Endothelial-targeted CD39 prevents Toxin-induced Pulmonary Hypertension Mice.
Disruption of the pulmonary endothelium by drugs, toxins, viruses (e.g., COVID-19), or bacterial sepsis can cause acute pulmonary vasculopathy leading to pulmonary hypertension and consequential heart failure. CD39 is a membrane-anchored ecto-enzyme expressed on endothelial cells (EC), integral in maintaining the antithrombotic profile of the endothelium. This ecto-enzyme works in concert with CD73 to hydrolyze both eATP (pro-inflammatory) and ADP (pro-thrombotic) ultimately to adenosine, which is anti-inflammatory, vasodilatory, and antithrombotic. CD39 activity and adenosine signalling are disrupted in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). In this work, we explored the efficacy of endothelial cell-targeted delivery of CD39 to prevent the development of acute toxin-induced PAH in a mouse model. We generated a novel therapeutic anti-VCAM-CD39 containing an scFv recognising VCAM-1 (a receptor expressed on activated EC) fused to the soluble form of extracellular human CD39. In a mouse model of endothelial cell-toxin-induced PAH, we show that a single administration of anti-VCAM-CD39 (0.4 mg/kg IV) prevented the development of PAH-- as reflected in the preservation of right ventricular systolic pressures and the absence of right ventricular hypertrophy at day 10 when compared with controls. This protection is conferred by multiple mechanisms: IL-10-driven potentiation of heme oxygenase (HO)-1, a known inhibitor of smooth muscle proliferation; VCAM-1 blockade reduces leukocyte adhesion to the endothelium; and cytoprotective effects through adenosine signalling. Thus, anti-VCAM-CD39 is a novel bifunctional therapeutic strategy for PAH.