Summary
Activated protein C (aPC) is a natural anticoagulant and a potent antiinflammatory
and cytoprotective agent. At the expense of increased bleeding risk aPC has been used
– with some success – in sepsis. The design of cytoprotective-selective aPC variants
circumvents this limitation of increased bleeding, reviving the interest in aPC as
a therapeutic agent. Emerging studies suggest that aPC’s beneficial effects are not
restricted to acute illness, but likewise relevant in chronic diseases, such as diabetic
nephropathy, neurodegeneration or wound healing. Epigenetic regulation of gene expression,
reduction of oxidative stress, and regulation of ROS-dependent transcription factors
are potential mechanisms of sustained cytoprotective effects of aPC in chronic diseases.
Given the available data it seems questionable whether a unifying mechanism of aPC
dependent cytoprotection in acute and chronic diseases exists. In addition, the signalling
pathways employed by aPC are tissue and cell specific. The mechanistic insights gained
from studies exploring aPC’s effects in various diseases may hence lay ground for
tissue and disease specific therapeutic approaches. This review outlines recent investigations
into the mechanisms and consequences of long-term modulation of aPC-signalling in
models of chronic diseases.
Keywords
Signal transduction - protein C/S pathway - diabetes mellitus - coagulation factors
- chronic diseases