Abstract
Although angiogenesis is a hallmark feature of asthmatic inflammatory responses, therapeutic anti-angiogenesis interventions have received little attention. Objective: Assess the effectiveness of anti-angiogenic Sn2 lipase-labile prodrugs delivered via αvβ3-micellar nanotherapy to suppress microvascular expansion, bronchial remodeling, and airway hyper-responsiveness in Brown Norway rats exposed to serial house dust mite (HDM) inhalation challenges. Results: Anti-neovascular effectiveness of αvβ3-mixed micelles incorporating docetaxel-prodrug (Dxtl-PD) or fumagillin-prodrug (Fum-PD) were shown to robustly suppress neovascular expansion (p < 0.01) in the upper airways/bronchi of HDM rats using simultaneous 19F/1H MR neovascular imaging, which was corroborated by adjunctive fluorescent microscopy. Micelles without a drug payload (αvβ3-No-Drug) served as a carrier-only control. Morphometric measurements of HDM rat airway size (perimeter) and vessel number at 21d revealed classic vascular expansion in control rats but less vascularity (p < 0.001) after the anti-angiogenic nanotherapies. CD31 RNA expression independently corroborated the decrease in airway microvasculature. Methacholine (MCh) induced respiratory system resistance (Rrs) was high in the HDM rats receiving αvβ3-No-Drug micelles while αvβ3-Dxtl-PD or αvβ3-Fum-PD micelles markedly and equivalently attenuated airway hyper-responsiveness and improved airway compliance. Total inflammatory BAL cells among HDM challenged rats did not differ with treatment, but αvβ3+ macrophages/monocytes were significantly reduced by both nanotherapies (p < 0.001), most notably by the αvβ3-Dxtl-PD micelles. Additionally, αvβ3-Dxtl-PD decreased BAL eosinophil and αvβ3+ CD45+ leukocytes relative to αvβ3-No-Drug micelles, whereas αvβ3-Fum-PD micelles did not. Conclusion: These results demonstrate the potential of targeted anti-angiogenesis nanotherapy to ameliorate the inflammatory hallmarks of asthma in a clinically relevant rodent model.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 377-389 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Theranostics |
Volume | 7 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2017 |
Keywords
- Angiogenesis
- Asthma
- Fluorine MRI
- Nanomedicine
- Prodrug
- Respiratory function