Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology Theses and Dissertations

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This collection contains theses and dissertations submitted by graduate students under the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology for either a Master of Science degree or a Doctor of Philosophy degree.

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Browsing Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology Theses and Dissertations by Subject "Arginase"

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    Angiotensin II Signaling Mechanisms Involved in the Elevation of Arginase Activity/Expression and Vascular Dysfunction
    (2011-11) Shatanawi, Alia; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
    Vascular endothelial dysfunction is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, atherosclerosis and diabetes. Nitric oxide (NO) produced by endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS) is needed for normal vascular function. During hypertension, diabetes or atherosclerosis, elevated levels of arginase can compete with NOS for available L-arginine thus reducing vascular NO production. Elevated angiotensin II (Ang II) is a key participant of endothelial dysfunction in many cardiovascular diseases and has been linked to elevated arginase activity. In this study we explored the signaling pathway leading to increased arginase expression/activity in responses to Ang II in bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC). Treatment of BAEC with Ang II (10-7 M, 24 hrs) caused a 40±6% increase in arginase activity. This was accompanied by 30±8% decrease in NO production. Our studies indicate involvement of the RhoA/ROCK-p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) in Ang II-induced arginase upregulation and reduced NO production, as inhibitors of ROCK or p38 MAPK prevented the Ang II-induced increase in arginase activity. Our studies in mice also show involvement of p38 MAPK in Ang II-induced vascular dysfunction associated with elevated arginase activity and expression. Ang II (42 μg/kg/h) caused impaired EC-dependent vasorelaxation in mouse aorta (55±7% vs. 75±8% for control). This impairment was prevented by treatment with p38 inhibitor SB203580 (5 μg/kg/day). Ang II also caused a 6.2 fold increase in vascular arginase activity/expression that was completely prevented by p38 MAPK inhibition. Additionally, treatment of BAEC with Ang II causes phosphorylation of activating transcription factor-2 (ATF-2) and enhancement of the binding of ATF-2 to arginase promotor through an AP-1 site as evident from electrophoretic mobility shift assay experiments. Transfection of BAEC with ATF-2 siRNA prevents Ang II-induced increases in arginase activity/expression and maintains NO production. These results indicate that ATF-2 is necessary for enhanced expression of arginase by Ang II. Collectively, our results indicate that Ang II increases endothelial arginase activity/expression through a RhoA/ROCK-p38 MAPK-ATF-2 pathway leading to reduced NO production and endothelial dysfunction. Targeting these signaling steps might be therapeutic points for preventing vascular endothelial dysfunction associated with elevated arginase activity/expression.
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    Involvement of arginase upregulation in diabetes- and angiotensin II-induced vascular dysfunction
    (2015) Bhatta, Anil; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
    Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number 1 killer of men and women in the United States and the world. Diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and aging are some of the risk factors for CVD. A major cause of morbidity and mortality in CVD is vascular dysfunction, which progresses rapidly as the risk factors progress. Vascular dysfunction is characterized by a constellation of blood flow reducing pathologies, including impaired vasorelaxation and elevated arterial stiffening. The mechanisms leading to these vascular abnormalities are not well understood. We tested the hypothesis that arginase, an enzyme in the urea cycle, mediates vascular dysfunction in hypertension and obesity related diabetes. Arginase (ARG) can compete with nitric oxide (NO) synthase for their common substrate, L-arginine. Increased arginase can also provide more ornithine for synthesis of polyamines via ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and proline/collagen via ornithine aminotransferase (OAT), leading to vascular cell proliferation and collagen formation, respectively. We hypothesized that elevated arginase activity is involved in Ang II-induced vascular dysfunction and that limiting its activity can prevent these changes. We tested this by studies in C57BL/6J mice lacking one copy of the ARG1 gene that were treated with Ang II (1 mg/kg/day, 4 weeks). We demonstrated that Ang II induces smooth muscle cell proliferation, collagen synthesis, and arterial fibrosis and stiffness via a mechanism involving increased arginase activity. Furthermore, we examined the role of arginase in vascular dysfunctions and pathologies associated with obesity-related type 2 diabetes in mice fed with high-fat/high-sucrose (HFHS) diet for 6 months. This model produced a clinical presentation and pathophysiological relevance to the human condition in obesity related type 2 diabetes. We demonstrated that HFHS diet impaired endothelial dependent vasorelaxation and increased arterial stiffness in WT mice, but not in mice treated with arginase inhibitor ABH. Endothelial cell specific knockout of ARG1 (EC-A1-/-) in mice also prevented HFHS induced vascular dysfunctions. Aortic perivascular collagen deposition was significantly higher in HFHS mice compared to normal diet. Furthermore, marked increase in vascular cell adhesion molecule expression and macrophage infiltration into the aortic walls was observed with HFHS diet. Additionally, plasma lipid peroxidase activity, a measure of systemic oxidative stress, was also markedly increased in HFHS mice. These changes were prevented in ABH treated mice and EC-A1-/- mice. These studies suggest that enhanced ARG1 activity promotes vascular dysfunctions associated with elevated Ang II levels or obesity related diabetes.