Antiangiogenic Effect of Angiotensin II Type 2 Receptor in Ischemia-Induced Angiogenesis in Mice Hindlimb

This study examined the potential role of angiotensin type 2 (AT2) receptor on angiogenesis in a model of surgically induced hindlimb ischemia. Ischemia was produced by femoral artery ligature in both wild-type and AT2 gene–deleted mice (Agtr2−/Y). After 28 days, angiogenesis was quantitated by microangiography, capillary density measurement, and laser Doppler perfusion imaging. Protein levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), Bax, and Bcl-2 were determined by Western blot analysis in hindlimbs. The AT2 mRNA level (assessed by semiquantitative RT-PCR) was increased in the ischemic hindlimb of wild-type mice. Angiographic vessel density and laser Doppler perfusion data showed significant improvement in ischemic/nonischemic leg ratio, 1.9- and 1.7-fold, respectively, in Agtr2−/Y mice compared with controls. In ischemic leg of Agtr2−/Y mice, revascularization was associated with an increase in the antiapoptotic protein content, Bcl-2 (211% of basal), and a decrease (60% of basal) in the number of cell death, determined by TUNEL method. Angiotensin II treatment (0.3 mg/kg per day) raised angiogenic score, blood perfusion, and both VEGF and eNOS protein content in ischemic leg of wild-type control but did not modulate the enhanced angiogenic response observed in untreated Agtr2−/Y mice. Finally, immunohistochemistry analysis revealed that VEGF was mainly localized to myocyte, whereas eNOS-positive staining was mainly observed in the capillary of ischemic leg of both wild-type and AT2-deficient mice. This study demonstrates for the first time that the AT2 receptor subtype may negatively modulate ischemia-induced angiogenesis through an activation of the apoptotic process.