IMR Press / FBL / Volume 28 / Issue 10 / DOI: 10.31083/j.fbl2810272
Open Access Original Research
Extrahepatic Angiogenesis: A Potential Common Pathophysiological Basis of Multiple Organ Dysfunction in Rats with Cholestasis Cirrhosis
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1 Department of Anesthesiology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, 400038 Chongqing, China
2 Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Unit (MCD), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 31062 Toulouse, France
*Correspondence: lyj09c@163.com (Yujie Li); yibin1974@163.com (Bin Yi)
These authors contributed equally.
Front. Biosci. (Landmark Ed) 2023, 28(10), 272; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.fbl2810272
Submitted: 13 December 2022 | Revised: 11 February 2023 | Accepted: 27 February 2023 | Published: 27 October 2023
Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Abstract

Background: In addition to intrahepatic angiogenesis, patients with cholestasis cirrhosis develop extrahepatic vasculature disorders and functional disturbances of multiple organ systems. Without effective intervention, these vascular disorders will eventually turn into multiple organs vascular syndromes, including the brain, lung and other organ systems. However, studies on the pathogenesis of vascular alterations among extrahepatic organ disturbances are still carried out separately, which hampered the successful translation of preclinical studies to the human setting and required further mechanistic insight into these complications. This study aims to investigate the relationship between extrahepatic angiogenesis and multiple organ impairment, and whether the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family members and their receptors are involved in this process. Methods: Pathological changes of the multiple organs were determined by histopathological and immunohistochemical staining in the established common bile duct ligation (CBDL) rats, and angiogenesis was estimated by microvessel density (MVD). Levels of the VEGF family members and their receptors in the serum and organ tissues were also measured by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results: The MVD and VEGF family members and their receptors were significantly increased in CBDL rats with multiple organ injury, especially in the liver, lung and cerebral cortex. Meanwhile, we noticed moderate elevation of soluble receptor of the vascular endothelial growth factor-1 (sFlt-1) in the liver, lung, and cerebral cortex, whereas the levels of placental growth factor (PLGF) increased significantly. Conclusions: Extrahepatic angiogenesis may represent a common pathophysiological basis for multiple organ dysfunction and the sFlt-1/PLGF ratio could offer an avenue for further studies to target extrahepatic angiogenesis in cholestatic cirrhosis.

Keywords
angiogenesis
cholestatic cirrhosis
vascular endothelial growth factor
dysfunction
Funding
82100658/National Science Foundation of China
82070630/National Science Foundation of China
Special support for Chongqing postdoctoral research project in 2020
2020FYYX076/Chongqing Science and health joint medical research project
2021XBK19/special support project for improving scientific and technological innovation ability of undergraduate
Figures
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