(Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. 2000;41:2378-2388.)
© 2000
by The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.
Inhibition of Retinal Angiogenesis by Peptides Derived from Thrombospondin-1
Afshin Shafiee1,2,
John S. Penn3,
Henry C. Krutzsch4,
John K. Inman4,
David D. Roberts4 and
Diane A. Blake1
1 From the Department of Ophthalmology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana; the
2 Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee; and the
3 Laboratory of Pathology, National Cancer Institute and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
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Abstract
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PURPOSE. Thrombospondin (TSP)-1 is a tumor suppressor with activity that is
associated with its ability to inhibit neovascularization. Previous
studies have mapped this antiangiogenic activity to the type 1 repeats
and the amino-terminal portion of the molecule within the
procollagen-like domain. The present study was performed to investigate
the ability of TSP-1 and peptides derived from the type 1 repeats to
inhibit retinal angiogenesis.
METHODS. TSP-1 and peptides with tryptophan-rich, heparin-binding sequences and
transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1 activation sequences were
evaluated in two models of retinal angiogenesis: a retinal explant
assay and a rat model of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).
RESULTS. Platelet-derived TSP-1 inhibited angiogenesis in both experimental
models. Peptides from the native TSP-1 sequence, which contained both
the tryptophan-rich repeat and the TGF-ß1 activation sequence, were
the most potent inhibitors of endothelial cell outgrowth in the retinal
explant assay. In contrast, a peptide containing only the
tryptophan-rich, heparin-binding sequence was most active in inhibiting
neovascular disease in the rat ROP model.
CONCLUSIONS. These results indicate that the type 1 repeats of TSP-1 contain two
subdomains that may independently influence the process of
neovascularization, and that peptides derived from these type 1 repeats
may be promising pharmacologic agents for treatment of retinal
angiogenesis.
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Introduction
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Neovascular diseases of the retina collectively constitute the
leading cause of blindness in developed countries.1
2
At
present, retinal laser photocoagulation appears to be the most
effective treatment for retinal neovascularization. However, this
procedure can destroy postmitotic retinal neurons and permanently
affect visual function. Pharmacologic agent(s) that inhibit
angiogenesis without destroying retinal tissue could lead to new
treatments for this constellation of diseases. Because angiogenesis is
a multistep process regulated by an array of growth factors and
extracellular matrix molecules (for reviews, see References 35) there
are potentially many ways to interfere with its progression. Recently,
a number of investigators have partially inhibited retinal and iris
angiogenesis in vivo using monoclonal antibodies,6
receptor-binding chimeric proteins,7
and antisense
oligonucleotides to vascular endothelial growth factor
(VEGF),8
an endothelium-specific growth factor.
Thrombospondin (TSP)-1 is an extracellular matrix glycoprotein that has
been shown to be both anti- and proangiogenic in various angiogenesis
models.9
10
11
12
13
14
These conflicting results may be due to the
complex structure of the protein and its ability to bind to a number of
receptors on the same cell type (Fig. 1 ; for a review, see Reference 15). The regions of TSP-1 responsible for
its antiangiogenic activity have been mapped to the procollagen-like
domain and to the type I repeats.16
The antiangiogenic
activity of these regions has been variously attributed to activation
of latent transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1,17
competition for fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2 binding to the
endothelial cell surface,18
19
interaction with heparan
sulfate proteoglycans,19
20
and binding to CD36, a
receptor for TSP-1.21
The RGD and VVM sequences of TSP-1
also interact directly and indirectly with integrins, including both
the
vß3 and
vß5 integrins.22
Ligation of these
integrins has been shown to prevent endothelial apoptosis during
angiogenesis.23
24
The therapeutic potential of the intact TSP-1 molecule is limited by
its size (a trimer of 450 kDa) and its multiple biological activities;
however, small peptides derived from it should provide a reasonable
alternative for preventing the pathologic growth of new blood vessels.
Heparin-binding peptides derived from the type 1 repeats of
TSP-125
have been shown to antagonize FGF-2 binding to
endothelial cell surfaces through binding to heparan sulfate and
proteoglycans,19
to inhibit endothelial cell chemotaxis to
FGF-2,19
and to induce apoptosis of endothelial
cells.26
Stable synthetic peptide analogues of these
peptides suppress breast carcinoma growth in a dose-dependent
manner.27
The present study was undertaken to evaluate the
ability of TSP-1 and different regions in the TSP-1 type 1 repeats to
inhibit angiogenesis in two ocular models of angiogenesis: a retinal
explant assay and a rat model of ROP. We demonstrated that a small
peptide from the type 1 repeats contained two active regions and that
the activity of these two regions could vary, depending on the model
system used to study the angiogenic process.
