Recently completed project: Angiogenesis is enhanced by a lipid signaling molecule derived from ω-6 fatty acids
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Rand et al. (2017). “Cyclooxygenase derived proangiogenic metabolites of epoxyeicosatrienoic acids” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
In this study, we examined a novel lipid signaling pathway involving epoxide metabolites from arachidonic acid. While a major fate for these epoxides is metabolism through soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH), we captured an additional fate that depended on cyclooxygenases (COX) to form hydroxy-epoxide fatty acids. Using
an in vivo angiogenesis assay, we showed that these COX metabolites stimulate angiogenesis more than their epoxy fatty acid precursors. These results explain why inhibiting sEH in some systems is angiogenic whereas combining sEH with COX inhibition is dramatically anti-angiogenic, which in turn may suppress tumor growth. The angiogenic behavior of these novel metabolites may be further manipulated by pharmaceutical inhibition, or through changes in dietary lipid intake.