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Biomedical subjects

Y Kaneda

Publications and source records attributed to Y Kaneda.

At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources

Selective enhancement by tumor necrosis factor-alpha of vascular permeability of new blood vessels induced with agarose hydrogel-entrapped Meth-A fibrosarcoma cells.

We have previously developed a simple and quantitative method for assessment of in vivo tumor cell-induced angiogenesis by means of microencapsulation of tumor cells in agarose hydrogel and mouse hemoglobin ELISA (mHb-ELISA). In this article, we report that the new blood vessels induced with agarose-encapsulated tumor cells have the same sensitivity to tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) as the original solid-tumor vessels. Agarose beads (average diameter = 200 microns), in which Meth-A fibrosarcoma cells were microencapsulated, were subcutaneously implanted in non-syngeneic ddY mice. Ten days later, extensive angiogenesis was observed on the implanted sites of Meth-A agarose heads, whereas no new blood vessels were induced with cell-free agarose heads. The vascular permeability of the new blood vessels induced with agarose-microencapsulated Meth-A cells was selectively and significantly enhanced by the i.v. injection of TNF-alpha, and it reached the maximum level at 2 h after the injection of TNF-alpha. At 4 h after the injection of TNF-alpha, the vascular permeability was reduced to the basal level. This permeability profile in Meth-A agarose beads in ddY mice is very similar to that in Meth-A solid tumor in syngeneic BALB/c mice. On the other hand, TNF-alpha-treatment did not affect the vascular permeability of other normal tissues or inflammatory tissue in ddY mice. These results strongly suggest that the new blood vessels induced with agarose-microencapsulated tumor cells have the specific characteristics of tumor vessels. Our in vivo angiogenesis assay system should be useful not only to screen anti-angiogenetic agents, but also to elucidate the mechanism of tumor angiogenesis.

Animals↗

In vivo anti-tumor efficacy of polyethylene glycol-modified tumor necrosis factor-alpha against tumor necrosis factor-resistant tumors.

We previously reported that the optimally PEGylated tumor necrosis factor-alpha (MPEG-TNF-alpha), in which 56% of the TNF-alpha-lysine amino groups were coupled with polyethylene glycol (PEG), had about 100-fold greater anti-tumor effect than native TNF-alpha. Here, we assessed the usefulness of MPEG-TNF-alpha as a systemic anti-tumor therapeutic drug, using B16-BL6 melanoma and colon-26 adenocarcinoma, which have been reported to be resistant to TNF-alpha in vivo, as compared with Meth-A fibrosarcoma. MPEG-TNF-alpha markedly inhibited the growth of both tumors without causing any TNF-alpha-mediated side-effects, whereas native TNF-alpha had no anti-tumor effects and caused adverse side-effects. In addition, MPEG-TNF-alpha drastically inhibited the metastatic colony formation of B16-BL6 melanoma. MPEG-TNF-alpha may, thus, be a potential systemic anti-tumor therapeutic agent.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Efficient oligonucleotide delivery using the HVJ-liposome method in the central nervous system.

We examined the efficiency and intracellular fate of oligodeoxy-nucleotides (ODN) in the central nervous system (CNS) after delivery with a hemagglutinating virus of Japan (HVJ)-liposome vector in vivo and in vitro. In primary cultured granular cells of the rat cerebellum, application of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled ODN complexed with HVJ-liposomes in vitro resulted in strong fluorescence localized in nuclei that persisted for > or = 2 wk, in contrast to 3 days with ODN alone. In vivo ODN transfer was attempted by different approaches: infusions into the paraventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus and the lateral cerebroventricle. Injection of FITC-labeled ODN into the hypothalamus by the HVJ-liposome method produced a higher concentration and more persistent fluorescence than did injection of ODN alone. Administration of ODN into the lateral cerebroventricle with HVJ-liposomes yielded more conspicuous and prolonged fluorescence in the periventricular layer, predominantly in cell nuclei. Furthermore, the distribution of fluorescent cells was broader with the HVJ-liposome method. These results indicate that the HVJ-liposome method prolongs the half-life of ODN and concentrates them in cell nuclei. Thus it is an efficient method for ODN transfer and holds promise as a gene delivery method in the CNS.

Animals↗

Role of transcriptional cis-elements, angiotensinogen gene-activating elements, of angiotensinogen gene in blood pressure regulation.