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Methods
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Platelet-derived TSP-1 and rat tail type I collagen were purchased
from Sigma (St. Louis, MO). Glucose-free Glasgow minimum essential
medium (10x; GMEM) and HEPES buffer solution (1 M) were purchased from
Gibco (Grand Island, NY). Fetal bovine serum (FBS) was obtained from
Hyclone (Logan, UT). The peptides used in this study (Table 1)
were synthesized, purified, and analyzed as described
elsewhere.25
27
Peptide 246 was derived from the native
sequence of TSP-1,25
and peptides 450 and 388 were
controls prepared by systematically substituting alanine for specific
amino acids known to be required for heparin binding or the activation
of latent TGF-ß1.17
20
Such substituted controls are
usually better than scrambled peptide controls, because they retain the
same secondary structure as the native sequence. D-Reverse
peptide analogues were used in some experiments because of their
superior resistance to most proteases. These D-reverse
peptides have been shown to be active, and the stereochemical
requirements for their activities have been published.27
For intravitreal injections, D-reverse analogues were
covalently conjugated to polysucrose of molecular weight 70,000 to
prevent rapid vitreous clearance.27
Peptides used for
biological assays were purified by dialysis using Spectrapor
500-Mr cutoff membranes (Spectrum, Rancho
Dominquez, CA), then lyophilized and stored at -20°C. Immediately
before use, the peptides were dissolved in purified water or normal
saline and filter sterilized.
Bovine Retinal Explant Assay
Vascular endothelial outgrowth from retinal discs was assessed
using modifications of a previously published procedure.28
Bovine eyes were processed within 2 hours of death. Excess tissue was
removed and the orbits covered with gauze saturated with gentamicin
(100 µg/ml in water) for 15 minutes. Under sterile conditions by
using a pair of blunt curved forceps, retinas were gently peeled off
the choroid, cut at the disc, and floated in a 100 x 15-mm tissue
culture dish containing 1x GMEM. Retinal discs from three to four
retinas were cut from the peripheral retina with a 3-mm trephine and
randomized. For the preparation of collagen gels, all procedures were
performed on ice. Collagen (3.3 ml) was made up in 0.012 N HCl at a
concentration of 3 mg/ml and neutralized by the addition of 1 N sodium
hydroxide (40 µl). HEPES buffer solution (40 µl) and 10x GMEM (0.5
ml) were added to restore physiologic ionic strength. At this point 1x
GMEM containing 10% FBS and varying concentrations of the test peptide
(in 1.15 ml) were incorporated into the gel mix. Aliquots (1 ml) of the
collagen mixture were then pipetted into each well of a six-well plate
(Becton Dickinson, Lincoln Park, NJ) and allowed to polymerize at
37°C. After polymerization, four to five retinal explants were placed
into each well and overlaid with a second aliquot of the gel mix (1
ml). GMEM (1 ml) containing 5 mM glucose, 10% FBS, and varying
concentrations of the peptides was added, and the explants were
incubated for 8 to 11 days. Medium was changed every 3 to 4 days. A
phase-contrast microscope was used to count the number of outgrowths
for each explant each day. The degree of inhibition in the TSP-1or
peptide-treated cultures was reported on the day that the maximal
endothelial outgrowth was observed in the control cultures (no
inhibitor, 10% FBS). This method of reporting results of the explant
cultures controlled for variability in the response of the retinal
tissue in different experiments. The variability (12 days) in the
time that the maximal number of outgrowths was observed in control
cultures of different experiments could have been due to variability in
the age of the retinal tissue obtained from the abattoir, to the
handling of the retinal tissue, or to the response of the tissue to the
growth factors present in the culture medium.
In experiments to study the toxicity and turnover of peptides, medium
containing the peptides was replaced on day 7 with GMEM containing 5 mM
glucose and 10% FBS but no peptide. The explants were further
incubated until day 11, and outgrowths were counted again. For some
experiments, outgrowth was also expressed semiquantitatively as clock
hours. The circumference of the explant was divided into 12 quadrants,
and each quadrant was scored as positive if any retinal outgrowth was
present in that quadrant. This analysis yielded values from 0 (no
outgrowth) to 12 (outgrowth in every quadrant). Masked assessments were
conducted by three independent observers whose scores were averaged for
each explant. Statistical significance was determined using the
KruskalWallis test,29
a nonparametric test that does not
assume a normal distribution of the data and is designed to evaluate
the significance of data in a rank-order format. The clock hour and
explant data presented in this study are in such a format.
Rat Model of Retinopathy of Prematurity
The effects of TSP-1 and peptides on retinal neovascularization
were determined using a previously described rat
model.30
31
32
33
All animal experiments were performed with
the highest standards of care and conformed to the principles outlined
in the ARVO Statement for the Use of Animals in Ophthalmic and Vision
Research. At birth, litters of SpragueDawley rats and their mothers
were placed in a variable oxygen environment (cycles of 24 hours, 50%
oxygen followed by 24 hours, 10% oxygen). The 10% oxygen atmosphere
was produced by mixing appropriate fractions of pure nitrogen and room
air. These oxygen levels were chosen because they produce blood oxygen
tensions in the rat pups similar to those measured in infants in whom
ROP develops.30
The oxygen level was alternated between
50% and 10% every 24 hours for 14 days (Fig. 2)
, the time required for room airraised rats to complete retinal
vascular formation. On day 14, animals were brought into room air,
randomized, and injected intravitreally with the test agent (Fig. 2)
.
