Background and Purpose:As important components of lung tissue,
endothelial cells (ECs) are associated with many lung diseases. The role
of ECs dysfunction in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and how to
improve alveolar capillary barrier (ACB) to treat IPF is incompletely
understood. Therefore we investigated the involvment of endothelial
Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1pr1) in PF and therapeutic effect
of selective S1pr1 agonist IMMH002. Experimental approach:Databases of
IPF patients and individuals without fibrosis were mined by Seurat. We
generated an endothelial-conditional S1pr1 knockout (S1pr1+/−) mice and
we also examined a bleomycin-induced model of pulmonary fibrosis (PF).
We performed qRT-PCR,Western blot, Immunofluorescence staining and EC
permeability experiments. Key results:Expression of S1pr1 in ECs was
reduced markedly in IPF patients. Mice with endothelial-specific S1pr1
deficiency exhibited severer inflammation and fibrosis upon challenge
with bleomycin. Significant accumulation of alpha-smooth muscle actin
(α-SMA) was observed near vessels after S1pr1 deficiency, which
indicated a potential connection between ACB injury and fibrosis. S1pr1
activation by a selective agonist IMMH002 could ameliorate PF by
improving tight junctions in ECs and protects the ACB. Conclusion and
Implications: Our results suggest that S1pr1 plays a significant role in
ACB and it could be a potential target for IPF. Activation of S1pr1 with
IMMH002 elicits a potent therapeutic effect in bleomycin-induced
fibrosis by increasing tight junctions in endothelial cells and
protecting the integrity of ACB therefore improve survial rate and lung
function.
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