PAR2 has been proposed to contribute to lesion formation and intense itch in atopic dermatitis. Here, we tested the ability of a cell-penetrating pepducin, PZ-235, to mitigate the potentially deleterious effects of PAR2 in models of atopic dermatitis. PZ-235 significantly inhibited PAR2-mediated expression of inflammatory factors NF-kB, TSLP, TNF-a, and differentiation marker K10 by 94%e98% (P < 0.001) in human keratinocytes and suppressed IL-4 and IL-13 by 68%e83% (P < 0.05) in mast cells. In delayed pepducin treatment models of oxazolone-and DNFB-induced dermatitis, PZ-235 significantly attenuated skin thickening by 43%e100% (P < 0.01) and leukocyte crusting by 57% (P < 0.05), and it inhibited ex vivo chemotaxis of leukocytes toward PAR2 agonists. Daily PZ-235 treatment of filaggrin-deficient mice exposed to dust mite allergens for 8 weeks significantly suppressed total leukocyte and T-cell infiltration by 50%e68%; epidermal thickness by 60%e77%; and skin thickening, scaling, excoriation, and total lesion severity score by 46%e56%. PZ-235 significantly reduced itching caused by wasp venom peptide degranulation of mast cells in mice by 51% (P < 0.05), which was comparable to the protective effects conferred by PAR2 deficiency. Taken together, these results suggest that a PAR2 pepducin may confer broad therapeutic benefits as a disease-modifying treatment for atopic dermatitis and itch.

Objective: Platelet agonist-activated 12-lipoxygenase (12-LOX)/12-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE)/G protein-coupled receptor 31 (GPR31) signaling has been proposed to regulate platelet reactivity. While inhibition or genetic ablation of 12-LOX supports an important role of 12-HETE in response to platelet agonists thrombin and collagen, the participation of GPR31 in platelet lipid signaling has not been examined. We developed a potent pepducin inhibitor, GPR-310, to test the downstream involvement of GPR31 in thrombin and collagen mediated platelet activation and thrombosis. Approach and Results: Treatment of mice with GPR-310 reversibly inhibited ex vivo platelet aggregation in response to thrombin and the PAR4 agonist, AYPGKF. There was significant protection (P<0.002) against FeCl3-induced carotid artery injury in mice by extending occlusion time from 100% occlusion at 27 min in the vehicle cohort to 20% occluded at 45 min in the GPR-310 cohort. GPR-310 treatment did not affect tail bleeding time. In human platelets, GPR-310 significantly (P<0.001) inhibited PAR4 agonist and collagen-mediated platelet aggregation and PAR4 calcium release. GPR-310 inhibited 12(S)-HETE- and PAR4-mediated RAP1 activation, with no effect on the PAR1-RAP1 signal. Accordingly, PAR1-mediated aggregation of human platelets was not affected by either GPR-310 or the 12-LOX inhibitor, ML355. GPR-310 caused a 5-fold shift in thrombin-mediated human platelet aggregation, comparable to a direct P2Y12 inhibitor, AZD1283. Dual GPR31 and P2Y12 inhibition showed synergy and protected against thrombin-mediated human platelet aggregation with a 19-fold shift. Blockade of GPR31 was more effective than the P2Y12 inhibitor in a thrombin-mediated clot retraction assay. Co-immunoprecipitation studies revealed that GPR31 and PAR4 form a heterodimeric complex in recombinant systems. Conclusions: GPR31 may serve as a new therapeutic target in platelet-dependent arterial thrombosis and aggregation in humans. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.