Sex differences influencing micro- and macrovascular endothelial phenotype in vitro

Key points: Endothelial dysfunction is an early hallmark of multiple disease states that also display sex differences with respect to age of onset, frequency and severity. Results of in vivo studies of basal and stimulated microvascular barrier function revealed sex differences that are difficult to ascribe to specific cells or environmental factors. The present study evaluated endothelial cells (EC) isolated from macro- and/or microvessels of reproductively mature rats under the controlled conditions of low-passage culture aiming to test the assumption that EC phenotype would be sex independent. The primary finding was that EC, regardless of where they are derived, retain a sex-bias in low-passage culture, independent of varying levels of reproductive hormones. The implications of the present study include the fallacy of expecting a universal set of mechanisms derived from study of EC from one sex and/or one vascular origin to apply uniformly to all EC under unstimulated conditions, and no less in disease. Abstract: Vascular endothelial cells (EC) are heterogeneous with respect to phenotype, reflecting at least the organ of origin, location within the vascular network and physical forces. As an independent influence on EC functions in health or aetiology, susceptibility, and progression of dysfunction in numerous disease states, sex has been largely ignored. The present study focussed on EC isolated from aorta (macrovascular) and skeletal muscle vessels (microvascular) of age-matched male and female rats under identical conditions of short-term (passage 4) culture. We tested the hypothesis that genomic sex would not influence endothelial growth, wound healing, morphology, lactate production, or messenger RNA and protein expression of key proteins (sex hormone receptors for androgen and oestrogens α and β; platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 and vascular endothelial cadherin mediating barrier function; αvβ3 and N-cadherin influencing matrix interactions; intracellular adhesion molecule-1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 mediating EC/white cell adhesion). The hypothesis was rejected because the EC origin (macro- vs. microvessel) and sex influenced multiple phenotypic characteristics. Statistical model analysis of EC growth demonstrated an hierarchy of variable importance, recapitulated for other phenotypic characteristics, with predictions assuming EC homogeneity \u3c sex \u3c vessel origin \u3c sex and vessel origin. Furthermore, patterns of EC mRNA expression by vessel origin and by sex did not predict protein expression. Overall, the present study demonstrated that accurate assessment of sex-linked EC dysfunction first requires an understanding of EC function by position in the vascular tree and by sex. The results from a single EC tissue source/species/sex cannot provide universal insight into the mechanisms regulating in vivo endothelial function in health, and no less in disease

Modification of a Calcein-based assay for proteolytic activity [abstract]

Abstract only availableThis investigation was aimed at developing an assay for characterizing samples gathered from tissues on which microvascular permeability studies were being conducted. In particular, we were looking for evidence of proteolytic activity. The approach we used was based on the quenching of a fluorescent dye by Cu2, and the ability of proteolytic products (amino acids and peptides) to coordinate with the Cu2, removing it from the sensor and allowing it to fluoresce. (1) After optimization of assay conditions, samples collected from two leak index experiments were tested. The results showed that there was a clear difference between the two samples with respect to proteins and small peptides. Therefore, I can conclude that this appears to be a successful assay to screen for proteolytic activity in the microvasculature. (1) Dean KES, Klein G, Renaudet O, Reymond J-L. 2003. A green fluorescent chemosensor for amino acids provides a versatile high-throughput screening (HTS) assay for proteases. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chem Letters 13:1653-1656

Intrinsic sex-specific differences in microvascular endothelial cell phosphodiesterases

The importance of gonadal hormones in the regulation of vascular function has been documented. An alternate and essential contribution of the sex chromosomes to sex differences in vascular function is poorly understood. We reported previously sex differences in microvessel permeability (Ps) responses to adenosine that were mediated by the cAMP signaling pathway (Wang J, PhD thesis, 2005; Wang J and Huxley V, Proceedings of the VIII World Congress of Microcirculation, 2007; Wang J and Huxley VH, Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 291: H3094–H3105, 2006). The two cyclic nucleotides, cAMP and cGMP, central to the regulation of vascular barrier integrity, are hydrolyzed by phosphodiesterases (PDE). We hypothesized that microvascular endothelial cells (EC) would retain intrinsic and inheritable sexually dimorphic genes with respect to the PDEs modulating EC barrier function. Primary cultured microvascular EC from skeletal muscles isolated from male and female rats, respectively, were used. SRY (a sex-determining region Y gene) mRNA expression was observed exclusively in male, not female, cells. The predominant isoform among PDE1–5, present in both XY and XX EC, was PDE4. Expression mRNA levels of PDE1A (male > female) and PDE3B (male < female) were sex dependent; PDE2A, PDE4D, and PDE5A were sex independent. Barrier function, Ps, was determined from measures of albumin flux across confluent primary cultured microvessel XY and XX EC monolayers. Consistent with intact in situ microvessels, basal monolayer Ps did not differ between XY (1.7 ± 0.2 × 10−6 cm/s; n = 8) and XX (1.8 ± 0.1 × 10−6 cm/s; n = 10) EC. Cilostazol, a PDE3 inhibitor, reduced (11%, P < 0.05) Ps in XX, not XY, cells. These findings demonstrate the presence and maintenance of intrinsic sex-related differences in gene expression and cellular phenotype by microvascular EC in a gonadal-hormone-free environment. Furthermore, intrinsic cell-sex likely contributes significantly to sexual dimorphism in cardiovascular function