Published ahead of print on August 24, 2006, doi:10.1164/rccm.200506-848OC Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Volume 174, Number 10, November 2006, 1069-1076 A more recent version of this article appeared on November 15, 2006
Submitted on June 2, 2005 Vascular Remodeling is Airway Generation Specific in a Primate Model of Chronic AsthmaMark V Avdalovic1*,1 Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Department of Internal Medicine, UC Davis Medical Center, Davis, California, USA, 2 California National Primate Research Center, UC Davis, Davis, California, USA, 3 School of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Cell Biology, UC Davis, Davis, Callifornai, USA, 4 School of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, UC Davis, Davis, California, USA * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mark.avdalovic{at}ucdmc.ucdavis.edu.
Rationale: Changes in the density of bronchial vessels have been proposed as a part of airway remodeling that occurs in chronic asthma. Objectives: Using an established non-human primate model of chronic allergic asthma, we evaluated changes in vascular density as well as the contribution of bronchial epithelium to produce vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Methods: Eight juvenile rhesus macaques were divided into two groups of four. One group was exposed to eleven cycles of aerosolized house dust mite allergen (HDMA), while the other was exposed to filtered air (FA). Bronchial wall vasculature was identified using an immunohistochemical approach, and vascular density was quantified stereologically. A semi-quantitative PCR approach was used to estimate VEGF splice variant gene expression at discrete airway generations. Cell culture of primary tracheal epithelial cells with varying concentrations of HDMA was used to quantify the direct contribution of the epithelium to VEGF production. Results: Bronchial vascular density was increased at mid to lower airway generations, which was independent of changes in the interstitial compartment. The VEGF121 splice variant was significantly increased at lower airway generations. VEGF protein increased in a dose dependant fashion in vitro primarily by an increase in VEGF121 gene expression. Conclusion: This study highlights that increased vascular density in an animal model of chronic allergic asthma is airway generation specific and associated with a unique increase of VEGF splice variant gene expression. Airway epithelium is the likely source for increased VEGF. Key words: Angiogenesis, VEGF, rhesus, remodeling, asthma
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