Hyaluronic acid and CD44 in angiogenesis and endometriosis.

OLIVARES C; RICCI A; BARAÑAO RI; MENGER M; ALANIZ L; LASCHKE M; MERESMAN G

Chascomús

Congreso; XVI Jornadas anuales de la Sociedad Argentina de Biología,; 2014

HA-CD44 interaction has been described in several physiologic and pathologic conditions. Adherence, proliferation and angiogenesis are amongst the processes they promote. To study this interaction we used different models in which we evaluated angiogenesis and EDT development. EDT is a benign disease that relies on angiogenesis. To study the effect of the HA synthesis inhibitor 4-methylumbelliferone (4-MU) on angiogenesis we obtained aortic rings from Sprague Dawley male rats and cultured them for 6 days with different 4-MU concentrations and then measured sprout growth. We also performed an in vivo assay using the skinfold chamber model (SCM) into which endometrial fragments were transplanted and monitored by means of intravital fluorescent microscopy at different time points for: graft size, vascularized area and functional capillary density; also we evaluated cell proliferation, apoptosis and an endothelial marker expression. These mice were daily treated with intraperitoneal 4-MU. In addition, EDT was induced in CD44-/- (KO) and wild type (wt) mice by singeneic transplant of endometrial fragments from KO and wt mice. Animals were left untreated for one month. Lesion growth, VEGF content in peritoneal fluid and von Willebrand factor (vW) expression  were evaluated. 4-MU inhibited sprout growth in vitro. It also affected the vascularized network, functional capillaries and CD31 expression while proliferation and apoptosis were unaffected in the SCM