Liraglutide Lowers Endothelial Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 in Murine Atherosclerosis Independent of Glucose Levels
Mukesh Punjabi, Alexandra Kosareva, Lifen Xu, Amanda Ochoa‐Espinosa, Sarah Decembrini, Georg Rainer Hofmann, Samira Wyttenbach, Bidda Rolin, Michael Nyberg, Beat A. Kaufmann
Abstract
The authors determined the effect of the GLP-1 receptor agonist liraglutide on endothelial surface expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 in murine apolipoprotein E knockout atherosclerosis. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound molecular imaging using microbubbles targeted to VCAM-1 and control microbubbles showed a 3-fold increase in endothelial surface VCAM-1 signal in vehicle-treated animals, whereas in the liraglutide-treated animals the signal ratio remained around 1 throughout the study. Liraglutide had no influence on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol or glycated hemoglobin, but reduced TNF-α, IL-1β, MCP-1, and OPN. Aortic plaque lesion area and luminal VCAM-1 expression on immunohistology were reduced under liraglutide treatment.