Platelet-purified human TSP-1 (125 ng in 5 µl, 0.76 picomoles of TSP
subunit) was injected on day 14 or 17. Polysucrose (70 kDa) or
polysucrose-conjugated peptides were dissolved in physiological saline
(at a final concentration of 750 µM as peptide), filter sterilized,
and further diluted with physiological saline. A volume of 5 µl
(3.75, 1.25, or 0.35 nanomoles per eye) was injected on day 14, and
animals were killed on day 20. Abnormal neovascularization was assessed
on day 20 by histochemically staining retinas for ADPase
activity,34
a procedure that preferentially stains
retinal vascular endothelium and microglia in rats of this
age.31
Stained retinas were flattened on microscope slides
using four radial cuts, marked for orientation of the superior
quadrant, coverslipped in GelMount (Biomeda, Foster City, CA), and
digitized using a digitizing camera (CCO-72; Dage-MTI, Michigan City,
IN) and image analysis software (ImageGrabber ver. 2.0; Neotech,
Hampshire, UK).

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Figure 2. Oxygen exposure paradigm for rat ROP model. Diagram shows typical
oxygen exposure. The litters of newborn rats were placed in an exposure
chamber within 4 hours after birth, and the oxygen level was adjusted
every 24 hours thereafter. Animals were removed to room air 14 days
after birth and injected intravitreally with TSP, TSP peptides, or
vehicle on day 14 (arrow 1). For some experiments,
animals were injected with TSP or vehicle (arrow 2) 3
days after removal from the exposure chamber. All animals were killed
(Sac) on day 20.
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Normal vascular growth in the developing rat retinas was quantified by
measuring vascular area. Retinal areas containing blood vessels were
traced on the computer monitor face with an interactive stylus pen (FT
Data Systems, Stanton, CA). The operator was masked to the treatment
group from which each retina was derived. The area within the trace was
calculated with image analysis software (Enhance 3.0;
MicroFrontier, Des Moines, IA) and is reported in square millimeters.
The degree of vascular disease was assessed using clock hours. A
theoretical clock face was superimposed on the retinas with areas
between separated quadrants omitted from the assessment. Each clock
hour that was occupied by neovascular growth was counted, yielding a
semiquantitative measure of severity, with values ranging from 0 (no
disease) to 12 (most severe). In this context, neovascular growth
included any preretinal growth and any regions of dense arterial
budding within the superficial vessel plexus, with determinations
confirmed at x400 magnification. Neither of these two features is
observed during normal vasculogenesis in room airraised rats.
Although not rigorously quantitative, this method was chosen because it
has a clear corollary in the clinical classification of ROP and is
widely published by laboratories that use ROP animal
models.31
35
36
37
38
39
Multiple transverse sections were
impractical for the samples sizes required by this study; in addition,
because of the asymmetry of the disease, such sections are prone to
sampling errors. In other studies, when these sampling errors were
controlled by serially sectioning entire eyes in a similar ROP model,
the number of preretinal nuclei was highly correlated with clock hour
measures.40
Masked assessments were conducted by three
independent observers; the median of these individual assessments is
reported. Statistical significance was determined by a KruskalWallis
test, with a Fishers post hoc analysis.29
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Results
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Dose- and Time-Dependent Inhibition of Retinal Neovascularization
by Platelet-Derived TSP
A newborn rat model of ROP was used to assess the antiangiogenic
effects of platelet-derived TSP-1.41
Preliminary
experiments indicated that TSP-1, when injected immediately after the
rats had been transferred to room air, caused a dose-dependent decrease
in retinal neovascularization. Maximal response was observed when
between 75 and 750 ng of TSP-1 was injected per eye (data not shown),
and 125 ng/eye (0.76 picomoles TSP-1 subunit per eye) was chosen as the
dose for subsequent experiments. Figure 3
shows representative retinas from 20-day-old rats that were subjected
to 14 days of alternating oxygen tension and then maintained in room
air for an additional 6 days. The left side of the figure presents a
retina from an animal injected with vehicle (PBS) immediately after
return to room air. The retina exhibited severe abnormal
neovascularization, including the growth of many discrete vascular
tufts immediately posterior to the advancing front of vessel formation
(Fig. 3
, left, arrowheads). The right side of the figure shows the
contralateral retina from the same rat. This eye was injected with 0.76
picomoles TSP-1 immediately after removal from the exposure chamber.
