BackgroundThe endocannabinoid (eCB) 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) is a known modulator of inflammation and ligand to both, pro-inflammatory cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) and anti-inflammatory CB2. While the role of both receptors in atherogenesis has been studied extensively, the significance of 2-AG for atherogenesis is less well characterized.MethodsThe impact of 2-AG on atherogenesis was studied in two treatment groups of ApoE-/- mice. One group received the monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL)-inhibitor JZL184 [5 mg/kg i.p.], which impairs 2-AG degradation and thus causes elevated 2-AG levels, the other group received vehicle for four weeks. Simultaneously, both groups were fed a high-cholesterol diet. The atherosclerotic plaque burden was assessed in frozen sections through the aortic sinus following oil red O staining and infiltrating macrophages were detected by immunofluorescence targeting CD68. In vitro, the effect of 2-AG on B6MCL macrophage migration was assessed by Boyden chamber experiments. Transcription of adhesion molecules and chemokine receptors in macrophages was assessed by qPCR.ResultsAs expected, application of the MAGL-inhibitor JZL184 resulted in a significant increase in 2-AG levels in vascular tissue (98.2 ± 16.1 nmol/g vs. 27.3 ± 4.5 nmol/g; n = 14–16; p < 0.001). ApoE-/- mice with elevated 2-AG levels displayed a significantly increased plaque burden compared to vehicle treated controls (0.44 ± 0.03 vs. 0.31 ± 0.04; n = 14; p = 0.0117). This was accompanied by a significant increase in infiltrating macrophages within the atherosclerotic vessel wall (0.33 ± 0.02 vs. 0.27 ± 0.01; n = 13–14; p = 0.0076). While there was no alteration to the white blood counts of JZL184-treated animals, 2-AG enhanced macrophage migration in vitro by 1.8 ± 0.2 -fold (n = 4–6; p = 0.0393) compared to vehicle, which was completely abolished by co-administration of either CB1- or CB2-receptor-antagonists. qPCR analyses of 2-AG-stimulated macrophages showed an enhanced transcription of the chemokine CCL5 (1.59 ± 0.23 –fold; n = 5–6; p = 0.0589) and its corresponding receptors CCR1 (2.04 ± 0.46 -fold; n = 10–11; p = 0.0472) and CCR5 (2.45 ± 0.62 –fold; n = 5–6; p = 0.0554).ConclusionTaken together, elevated 2-AG levels appear to promote atherogenesis in vivo. Our data suggest that 2-AG promotes macrophage migration, possibly by the CCL5-CCR5/CCR1 axis, and thereby contributes to vascular inflammation. Thus, decreasing vascular 2-AG levels might represent a promising therapeutic strategy in patients suffering from atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.

BackgroundThe endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) is a known modulator of inflammation. Despite its high concentration in vascular tissue, the role of 2-AG in atherogenesis has not yet been examined.MethodsApoE-deficient mice were sublethally irradiated and reconstituted with bone marrow from mice with a myeloid-specific knockout of the 2-AG synthesising enzyme diacylglycerol lipase α (Dagla) or control bone marrow with an intact 2-AG biosynthesis. After a cholesterol-rich diet for 8 weeks, plaque size and plaque morphology were examined in chimeric mice. Circulating inflammatory cells were assessed by flow cytometry. Aortic tissue and plasma levels of endocannabinoids were measured using liquid chromatography-multiple reaction monitoring.ResultsMice with Dagla-deficient bone marrow and circulating myeloid cells showed a significantly reduced plaque burden compared to controls. The reduction in plaque size was accompanied by a significantly diminished accumulation of both neutrophil granulocytes and macrophages in atherosclerotic lesions of Dagla-deficient mice. Moreover, CB2 expression and the amount of oxidised LDL within atherosclerotic lesions was significantly reduced. FACS analyses revealed that levels of circulating inflammatory cells were unaltered in Dagla-deficient mice.ConclusionsMyeloid synthesis of the endocannabinoid 2-AG appears to promote vascular inflammation and atherogenesis. Thus, myeloid-specific disruption of 2-AG synthesis may represent a potential novel therapeutic strategy against atherosclerosis.