Hydroxyurea with AKT2 inhibition decreases vaso-occlusive events in sickle cell disease mice.
Heterotypic cell-cell adhesion and aggregation mediate vaso-occlusive events in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Although hydroxyurea (HU), an inducer of fetal hemoglobin, is the main therapy for treatment of SCD, it is unclear whether it has immediate benefits in acute vaso-occlusive events in SCD patients. Using real-time fluorescence intravital microscopy, we demonstrated that short-term coadministration of HU and Akti XII, an AKT2 inhibitor, efficiently reduced neutrophil adhesion and platelet-neutrophil aggregation in venules of Berkeley (SCD) mice challenged with tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) or hypoxia/reoxygenation. Importantly, compared with HU or Akti XII treatment alone, short-term treatment with both agents significantly improved survival in those mice. We found that the level of plasma nitric oxide species was elevated by HU but not Akti XII, AKT2 phosphorylation levels in activated neutrophils and platelets were reduced by Akti XII but not HU, and the expression of endothelial E-selectin and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 was decreased by either agent. Our results suggest that short-term coadministration of HU and Akti XII has immediate benefits for acute vaso-occlusive events and survival in SCD mice exceeding those seen for single therapy.
Department of Pharmacology and.
Andrew
A
Barazia
Department of Pharmacology and.
Jing
J
Li
Department of Pharmacology and.
Kyungho
K
Kim
Department of Pharmacology and.
Namrata
N
Shabrani
Department of Pharmacology and Department of Anesthesiology, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL.
Jaehyung
J
Cho
D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D019040:E-Selectin / Q000378:metabolism; D006918:Hydroxyurea / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*
D019040:E-Selectin; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1; C494922:Akt2 protein, mouse; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D006918:Hydroxyurea