Although some abnormal neovascularization was observed, overall, this
retina exhibited fewer vascular tufts than retinas from
vehicle-injected eyes. Retinas from animals injected with TSP-1 3 days
after return to room air had an appearance that was intermediate
between that of vehicle-injected eyes and eyes injected with TSP-1
immediately after removal from the exposure chamber (data not shown).

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Figure 3. Effect of TSP-1 on rat retina. Left: Flat-mounted,
ADPase-stained retina from animal injected with PBS vehicle;
right: retina from contralateral eye of the same rat
injected with 0.76 picomoles TSP-1. Both eyes were injected on day 14,
immediately after removal from the exposure chamber.
Arrowheads: preretinal vascular tufts.
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The severity of abnormal neovascularization in untreated retinas and
those injected with TSP-1 or vehicle alone was quantified as shown in
Figure 4A
. Injection of PBS immediately after transferring the rats to room air
caused a small but significant (P = 0.0106) decrease in
retinal neovascularization., when platelet-derived TSP-1 was injected
immediately after the animals were removed from the exposure chamber,
however, neovascularization was reduced by 48% compared with the
vehicle-injected control (P < 0.0001). If the
injection of TSP was delayed for 3 days after transfer of the animals
to room air, it had less inhibitory effect on the neovascularization
response (29% inhibition, P = 0.0435, compared with
the vehicle-injected control). Injection of TSP or PBS did not
significantly alter normal intraretinal vessel development
(vasculogenesis) at either time of injection, as shown in Figure 4B
.

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Figure 4. Effect of TSP-1 on retinal angiogenesis. (A) Pathologic
neovascularization, expressed as clock hours, in control eyes (no inj)
and in eyes that received PBS injection immediately (Veh,14/0) or 3
days (Veh,14/3) after removal from the exposure chamber, and in eyes
that received 0.76 picomoles platelet-derived TSP (as subunit)
immediately (TSP,14/0) or 3 days (TSP,14/3) after removal from the
exposure chamber. Animals were killed on day 20. (), Median of three
or four individual assessments of each retina; ( ), mean for each
treatment group; error bars, SD; arrowhead: median.
Statistical analysis was performed by KruskalWallis
test.29
Significantly different (+P =
0.0106 and < 0.0001 for Veh,14/0 and Veh,14/3, respectively) from
noninjected control. TSP-injected retinas were compared with the
appropriate vehicle-injected control **P < 0.0001;
*P = 0.0435. (B) Degree of normal retinal
vasculogenesis in eyes treated as described in (A). Error
bars, SD. No significant differences in vascular area were observed.
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Inhibition of Angiogenesis in a Retinal Explant Assay by TSP-1 and
Synthetic Peptides Derived from the Type 1 Repeats
A retinal explant assay was used to evaluate the relative potency
of intact TSP-1 and three synthetic peptides derived from the type 1
repeats of TSP-1. This assay is based on the outgrowth of endothelial
cells from retinal tissue into a collagen gel.28
When
intact TSP-1 was tested in this assay, low concentrations of TSP-1 (1.5
nM) slightly stimulated endothelial outgrowth, whereas higher
concentrations (15 and 150 nM) significantly decreased endothelial
outgrowth when compared with a serum-stimulated positive control (data
not shown). The antiangiogenic properties of the TSP-1 molecule were
further examined using synthetic peptides derived from the second type
I repeat of TSP (Fig. 1) . Four peptides were initially tested for their
ability to inhibit endothelial cell outgrowth in the retinal explant
model (Table 1)
. Peptide 388 (KRFKQDGGASHASPASS) contained the KRFK
sequence previously reported to activate latent
TGF-ß1,17
peptide 450 (KRAKAAGGWSHWSPWSSC) contained the
GWXXWSPW sequence required for maximal heparin binding,20
and peptide 246 (KRFKQDGGWSHWSPWSS) derived from the native sequence of
TSP-1,25
contained both the heparin-binding and
TGF-ß1activating sequences. Peptide 300 (GGWSHW) contained the
minimal-consensus heparin-binding WSXW sequence; however, previous
studies have shown that this sequence binds very weakly to heparin
compared with peptides containing the WSPW sequence, and peptide 300
was used as a nonreactive control in the present
experiments.20
Incubation of retinal explants in medium
containing 10% FBS or 10% FBS and peptide 300 at 200 µM yielded
cultures of identical appearance, with many retinal vascular outgrowths
(>30, data not shown). In subsequent experiments, medium containing
10% FBS was used as the positive control.
Peptide 246 inhibited endothelial cell outgrowth from the retinal
tissue explant in a dose-dependent fashion, as detailed in Table 2
. Between four and five explants were examined at four peptide
concentrations on days 9 and 11 after the cultures were established. In
the absence of the inhibitory peptide, the growth factors in the
culture medium stimulated exuberant endothelial cell outgrowth (see
photomicrograph in Fig. 5A
) in four of five of the explants by 9 days of culture and in five of
five explants after 11 days in culture. Because of the
three-dimensional nature of the explant cultures, an accurate count of
endothelial sprouts from the explanted retinal tissue was very
difficult to perform when the response was robust, and explants with
more than 30 outgrowths were denoted as "more than 30." The data in
Table 2
was representative of three independent experiments with
peptide 246 (data not shown).

