Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40042167›Full record

ArticleCardiovascular research2025

Vasoconstriction-inhibiting factor: an endogenous inhibitor of vascular calcification as a calcimimetic of calcium-sensing receptor.

Sofía de la Puente-Secades, Dustin Mikolajetz, Nathalie Gayrard, Juliane Hermann, Vera Jankowski, Shruti Bhargava, Amina Meyer, Àngel Argilés, Turgay Saritas, Emiel P C van der Vorst and 11 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cardiovascular research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Phosphate and Inflammation in Health and Kidney Disease.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Review
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

21 authors.

Sofía de la Puente-SecadesInstitute of Molecular Cardiovascular Research (IMCAR), University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, Aachen 52074, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-3949-1030
Dustin MikolajetzInstitute of Molecular Cardiovascular Research (IMCAR), University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, Aachen 52074, Germany.ORCID 0009-0008-3642-7424
Nathalie GayrardInstitut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), RD-Néphrologie and EA7288, Montpellier, France.
Juliane HermannInstitute of Molecular Cardiovascular Research (IMCAR), University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, Aachen 52074, Germany.
Vera JankowskiInstitute of Molecular Cardiovascular Research (IMCAR), University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, Aachen 52074, Germany.
Shruti BhargavaInstitute of Molecular Cardiovascular Research (IMCAR), University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, Aachen 52074, Germany.
Amina MeyerInstitute of Molecular Cardiovascular Research (IMCAR), University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, Aachen 52074, Germany.
Àngel ArgilésInstitut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), RD-Néphrologie and EA7288, Montpellier, France.ORCID 0000-0001-7029-4532
Turgay SaritasInstitute of Experimental Medicine and Systems Biology, Division of Nephrology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-6691-9218
Emiel P C van der VorstInstitute of Molecular Cardiovascular Research (IMCAR), University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, Aachen 52074, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-5771-6278
Zhuojun WuInstitute of Molecular Cardiovascular Research (IMCAR), University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, Aachen 52074, Germany.
Heidi NoelsInstitute of Molecular Cardiovascular Research (IMCAR), University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, Aachen 52074, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-3053-6984
Martin TepelInstitute of Molecular Medicine, Cardiovascular and Renal Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-0086-0997
Khaleda AlghamdiDepartment of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Donald WardThe University of Manchester, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester, UK.
Walter ZidekMeoclinic, Department of Nephrology & Charité, Department of Nephrology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Michael WolfDepartment of Orthodontics, Dental Clinic, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-5882-3080
Jürgen FloegeDivision of Nephrology and Clinical Immunology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany.
Leon SchurgersDepartment of Biochemistry, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), University of Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-7867-6957
Setareh Orth-AlampourInstitute of Molecular Cardiovascular Research (IMCAR), University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, Aachen 52074, Germany.
Joachim JankowskiInstitute of Molecular Cardiovascular Research (IMCAR), University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, Aachen 52074, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-4528-2967

Funding

European Union's HorizonGerman Research FoundationGerman Society of Internal Medicine
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsPatients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) show a high risk of cardiovascular diseases, predominantly caused by accelerated vascular calcification. Vascular calcification is a highly regulated process with no current treatment. The vasoconstriction-inhibiting factor (VIF) peptide was recently discovered with vasoregulatory properties, but no information regarding calcification has been described. METHODS AND

resultsIn the present work, the inhibitory calcification effect of the VIF peptide was analysed in vitro in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), ex vivo in rat aortic rings, as well as in vivo in rats treated with vitamin D and nicotine (VDN). The VIF peptide inhibits vascular calcification by acting as a calcimimetic for the calcium-sensing receptor, increasing carboxylated matrix Gla protein production and blocking the activation of calcification pathways. The VIF peptide decreased calcium influx, the production of reactive oxygen species, and the activation of multiple kinases in VSMCs. Furthermore, calcium deposition in the aortas of patients with CKD negatively correlates with the VIF peptide concentration. Moreover, we show the cleavage of the VIF peptide from chromogranin-A by 'proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 2' and 'carboxypeptidase E' enzymes. In addition, 'cathepsin K' degrades the VIF peptide. The active site of the native 35 amino acid-sequence long VIF peptide was identified with seven amino acids, constituting a promising drug candidate with promise for clinical translation.

conclusionThe elucidation of the underlying mechanism by which the VIF peptide inhibits vascular calcification, as well as the active sequence and the cleavage and degradation enzymes, forms the basis for developing preventive and therapeutic measures to counteract vascular calcification.

Indexed as

Aortic DiseasesCalcimimetic AgentsMuscle, Smooth, VascularMyocytes, Smooth MusclePeptide HormonesReceptors, Calcium-SensingVascular CalcificationVasoconstrictionAnimalsAortaCalcium-Binding ProteinsCalcium SignalingCells, CulturedDisease Models, AnimalHumansMaleCalcimimetic AgentsCalcium-Binding Proteinsextracellular calcium cation-sensing receptor, ratMatrix Gla ProteinPeptide HormonesReactive Oxygen SpeciesReceptors, Calcium-SensingCaSRCKDinhibitorsmooth muscle cellsVascular Calcification

Identifiers

PMID40042167
PMCPMC12038241

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.