Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Deborah D. Chin, Christopher Poon, Jonathan Wang, Johan Joo, Victor Ong, Zhangjingyi Jiang, Kayley Cheng, Anastasia Plotkin, Gregory A. Magee, Eun Ji Chung
Summary: The delivery of miR-145 micelles to VSMCs shows promise in mitigating atherosclerosis progression by altering cell phenotypes and reducing plaque growth. In mouse experiments, miR-145 micelles significantly inhibited the advancement of atherosclerosis.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yu Jiang, Hai-Yan Qian
Summary: Atherosclerosis (AS) is the accumulation of lipids and inflammatory debris in the arterial wall, leading to gradual occlusion of the arterial lumen. Despite therapeutic advances, AS remains the most common cause of cardiovascular diseases and the main mechanism of death and disability worldwide. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) play a crucial role in AS, with remarkable plasticity and involvement in various processes such as phenotypic transformation, proliferation, migration, calcification, and apoptosis. Transcription factors and complex interactions of conserved cis-regulatory elements are key in the transcriptional regulation of VSMC genes, and manipulating transcription factors can regulate the development of atherosclerotic lesions.
MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Mandy O. J. Grootaert, Martin R. Bennett
Summary: Vascular smooth muscle cells play a key role in atherosclerosis by forming a protective fibrous cap and exhibiting various phenotypes that can affect plaque formation and stability. They are a larger proportion of atherosclerotic plaques than previously thought and their plasticity is regulated by various mechanisms.
CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Genmao Cao, Xuezhen Xuan, Jie Hu, Ruijing Zhang, Haijiang Jin, Honglin Dong
Summary: Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are highly plastic and can switch into synthetic VSMCs to repair vascular injury. Multiple phenotypes of VSMCs have been discovered in vascular aging, atherosclerosis, and aortic aneurysm. The transformation of VSMCs is regulated by various factors such as transcription factors, growth factors, and non-coding RNAs.
CELL COMMUNICATION AND SIGNALING
(2022)
Review
Hematology
Ashish Misra, Rajan Rehan, Alexander Lin, Sanjay Patel, Edward A. Fisher
Summary: Clonal expansion plays a crucial role in atherosclerosis, particularly in smooth muscle cells and macrophages. Recent studies have revealed the contribution of clonal expansion to disease pathology and provided innovative directions for future therapies of atherosclerosis and associated cardiovascular diseases.
ARTERIOSCLEROSIS THROMBOSIS AND VASCULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Menno P. J. de Winther, Magnus Back, Paul Evans, Delphine Gomez, Isabel Goncalves, Helle F. Jorgensen, Rory R. Koenen, Esther Lutgens, Giuseppe Danilo Norata, Elena Osto, Lea Dib, Michael Simons, Konstantinos Stellos, Seppo Yla-Herttuala, Holger Winkels, Marie-Luce Bochaton-Piallat, Claudia Monaco
Summary: The advent of single-cell biology has opened up new possibilities for understanding human biological processes and diagnosing, monitoring, and treating diseases, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). By analyzing CVD samples at the single-cell level, new cell communities that play a role in disease development can be identified, leading to new therapeutic strategies. This review focuses on the single-cell analysis of atherosclerotic plaques, highlighting the current understanding of cellular subpopulations and their heterogeneity and plasticity in relation to clinically relevant features. The clinical impact of single-cell technologies in CVD patient care is emphasized, calling for multidisciplinary and international collaborative efforts.
EUROPEAN HEART JOURNAL
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Michael Hutton, Madeleine Frazer, Alexander Lin, Sanjay Patel, Ashish Misra
Summary: This review explores the potential of vascular cell plasticity as a target for therapeutic intervention in atherosclerosis. The phenotypic switching of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and macrophages within atherosclerotic plaques plays a crucial role in plaque stability and disease burden. The development of treatments targeting deleterious phenotypes or promoting pro-healing phenotypes shows promise in reducing cardiovascular events.