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Figure 5. Retinal explant assay for antiangiogenic activity. Discs from bovine
retinas (R) were sandwiched between type I collagen gels and overlaid
with GMEM containing various test agents. (A) Positive
control with 10% FBS; (B) 10% FBS and 200 µM peptide
246; (C) 10% FBS and 200 µM peptide 388. Photomicrographs
were taken on day 8; magnification, x160.
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Peptide 246 was a potent inhibitor, significantly (P <
0.01) inhibiting outgrowth at 100 and 200 µM (see Table 2
and
photomicrograph in Fig. 5B
). When peptide 246 was withdrawn from the
cultures, explants initially maintained in 100 and 200 µM peptide,
which had previously shown minimal endothelial cell sprouting, started
to form tube-like structures (see day 11 data in Table 2
). These data
suggest that peptide 246 inhibited endothelial cell sprouting without
irreversibly damaging the cellular machinery required for the outgrowth
response. Peptides 388 and 450 were less active than 246 in inhibiting
endothelial cell outgrowth, as shown in Table 3
. These data are representative of three independent experiments (data
not shown). Peptide 388, which contained the TGF-ß1 activating
sequence, reduced the number of outgrowths to less than 10 per explant
at the highest concentration tested (200 µM, P <
0.01; Fig. 5C
). Peptide 450 at 100 µM significantly reduced
(P = 0.05) the response in the explant assay. It
reduced the number of outgrowths on three of five explants to less than
10 per explant. Two of the explants showed no outgrowth when treated
with 100 µM of peptide 450. At the highest concentration tested (200
µM), there was a total inhibition of vascular outgrowth
(P < 0.01, see Table 3 ).
The recovery of the endothelial proliferative response when the
peptides were withdrawn from the explant cultures (Table 2) suggested
that something in retinal explant cultures might be inactivating these
peptide inhibitors. The D-reverse analogues of the peptides
and their polysucrose conjugates are more resistant to proteases than
the L-forward peptides, and have previously been shown to
have enhanced inhibitory activity in cell cultures and mouse xenograft
assays.26
27
The potency of D-reverse
analogues and their respective polysucrose conjugates was therefore
compared with that of the L-forward peptides, as shown in
Figure 6
. Potency was more readily compared in the retinal explant assays when
assay response was reported as clock hours of endothelial outgrowth. In
this analysis, each one twelfth of the explant circumference was
examined for endothelial outgrowth and scored as positive if any
outgrowth occurred in that quadrant, as shown in Figure 6
. As
previously noted, peptide 246 at a concentration of 100 µM almost
completely inhibited endothelial outgrowth in the retinal explant assay
(Fig. 6A)
. When peptide 416 (the D-reverse analogue of 246)
was tested at a concentration of 25 µM, two of four explants showed
some endothelial outgrowth; peptide 416 at a concentration of 50 µM
showed a pattern of response identical with that of peptide 246 at 100
µM. Addition of 100 µM peptide 450 produced a pattern of
endothelial outgrowth similar to that observed in previous experiments
(Table 3) , and the inhibition observed with 50 µM of the
D-reverse analogue of 450 (peptide 476) was not
significantly different. We estimate from these data that the
D-reverse analogues of 246 and 450 were approximately twice
as potent as the L-forward peptides in the retinal explant
assay.

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Figure 6. Comparisons of the potency of L-forward peptides,
D-reverse peptides, and D-reverse
polysucrose-conjugated peptides in the retinal explant assay. Each one
twelfth of the explant circumference was examined for endothelial cell
outgrowth and scored as positive if any outgrowth occurred in that
quadrant. (), Individual datum for each explant; (+), the mean.
(A) Comparison of the activities of L-forward
and D-reverse peptides with heparin-binding activity
(peptides 450 and 476, respectively) and with both heparin-binding and
TGF-ß1activating activity (peptides 246 and 416, respectively);
(B) potency of the L-forward peptide 246 was
compared with the D-reverse polysucrose-conjugated analogue
with both heparin-binding and TGF-ß1 activating activity or the
analogue with only heparin-binding activity (peptides 416F70 and
476F70, respectively).
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The potency of the D-reverse polysucrose-conjugated
analogue of peptide 246 and 450 were also tested (Fig. 6B)
; the
D-reverse polysucrose-conjugated 246 analogue (416F70) was
estimated to be approximately 40 times more potent than the
corresponding L-forward peptide. Conjugation to polysucrose
had a lesser effect on the potency of the conjugated heparin-binding
peptide (476F70). At concentrations of 1 and 5 µM, these peptides did
not significantly inhibit endothelial cell outgrowth in the explant
assay.
