LOX-1 plays an important role in ischemia-induced angiogenesis of limbs

• Published in: PloS one 2014-12, Vol.9 (12), p.e114542-e114542
• Main Authors: Shiraki, Takeru, Aoyama, Takuma, Yokoyama, Chiharu, Hayakawa, Yuka, Tanaka, Toshiki, Nishigaki, Kazuhiko, Sawamura, Tatsuya, Minatoguchi, Shinya
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adhesion; AKT protein; Analysis; Angiogenesis; Animal tissues; Animals; Arteriosclerosis; Atherosclerosis; Biology and Life Sciences; Blood; Blood flow; Blotting, Western; Bone marrow; Cardiology; Cell adhesion; Cell adhesion molecules; CYBB protein; Density; Doppler effect; Endothelial cells; Enzyme Activation - physiology; Extremities - blood supply; Gene Expression Regulation - physiology; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit - metabolism; Immunohistochemistry; Infiltration; Inflammation; Ischemia; Ischemia - complications; Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; Lasers; Lectins; Lipoproteins (low density); Liquid oxygen; Low density lipoprotein; Low density lipoprotein receptors; Low density lipoproteins; LOX-1 protein; Macrophages; MAP kinase; Medicine; Medicine and Health Sciences; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Muscles; Neovascularization, Pathologic - etiology; Neovascularization, Pathologic - physiopathology; NF-κB protein; Phosphorylation; Physiology; Reactive oxygen species; Reactive Oxygen Species - metabolism; Receptor density; Rodents; Scavenger Receptors, Class E - genetics; Scavenger Receptors, Class E - metabolism; Surgery; University graduates; Vascular cell adhesion molecule 1; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 - metabolism; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A - metabolism; Veins & arteries
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0114542

LOX-1, lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-1, is a single transmembrane receptor mainly expressed on endothelial cells. LOX-1 mediates the uptake of oxidized LDL, an early step in atherosclerosis; however, little is known about whether LOX-1 is involved in angiogenesis during tissue ischemia. Therefore, we examined the role of LOX-1 in ischemia-induced angiogenesis in the hindlimbs of LOX-1 knockout (KO) mice. Angiogenesis was evaluated in a surgically induced hindlimb ischemia model using laser Doppler blood flowmetry (LDBF) and histological capillary density (CD) and arteriole density (AD). After right hindlimb ischemia, the ischemic/nonischemic hindlimb blood flow ratio was persistently lower in LOX-1 KO mice than in wild-type (WT) mice. CD and AD were significantly smaller in LOX-1 KO mice than in WT mice on postoperative day 14. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the number of macrophages infiltrating ischemic tissues was significantly smaller in LOX-1 KO mice than in WT mice. The number of infiltrated macrophages expressing VEGF was also significantly smaller in LOX-1 KO mice than in WT mice. Western blot analysis and ROS production assay revealed that LOX- KO mice show significant decrease in Nox2 expression, ROS production and HIF-1α expression, the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and NF-κB p65 subunit as well as expression of redox-sensitive vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and LOX-1 itself in ischemic muscles, which is supposed to be required for macrophage infiltration expressing angiogenic factor VEGF. Reduction of VEGF expression successively suppressed the phosphorylation of Akt and eNOS, which accelerated angiogenesis, in the ischemic leg of LOX-1 KO mice. Our findings indicate that LOX-1 plays an important role in ischemia-induced angiogenesis by 1) Nox2-ROS-NF-κB activation, 2) upregulated expression of adhesion molecules: VCAM-1 and LOX-1 and 3) promoting macrophage infiltration, which expresses angiogenic factor VEGF.