scholarly journals Clinical Trials Targeting Metabolism in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 110-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan L. Brittain
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension ◽  
Arterial Hypertension ◽  
Aerobic Glycolysis ◽  
Experimental Models ◽  
Pulmonary Vasculature ◽  
Acid Oxidation ◽  
Metabolic Dysfunction ◽  
Metabolic Derangement ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial

Metabolic derangement is a pathologic feature of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).1 Metabolic abnormalities such as aerobic glycolysis and impaired fatty acid oxidation are consistently observed across different animal models of PAH. Importantly, altered metabolism in human PAH and experimental models is not restricted to the pulmonary vasculature, raising the possibility that PAH is a systemic metabolic disease.2 For example, lipid accumulation is present in the myocardium and skeletal muscle of humans with PAH and the right ventricle exhibits increased glucose uptake compared with matched controls. As a result of these observations, targeting metabolic dysfunction has emerged as an important therapeutic approach for patients with PAH.3 This article will review key aspects of metabolism in PAH, existing metabolic data in humans, and will describe completed and ongoing clinical trials targeting metabolic dysfunction in patients with PAH.

scholarly journals Metabolic reprogramming in pulmonary arterial hypertension: is it a cancer-like disease?

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
C Ferreira ◽  
M Abreu ◽  
G Castro ◽  
L Goncalves ◽  
R Baptista ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension ◽  
Arterial Hypertension ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Aerobic Glycolysis ◽  
Metabolic Reprogramming ◽  
Glutamine Metabolism ◽  
Acid Oxidation ◽  
Metabolic Dysfunction ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial

Abstract Background Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (iPAH) is a rare and chronic disease associated with poor outcomes. Previously considered a disease restricted to the pulmonary circulation, PAH is now being recognized as a systemic disorder that is associated with metabolic dysfunction. The aim of this study is to analyze the metabolic reprogramming in the lung and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMCs) of iPAH patients and explore their potential roles in PAH pathophysiology. Methods Five independent datasets, containing transcriptomic data of human PBMCs (GSE22356 and GSE33463) and lung (GSE48149 GSE113439 and GSE117261) samples, from 139 iPAH patients and 96 healthy controls, were downloaded at the GEO database. In each dataset, the samples were normalized and a pair-wise comparison between control and iPAH samples was performed using limma package, for the R programming language. Genes with a p-value lower than 0.05 were considered differentially expressed between the two groups. A subset of metabolism related genes was selected, and their expression was compared across the datasets. Results Among the 13 genes with differential expression identified, only 10 had a coherent expression across all datasets (Figure 1). Firstly, we report an association with insulin resistance through impairment of PI3K signaling in iPAH patients, by expressing lower levels of the heterodimer PIK3CD and regulatory PIK3IP1 and PIKR1 subunits in PBMCs, and by expressing higher levels of its downstream targets in the lung (TBC1D4). However, more extensive metabolic dysfunction was observed. A significant glycolytic shift in the lung and PBMCs was present, as a consequence of deregulation in genes involved in aerobic glycolysis and decreased fatty acid oxidation, namely increased expression of PD1K and lower levels of expression of LDHB. The findings of decreased SLC25A1 protein in both PBMCs and lung suggest impairment of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle flux in PAH. Additionally, SLC1A5 highlights the involvement of glutamine metabolism and glutaminolysis derangements in PAH. Conversely, SREBP1 is involved in sterol biosynthesis and lower levels in PMBCs results in impaired resolution of inflammatory responses. Finally, although the role of autophagy in iPAH is complex, higher levels of expression of ATG13 in PBMCs and lower levels in the lung confirm autophagy deregulation in iPAH. Interestingly, all the metabolic pathways identified (Figure 2) are hallmarks of the metabolic reprogramming seen in cancer cells, a finding already suggested by the clonal proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells described in plexiform lesions. Conclusion Our results provide novel insights into the metabolic regulation in iPAH. Molecularly, these cells exhibit many features common to cancer cells, suggesting the opportunity to exploit therapeutic strategies used in cancer to treat iPAH. FUNDunding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

scholarly journals Novel Therapeutic Approaches of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (02) ◽  
pp. 112-117
Author(s):  
Sanjay Tyagi ◽  
Vishal Batra
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension ◽  
Arterial Hypertension ◽  
Endothelin Receptors ◽  
Pulmonary Vasculature ◽  
Therapeutic Approaches ◽  
Uncommon Disease ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial ◽  
Novel Therapeutic

AbstractPulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is an uncommon disease characterized progressive remodeling of pulmonary vasculature. Although treatment for PAH have improved in last two decades but the outcome remains fatal. Currently, the therapies for PAH target three well-established pathways the nitric oxide (NO) pathway, endothelin receptors, and prostanoids. There are multiple potential targets for development of newer drugs in PAH which requires meticulous research and clinical trials.

scholarly journals New and Emerging Therapies for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edda Spiekerkoetter ◽  
Steven M. Kawut ◽  
Vinicio A. de Jesus Perez
Keyword(s):  
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension ◽  
Arterial Hypertension ◽  
Right Ventricular Dysfunction ◽  
Experimental Models ◽  
Metabolic Dysfunction ◽  
Alternative Pathways ◽  
Exercise Limitation ◽  
Emerging Therapies ◽  
New Findings ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a pulmonary vasculopathy that causes right ventricular dysfunction and exercise limitation and progresses to death. New findings from translational studies have suggested alternative pathways for treatment. These avenues include sex hormones, genetic abnormalities and DNA damage, elastase inhibition, metabolic dysfunction, cellular therapies, and anti-inflammatory approaches. Both novel and repurposed compounds with rationale from preclinical experimental models and human cells are now in clinical trials in patients with PAH. Findings from these studies will elucidate the pathobiology of PAH and may result in clinically important improvements in outcome.

Role of Redox Homeostasis and Inflammation in the Pathogenesis of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (11) ◽  
pp. 1340-1351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriane Bello-Klein ◽  
Daniele Mancardi ◽  
Alex S. Araujo ◽  
Paulo C. Schenkel ◽  
Patrick Turck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension ◽  
Arterial Hypertension ◽  
Redox Homeostasis ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Experimental Models ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Pulmonary Vasculature ◽  
High Morbidity ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial

This review addresses pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), an incurable disease, which determines high morbidity and mortality. Definition of the disease, its characteristics, classification, and epidemiology are discussed. A difficulty in the diagnosis of PAH due to the lack of symptoms specificity is highlighted. Echocardiographic analysis and electrocardiogram of patients help in the diagnosis and in the follow up of the disease. Nevertheless, right ventricle (RV) catheterization constitutes the gold standard for diagnosing PAH. Oxidative stress and inflammation, in an interactive manner, play a major role in the development of pulmonary vascular remodeling and consequent increase of pulmonary pressure. The latter results in an increase in RV afterload, culminating with RV hypertrophy, which may progress to failure. Both clinical and experimental studies have shown increased oxidative stress and inflammation, not only in lungs and pulmonary vasculature but also in RV. The use of experimental models, such as the monocrotaline-induced PAH, has helped in the understanding of the pathophysiology of PAH, as well as in the development of new therapeutic strategies. In addition to the traditional therapeutics, the use of therapeutic interventions capable of modulating oxidative stress and inflammation may offer newer strategies in the prevention as well as management of this disease.

scholarly journals BMPR2 mutations and endothelial dysfunction in pulmonary arterial hypertension (2017 Grover Conference Series)

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 204589401876584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Frump ◽  
Allison Prewitt ◽  
Mark P. de Caestecker
Keyword(s):  
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension ◽  
Endothelial Function ◽  
Arterial Hypertension ◽  
Experimental Models ◽  
Vascular Pathology ◽  
Pulmonary Vasculature ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Established Disease ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial ◽  
The Many

