Browsing by Author "Hazra, Sugata"

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    Loss of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 Exacerbates Diabetic Retinopathy by Promoting Bone Marrow Dysfunction
    (Wiley, 2018-09) Duan, Yaqian; Beli, Eleni; Calzi, Sergio Li; Quigley, Judith L.; Miller, Rehae C.; Moldovan, Leni; Feng, Dongni; Salazar, Tatiana E.; Hazra, Sugata; Al-Sabah, Jude; Chalam, Kakarla V.; Trinh, Thao Le Phuong; Meroueh, Marya; Markel, Troy A.; Murray, Matthew C.; Vyas, Ruchi J.; Boulton, Michael E.; Parsons-Wingerter, Patricia; Oudit, Gavin Y.; Obukhov, Alexander G.; Grant, Maria B.; Cellular and Integrative Physiology, School of Medicine
    Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is the primary enzyme of the vasoprotective axis of the renin angiotensin system (RAS). We tested the hypothesis that loss of ACE2 would exacerbate diabetic retinopathy by promoting bone marrow dysfunction. ACE2-/y were crossed with Akita mice, a model of type 1 diabetes. When comparing the bone marrow of the ACE2-/y-Akita mice to that of Akita mice, we observed a reduction of both short-term and long-term repopulating hematopoietic stem cells, a shift of hematopoiesis towards myelopoiesis, and an impairment of lineage-c-kit+ hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell (HS/PC) migration and proliferation. Migratory and proliferative dysfunction of these cells was corrected by exposure to angiotensin-1–7 (Ang-1–7), the protective peptide generated by ACE2. Over the duration of diabetes examined, ACE2 deficiency led to progressive reduction in electrical responses assessed by electroretinography and to increases in neural infarcts observed by fundus photography. Compared to Akita mice, ACE2-/y-Akita at 9-months of diabetes showed an increased number of acellular capillaries indicative of more severe diabetic retinopathy. In diabetic and control human subjects, CD34+ cells, a key bone marrow HS/PC population, were assessed for changes in mRNA levels for MAS, the receptor for Ang-1–7. Levels were highest in CD34+ cells from diabetics without retinopathy. Higher serum Ang-1–7 levels predicted protection from development of retinopathy in diabetics. Treatment with Ang-1–7 or alamandine restored the impaired migration function of CD34+ cells from subjects with retinopathy. These data support that activation of the protective RAS within HS/PCs may represent a therapeutic strategy for prevention of diabetic retinopathy.
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    The Mechanism of Diabetic Retinopathy Pathogenesis Unifying Key Lipid Regulators, Sirtuin 1 and Liver X Receptor
    (Elsevier, 2017-08) Hammer, Sandra S.; Beli, Eleni; Kady, Nermin; Wang, Qi; Wood, Kiana; Lydic, Todd A.; Malek, Goldis; Saban, Daniel R.; Wang, Xiaoxin X.; Hazra, Sugata; Levi, Moshe; Busik, Julia V.; Grant, Maria B.; Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine
    Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a complication secondary to diabetes and is the number one cause of blindness among working age individuals worldwide. Despite recent therapeutic breakthroughs using pharmacotherapy, a cure for DR has yet to be realized. Several clinical trials have highlighted the vital role dyslipidemia plays in the progression of DR. Additionally, it has recently been shown that activation of Liver X receptor (LXRα/LXRβ) prevents DR in diabetic animal models. LXRs are nuclear receptors that play key roles in regulating cholesterol metabolism, fatty acid metabolism and inflammation. In this manuscript, we show insight into DR pathogenesis by demonstrating an innovative signaling axis that unifies key metabolic regulators, Sirtuin 1 and LXR, in modulating retinal cholesterol metabolism and inflammation in the diabetic retina. Expression of both regulators, Sirtuin 1 and LXR, are significantly decreased in diabetic human retinal samples and in a type 2 diabetic animal model. Additionally, activation of LXR restores reverse cholesterol transport, prevents inflammation, reduces pro-inflammatory macrophages activity and prevents the formation of diabetes-induced acellular capillaries. Taken together, the work presented in this manuscript highlights the important role lipid dysregulation plays in DR progression and offers a novel potential therapeutic target for the treatment of DR.