Results of recent genetic studies suggest that the angiotensinogen gene is a possible determinant of hypertension. Using antisense technology, we demonstrated that generation of circulating angiotensinogen is a rate-limiting step in blood pressure regulation. In the present study, we examined how the angiotensinogen gene is regulated in vivo. The transcriptional cis-elements, angiotensinogen gene-activating elements (AGE) 2 and 3, have been reported to regulate angiotensinogen production in human hepatocytes in vitro. To determine the critical transcriptional regulator of angiotensinogen production in vivo, we used synthetic double-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) as "decoy" cis-elements to block the binding of nuclear factors to promoter regions of the targeted gene, resulting in the inhibition of gene transactivation. Here we examined whether AGE 2 and AGE 3 in the promoter region of the angiotensinogen gene have a pivotal role in hepatic angiotensinogen production in vivo. Hepatic angiotensinogen mRNA was decreased by the transfection of AGE 2 but not mismatched decoy ODN. Transfection of decoy but not mismatched ODN against AGE 2 resulted in a transient decrease in blood pressure of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), accompanied by a reduction in plasma angiotensinogen and angiotensin II levels. In contrast, transfection of AGE 3 decoy ODN had little effect on blood pressure. Overall, our results demonstrate that transfection of decoy ODN against AGE 2, but not against AGE 3, of the angiotensinogen gene resulted in a transient decrease in high blood pressure of SHR, suggesting that the transcriptional cis-element AGE 2, rather than AGE 3, has an important role in blood pressure regulation through the control of circulating angiotensinogen.

Angiotensinogen↗

Amino acids and peptides. XXIX. Synthesis and antimetastatic effects of peptides and peptide-poly(ethylene glycol) hybrids related to the core sequence of the type III connecting segment domain of fibronectin.

Peptides (H-Glu-Ile-Leu-Asp-Val-NH2, H-Glu-Ile-Leu-Asp-Val-Pro-Ser-Thr-NH2, H-Arg-Glu-Asp-Val-NH2) and their poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hybrids related to the core sequence of the type III connecting segment domain of fibronectin A chain were prepared by the solution method or the solid phase method. Their inhibitory effects on the adhesion and migration of B16-BL6 melanoma cells to fibronectin were assessed in vitro, and their therapeutic potency against tumor metastasis were also examined. Anti-adhesive and anti-migrative effects of the synthetic fibronectin-related peptids were superior to those of their PEG hybrids, so we found that the in vitro bioactivity of peptides decreased by PEGylation. In the in vivo assay, we found that the synthetic peptides containing Glu-Ile-Leu-Asp-Val and Arg-Glu-Asp-Val sequences exhibited an inhibitory effect on the experimental metastasis of B16-BL6 melanoma. Of the synthetic peptides, H-Glu-Ile-Leu-Asp-Val-NH2 exhibited the most potent inhibitory effect. Hybrid formation of Arg-Glu-Asp-Val with poly(ethylene glycol) resulted in potentiation of the inhibitory effect of the parent peptides. A mixture composed of PEG hybrids of Glu-Ile-Leu-Asp-Val, Arg-Glu-Asp-Val and Tyr-Ile-Gly-Ser-Arg dramatically inhibited tumor metastasis.

Animals↗

Prostacyclin analog OP2507 prevents pulmonary arterial and airway constriction during lung preservation and reperfusion.

BACKGROUND: The effects of OP2507 on lung preservation with cold Euro-Collins solution and during the reperfusion period were evaluated. METHODS: For this study, canine lungs were flushed with a 10 micrograms/ml OP2507 solution (n = 7) or saline solution (control group, n = 7) (0.1 ml/kg body weight) and stored in the same solution. Pulmonary arterial pressure, pulmonary vascular resistance, airway pressure, respiratory capacity, and wet to dry weight ratio of the lungs were measured before and after 24 hours of cold preservation and after a 60-minute reperfusion period. RESULTS: Treatment with OP2507 significantly attenuated increases in pulmonary arterial pressure, pulmonary vascular resistance, and airway pressure after preservation and during the reperfusion period. Oxygen tension in outflow blood also was maintained with OP2507 treatment throughout the experimental period, whereas it was depressed during the reperfusion period in the control group. By electron microscopy, there was little evidence of vascular endothelial damage, such as cell swelling, detachment of endothelial cells from the lamina, and attenuation of the cytoplasm, in both groups. However, the tight junctions between cells were observed more clearly in the control group than in the OP2507 group, suggesting more cell membrane damage in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Pretreatment with OP2507 prevented pulmonary artery and airway constriction after 12 hours of cold lung preservation and a decrease of oxygen tension in outflow blood during a 60-minute reperfusion period.

Animals↗

In vivo gene transfer of insulin gene into neonatal rats by the HVJ-liposome method resulted in sustained transgene expression.

