Introduction: Severe sepsis is characterised by intravascular or extravascular infection with microbial agents, systemic inflammation and microcirculatory dysfunction, leading to tissue damage, organ failure and death. The growth factor angiopoietin (Ang-1) has therapeutic potential but recombinant Ang-1 tends to aggregate and has a short half-life in vivo. This study aimed to investigate the acute effects of the more stable Ang-1 variant matrilin-1-angiopoietin-1 (MAT.Ang-1) on the function of the microcirculation in an experimental model of sepsis, and whether any protection by MAT-Ang-1 was associated with modulation of inflammatory cytokines, angiogenic factors or the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)-Akt and vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin pathways.
Methods: Aluminium window chambers were implanted into the dorsal skinfold of male C3H/HeN mice (7 to 10 weeks old) to expose the striated muscle microcirculation. Endotoxemia was induced by intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 1 mg/kg at 0 and 19 hours). MAT.Ang-1 was administered intravenously 20 hours after the onset of sepsis. Microcirculatory function was evaluated by intravital microscopy and Doppler fluximetry.
Results: Endotoxemia resulted in macromolecular leak, which was ameliorated by MAT.Ang-1 post-treatment. LPS induced a dramatic reduction in tissue perfusion, which was improved by MAT.Ang-1. Proteome profiler array analysis of skeletal muscle also demonstrated increased inflammatory and reduced angiogenic factors during endotoxemia. MAT.Ang-1 post-treatment reduced the level of IL-1β but did not significantly induce the expression of angiogenic factors. MAT.Ang-1 alone did not induce leak or increase angiogenic factors but did reduce vascular endothelial growth factor expression in controls.
Conclusion: Administration of MAT.Ang-1 after the onset of sepsis protects the microcirculation from endotoxemia-induced vascular dysfunction through reducing inflammation but without pro-angiogenic actions, thus representing a novel, potential pharmacotherapeutic agent for the treatment of sepsis.