title: Iodine deficiency induces a VEGF-dependent microvascular response in salivary glands and in the stomach.
abstract: Despite efforts to optimize iodine supply in iodine deficient countries, iodine deficiency (ID) remains a global problem worldwide. Activation of the local microvasculature by ID in the thyroid gland aims at improving the local supply of iodide. For this purpose, the thyrocytes secrete vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) that acts on adjacent capillaries, via a reactive oxygen species (ROS)/Hypoxia Inducible factor (HIF)-dependent pathway. Beside the thyroid, other organs including salivary glands and the stomach do express the sodium/iodide symporter (NIS) and are able to take iodide up, potentially rendering them sensitive to ID. To verify this hypothesis, ID-induced effects on the local microvasculature were studied in salivary glands and in the stomach. ID was induced by feeding young mice with an iodide-deficient diet and NIS inhibitor perchlorate in the drinking water. In salivary glands, ID induced a transient increase in HIF-1α protein expression accompanied by a transient, VEGF-dependent increase in blood flow. In the gastric mucosa, ID transiently increased VEGF expression in the mucin-secreting epithelium and in ghrelin-secreting endocrine cells. These observations suggest that microvascular changes in response to ID occur in NIS-expressing tissues other than the thyroid. NIS expressing cells could be viewed as iodide sensors that respond to ID by inducing vascular changes, probably to optimize iodide bioavailability at regional or systemic levels.
authors.affiliation: Pole of Experimental Morphology, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research (IREC), Catholic University of Louvain (UCL), Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vanderstraeten
authors.affiliation: Radiobiology Unit, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK-CEN), Mol, Belgium.
authors.forename: Hanane
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Derradji
authors.affiliation: Pole of Experimental Morphology, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research (IREC), Catholic University of Louvain (UCL), Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Craps
authors.affiliation: Pole of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research (IREC), Catholic University of Louvain (UCL), Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sonveaux
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Regional Hospital Center (CHR) Mons-Hainaut, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ides M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Colin
authors.affiliation: Pole of Experimental Morphology, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research (IREC), Catholic University of Louvain (UCL), Brussels, Belgium. marie-christine.many@uclouvain.be.
authors.forename: Marie-Christine
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Many
authors.affiliation: Pole of Experimental Morphology, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research (IREC), Catholic University of Louvain (UCL), Brussels, Belgium and Department of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Regional Hospital Center (CHR) Mons-Hainaut, Belgium and Institute of life sciences (ISV), Catholic University of Louvain (UCL), Belgium.
authors.forename: Anne-Catherine
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Gérard
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D007455:Iodine / Q000172:deficiency / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D055806:Microvessels; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000098:blood supply / Q000378:metabolism*; D012964:Sodium / Q000378:metabolism; D013270:Stomach / Q000098:blood supply; D027981:Symporters / Q000378:metabolism*; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism*; D000099209:Sodium-Iodide Symporters
chemical_list: D007455:Iodine; D012964:Sodium; D027981:Symporters; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D000099209:Sodium-Iodide Symporters; C467480:vascular endothelial growth factor A, mouse