Soluble Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 (VCAM-1) as a Biomarker in the Mouse Model of Experimental Autoimmune Myocarditis (EAM)

Abstract

Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) is strongly upregulated in hearts of mice with coxsackie virus-induced as well as in patients with viral infection-triggered dilated cardiomyopathy. Nevertheless, the role of its soluble form as a biomarker in inflammatory heart diseases remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated whether plasma levels of soluble VCAM-1 (sVCAM-1) directly correlated with disease activity and progression of cardiac dysfunction in the mouse model of experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM). EAM was induced by immunization of BALB/c mice with heart-specific myosin-alpha heavy chain peptide together with complete Freund`s adjuvant. ELISA revealed strong expression of cardiac VCAM-1 (cVCAM-1) throughout the course of EAM in immunized mice compared to control animals. Furthermore, sVCAM-1 was elevated in the plasma of immunized compared to control mice at acute and chronic stages of the disease. sVCAM-1 did not correlate with the degree of acute cardiac inflammation analyzed by histology or cardiac cytokine expression investigated by ELISA. Nevertheless, heart to body weight ratio correlated significantly with sVCAM-1 at chronic stages of EAM. Cardiac systolic dysfunction studied with positron emission tomography indicated a weak relationship with sVCAM-1 at the chronic stage of the disease. Our data provide evidence that plasma levels of sVCAM-1 are elevated throughout all stages of the disease but showed no strong correlation with the severity of EAM.

Garcinol Attenuates Lipoprotein(a)-Induced Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Cytokine Production in Ventricular Cardiomyocyte through α7-Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor-Mediated Inhibition of the p38 MAPK and NF-κB Signaling Pathways

“…Consistent with previous studies [ 27 , 45 ], Lp(a) upregulates the expression of adhesion molecules, especially VCAM-1, ICAM-1, and E-selectin, in the inflammatory status, such as AMI. Furthermore, our cell-based ELISA demonstrated that garcinol reduced the Lp(a)/α7-nAChR-induced expression of VCAM-1, ICAM-1, and E-selectin and proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-a, CRP, and NF-κB).…”

Exploration of Adhesion Molecule Expression in Cardiac Muscle of Early Atherosclerosis Dyslipidemic Sprague Dawley Rats

“…ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 in aorta may have an important role in the initiation of atherogenesis, while in cardiac tissue, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 are reported to be upregulated in several studies at the onset of pressure overload by aortic constriction and in the presence of cardiac inflammation such as in myocardial infarction or inflammatory cardiomyopathy [12-15]. Soluble VCAM-1 also is an established biomarker to predict future or long-term acute coronary syndrome [23-25].…”

“…ICAM-1 has been known to be upregulated at the onset of pressure overload by aortic constriction and in the presence of cardiac inflammation mediates T-cell recruitment during pathologic cardiac remodelling in heart failure [12-14]. VCAM-1 is strongly upregulated in the heart during acute and chronic stages of diseases such as in inflammatory cardiomyopathy [15]. This study was aimed to explore ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression of cardiac tissue from the early progression of atherosclerosis in dyslipidemia in Sprague Dawley rat model.…”

Integrated Single-Cell and RNA Sequencing Analysis Identifies Key Immune Cell and Dendritic Cells Associated Genes Participated in Myocarditis

“…For example, the mediation role of CAMs in ventricular pacing associated with myocardial inflammatory responses has been uncovered [ 28 ]. Of note, vascular CAM-1 has been shown to be a biomarker of experimental autoimmune myocarditis [ 29 ]. These studies support our results.…”