Increased and prolonged inflammation and angiogenesis in delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions elicited in the skin of thrombospondin-2--deficient mice.

Angiogenesis and enhanced microvascular permeability are hallmarks of a large number of inflammatory diseases. Although up-regulation of proangiogenic factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor and interleukin-8 have been previously reported in inflamed tissue, the biologic role of endogenous inhibitors of angiogenesis in inflammation has remained unclear. To investigate the biologic role of the potent angiogenesis inhibitor thrombospondin-2 (TSP-2) in the control of cutaneous inflammation, delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions were elicited in the ear skin of wild-type and TSP-2-deficient mice by topical sensitization and challenge with oxazolone. Cutaneous TSP-2 expression was up-regulated in the inflamed skin of wild-type mice, predominantly in dermal fibroblasts and microvessels. Lack of TSP-2 resulted in a significantly enhanced inflammatory response with increased angiogenesis, edema formation, and inflammatory infiltration. Ear swelling and inflammation persisted for more than 2 weeks in TSP-2-deficient mice, as compared with 1 week in wild-type mice. Although baseline vascular permeability was unchanged, significantly enhanced microvascular leakage was found in the inflamed skin of TSP-2-deficient mice. Moreover, the fraction of rolling leukocytes was significantly increased in the untreated skin of TSP-2-deficient mice. These results reveal an important role of TSP-2 in limiting the extent and the duration of edema formation, angiogenesis, and inflammatory cell infiltration during acute and chronic inflammation.