Despite the discovery more than 15 years ago that patients with hereditary pulmonary arterial hypertension (HPAH) inherit BMP type 2 receptor ( BMPR2) mutations, it is still unclear how these mutations cause disease. In part, this is attributable to the rarity of HPAH and difficulty obtaining tissue samples from patients with early disease. However, in addition, limitations to the approaches used to study the effects of BMPR2 mutations on the pulmonary vasculature have restricted our ability to determine how individual mutations give rise to progressive pulmonary vascular pathology in HPAH. The importance of understanding the mechanisms by which BMPR2 mutations cause disease in patients with HPAH is underscored by evidence that there is reduced BMPR2 expression in patients with other, more common, non-hereditary form of PAH, and that restoration of BMPR2 expression reverses established disease in experimental models of pulmonary hypertension. In this paper, we focus on the effects on endothelial function. We discuss some of the controversies and challenges that have faced investigators exploring the role of BMPR2 mutations in HPAH, focusing specifically on the effects different BMPR2 mutation have on endothelial function, and whether there are qualitative differences between different BMPR2 mutations. We discuss evidence that BMPR2 signaling regulates a number of responses that may account for endothelial abnormalities in HPAH and summarize limitations of the models that are used to study these effects. Finally, we discuss evidence that BMPR2-dependent effects on endothelial metabolism provides a unifying explanation for the many of the BMPR2 mutation-dependent effects that have been described in patients with HPAH.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension: a disease of tethers, SNAREs and SNAPs?

2007 ◽  
Vol 293 (1) ◽  
pp. H77-H85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pravin B. Sehgal ◽  
Somshuvra Mukhopadhyay
Keyword(s):  
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension ◽  
Arterial Hypertension ◽  
Membrane Trafficking ◽  
Experimental Models ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Surface Receptors ◽  
Arterial Lesions ◽  
Microscopic Studies ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial ◽  
Membrane Tethers

Histological and electron microscopic studies over the past four decades have highlighted “plump,” “enlarged” endothelial, smooth muscle, and fibroblastic cellular elements with increased endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi stacks, and vacuolation in pulmonary arterial lesions in human and in experimental (hypoxia and monocrotaline) pulmonary arterial hypertension. However, the contribution of disrupted intracellular membrane trafficking in the pathobiology of this disease has received insufficient attention. Recent studies suggest a pathogenetic role of the disruption of intracellular trafficking of vasorelevant proteins and cell-surface receptors in the development of this disease. The purpose of this essay is to highlight the molecular regulation of vesicular trafficking by membrane tethers, SNAREs and SNAPs, and to suggest how their dysfunction, directly and/or indirectly, might contribute to development of pulmonary arterial hypertension in experimental models and in humans, including that due to mutations in bone morphogenetic receptor type 2.

Abstract 18587: Downregulation of Pulmonary Artery Endothelial Catechol-o-methyltransferase Activity by Aldosterone Increases Norepinephrine Levels in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Circulation ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 130 (suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Torquato ◽  
Kiyotake Ishikawa ◽  
Jaume Aguerro ◽  
Bradley A Maron ◽  
Joseph Loscalzo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension ◽  
Pulmonary Artery ◽  
Arterial Hypertension ◽  
Right Heart Failure ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Pulmonary Vasculature ◽  
Methyltransferase Activity ◽  
Comt Activity ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial

