Skip to main content

Local Vascular Gene Therapy With Apolipoprotein A-I to Promote Regression of Atherosclerosis.

Citation
Wacker, B. K., et al. “Local Vascular Gene Therapy With Apolipoprotein A-I To Promote Regression Of Atherosclerosis.”. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, And Vascular Biology, pp. 316-327.
Center University of Washington
Author Bradley K Wacker, Nagadhara Dronadula, Jingwan Zhang, David A Dichek
Keywords Apolipoprotein A-I, atherosclerosis, carotid arteries, genetic therapy, macrophages, rabbits
Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Gene therapy, delivered directly to the blood vessel wall, could potentially prevent atherosclerotic lesion growth and promote atherosclerosis regression. Previously, we reported that a helper-dependent adenoviral (HDAd) vector expressing apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) in carotid endothelium of fat-fed rabbits reduced early (4 weeks) atherosclerotic lesion growth. Here, we tested whether the same HDAd-delivered to the existing carotid atherosclerotic lesions-could promote regression.

APPROACH AND RESULTS: Rabbits (n=26) were fed a high-fat diet for 7 months, then treated with bilateral carotid gene transfer. One carotid was infused with an HDAd expressing apoA-I (HDAdApoAI) and the other with a control nonexpressing HDAd (HDAdNull). The side with HDAdApoAI was randomized. Rabbits were then switched to regular chow, lowering their plasma cholesterols by over 70%. ApoA-I mRNA and protein were detected in HDAdApoAI-transduced arteries. After 7 weeks of gene therapy, compared with HDAdNull-treated arteries in the same rabbits, HDAdApoAI-treated arteries had significantly less vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 expression (28%; P=0.04) along with modest but statistically insignificant trends toward decreased intimal lesion volume, lipid and macrophage content, and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression (9%-21%; P=0.1-0.4). Post hoc subgroup analysis of rabbits with small-to-moderate-sized lesions (n=20) showed that HDAdApoAI caused large reductions in lesion volume, lipid content, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 expression (30%-50%; P≤0.04 for all). Macrophage content was reduced by 30% (P=0.06). There was a significant interaction (P=0.02) between lesion size and treatment efficacy.

CONCLUSIONS: Even when administered on a background of aggressive lowering of plasma cholesterol, local HDAdApoAI vascular gene therapy may promote rapid regression of small-to-moderate-sized atherosclerotic lesions.

Year of Publication
2017
Journal
Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology
Volume
37
Issue
2
Number of Pages
316-327
Date Published
02/2017
ISSN Number
1524-4636
DOI
10.1161/ATVBAHA.116.308258
Alternate Journal
Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol.
PMID
27932352
PMCID
PMC5269454
Download citation