Inhibition of Retinal Angiogenesis in the Rat Model of
ROP by Synthetic Peptides Derived from TSP
For in vivo experiments, the D-reverse
polysucrose-conjugated analogues of the peptides tested were used to
reduce inactivation and clearance from the vitreous. Three
peptidepolysucrose conjugates were tested in these studies (Table 1)
;
peptide 475F70, a D-reverse analogue with the TGF-ß1
activation sequence; peptide 476F70, an analogue with heparin-binding
activity; and peptide 416F70, an analogue with both activities. The
peptides were conjugated to polysucrose with a molecular weight of 70
kDa. Polysucrose (70 kDa) at a concentration equivalent to that in the
peptidepolysucrose conjugates was used as the vehicle control.
Inhibitory action of the peptides on retinal neovascularization is
summarized in Figure 7A
. Those eyes receiving no injection had significantly more vascular
disease (P = 0.0351) than those injected with vehicle.
Such findings are consistent with previously published results using
this animal model.42
Peptide 476F70, the heparin-binding
peptide with no TGF-ß1activating activity, was the most potent
antiangiogenic peptide in vivo, significantly reducing pathologic
neovascularization at both concentrations tested (1.25 and 3.75
nanomoles per eye, P = 0.0117 and 0.0003,
respectively). Peptide 416F70 (which contains both heparin-binding and
TGF-ß1 activating sequences) was less effective at inhibiting retinal
neovascularization than equimolar concentrations of peptide 476F70 and
showed statistically significant inhibition only at the highest
concentration tested (3.75 nanomoles per eye, P =
0.0397). In contrast, the highest concentration of peptide 475F70,
which contains only the TGF-ß1activating sequence, significantly
(P = 0.0383) enhanced neovascularization when compared
with vehicle-injected control eyes. At the lower concentration of
475F70, there was no difference in neovascularization compared with the
vehicle control. As shown for TSP, the injected peptides had no
significant effect on normal intraretinal vessel development
(vasculogenesis data shown in Fig. 7B
). The morphologic differences
among eyes injected with peptide 416F70 (Fig. 8
, left), peptide 476F70 (Fig. 8
middle), or 457F70 (Fig. 8
right)
mirrored the results of the more quantitative data presented in Figure 7A .

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Figure 7. Effect of D-reverse polysucrose-conjugated TSP-1 peptides
on retinal angiogenesis in rat ROP model. (A) Pathologic
neovascularization, expressed as clock hours. On day 14 of the
treatment regimen, rats were placed in room air and injected
intravitreally with a single 5-µl injection of the
D-reverse polysucrose-conjugated peptides at concentrations
of 750, 250, and 75 µM for peptide 416F70 (3.75, 1.25, or 0.38
nanomoles/eye), or 750 and 250 µM (3.75 and 1.25 nanomoles/eye) for
peptides 475F70 and 476F70. The polysucrose vehicle was injected at a
concentration equivalent to that in the 750 µM sample. Some eyes
received no injections. (), Median of three or four individual
assessments of each retina; ( ), mean for each treatment group; error
bars, SD; arrowhead: median. Statistical analysis was
performed by KruskalWallis test.29
Vehicle-injected eye
was significantly different (+P = 0.0351) from
noninjected control. Retinas injected with conjugated peptides were
compared with the vehicle-injected control: *0.01 <
P < 0.05; **P < 0.01. (B)
Normal retinal vasculogenesis, expressed as vascular area. No
significant differences in vascular area were observed.
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Figure 8. Effect of TSP-1 peptides on rat retinas. Shown are flat-mounted
ADPase-stained retinas from eyes injected with (left)
3.75 nanomoles peptide 416F70, (middle) 3.75 nanomoles
peptide 476F70, (right) 3.75 nanomoles peptide 475F70.
Refer to Figure 3
(left) for vehicle effect.
Arrowheads: Preretinal vascular tufts.
