Targeted EDTA Chelation Therapy with Albumin Nanoparticles To
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Clemson University TigerPrints All Dissertations Dissertations 8-2019 Targeted EDTA Chelation Therapy with Albumin Nanoparticles to Reverse Arterial Calcification and Restore Vascular Health in Chronic Kidney Disease Saketh Ram Karamched Clemson University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations Recommended Citation Karamched, Saketh Ram, "Targeted EDTA Chelation Therapy with Albumin Nanoparticles to Reverse Arterial Calcification and Restore Vascular Health in Chronic Kidney Disease" (2019). All Dissertations. 2479. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/2479 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TARGETED EDTA CHELATION THERAPY WITH ALBUMIN NANOPARTICLES TO REVERSE ARTERIAL CALCIFICATION AND RESTORE VASCULAR HEALTH IN CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE A Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School of Clemson University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Bioengineering by Saketh Ram Karamched August 2019 Accepted by: Dr. Narendra Vyavahare, Ph.D., Committee Chair Dr. Agneta Simionescu, Ph.D. Dr. Alexey Vertegel, Ph.D. Dr. Christopher G. Carsten, III, M.D. ABSTRACT Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death globally. An estimated 17.9 million people died from CVDs in 2016, with ~840,000 of them in the United States alone. Traditional risk factors, such as smoking, hypertension, and diabetes, are well discussed. In recent years, chronic kidney disease (CKD) has emerged as a risk factor of equal importance. Patients with mild-to-moderate CKD are much more likely to develop and die from CVDs than progress to end-stage renal failure. Vascular calcification (VC), typical in aging, several genetic and metabolic disorders, is now recognized as a strong and independent predictor of cardiovascular events and mortality, not only in diabetic and CKD patients, even in the general population. VC is classified into two distinct types based on location in the vessel wall; intimal and medial. Elastin-associated medial arterial calcification (CKD) is more specific to CKD and contributes significantly to cardiovascular mortality in these patients. It is responsible for loss of vessel elasticity, increased arterial stiffness, increased pulse pressures and systolic blood pressure, and left ventricular hypertrophy ultimately causing arrhythmias and heart failure. Current clinical practice is mostly focused on prevention and retardation of VC progression. Unfortunately, most patients with CKD remain underdiagnosed, and those diagnosed have already heavily calcified vessels. As such, they are undertreated since preventative strategies no longer work at this stage. Unfortunately, there is no FDA- approved treatment available that reverses calcification in countless CKD patients. A treatment strategy which promotes resorption of calcified lesions, while simultaneously ii avoiding demineralization from normally calcified tissues (i.e., bones and teeth) remains an urgent health care need. Chelating agents bind to metal cations, can dissolve and “wash away” calcium deposits if delivered in close proximity to the calcification sites. This work was undertaken to see if we can develop targeted therapies to deliver chelating agents to vascular calcification sites. Amongst chelating agents known for their affinity to Calcium ions (Ca2+), we found that EDTA chelates Ca2+ from hydroxyapatite better than others. In our laboratory, we have developed a unique targeting mechanism by using nanoparticles to deliver chelating agents and other drugs to degraded elastin, a characteristic feature of VC. We take this approach forward in clinically relevant animal models of CKD. First, we tested the targeted nanoparticle-based EDTA chelation therapy in a rat model of adenine-induced renal failure. The targeted nanoparticles delivered EDTA at the sites of vascular calcification and reversed mineral deposition without any side effects. Furthermore, we validated the adenine-CKD model in mice to monitor MAC in vivo and explore the phenotypic and functional alterations associated with it. We were able to target our nanoparticles to calcified arteries in these mice. The mouse model will help us to test whether our EDTA chelation therapy tangibly improves arterial function by restoring vascular health. Lastly, we investigated the possibility of using an ex vivo organ culture model of VC as a simpler, and relatively easier model to assess if EDTA chelation therapy promotes vessel homeostasis. The work presented here represents another major step forward towards the development of targeted EDTA chelation therapy as an iii unconventional therapeutic approach to reverse pathological calcifications in CKD patients. iv DEDICATION In memory of my late father, Sri K. Srinivas, for teaching me compassion, patience, inquisitiveness, and for being an example of the man I want to grow up to be. I would like to dedicate this work to my mother, Dr. Karamched Radha, who has always put my life, comfort, and happiness before hers and has been an immovable rock supporting me in every step of my life. If not for her love and support, I would not be where I am today. To my ageless and timeless grandmother, Smt. K. Chudamani Devi for raising me, bestowing me with the gift of talking, and inspiring me with her wisdom and love for reading. To Dr. K.M. Cherian, Late Dr. K.K. Haridas, Dr. K. Shiva Prakash, Dr. C. Narasimhan, Dr. Daljeet Kaur Saggu, and all the nurses and hospital staff at Vijaya Heart Foundation Chennai, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Center Kochi, and Care Hospitals Hyderabad for taking care of me and doing what is best for my health and wellbeing. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude and immense respect to my advisor, Dr. Narendra Vyavahare, for his continued support, guidance, patience, criticism, and mentorship throughout my journey as his graduate student. It has been an honor and privilege to be his student. His critical thinking, thirst for innovation, and passion for making a difference will continue to inspire me in my journey forward as a researcher. I would like to extend my gratitude to my committee members Dr. Agneta Simionescu, Dr. Alexey Vertegel, and Dr. Christopher G. Carsten, III for their valuable insights, ideas, and advice throughout the length of this project. I acknowledge my fellow lab members, past and present: Dr. Vaideesh Parasaram, Dr. Nasim Nosoudi, Dr. Hobey Tam, Xiaoying Wang, Tyler Gibson, Hannah Moreland, Hannah Gore, and Aniqa Chowdhury. Some of the work in this dissertation would not have been possible without their inputs, guidance, and motivation. I thank Dr. Agnes Nagy- Mehesz for all her help and advice with Western Blots and Immunohistochemistry. I would like to thank Dr. Martine LaBerge and the Clemson Bioengineering family for taking me in as a young graduate student and providing me a home for the last six and a half years. Thank you, Maria Torres, for always being there for me whenever I needed her during my time as a graduate student. I am thankful to all the administrative staff for their cooperation and timely help. I would also like to thank my fellow graduate students vi and friends within and outside Clemson Bioengineering for making my stay at Clemson memorable. Special thanks to Daniel Odenwelder for his friendship, and motivation. This work would not have been possible without the staff at Godley Snell Research Center: Dr. John Parrish, Tina Duncan-Parker, Travis Pruitt, Jesse Privett, and Cynthia Smoak. Their help with animal maintenance and conducting animal studies has been invaluable. I am especially thankful to my family and friends for always believing in me. I would like to express my gratitude to my brother and sister-in-law, Dr. Phani Shashanka Karamched and Dr. Madhuri Dutta, my cousins Dr. Ravi Kumar Komanduri and Dr. Suneetha Komanduri, for their love and motivation. A huge thank you to all the friends that have been part of my life in the United States so far. I would have been a lost soul here without Achyuth Bukkapattanam, Sindhura Reddy Gade, Bharadwaj Ginakunta, Haneesh Kotha, and the rest of the gang. Thank you all for your friendship and support. Special thanks to Achyuth for his care, kindness, and reminding me that I could handle anything that comes my way. I am grateful to Orient XI, for enriching my life with their friendship and constant support. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge the financial supported provided to this project by the National Institutes of Health and Hunter Endowment awarded to Dr. Vyavahare. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TITLE PAGE .................................................................................................................... i ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION ................................................................................................................. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................. vi LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................... xi LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................