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Blood, 1 January 2007, Vol. 109, No. 1, pp. 122-129.
Prepublished online as a Blood First Edition Paper on September 21, 2006; DOI 10.1182/blood-2006-07-031773.
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HEMOSTASIS, THROMBOSIS, AND VASCULAR BIOLOGY
Vascular endothelial growth factor-A induces plaque expansion in ApoE knock-out mice by promoting de novo leukocyte recruitment
Markus Lucerna1,4,
Alma Zernecke2,
Ramon de Nooijer1,
Saskia C. de Jager1,
Ilze Bot1,
Christian van der Lans1,
Ivana Kholova3,
Elisa A. Liehn2,
Theo J. C. van Berkel1,
Seppo Yla-Herttuala3,
Christian Weber2, and
Eric A. L. Biessen1,
1 Leiden/Amsterdam Center for Drug Research, Leiden University, The Netherlands;
2 Institute for Molecular Cardiovascular Research, University Hospital, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule, Aachen, Germany;
3 A. I. Virtanen Institute of Molecular Sciences, University of Kuopio, Finland; and
4 Medical University Vienna, Center of Biomolecular Medicine and Pharmacology, Department of Vascular Biology and Thrombosis Research, Vienna, Austria
Vascular endothelial growth factor-A is widely used in clinical trials for the treatment of cardiac ischemia. VEGF-A was recently suggested to act in a proinflammatory manner, which could aggravate adjacent atherogenesis in VEGF-Abased therapy. To assess potential bystander effects, VEGF-A was focally overexpressed in advanced atherosclerotic plaques in ApoE/ mice. Sheer-induced carotid artery plaques were transluminally incubated with Ad.hVEGF-A leading to neointimal overexpression of VEGF-A. Ad.hVEGF-A treatment of pre-existing lesions was seen to promote plaque expansion, with a concomitant increase in macrophage and lipid content, whereas it lowered collagen content. In general, Ad.hVEGF-Atreated plaques displayed a more vulnerable phenotype. VEGF-A overexpression was not accompanied by increased microvessel development in the neointima, suggesting that VEGF-A destabilizes atherosclerotic plaques through an angiogenesis-independent mechanism. Intravital microscopy confirmed that treatment with Ad.hVEGF-A led to an increased monocyte adhesion, which was mediated by a VCAM-1/PECAM-1dependent pathway. VEGF-A indeed induced a differential expression of VCAM-1 and PECAM-1 in endothelial cells. Our data underline the importance of regular monitoring of stenotic vessels adjacent to the site of VEGF-A application. We propose that VCAM-1/PECAM-1directed cotherapy may be an efficient strategy to prevent bystander effects of focal VEGF-A therapy in patients suffering from cardiovascular disease.

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