No abstract

The heterodimeric hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1 is a master regulator of oxygen homeostasis. Protein stability and transactivation function of the alpha subunit are controlled by iron- and oxygen-dependent hydroxylation of proline and asparagine residues. The anti-mycotic ciclopirox olamine (CPX) is a lipophilic bidentate iron chelator that stabilizes HIF-1alpha under normoxic conditions at lower concentrations than other iron chelators, probably by inhibiting HIF-1alpha hydroxylation. As shown by the inhibition of iron-dependent quenching of FITC-labeled deferoxamine (DFX) fluorescence, CPX appears to have an even higher affinity for iron than DFX. Initial observations that treatment with 1% CPX, but not with placebo, occasionally caused reddening of wound margins in a mouse skin wound model prompted us to investigate the capability of CPX to induce angiogenesis. CPX-induced HIF-1-mediated reporter gene activity and endogenous HIF-1 target gene expression, including elevation of transcription, mRNA, and protein levels of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). In the chick chorioallantoic membrane assay, inert polymer disks containing CPX but not the solvent alone induced angiogenesis. In summary, these results suggest that CPX induces angiogenesis in vivo via HIF-1 and VEGF induction. Therefore, CPX might serve as an alternative to recombinant VEGF treatment or to VEGF gene therapy for therapeutic angiogenesis.

No abstract

Proinflammatory cytokines play an important role in the pathogenesis of anemia in inflammatory diseases. Interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) have been reported to inhibit the synthesis of erythropoietin (EPO) in vitro. To evaluate the in vivo significance of this observation, we have investigated effects of the administration of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and IL-1 beta on renal EPO production in rats. Measurements by competitive reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction showed that EPO mRNA levels were significantly reduced in the kidneys of normoxic rats 6 h after the injection of LPS (0.1 or 1 mg/kg). In addition, LPS and IL-1 beta (1 microgram/kg) inhibited the increase in EPO mRNA and plasma EPO levels when administered to rats before hypoxia exposure (8% O2 in the inspiratory gas). Evidence for an inflammatory reaction in the kidneys of LPS-treated rats was provided by measurements of greatly elevated renal TNF-alpha mRNA levels. Furthermore, kidneys isolated from LPS-created rats produced less immunoreactive EPO when perfused hypoxically in vitro for 2 h. Thus mediators of the immune response inhibit renal EPO gene expression in vivo, which is relevant with respect to the impaired synthesis of EPO in inflammatory diseases in humans.