Vanadium Derivative Exposure Promotes Functional Alterations of VSMCs and Consequent Atherosclerosis via ROS/p38/NF-κB-Mediated IL-6 Production

Vanadium is a transition metal widely distributed in the Earth’s crust, and is a major contaminant in fossil fuels. Its pathological effect and regulation in atherosclerosis remain unclear. We found that intranasal administration of the vanadium derivative NaVO(3) significantly increased plasma and urinary vanadium levels and induced arterial lipid accumulation and atherosclerotic lesions in apolipoprotein E-deficient knockout mice (ApoE(−/−)) murine aorta compared to those in vehicle-exposed mice. This was accompanied by an increase in plasma reactive oxygen species (ROS) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels and a decrease in the vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) differentiation marker protein SM22α in the atherosclerotic lesions. Furthermore, exposure to NaVO(3) or VOSO(4) induced cytosolic ROS generation and IL-6 production in VSMCs and promoted VSMC synthetic differentiation, migration, and proliferation. The anti-oxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) not only suppresses IL-6 production and VSMC pathological responses including migration and proliferation but also prevents atherosclerosis in ApoE(−/−) mice. Inhibition experiments with NAC and pharmacological inhibitors demonstrated that NaVO(3)-induced IL-6 production is signaled by ROS-triggered p38-mediated NF-κB-dependent pathways. Neutralizing anti-IL-6 antibodies impaired NaVO(3)-mediated VSMC migration and proliferation. We concluded that NaVO(3) exposure activates the ROS-triggering p38 signaling to selectively induce NF-κB-mediated IL-6 production. These signaling pathways induce VSMC synthetic differentiation, migration, and proliferation, leading to lipid accumulation and atherosclerosis.