Cytochrome P450 2C9-derived epoxyeicosatrienoic acids induce angiogenesis via cross-talk with the epidermal growth factor receptor

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) epoxygenase products, such as 11,12-epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (EET), stimulate endothelial cell proliferation. We set out to identify the signal transduction cascade linking EET generation to enhanced proliferation and angiogenesis. In human endothelial cells overexpressing CYP 2C9, cell number was increased compared with control cells and was inhibited by the CYP 2C9 inhibitor, sulfaphenazole. CYP 2C9 overexpression was associated with the activation of Akt and an increase in cyclin D1 expression, effects that were abolished by the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor inhibitor, AG1478, which also prevented the CYP 2C9-induced increase in cell proliferation. Stimulation of EGF receptor overexpressing cells with 11,12-EET or transfection of these cells with CYP 2C9 enhanced the tyrosine phosphorylation of the EGF receptor. Endothelial tube formation in a fibrin gel was significantly enhanced (6-fold) in CYP 2C9 overexpressing cells and was comparable with the tube formation induced by EGF. In the chick chorioallantoic membrane, 11,12-EET stimulated vessel formation (3.5-fold) and induced vessel convergence, an effect that was abolished by cotreatment with either an EGF receptor-neutralizing antibody or AG1478. These results indicate that CYP 2C9-derived EETs stimulate angiogenesis by a mechanism involving the activation of the EGF receptor.