
Christopher Mantsounga, PhD
Providence VA Medical Center/Vascular Research Laboratory (VRL)
Brown University
Box 830 Chalkstone Avenue
Building 35
Box G-VA
Providence, RI 02908
Dr. Chris Mantsounga is appointed as an Instructor of Medicine (Research) at Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School and affiliate to Ocean State Research Institute (OSRI) at Providence VA Medical Center (PVAMC). Dr. Mantsounga graduated from the University of Paris V Descartes at Paris (France) where he obtained his Ph.D. in Cardiovascular Pathology. He did his postdoctoral fellowship in the Dr. Morrison’s Laboratory at the Rhode Island Hospital and PVAMC. His basic sciences research interests include mechanisms of immune-mediated vascular remodeling focusing on areas where immune cells direct the biologic processes of angiogenesis/arteriogenesis and vascular calcification in diabetic state and age-related defects.
Dr. Mantsounga has approximated 10 years’ experience and expertise in cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in inflammation, new arterial and capillary growth in both tumors and ischemic injury models. Dr. Mantsounga has contributed as first or co-author in high impact journals, including original and review articles (Cells reports 2022; Angiogenesis 2018; Diabetes 2012 etc).
Dr.Mantsounga’s research has been supported and awarded by the French National Research ministry as well as the CardioPulmonary Vascular Biology COBRE Project Leader as a PI. Dr. Mantsounga’s work for Phase II of CPVB/COBRE focuses on the uncoupling IL-1beta/VEGF-A signaling axis in inflammatory arteriogenesis and in the context of aging which could lead to a better understanding of reduced VEGF-A and VEGF-A-mediated downstream signaling pathway while IL-1beta expression is increased in Type 2 diabetes mouse model.
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) caused by atherosclerosis leads to considerable morbidity and mortality throughout the world, in large part, due to tissue damage from both acute and chronic occlusive ischemia. Current treatments are limited to the modification of risk factors and mechanical revascularization by surgical bypass or angioplasty. Preclinical studies have identified mechanisms involving bone marrow derived macrophage (BMDM)-dependent angiogenesis in an inflammation suppressed state, but there is also a role for inflammatory macrophages during acute injury to promote effective angiogenesis. We recently defined a novel IL-1 B-dependent transcriptional regulation of the pro-angiogenic isoform of VEGF-A. Primary macrophages with deletion of IL-1 B demonstrate impaired expression of VEGF-A, and consequently, macrophage IL-1 beta deleted mice have impaired angio/ arteriogenesis. Recent preliminary data identified that VEGF-R2 (relative to VEGFR1) expression is also elevated in the inflammatory M1 state and is associated with elevations in IL-1 beta and VEGF-A. Inhibition of VEGF-R2 signaling led to reduced VEGF-A expression despite stable IL-1 beta levels, suggesting an uncoupling of the relationship between IL-1 beta and VEGF-A. Additional preliminary data demonstrated that aged (52-week-old) mice or mice with experimental diabetes have reductions angio/ arteriogenesis, using a PAD model of femoral artery ligation that involves macrophage-directed blood flow recovery. Combined aging with chronic diabetes led to further reductions in blood flow recovery consequent to impaired angiogenesis. Further BMDMs from aged, diabetic mice demonstrated an uncoupling of IL-1 beta and VEGF-A expression, with modest reductions in IL-1 beta and yet severe and disproportionately reduced VEGF-A expression. VEGF-R2 was decreased in aged, diabetic BMDMs. Uncoupling of macrophage IL-1 beta-VEGF-A signaling contributes to impairment of inflammatory angio/arteriogenesis in the setting of long-term type 2 diabetes. Our study aims seek to define the mechanism whereby VEGF-R2 facilitates IL-1 beta-dependent VEGF-A production and consequent arteriogenesis and to determine the impairments in this pathway caused by aging and long term diabetes with the goal of intervening to recover effective angiogenesis in the appropriate clinical context.
Chris Mantsounga is the Principle Investigator of a Project Leader Award (Phase II CPVB COBRE): “Uncoupling of IL-1 beta and VEGF-A Crosstalk Contributes to Impaired Arteriogenesis Response to Ischemia in Chronic Diabetes Mellitus”
Alan Morrison
Associate Professor of Medicine
alan_morrison@brown.edu
https://vivo.brown.edu/display/amorris9
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Ocean State Research Institute
Providence VA Medical Center
Building 35
830 Chalkstone Avenue
Providence RI 02908
T: 401-273-7100
Research Funded by
Research reported in this website was supported by the National Institute of General Medical Science of the National Institutes of Health under grant number P20GM103652.




