Carbon monoxide donors or heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) overexpression blocks interleukin-18-mediated NF-κB–PTEN-dependent human cardiac endothelial cell death

The objective of this study was to determine whether heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) or heme metabolites exert cytoprotective effects on interleukin-18-mediated endothelial cell (EC) death. Treatment with interleukin (IL)-18 increased NF-κB activation and PTEN induction, suppressed Akt activation, and stimulated EC death. While ectopic expression of p65 enhanced PTEN transcription, adenoviral transduction of dnIκB-α, dnp65, or dnIKKβ was inhibitory. Furthermore, IL-18 suppressed HO-1 mRNA expression via enhanced mRNA degradation. Overexpression of HO-1, treatment with HO-1 inducer hemin, or the CO donor cobalt (III) protoporphyrin IX all reversed IL-18-mediated NF-κB activation, PTEN induction, Akt suppression, and EC death. Furthermore, hemin induced HO-1 expression, and HO-1 knockdown, HO-1 inhibition, or CO scavengers all reversed the prosurvival effects of hemin. In addition, the CO donors CORM-1 and CORM-3 and the heme metabolites biliverdin and bilirubin attenuated IL-18-induced EC death via a similar signaling pathway. IL-18 induced p38α MAPK activation, and suppressed p38β isoform expression. While p38α knockdown attenuated, p38β knockdown potentiated IL-18-mediated EC death. Hemin and HO-1 reversed IL-18-mediated p38α induction and restored p38β levels. These results demonstrate that IL-18 suppresses HO-1 expression and induces EC death. HO-1 overexpression, HO-1 induction, or treatment with heme metabolites all reverse IL-18-mediated p38α MAPK and NF-κB activation, PTEN induction, Akt suppression, and EC death. Thus, HO-1 inducers and CO donors may have the therapeutic potential to effectively block IL-18 signaling and reduce IL-18-dependent vascular injury and inflammation.