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Discussion
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There is growing evidence for the role of TSP-1 in inhibition of
angiogenesis both in vitro and in vivo.10
11
12
16
43
44
45
TSP-1 has been shown to inhibit FGF-2induced migration and growth in
bovine aortic endothelial cells,18
reduce angiogenesis in
transfected cell lines,12
46
and inhibit rat corneal
neovascularization, independent of TGF-ß activity.45
47
The reported proangiogenic action of TSP-1 appeared to be indirect and
as a result of leukocyte or myofibroblast infiltration of the
biological assays used.14
48
The ability of TSP-1 to suppress angiogenesis appears to reside solely
in the procollagen-like domain and the second and third type 1 repeats
of the molecule. Tolmsa et al.16
showed that the
central 70-kDa region of TSP-1 could block angiogenesis induced by
FGF-2 in the rat cornea and inhibit migration and
[3H]thymidine incorporation stimulated by FGF-2
in cultured bovine adrenal capillary endothelial cells. Further studies
have revealed two subdomains that appear to act independently to
suppress angiogenesis: a tryptophan-rich motif that binds to
heparin20
and the GVQXR motif that binds
CD36.21
The second type 1 repeat of TSP-1 also contains a
basic sequence KRFK that binds to and activates TGF-ß1 in vitro and
in vivo.17
49
TGF-ß has been reported to be a potent
inhibitor of endothelial proliferation in vitro,50
whereas
it has been reported to stimulate angiogenesis in
vivo.51
52
In this study, we examined the effect of TSP-1 and peptides derived
from the second type 1 repeat on two models of retinal
neovascularization: an in vivo model of ROP and an in vitro model of
retinal endothelial cell outgrowth. Injection of 0.76 picomoles of the
intact TSP-1 molecule in the rat ROP model inhibited pathologic
neovascularization in the retinas of treated animals. TSP-1 was more
effective in vivo when administered immediately after removal of the
animals from the oxygen pressure chamber. Thus, this extracellular
matrix molecule most likely inhibited an early step in the angiogenic
process. Previous reports that platelet-derived TSP may be contaminated
with TGF-ß1 raised concerns about the contribution of TGF-ß1 to the
antiangiogenic activities of TSP. TGF-ß1 was undetectable by
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in the platelet-purified TSP-1 used
in these experiments (data not shown). Because levels in the nanogram
per millimeter range are required for the suppression of endothelial
cell proliferation,50
it is unlikely that the
antiangiogenic responses observed with the injected TSP were due to
contamination with TGF-ß1.
Peptides derived from the native sequence of TSP-1 (containing both the
WSXW heparin-binding domain and the KRFK TGF-ß1 activation domain)
and mutant versions in which these domains were abrogated were first
tested in a bovine retinal explant assay. This model is a complex
system allowing multiple cellular interactions in a three-dimensional
type I collagen gel. The cells that grow out from the explant have been
shown by surface markers to be of endothelial origin.28
The system also contains a large number of activated and proliferating
macrophages,28
a cell type that exhibits very high levels
of oxygen consumption.53
In cultures with high oxygen
consumption, the rate of diffusion usually limits oxygen delivery to
the explanted tissue.54
The low oxygen tensions that
result from limited oxygen delivery are likely to be responsible for
the tissue damage and subsequent endothelial outgrowth observed in the
explanted retinal tissue.28
Peptide 246, derived from the
native sequence of TSP, significantly inhibited retinal vascular
outgrowth in this assay at concentrations of 100 and 200 µM. This
pronounced inhibition of vascular outgrowth did not appear to be due to
endothelial cell toxicity at high peptide concentrations. If the
peptide in the explant cultures was not replenished, small outgrowths
from explants were observed in previously inhibited cultures 4 days
after the last addition of peptide (Table 2)
. These data suggest that
the explants had the ability to metabolize the inhibitory peptide and
that cells capable of forming vascular outgrowths were still present in
the cultures. The enhanced potency of the D-reverse
peptides and their polysucrose conjugates in the explant assay (Fig. 6)
may thus be a result of their enhanced half-life in the vicinity of the
explant.
The active sequence motifs of peptide 246 (WSXW and KRFK) were further
investigated using mutated versions of the peptide. Peptide 388,
containing the KRFK domain responsible for activating TGF-ß1, was
active only at the highest concentration tested (200 µM; Table 3
and
Fig. 3B
). Peptide 450 and 476F70, which bind to heparin through
tryptophan-rich sequences, were more inhibitory than peptides carrying
only the KRFK sequence and inferior to the peptides carrying both
sequences. Studies indicate that heparin and heparan sulfate are
required for the stabilization and oligomerization of FGF-2 and VEGF
that lead to receptor activation and signaling.55
56
57
58
59
60
Binding of tryptophan-rich motif to cell surface heparan sulfate
proteoglycans may therefore deplete their availability for growth
factor receptor binding. A heparin-binding peptide from type I collagen
has recently been shown to inhibit endothelial tube formation in
collagen gels, presumably by disrupting cell interactions with collagen
fibrils,61
and it is possible that the heparin-binding,
tryptophan-rich sequences in the current study had a similar effect. In
the retinal explant assay, peptides 246, 416, and 416F70 (containing
both the WSXW and KRFK sequences) were the most potent of the three
peptides, possibly because of the synergism of growth factor antagonism
and TGF-ß1 activation. Experiments with pure populations of vascular
endothelial cells have demonstrated that peptide 246 inhibits migration
and proliferation of these cells19
while increasing the
rate of apoptosis.26
Onset of ischemia is one process that may initiate the cascade of
events leading to retinal neovascularization, although such nonischemic
conditions as acidosis and bacterial infection can also lead to new
blood vessel formation.33
37
In our in vivo study,
ischemia was induced by exposing newborn rats to variable hyperoxia.
