Thrombospondin-1 induction and VEGF reduction by proteasome inhibition

Fawzia Bardag-Gorce; Carter Hoffman; Imara Meepe; Monica Ferrini; Richard H Hoft; Joan Oliva; Yutaka Niihara

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13397

Thrombospondin-1 induction and VEGF reduction by proteasome inhibition

Heliyon. 2023 Feb 1;9(2):e13397. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13397. eCollection 2023 Feb.

Authors

Fawzia Bardag-Gorce^{1

2}, Carter Hoffman^{1

2}, Imara Meepe¹, Monica Ferrini², Richard H Hoft¹, Joan Oliva³, Yutaka Niihara^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ The Lundquist Institute at Harbor UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, 90502, USA.
² Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA.
³ Emmaus Medical, 21250 Hawthorne Blvd, Suite 800, Torrance, CA, 90505, USA.

Abstract

The present study focuses on investigating the expression of thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), a natural inhibitor of neovascularization. Immunofluorescent staining was used to detect the expression of TSP-1 in rabbit corneal tissue with vascularization induced by limbectomy. TSP-1 was detected in healthy and Cultured Autologous Oral Mucosal Epithelial Cell Sheet (CAOMECS) grafted rabbit corneas. TSP-1 was not detected in diseased corneas. Rabbit and human primary oral mucosal and corneal epithelial cells were cultured and treated with proteasome inhibitor (PI) in vitro. Changes in the expression of TSP-1, HIF-1 alpha and 2 alpha, VEGF-A, and VEGF receptor were analyzed by Western blotting. Neovascularization developed in rabbits' corneas as early as 1 month after limbectomy and was stable for at least 3 months. HIF-1 alpha and VEGF-A expression was reduced in CAOMECS grafted corneas, as compared to sham corneas. While TSP-1 expression was decreased in injured corneas, it was expressed in CAOMECS grafted corneas, but still less expressed compared to healthy corneas. PI treatment, of human oral mucosal and corneal epithelial cells increased TSP-1 expression and reduced VEGF-A expression. The results showed that TSP-1 expression was lost in injured corneal surface and that CAOMECS grafting restored TSP-1 expression to certain extent. Proteasome inhibition treatment increased TSP-1 and decreased VEGF-A expression in human oral mucosal and corneal epithelial cells. The result suggests that corneal neovascularization could be managed with the inhibition of the proteasome after CAOMECS grafting and increase corneal transparency.

Keywords: Corneal vascularization; Proteasome inhibition; Thrombospondin-1; VEGF.