CLINICAL THERAPEUTICS
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Gabriel Hoi-Huen Chan, Enoch Chan, Carsten Tsun-Ka Kwok, George Pak-Heng Leung, Simon Ming-Yuen Lee, Sai-Wang Seto
Summary: Ageing is a risk factor for degenerative diseases, including cardiovascular diseases. The tumor suppressor gene p53 may play a regulatory role in vascular remodeling, atherosclerosis, and pulmonary hypertension. Further studies are needed to fully understand the effects of p53 in cardiovascular function and its therapeutic potential.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Floriana Maria Farina, Simone Serio, Ignacio Fernando Hall, Stefania Zani, Giada Andrea Cassanmagnago, Montserrat Climent, Efrem Civilini, Gianluigi Condorelli, Manuela Quintavalle, Leonardo Elia
Summary: DOT1L inhibition in VSMCs significantly reduces atherosclerosis progression by directly modulating Nf-kappa B1 and Nf-kappa B2 transcription, which are master regulators of inflammation inducing expression of CCL5 and CXCL10 cytokines, key in atherosclerosis development. DOT1L could be a promising therapeutic target for vascular diseases as its inhibition reduces plaque progression.
EUROPEAN HEART JOURNAL
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sainan Liu, Li Li, Huanran Wang, Jianying Tan, Lai Wei, Yajun Weng, Junying Chen
Summary: Atherosclerosis is a multifactorial disease involving various cell types and biomolecules, and its complex biological environment poses challenges for research and treatment. The treatment of atherosclerosis primarily focuses on blocking or inhibiting factors affecting plaque formation and development, as well as cardiovascular stent intervention. The treatment of atherosclerosis based on molecular biology and cell biology is becoming a research hotspot in the coming decades.
CURRENT MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Fabienne Burger, Daniela Baptista, Aline Roth, Rafaela Fernandes da Silva, Fabrizio Montecucco, Francois Mach, Karim J. Brandt, Kapka Miteva
Summary: The study demonstrated that oxLDL-activated monocytes can directly affect VSMCs in a co-culture system, leading to reduced expression of certain markers and upregulation of others, as well as activation of caspase 1, secretion of IL-1 beta, and pyroptosis in VSMCs. The activation of VSMC NLRP3 inflammasome by monocytes may play a detrimental role in atherosclerotic plaque stability in human atherosclerosis, as evidenced by findings in both mice and human atherosclerotic plaques.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Karim J. Brandt, Fabienne Burger, Daniela Baptista, Aline Roth, Rafaela Fernandes da Silva, Fabrizio Montecucco, Francois Mach, Kapka Miteva
Summary: The study revealed the crucial role of GDF10 in the phenotypic switch of VSMCs, which may have a detrimental impact on the stability of atherosclerotic plaques and increase the risk of carotid artery disease (CAD) events.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Alessandro L. Gallina, Urszula Rykaczewska, Robert C. Wirka, April S. Caravaca, Vladimir S. Shavva, Mohamad Youness, Glykeria Karadimou, Mariette Lengquist, Anton Razuvaev, Gabrielle Paulsson-Berne, Thomas Quertermous, Anton Gistera, Stephen G. Malin, Laura Tarnawski, Ljubica Matic, Peder S. Olofsson
Summary: Glutamate receptors and related enzymes were identified in VSMCs from human atherosclerotic lesions, with AMPA-type glutamate receptors playing a role in VSMC phenotypic modulation. Lower mRNA levels of GRIA1 and GRIA2 in atherosclerotic lesions were associated with adverse clinical events, suggesting the importance of further exploring neurotransmitter signaling in the pathogenesis of human atherosclerosis.
FRONTIERS IN CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE
(2021)
Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Lingfeng Luo, Changhao Fu, Caitlin F. Bell, Ying Wang, Nicholas J. Leeper
Summary: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, and vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) clonality plays a significant role in its development. Currently, there are unanswered questions regarding SMC clonality, such as the existence of stem-like progenitor cells and how cells within a clone determine their phenotype. Understanding these aspects is important for the development of novel approaches to treating atherosclerosis.
