cause of vision loss in age-related macular degeneration. CNV was induced by laser photocoagulation in a murine model, and 3K3A-APC was intravitreally injected. The impact of 3K3A-APC treatment on myeloid and microglia cell activation and recruitment and on NLRP3 inflammasome, IL-1β, and VEGF levels was assessed using cryosection, retinal flat-mount immunohistochemistry and vascular imaging. Additionally, we evaluated the use of fluorescein angiography as a surrogate marker for in vivo evaluation of the efficacy of 3K3A-APC treatment against leaking CNV lesions. Our results demonstrated that 3K3A-APC treatment significantly reduced the accumulation and activation of myeloid cells and microglia in the CNV area and decreased the NLRP3 and IL-1β levels at the CNV site and the surrounding retina. Furthermore, 3K3A-APC treatment resulted in leakage regression and CNV growth suppression. These findings indicate that the anti-inflammatory activities of 3K3A-APC contribute to CNV inhibition. Our study suggests the potential use of 3K3A-APC as a novel multi-target treatment for CNV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yehonatan Weinberger
- Rabin Medical Center, Ophthalmology Department and Laboratory of Eye Research Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah-Tikva 5251108, Israel
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Ivan Budnik
- Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Yael Nisgav
- Rabin Medical Center, Ophthalmology Department and Laboratory of Eye Research Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah-Tikva 5251108, Israel
| | - Dahlia Palevski
- Rabin Medical Center, Ophthalmology Department and Laboratory of Eye Research Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah-Tikva 5251108, Israel
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Gil Ben-David
- Rabin Medical Center, Ophthalmology Department and Laboratory of Eye Research Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah-Tikva 5251108, Israel
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - José A. Fernández
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Shany Nivinsky Margalit
- Rabin Medical Center, Ophthalmology Department and Laboratory of Eye Research Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah-Tikva 5251108, Israel
| | - Sarina Levy-Mendelovich
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
- Sheba Medical Center, The Amalia Biron Thrombosis and Hemostasis Research Institute, Tel-Hashomer 52621, Israel
| | - Gili Kenet
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
- Sheba Medical Center, The Amalia Biron Thrombosis and Hemostasis Research Institute, Tel-Hashomer 52621, Israel
| | - Dov Weinberger
- Rabin Medical Center, Ophthalmology Department and Laboratory of Eye Research Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah-Tikva 5251108, Israel
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - John H. Griffin
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Tami Livnat
- Rabin Medical Center, Ophthalmology Department and Laboratory of Eye Research Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah-Tikva 5251108, Israel
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
- Sheba Medical Center, The Amalia Biron Thrombosis and Hemostasis Research Institute, Tel-Hashomer 52621, Israel
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Palevski D, Ben-David G, Weinberger Y, Haj Daood R, Fernández JA, Budnik I, Levy-Mendelovich S, Kenet G, Nisgav Y, Weinberger D, Griffin JH, Livnat T. 3K3A-Activated Protein C Prevents Microglia Activation, Inhibits NLRP3 Inflammasome and Limits Ocular Inflammation. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232214196. [PMID: 36430674 PMCID: PMC9694680 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232214196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
3K3A-Activated Protein C (APC) is a recombinant variant of the physiological anticoagulant APC with pleiotropic cytoprotective properties albeit without the bleeding risks. The anti-inflammatory activities of 3K3A-APC were demonstrated in multiple preclinical injury models, including various neurological disorders. We determined the ability of 3K3A-APC to inhibit ocular inflammation in a murine model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced uveitis. Leukocyte recruitment, microglia activation, NLRP3 inflammasome and IL-1β levels were assessed using flow cytometry, retinal cryosection histology, retinal flatmount immunohistochemistry and vascular imaging, with and without 3K3A-APC treatment. LPS triggered robust inflammatory cell recruitment in the posterior chamber. The 3K3A-APC treatment significantly decreased leukocyte numbers and inhibited leukocyte extravasation from blood vessels into the retinal parenchyma to a level similar to controls. Resident microglia, which underwent an inflammatory transition following LPS injection, remained quiescent in eyes treated with 3K3A-APC. An inflammation-associated increase in retinal thickness, observed in LPS-injected eyes, was diminished by 3K3A-APC treatment, suggesting its clinical relevancy. Finally, 3K3A-APC treatment inhibited inflammasome activation, determined by lower levels of NLRP3 and its downstream effector IL-1β. Our results highlight the anti-inflammatory properties of 3K3A-APC in ocular inflammation and suggest its potential use as a novel treatment for retinal diseases associated with inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dahlia Palevski
- Rabin Medical Center, Ophthalmology Department and Laboratory of Eye Research, Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah-Tikva 49100, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Gil Ben-David
- Rabin Medical Center, Ophthalmology Department and Laboratory of Eye Research, Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah-Tikva 49100, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Yehonatan Weinberger
- Rabin Medical Center, Ophthalmology Department and Laboratory of Eye Research, Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah-Tikva 49100, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Rabeei Haj Daood
- Rabin Medical Center, Ophthalmology Department and Laboratory of Eye Research, Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah-Tikva 49100, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - José A. Fernández
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Ivan Budnik
- Sheba Medical Center, The Amalia Biron Thrombosis Research Institute, Tel-Hashomer 52621, Israel
| | - Sarina Levy-Mendelovich
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
- Sheba Medical Center, The Amalia Biron Thrombosis Research Institute, Tel-Hashomer 52621, Israel
| | - Gili Kenet
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
- Sheba Medical Center, The Amalia Biron Thrombosis Research Institute, Tel-Hashomer 52621, Israel
| | - Yael Nisgav
- Rabin Medical Center, Ophthalmology Department and Laboratory of Eye Research, Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah-Tikva 49100, Israel
| | - Dov Weinberger
- Rabin Medical Center, Ophthalmology Department and Laboratory of Eye Research, Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah-Tikva 49100, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - John H. Griffin
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Tami Livnat
- Rabin Medical Center, Ophthalmology Department and Laboratory of Eye Research, Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah-Tikva 49100, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
- Sheba Medical Center, The Amalia Biron Thrombosis Research Institute, Tel-Hashomer 52621, Israel
- Correspondence:
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