The D-reverse peptide analogue containing the
tryptophan-rich heparin-binding sequence but without the TGF-ß1
activation sequence was most active in inhibiting neovascularization in
the ROP model. In contrast, injection of the peptide containing the
only the TGF-ß1 activation sequence actually stimulated the extent of
pathologic neovascularization over that observed in vehicle-injected
controls. The peptide with both WSXW and KRFK sequences also
significantly reduced the neovascularization in the ROP model but was
not as potent as the peptide containing only the heparin-binding
domain. This could be due to opposing activities of the KRFK and WSXW
sequences. The action of peptides in the ROP model varied significantly
from that of retinal explant assay. The difference in the responses
observed in the two angiogenic assays was not due solely to the use of
D-reverse polysucrose-conjugated versions of these peptides
in the animal model. When tested in the explant assay, these
D-reverse polysucrose conjugates showed the same order of
potency as the L-forward peptides (see Fig. 6B
).
The peptides used to inhibit neovascularization in the rat ROP model
were polysucrose-conjugated molecules of relatively high molecular
weight (>80 kDa).27
The high molecular weight of these
conjugates prevented their penetration through the inner limiting
membrane of the retina; the molecular weight limit for the penetration
of proteins from the vitreous into the retina appears to be
approximately 60 kDa.62
Because the pathologic
neovascularization has infiltrated the inner limiting membrane, these
vessels would be susceptible to the action of the protein and peptide
inhibitors injected into the vitreous, whereas normal vasculogenesis
would not. Thus, under the conditions of these experiments, both TSP
and the TSP-derived peptides appear to inhibit only the
neovascularization. Experiments are in progress to determine whether
the size of the peptide administered intravitreously may influence the
type of inhibition observed in the rat model.
In the ROP model, the heparin-binding peptide was most active in
inhibiting neovascularization. Previous studies from our laboratories
have shown that that peptide 246 antagonizes basic (b)FGF through
binding to heparan sulfate and proteoglycans. These data include
inhibition of binding of radiolabeled bFGF to endothelial
cells,19
heparin,26
and heparan
sulfate.63 The interaction of the peptides with
cells is inhibited by heparatinase treatment.64
The
essential role of heparan sulfate proteoglycans in growth factor
signaling has also been extensively documented.55
56
57
58
59
60
Thus, the primary mode of inhibition by the peptides appeared to be
interference in the binding and activation of heparin-binding growth
factors to their receptors. Ischemia in the retina stimulates the
release of VEGF and FGF-2 as a result of tissue damage or due to
hypoxic induction of Müller cells and
leukocytes.65
66
The variable effect of the TFG-ß1 activation domain in the two
angiogenic assays may relate to the levels of latent TGF-ß1 present
in the two model systems. TGF-ß1 at low levels has been shown to
inhibit endothelial migration and proliferation in vitro, and low
levels of TGF-ß have been reported in the vitreous of human donors
without ocular complications.67
68
However, vitreoretinal
diseases have been previously shown to cause a breakdown of the
bloodocular barrier,69
70
and this breakdown could
subsequently lead to increased vitreous concentrations of
TGF-ß1.71
72
Activation of these higher levels of
TGF-ß1 by the KRFK domain of the type 1 repeats might then stimulate
the angiogenic process.
TSP-1 has long been known as a natural regulator of the angiogenic
process, and recent studies by Suzuki et al.73
have demonstrated that ischemic retina and VEGF-stimulated retinal
neovascular cells synthesize and secrete TSP-1. The authors suggest
that the VEGF-mediated induction of TSP-1 may be a negative feedback
mechanism to control retinal neovascularization. In those cases in
which neovascularization is not controlled by this process, the
administration of peptides derived from the antiangiogenic type 1
repeats of TSP-1 may be a safe and effective therapy. In the context of
the ROP model, it is notable that normal intraretinal vessel growth was
unaffected by TSP-1 or peptide injection. The in vivo effectiveness of
these simple peptides suggest that agents that compete with
heparin-binding growth factors for cell surface heparan sulfate
proteoglycans may be promising pharmacologic agents for treatment of
ocular angiogenesis.
 |
Footnotes
|
|---|
2 Present address: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110. 
Supported by Research to Prevent Blindness, Wasserman Merit Award (JSP), Research to Prevent Blindness Grants to Tulane University and Vanderbilt University Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, National Institutes of Health Grants EY-07533 (JSP) and EY-09092 (DAB), and Department of Defense Grant DAMD17-94-J-4499 (DDR).
Submitted for publication September 29, 1999; revised February 1, 2000; accepted February 10, 2000.
Commercial relationships policy: N.
Corresponding author: Diane A. Blake, Department of Ophthalmology, SL-69, Tulane University School of Medicine, 1430 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70112. dblake{at}tmcpop.tmc.tulane.edu
 |
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