Abstract
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a devastating disease with poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. We screened for pathways that may be responsible for the abnormal phenotype of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs), a major contributor of PAH pathobiology, and identified cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) as overactivated kinases in specimens derived from patients with idiopathic PAH. This increased CDK activity is confirmed at the level of mRNA and protein expression in human and experimental PAH, respectively. Specific CDK inhibition by dinaciclib and palbociclib decreases PASMC proliferation via cell cycle arrest and interference with the downstream CDK-Rb (retinoblastoma protein)-E2F signaling pathway. In two experimental models of PAH (i.e., monocrotaline and Su5416/hypoxia treated rats) palbociclib reverses the elevated right ventricular systolic pressure, reduces right heart hypertrophy, restores the cardiac index, and reduces pulmonary vascular remodeling. These results demonstrate that inhibition of CDKs by palbociclib may be a therapeutic strategy in PAH.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Cell Line
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Cyclin-Dependent Kinases / antagonists & inhibitors*
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Cyclin-Dependent Kinases / metabolism
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Disease Models, Animal
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Familial Primary Pulmonary Hypertension / chemically induced
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Familial Primary Pulmonary Hypertension / drug therapy*
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Familial Primary Pulmonary Hypertension / pathology
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Familial Primary Pulmonary Hypertension / surgery
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Humans
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Indoles / toxicity
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Lung / blood supply
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Lung / pathology
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Lung / surgery
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Male
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Mice
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Mice, Inbred C57BL
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Monocrotaline / toxicity
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Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / cytology
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Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / pathology
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Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / drug effects
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Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / pathology
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Piperazines / pharmacology*
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Piperazines / therapeutic use
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Protein Kinase Inhibitors / pharmacology*
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Protein Kinase Inhibitors / therapeutic use
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Pulmonary Artery / cytology
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Pulmonary Artery / drug effects
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Pulmonary Artery / pathology
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Pyridines / pharmacology*
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Pyridines / therapeutic use
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Pyrroles / toxicity
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Rats
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Rats, Inbred WKY
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Rats, Sprague-Dawley
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Treatment Outcome
Substances
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Indoles
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Piperazines
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Protein Kinase Inhibitors
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Pyridines
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Pyrroles
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Semaxinib
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Monocrotaline
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Cyclin-Dependent Kinases
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palbociclib