Leptin-deficient obesity prolongs survival in a murine model of myelodysplastic syndrome

Obesity enhances the risk of developing myelodysplastic syndromes. However, the effect of obesity on survival is unclear. Obese people present with monocytosis due to inflammatory signals emanating from obese adipose tissue. We hypothesized that obesity-induced myelopoiesis would promote the transition of myelodysplastic syndrome to acute myeloid leukemia and accelerate mortality in obesity. Obese Ob/Ob mice or their lean littermate controls received a bone marrow transplant from NUP98-HOXD13 transgenic mice, a model of myelodysplastic syndrome. The metabolic parameters of the mice were examined throughout the course of the study, as were blood leukocytes. Myeloid cells were analyzed in the bone, spleen, liver and adipose tissue by flow cytometry halfway through the disease progression and at the endpoint. Survival curves were also calculated. Contrary to our hypothesis, transplantation of NUP98-HOXD13 bone marrow into obese recipient mice significantly increased survival time compared with lean recipient controls. While monocyte skewing was exacerbated in obese mice receiving NUP98-HOXD13 bone marrow, transformation to acute myeloid leukemia was not enhanced. Increased survival of obese mice was associated with a preservation of fat mass as well as increased myeloid cell deposition within the adipose tissue, and a concomitant reduction in detrimental myeloid cell accumulation within other organs. The study herein revealed that obesity increases survival in animals with myelodysplastic syndrome. This may be due to the greater fat mass of Ob/Ob mice, which acts as a sink for myeloid cells, preventing their accumulation in other key organs, such as the liver

High-density lipoprotein inhibits human M1 macrophage polarization through redistribution of caveolin-1

Background and PurposeMonocyte-derived macrophages are critical in the development of atherosclerosis and can adopt a wide range of functional phenotypes depending on their surrounding milieu. High-density lipoproteins (HDLs) have many cardio-protective properties including potent anti-inflammatory effects. We investigated the effects of HDL on human macrophage phenotype and the mechanisms by which these occur

Apoptotic ablation of platelets reduces atherosclerosis in mice with diabetes

Objective: People with diabetes are at a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular disease, in part, due to accelerated atherosclerosis. Diabetic subjects have increased number of platelets that are activated, more reactive, and respond suboptimally to antiplatelet therapies. We hypothesized that reducing platelet numbers by inducing their premature apoptotic death would decrease atherosclerosis. Approach and Results: This was achieved by targeting the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-x(L) (B-cell lymphoma-extra large; which is essential for platelet viability) via distinct genetic and pharmacological approaches. In the former, we transplanted bone marrow from mice carrying the Tyr15 to Cys loss of function allele of Bcl-x (known as Bcl-x(Plt20)) or wild-type littermate controls into atherosclerotic-prone Ldlr(+/−) mice made diabetic with streptozotocin and fed a Western diet. Reduced Bcl-x(L) function in hematopoietic cells significantly decreased platelet numbers, exclusive of other hematologic changes. This led to a significant reduction in atherosclerotic lesion formation in Bcl-x(Plt20) bone marrow transplanted Ldlr(+/−) mice. To assess the potential therapeutic relevance of reducing platelets in atherosclerosis, we next targeted Bcl-x(L) with a pharmacological strategy. This was achieved by low-dose administration of the BH3 (B-cell lymphoma-2 homology domain 3) mimetic, ABT-737 triweekly, in diabetic Apoe(−/−) mice for the final 6 weeks of a 12-week study. ABT-737 normalized platelet numbers along with platelet and leukocyte activation to that of nondiabetic controls, significantly reducing atherosclerosis while promoting a more stable plaque phenotype. Conclusions: These studies suggest that selectively reducing circulating platelets, by targeting Bcl-x(L) to promote platelet apoptosis, can reduce atherosclerosis and lower cardiovascular disease risk in diabetes.Man K.S. Lee, Michael J. Kraakman, Dragana Dragoljevic, Nordin M.J. Hanssen, Michelle C. Flynn, Annas Al-Sharea, Gopalkrishna Sreejit, Camilla Bertuzzo-Veiga, Olivia D. Cooney, Fatima Baig, Elizabeth Morriss, Mark E. Cooper, Emma C. Josefsson, Benjamin T. Kile, Prabhakara R. Nagareddy, Andrew J. Murph

