The stars align in the fight against MS?
In sections of grey matter from mice, reactive astrocytes are stained to show GFAP (red), Vegf-A (green) and nuclei (blue). Disruption of the blood brain barrier is an early clinical feature of multiple sclerosis, and in this article, Argaw and colleagues demonstrate that Vegf-A expression by astrocytes drives this process. This suggests that targeting Vegf-A expression in astrocytes might be a new therapeutic avenue for this and other inflammatory CNS diseases.
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Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2012;122(7):2454-2468. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI60842.
Abstract
In inflammatory CNS conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS), current options to treat clinical relapse are limited, and more selective agents are needed. Disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is an early feature of lesion formation that correlates with clinical exacerbation, leading to edema, excitotoxicity, and entry of serum proteins and inflammatory cells. Here, we identify astrocytic expression of VEGF-A as a key driver of BBB permeability in mice. Inactivation of astrocytic Vegfa expression reduced BBB breakdown, decreased lymphocyte infiltration and neuropathology in inflammatory and demyelinating lesions, and reduced paralysis in a mouse model of MS. Knockdown studies in CNS endothelium indicated activation of the downstream effector eNOS as the principal mechanism underlying the effects of VEGF-A on the BBB. Systemic administration of the selective eNOS inhibitor cavtratin in mice abrogated VEGF-A–induced BBB disruption and pathology and protected against neurologic deficit in the MS model system. Collectively, these data identify blockade of VEGF-A signaling as a protective strategy to treat inflammatory CNS disease.
Authors
Azeb Tadesse Argaw, Linnea Asp, Jingya Zhang, Kristina Navrazhina, Trinh Pham, John N. Mariani, Sean Mahase, Dipankar J. Dutta, Jeremy Seto, Elisabeth G. Kramer, Napoleone Ferrara, Michael V. Sofroniew, Gareth R. John
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