In Many areas of disease such as homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, no known effective therapy exists. The time is ripe for the introduction of gene therapy for the management of incurable disorders. However, for clinical gene therapy it is necessary to establish an efficient and non toxic gene delivery system. Recently, we have developed a gene delivery system mediated by Sendai virus as a potential means of gene therapy. However, this HVJ-liposome method has some disadvantages: (1) transient transgene expression; and (2) no integration. In gene therapy, it is desirable for transgenes to be expressed for as long as possible. To deal with this issue, we hypothesized that gene transfer into newborn animals would result in sustained expression of transgene. Our results demonstrated that transgene expression in liver was subsequently sustained for at least up to 8 weeks, as detected by reverse transcriptase PCR and radioimmunoassay, while our previous studies documented that transgene expression in adult animals disappeared within 2 weeks. Interestingly, we detected the presence of transgene in the host genomic DNA extracted from the nuclei of hepatic cells assessed by PCR. These findings provide new important information for gene therapy, although the mechanisms of sustained transgene expression are not clear.

Aging↗

Expression of full-length human dystrophin cDNA in mdx mouse muscle by HVJ-liposome injection.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked progressive muscle disorder which is caused by a defect of dystrophin, a 427-kDa muscle cell membrane protein. One of the possible means of DMD therapy is to express the dystrophin gene in patients' muscles. In this study, full length dystrophin cDNA was expressed in mdx (muscular dystrophy model) mouse muscle using the hemagglutinating virus of Japan (HVJ)-liposome method. With the HVJ-liposome method, the lacZ reporter genes were expressed in 50-80% of cultured mdx mouse myoblasts, which suggested its potential usefulness for an in vivo gene study. Three expression vectors containing human full length dystrophin cDNA driven by Rous sarcoma virus (RSV), mouse leukemia virus, or human dystrophin promoters, were used. HVJ-liposomes containing these plasmids were directly injected into mdx mouse quadriceps muscle. The highest efficiency of expression of dystrophin was in 26% of the muscle fibers at the injected site on day 3 after HVJ-liposome injection of the RSV-based vector. The expression was decreased on day 10. The study thus demonstrates the feasibility of full length human dystrophin cDNA transfer and dystrophin expression using HVJ-liposomes in vivo.

Animals↗

Characterization of in vivo gene transfer into the arterial wall mediated by the Sendai virus (hemagglutinating virus of Japan) liposomes: an effective tool for the in vivo study of arterial diseases.

Recently, much attention has been paid to the arterial gene transfer technique using several vector systems. In the present study, we experimentally examined the transfection efficiency of the exogenous gene, the duration of gene expression, and the cytotoxic effect of the hemagglutinating virus of Japan (HVJ) liposome on the intact arterial wall to evaluate its effectiveness for the study of arterial diseases. To evaluate the transfection efficiency and duration of gene expression, pSV beta-galactosidase was transferred into the carotid arterial wall of rabbits. The cytotoxic effect of HVJ liposomes on the vascular cell components was also evaluated by a neutral red assay in vitro and scanning electron microscopy in vivo. HVJ liposomes could achieve highly efficient gene transfection into the medial smooth muscle cells of intact arteries at 150 and 760 mmHg of pressure (mean = 85.3% and 93.5% of total smooth muscle cells, respectively) without any inflammatory reaction. The introduced exogenous gene was expressed for at least 14 days. In addition, the cytotoxicity for the arterial smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells induced by HVJ liposome vehicles at routinely used concentrations (5,000 to 10,000 hemagglutinating activity units/ml) was minimal both in vitro and in vivo. As an example, we introduced human vascular endothelial growth factor cDNA, which was driven with cytomegalovirus enhancer and beta-actin promoter, into the rabbit carotid arteries, and it induced not only angiomatoid proliferation of endothelial cells forming irregular vascular channels but also intimal hyperplasia. Based on these findings, we conclude that HVJ liposome-mediated arterial gene transfer is a highly efficient, noninvasive, and effective gene delivery method for the study of vascular disorders.

Animals↗

Molecular design of hybrid tumor necrosis factor-alpha III: polyethylene glycol-modified tumor necrosis factor-alpha has markedly enhanced antitumor potency due to longer plasma half-life and higher tumor accumulation.