FRONTIERS IN CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Nikolaos T. Skenteris, Till Seime, Anna Witasp, Eva Karlof, Grzegorz B. Wasilewski, Marina A. Heuschkel, Armand M. G. Jaminon, Loureen Oduor, Robert Dzhanaev, Malin Kronqvist, Mariette Lengquist, Frederique E. C. M. Peeters, Magnus Soderberg, Rebecka Hultgren, Joy Roy, Lars Maegdefessel, Hildur Arnardottir, Eva Bengtsson, Isabel Goncalves, Thomas Quertermous, Claudia Goettsch, Peter Stenvinkel, Leon J. Schurgers, Ljubica Matic
Summary: Recent studies have found a correlation between plasma and tissue levels of osteomodulin (OMD) and cardiovascular calcification, suggesting the potential of OMD as a clinical biomarker. OMD was found to be present in calcified cardiovascular tissues and was induced by pro-inflammatory and pro-osteogenic stimuli. Furthermore, the presence of OMD in the extracellular environment attenuated smooth muscle cell (SMC) calcification.
CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Kenta Matoba, Akinori Hayashi, Naoya Shimizu, Ibuki Moriguchi, Naoyuki Kobayashi, Masayoshi Shichiri
JOURNAL OF DIABETES AND ITS COMPLICATIONS
(2020)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Chikatoshi Katada, Saeko Fukazawa, Mitsuhiro Sugawara, Yasutoshi Sakamoto, Kaoru Takahashi, Akiko Takahashi, Akinori Watanabe, Takuya Wada, Kenji Ishido, Yasuaki Furue, Hiroki Harada, Kei Hosoda, Keishi Yamashita, Naoki Hiki, Teruko Sato, Takafumi Ichikawa, Masayoshi Shichiri, Satoshi Tanabe, Wasaburo Koizumi
Summary: Nutritional support provided by an amino acid-rich elemental diet was ineffective for reducing the incidence of adverse events caused by DCF chemotherapy in patients with esophageal cancer, but tended to maintain certain indicators after chemotherapy.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tomomi Taguchi, Yoshio Kodera, Kazuhito Oba, Tatsuya Saito, Yuzuru Nakagawa, Yusuke Kawashima, Masayoshi Shichiri
Summary: The study successfully identified three novel bioactive polypeptides derived from suprabasin in plasma using a novel strategy, demonstrating a new approach for discovering unknown bioactive peptides.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Peripheral Vascular Disease
Kazumi Fujimoto, Sayuki Kawamura, Satoru Bando, Yuji Kamata, Yoshio Kodera, Masayoshi Shichiri
Summary: The study looked at the molecular forms of human plasma prorenin and developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to directly measure its concentration. It found that plasma prorenin concentrations are far higher than previously thought, with three major distinct components identified. Additionally, plasma prorenin concentrations were not affected by postural changes, indicating potential posttranslational modifications or albumin binding.
HYPERTENSION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Akinori Hayashi, Naoya Shimizu, Agena Suzuki, Kenta Matoba, Akari Momozono, Tsuguto Masaki, Akifumi Ogawa, Ibuki Moriguchi, Koji Takano, Naoyuki Kobayashi, Masayoshi Shichiri
Summary: Despite the use of dialysate containing 100-150 mg/dL glucose, patients with diabetes undergoing HD experienced HD-related hypoglycemia frequently. SGL showed a sustained decrease during HD, reaching a nadir lower than the dialysate glucose concentration, regardless of the dialysate glucose concentration.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tsuguto Masaki, Yoshio Kodera, Michishige Terasaki, Kazumi Fujimoto, Tsutomu Hirano, Masayoshi Shichiri
Summary: A new plasma peptidomic technique was used to identify a novel endogenous proatherogenic peptide, GIP_HUMAN[22-51], which accelerates atherosclerosis by modulating the cardiovascular system and inducing inflammatory responses.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Hiroaki Iwasaki, Masayoshi Shichiri
Summary: In Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes, the rs3745468 variant in the PRMT1 gene was associated with an increased incidence of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and may be involved in the HIF-1-dependent hypoxic pathway through altered PRMT1 levels.
ACTA DIABETOLOGICA
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Naoya Shimizu, Akifumi Ogawa, Akinori Hayashi, Masayoshi Shichiri
Summary: This study shows that changes in HbA1c levels may not accurately reflect the glycemic improvements in patients treated with SGLT2 inhibitors. The study suggests that GA may be a more reliable biomarker for evaluating the glucose-lowering effect and glycemic fluctuations induced by SGLT2 inhibitors.