Elevated levels of norepinephrine (NE) occur in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and are determined, in part, by the activity of catechol- O -methyltransferase (COMT). COMT degrades catecholamines, is negatively regulated by calcium, and is expressed by pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAEC). As hyperaldosteronism occurs in PAH and aldosterone (ALDO) influences calcium levels, we hypothesized that ALDO decreases COMT activity to increase NE levels in PAH. Accordingly, human PAEC were treated with ALDO (10 -7 mol/L), a level that is achieved clinically in PAH, for up to 72 h. Compared to vehicle-treated PAEC, ALDO decreased COMT activity by 59.2 ± 6.2% (p<0.01) to increase NE levels in the medium (122.4 ± 11.8 vs. 210.7 ± 15.5 pg/mL/mg protein, p<0.01). This occurred as a result of an ALDO-mediated decrease in COMT protein expression by 52.6 ± 9.3% (p<0.01) as well as an increase in intracellular calcium levels (102.9 ± 21.0 vs. 167.7 ± 17.8 nmol/L, p<0.05) to inhibit activity. These effects were abrogated by coincubation with spironolactone. To determine the in vivo relevance of these findings, COMT was examined in the rat monocrotaline model of PAH with confirmed hyperALDO. COMT was decreased (47.6 ± 10.2 %control, p<0.05) in remodeled pulmonary arterioles with a concomitant increase in lung NE levels (432.8 ± 44.5 vs. 899.7 ± 34.2 pg/mL, p<0.01) compared to control rats. In the porcine pulmonary vein banding model of pulmonary hypertension (PH-pigs) with elevated mean pulmonary artery pressure (15[13-15] vs. 35[27-43], p<0.01) and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) index (1.97[1.74-2.28] vs. 5.78[2.61-8.75], p <0.05), ALDO levels were also increased (27.1 ± 5.1 vs. 60.8 ± 10.6 pg/mL, p<0.03) in advance of right heart failure as compared to sham controls. PH-pigs demonstrated a 48.3 ± 9.9% (p<0.02) decrease in pulmonary vascular COMT expression and an increase in NE levels (114.6 ± 20.2 vs. 1,622.6 ± 489.2 pg/mL, p<0.02) that correlated positively with ALDO levels (R 2 =0.58, p<0.02). These findings were confirmed in patients with PAH. Together, these data indicate that there is crosstalk in the pulmonary vasculature between ALDO and the sympathetic nervous system to regulate NE levels in PAH, and thus, have implications for therapeutic interventions.

Abstract 382: Cyclophilin A (CypA) is a Pathogenic Mediator of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Xue
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension ◽  
Arterial Hypertension ◽  
Specific Inhibitor ◽  
Cyclophilin A ◽  
Pulmonary Vasculature ◽  
Tunel Staining ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial

Rationale: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a devastating disease in which oxidative stress has been proposed to mediate pathological changes to the pulmonary vasculature such as endothelial cell (EC) apoptosis, endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EndMT), vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation, and inflammation. Our previous study showed that cyclophilin A (CypA) was secreted from EC and VSMC in response to oxidative stress, and much of the secreted CypA was acetylated (AcK-CypA). Furthermore, CypA was increased in the plasma of patients with PAH. Objective: To evaluate the cell- s pecific role of CypA in PAH and compare the relative effects of AcK-CypA and CypA on EC apoptosis, development of an inflammatory EC phenotype and EndMT. Methods and Results: Transgenic overexpression of CypA in EC, but not SMC, caused a PAH phenotype including increased pulmonary artery pressure, α-smooth muscle actin expression in small arteries, and CD45 positive cells in the lungs. Mechanistic analysis using cultured mouse lung microvascular EC showed that CypA and AcK-CypA increased apoptosis measured by caspase 3 cleavage and TUNEL staining. MM284, a specific inhibitor of extracellular CypA, prevented EC apoptosis. In addition, CypA and AcK-CypA promoted an EC inflammatory phenotype assessed by increased VCAM1 and ICAM1 expression, phosphorylation of p65, and degradation of IkB. Furthermore, CypA and AcK-CypA promoted EndMT assayed by change in cell morphology, increased mesenchymal markers and EndMT related transcription factors. At all concentrations, AcK-CypA stimulated greater increases in apoptosis, inflammation and EndMT than CypA. Conclusions: EC-derived CypA (especially AcK-CypA) causes PAH by a presumptive mechanism involving increased EC apoptosis, inflammation and EndMT. Our results suggest that inhibiting extracellular secreted CypA is a novel therapeutic approach for PAH.

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