Davenport A P, Kuc R E
Clinical Pharmacology Unit, University of Cambridge, Addenbrookes Hospital, UK.
J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2000 Nov;36(5 Suppl 1):S12-4. doi: 10.1097/00005344-200036051-00006.
Our aim was to compare the cellular expression of endothelin-converting enzyme-1 (ECE-1) isoforms and ECE-2 using immunocytochemistry in normal and diseased human tissue. Intense ECE-1b immunoreactivity was present within renal and pulmonary epithelial cells with lower levels of staining displayed by ECE-1c, ECE-1a and ECE-2 antisera. Staining was detected with all antisera (except ECE-1a) within the endothelium of renal and pulmonary vessels having a range of lumen diameters as well as pial arteries and intracerebral vessels penetrating brain. ECE-1b, ECE-1c and ECE-2 immunoreactivity was localized to perivascular astrocytes and neuronal processes in the cerebral cortex. In diseased vessels, ECE-1c, ECE-1b and ECE-2 antisera stained macrophages infiltrating atherosclerotic plaques within coronary arteries. These results suggest ECE-1b and ECE-2 may be widely expressed in normal tissue from humans and inhibition of ECE-1 isoforms and ECE-2 expressed by cells such as macrophages in pathophysiological tissue may be an additional therapeutic target in cardiovascular disease.
我们的目的是通过免疫细胞化学方法，比较正常和患病人体组织中内皮素转换酶-1（ECE-1）亚型和ECE-2的细胞表达情况。在肾和肺上皮细胞中存在强烈的ECE-1b免疫反应性，而ECE-1c、ECE-1a和ECE-2抗血清显示的染色水平较低。在具有不同管腔直径的肾和肺血管内皮以及软脑膜动脉和穿透脑实质的脑血管内皮中，所有抗血清（除ECE-1a外）均检测到染色。ECE-1b、ECE-1c和ECE-2免疫反应性定位于大脑皮质的血管周围星形胶质细胞和神经元突起。在患病血管中，ECE-1c、ECE-1b和ECE-2抗血清对浸润冠状动脉粥样硬化斑块的巨噬细胞进行了染色。这些结果表明，ECE-1b和ECE-2可能在人体正常组织中广泛表达，抑制病理生理组织中巨噬细胞等细胞表达的ECE-1亚型和ECE-2可能是心血管疾病的另一个治疗靶点。