JOURNAL OF DIABETES AND ITS COMPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Kako Hanada, Kunpei Fukasawa, Hiroki Hinata, Shu Imai, Kentaro Takayama, Hideyo Hirai, Rina Ohfusa, Yoshio Hayashi, Fumiko Itoh
Summary: Cancer cachexia is a disease that leads to continuous skeletal muscle wasting and is a major cause of cancer-related death. Researchers have identified a potential new therapeutic tool for suppressing muscle wasting in cancer cachexia, which involves the combined use of a myostatin inhibitor and a ghrelin receptor agonist. This combination treatment has been shown to effectively alleviate muscle wasting and improve survival in animal models.
Article
Peripheral Vascular Disease
Sayuki Kawamura, Kazumi Fujimoto, Akinori Hayashi, Yuji Kamata, Ibuki Moriguchi, Naoyuki Kobayashi, Masayoshi Shichiri
Summary: Although the measurement of plasma prorenin levels is still unavailable in clinical practice, this study found that utilizing a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay that captures posttranslationally modified prorenins with their prosegment antibodies, plasma and serum prorenin concentrations can be measured in patients with diabetes mellitus, hypertension and/or renal disease. The results showed no significant difference compared to healthy controls, but were significantly higher than previously reported levels using conventional assay kits. Furthermore, the study found that plasma prorenin levels were negatively correlated with body weight, serum albumin levels, and serum creatinine levels, while the use of loop diuretics was associated with elevated plasma prorenin levels.
HYPERTENSION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Sayaka Sasaki, Kazuhito Oba, Yoshio Kodera, Makoto Itakura, Masayoshi Shichiri
Summary: The discovery of bioactive peptides is important for understanding human diseases and drug discovery. In this study, a anorexigenic peptide ANGT_HUMAN[448-462] was identified and found to bind to the beta-subunit of ATP synthase. It was shown to suppress eating behavior in mice.
JOURNAL OF THE ENDOCRINE SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Naoya Shimizu, Akinori Hayashi, Shiori Ito, Agena Suzuki, Rei Fujishima, Kenta Matoba, Tatsuhiko Wada, Koji Takano, Masato Katagiri, Masayoshi Shichiri
Summary: This study investigated the accuracy of isCGM in COVID-19 patients during dexamethasone therapy. The results showed that isCGM correlated well with point-of-care measurements and had good reliability in COVID-19 patients with and without diabetes.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Naoya Shimizu, Akinori Hayashi, Shiori Ito, Agena Suzuki, Rei Fujishima, Kenta Matoba, Tatsuhiko Wada, Koji Takano, Masato Katagiri, Masayoshi Shichiri
Summary: The clinical utility of intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring (isCGM) in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during dexamethasone therapy was investigated. The accuracy of isCGM compared to point-of-care (POC) fingerstick glucose monitoring was evaluated in 16 patients with COVID-19, showing good correlation and reliability, especially for COVID-19 patients with and without diabetes. While isCGM may not be as accurate as traditional blood glucose monitoring, it demonstrated good reliability in this specific patient population.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Agena Suzuki, Yuji Kamata, Tomomi Taguchi, Koji Takano, Yuto Yamazaki, Hironobu Sasano, Masayoshi Shichiri
Summary: Advances in imaging technology have led to an increase in the number of identified patients with bilateral adrenal incidentalomas, but there is no consensus on the optimal management of these lesions. This study reports a clinically interesting case of a 59-year-old female with adrenocortical adenoma harboring a venous thrombus that mimicked adrenal malignancy, highlighting the difficulty in preoperatively diagnosing and differentiating between benign and malignant adrenal lesions.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Akari Momozono, Akinori Hayashi, Koji Takano, Masayoshi Shichiri
Summary: The study demonstrates that growth hormone replacement therapy significantly improves resting energy expenditure and body composition in patients with adult growth hormone deficiency. This therapy leads to an increase in lean body mass, improved lipid metabolism, and no change in body weight over the course of 12 months.
