Angiostatin prevents IL-1β-induced down-regulation of eNOS expression by inhibiting the NF-κB cascade

This study aimed to elucidate the protective potential of angiostatin in inflamed endothelial cells in culture. We assessed the effect of angiostatin on the expression of ICAM-1 and eNOS. Angiostatin prevented IL-1β-induced down-regulation of eNOS expression, but produced no significant changes on IL-1β-induced up-regulation of ICAM-1. We then explored the effect of angiostatin on IL-1β-mediated inflammatory signaling and found that angiostatin inhibited IL-1β-mediated nuclear translocation of NF-κB. Thus, our results suggest that angiostatin prevents IL-1β-induced down-regulation of eNOS expression via inhibition of the NF-κB cascade; this may be the anti-inflammatory mechanism of angiostatin.