title: Synergistically combined gene delivery for enhanced VEGF secretion and antiapoptosis.
abstract: With current pharmacological treatments, preventing the remodeling of the left ventricle and the progression to heart failure is a difficult task. Gene therapy is considered to provide a direct treatment to the long-term complications of ischemic heart diseases. Although current gene therapies that use single molecular targets seem potentially possible, they have not achieved success in the treatment of ischemic diseases. With an efficient polymeric gene carrier, PAM-ABP, we designed a synergistically combined gene-delivery strategy to enhance vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secretion and to prolong its antiapoptotic effects. A hypoxia-inducible plasmid expressing both hypoxia-inducible heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and the Src homology domain-2 containing tyrosine phosphatase-1 microRNA (miSHP-1) as well as a hypoxia-responsive VEGF plasmid were combined in this study. The positive feedback circuit between HO-1 and VEGF and the negative regulatory role of SHP-1 in angiogenesis enhance VEGF secretion synergistically. The synergy in VEGF secretion as a consequence of the gene combination and prolonged HO-1 activity was confirmed in hypoxic cardiomyocytes and cardiomyocyte apoptosis under hypoxia and was decreased synergistically. These results suggest that the synergistic combination of VEGF, HO-1, and miSHP-1 may be promising for the clinical treatment of ischemic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Center for Controlled Chemical Delivery (CCCD), Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Utah , Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States.
authors.forename: Young-Wook
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Won
authors.forename: Minhyung
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hyun Ah
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kihoon
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Bull
authors.forename: Sung Wan
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D002460:Cell Line; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1 / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics*; D008954:Models, Biological; D053824:Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Non-Receptor Type 6 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1; D053824:Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Non-Receptor Type 6