We have reported that chemical modification of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) with polyethylene glycol (PEG) markedly increases its antitumor potency without any adverse side effects. MPEG-TNF-alpha, especially, in which 56% of the lysine amino groups of TNF-alpha are coupled with PEG, exhibits 100-fold more antitumor activity in vivo than native TNF-alpha in the Meth-A murine sarcoma model. In this study, we investigated the pharmacokinetics of PEG-modified TNF-alpha with various molecular sizes to clarify the mechanisms of the enhanced antitumor potency of MPEG-TNF-alpha. The plasma half-lives of modified TNF-alpha increased with increasing molecular size. The decreased plasma clearance of modified TNF-alpha was partially caused by the shielding effect of the proteolytic sites in TNF-alpha by the attached PEG and the decreased transport from blood to various tissues. Almost all native TNF-alpha was uniformly distributed to the kidney and reticuloendothelial system within 1 hr of an intravenous administration, and rapidly disappeared from these tissues at 3 hr. However, very little native TNF-alpha was transported into the tumor. The absolute distributed amount and distribution profile of modified TNF-alpha to tissues other than the tumor were the same as those of native TNF-alpha, whereas the plasma levels of the modified TNF-alpha were higher than plasma levels of the native TNF-alpha. The tumor distribution of modified TNF-alpha was markedly enhanced compared with native TNF-alpha and gradually increased over time. About 9-fold more MPEG-TNF-alpha was distributed to the tumor than native TNF-alpha. Thus, we found that the marked increase in the antitumor potency of PEG-modified TNF-alpha resulted from the enhanced blood residency and tumor accumulation. The antitumor effect of MPEG-TNF-alpha against sarcoma-180 other than Meth-A fibrosarcoma was also about 100 times greater than that of native TNF-alpha when systemically administered. The optimal PEGylation of TNF-alpha facilitated its antitumor potency and MPEG-TNF-alpha may be useful systemic antitumor therapeutic drug.

Animals↗

In vivo transfer of gene and oligodeoxynucleotides into skin of fetal rats by incubation in amniotic fluid.

One of the tools to test an in vitro hypothesis in vivo is transgenic/gene targeting technology. Transgenic technology provides many advantages such as: (1) the study of specific gene function as systemic and developmental effects; and (2) testing of specific gene function chronically. nevertheless, one disadvantage of this technology is the difficulty in tissue-specific targeting of the transgenic expression. Another useful tool is the in vivo gene transfer approach. Therefore, we tested a potential novel model for the study of transgene expression and knock-out using antisense technology. Here, we have demonstrated that incubation of hemagglutinating virus of Japan (HVJ)-liposome complex containing FITC-labeled oligonucleotides in the amniotic fluid of fetal rats resulted in the nuclear localization of fluorescence in the skin (epidermis and dermis). Similarly, transfection of beta-galactosidase gene resulted in positive staining in several surface layers of the skin. Thus, local gene or antisense oligonucleotide transfer approach into the skin may be useful for studying the role of autocrine/paracrine mediators and treating diseases.

Amniotic Fluid↗

[Development of non-viral gene delivery system and its applications].

Non-viral gene transfer methods have been developed as well as viral vectors toward gene therapy and in vivo analysis of diseases. Among non-viral vectors, cationic liposome-mediated gene transfer is well-established and widely used, but still inefficient for in vivo gene delivery. We developed a nobel liposome using fusion proteins of HVJ (Sendai virus) and nuclear protein, HMG 1. Using this delivery system, we succeeded in inducing glomerulosclerosis and lung fibrosis in rat, developed several strategies for gene therapy of restenosis of artery. Besides liposome, receptor-mediated gene transfer has been developed and improved for targeted gene delivery. Recently, devices for particle bombardment have been developed as gene-gun. Naked DNA without vector system was also available for gene expression in muscles.

Animals↗

In vivo gene transfer into the retina mediated by a novel liposome system.

PURPOSE: To determine whether a reporter gene can be introduced into rat and mouse retinas in vivo using the authors' novel liposome system. METHODS: Cytomegalovirus-promoted LacZ genes and nonhistone nuclear protein, high mobility group 1 (HMG1), were coencapsulated in liposomes by agitation and sonication. The liposomes were then coated with the envelope of inactivated hemagglutinating virus of Japan (HVJ; Sendai virus) by fusion (HVJ liposome). The HVJ liposome solution was injected into the vitreous cavity of adult Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 30) or the subretinal space of adult CD-1 mice (n = 42). LacZ expression was assessed by beta-galactosidase assay. RESULTS: LacZ expression was demonstrated in the photoreceptors as long as 30 days after intravitreal and subretinal injections. beta-Gal activity was observed also in neurons and glial cells in the ganglion cell layer of the intravitreally injected rats and, although at lower intensity, in the retinal pigment epithelium of both animals. No inflammation or toxic effects secondary to the HVJ liposomes were detected on histologic examination. CONCLUSIONS: In vivo transfer and expression of a reporter gene into adult mammalian retina can be achieved using HVJ liposomes. This method offers a promise as a nonviral system for in vivo gene transfer into adult mammalian neural retina.

Animals↗