Neutrophil-derived S100A8/A9 amplify granulopoiesis following myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction (MI) triggers myelopoiesis resulting in heightened production of neutrophils. However, the mechanisms that sustain their production and recruitment to the injured heart are unclear. Using a mouse model of the permanent ligation of the left anterior descending (LAD) artery and flow cytometry, we first characterized the temporal and spatial effects of MI on different myeloid cell types. We next performed global transcriptome analysis of different cardiac cell types within the infarct to identify the drivers of acute inflammatory response and the underlying signaling pathways. Utilizing a combination of genetic and pharmacological strategies, we identified the sequalae of events that led to MI-induced myelopoiesis. Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography. The association of early indices of neutrophilia with major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) was studied in a cohort of acute MI patients. Induction of MI resulted in a rapid recruitment of neutrophils to the infarct, where they release specific alarmins, S100A8 and S100A9. These alarmins bind to the Toll Like Receptor (TLR) 4 and prime the Nod Like Receptor (NLR) family Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 (Nlrp3) inflammasome in naïve neutrophils and promote interleukin 1 (IL-1β) secretion. The released IL-1β interact with its receptor (Interleukin 1 Receptor Type 1, IL1R1) on hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in the bone marrow (BM), and stimulate granulopoiesis in a cell-autonomous manner. Genetic or pharmacological strategies aimed at disruption of S100A8/A9 and its downstream signaling cascade suppress MI-induced granulopoiesis and improve cardiac function. Furthermore, in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), higher neutrophil count on admission and post-revascularization correlates positively with major adverse cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes. Our study provides novel evidence for the primary role of neutrophil-derived alarmins (S100A8/A9) in dictating the nature of the ensuing inflammatory response following myocardial injury. Therapeutic strategies aimed at disruption of S100A8/A9 signaling or its downstream mediators (e.g. Nlrp3, IL-1β) in neutrophils suppress granulopoiesis and may improve cardiac function in ACS patients

Neutrophil-derived S100 calcium-binding proteins A8/A9 promote reticulated thrombocytosis and atherogenesis in diabetes

Platelets play a critical role in atherogenesis and thrombosis-mediated myocardial ischemia, processes that are accelerated in diabetes. Whether hyperglycemia promotes platelet production and whether enhanced platelet production contributes to enhanced atherothrombosis remains unknown. Here we found that in response to hyperglycemia, neutrophil-derived S100 calcium-binding proteins A8/A9 (S100A8/A9) interact with the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) on hepatic Kupffer cells, resulting in increased production of IL-6, a pleiotropic cytokine that is implicated in inflammatory thrombocytosis. IL-6 acts on hepatocytes to enhance the production of thrombopoietin, which in turn interacts with its cognate receptor c-MPL on megakaryocytes and bone marrow progenitor cells to promote their expansion and proliferation, resulting in reticulated thrombocytosis. Lowering blood glucose using a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (dapagliflozin), depleting neutrophils or Kupffer cells, or inhibiting S100A8/A9 binding to RAGE (using paquinimod), all reduced diabetes-induced thrombocytosis. Inhibiting S100A8/A9 also decreased atherogenesis in diabetic mice. Finally, we found that patients with type 2 diabetes have reticulated thrombocytosis that correlates with glycated hemoglobin as well as increased plasma S100A8/A9 levels. These studies provide insights into the mechanisms that regulate platelet production and may aid in the development of strategies to improve on current antiplatelet therapies and to reduce cardiovascular disease risk in diabetes

Transient Intermittent Hyperglycemia Accelerates Atherosclerosis by Promoting Myelopoiesis

Rationale: Treatment efficacy for diabetes mellitus is largely determined by assessment of HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin A1c) levels, which poorly reflects direct glucose variation. People with prediabetes and diabetes mellitus spend &gt;50% of their time outside the optimal glucose range. These glucose variations, termed transient intermittent hyperglycemia (TIH), appear to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but the pathological basis for this association is unclear. Objective: To determine whether TIH per se promotes myelopoiesis to produce more monocytes and consequently adversely affects atherosclerosis. Methods and Results: To create a mouse model of TIH, we administered 4 bolus doses of glucose at 2-hour intervals intraperitoneally once to WT (wild type) or once weekly to atherosclerotic prone mice. TIH accelerated atherogenesis without an increase in plasma cholesterol, seen in traditional models of diabetes mellitus. TIH promoted myelopoiesis in the bone marrow, resulting in increased circulating monocytes, particularly the inflammatory Ly6-C(hi)subset, and neutrophils. Hematopoietic-restricted deletion ofS100a9,S100a8, or its cognate receptorRageprevented monocytosis. Mechanistically, glucose uptake via GLUT (glucose transporter)-1 and enhanced glycolysis in neutrophils promoted the production of S100A8/A9. Myeloid-restricted deletion ofSlc2a1(GLUT-1) or pharmacological inhibition of S100A8/A9 reduced TIH-induced myelopoiesis and atherosclerosis. Conclusions: Together, these data provide a mechanism as to how TIH, prevalent in people with impaired glucose metabolism, contributes to cardiovascular disease. These findings provide a rationale for continual glucose control in these patients and may also suggest that strategies aimed at targeting the S100A8/A9-RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation end products) axis could represent a viable approach to protect the vulnerable blood vessels in diabetes mellitus.</p