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Circulating Interleukin-7 in Human Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Franziska Diekmann1, Ekaterina Legchenko1, Philippe Chouvarine1
1Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Critical Care, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany.
Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine
|December 27, 2021
Summary
Children with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) show significantly lower levels of Interleukin-7 (IL-7) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C (VEGF-C). These lower levels correlate with increased disease severity, suggesting a potential role in PAH pathobiology.
Area of Science:
- Immunology and Cardiovascular Research
- Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension
Background:
- Interleukin-7 (IL-7) is crucial for immune cell homeostasis and has immunomodulatory roles.
- The involvement of IL-7, VEGF-C, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1 in the pathobiology of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) remains largely unexplored.
- Understanding these markers may offer insights into PAH severity and progression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the plasma concentrations of IL-7, VEGF-C, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1 in children with pulmonary hypertension (PH).
- To assess the correlation between these markers and invasive hemodynamic measurements indicative of PAH severity.
- To explore the potential role of these factors in the immunomodulation and vascular injury associated with PAH.
Main Methods:
- Plasma samples were collected from the superior vena cava (SVC), pulmonary artery (PA), and ascending aorta (AAO) of children with PH (n=10) and non-PH controls (n=10).
- Concentrations of IL-7, VEGF-C, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1 were measured using Meso Scale Discovery technology.
- Correlations with pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR)/systemic vascular resistance (SVR) ratio and other hemodynamic parameters were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Children with PH exhibited significantly lower plasma levels of IL-7 (approx. 50%) and VEGF-C (approx. 59%) across all sampled compartments compared to controls.
- IL-7 and VEGF-C concentrations showed a negative correlation with the PVR/SVR ratio, indicating higher disease severity with lower marker levels.
- ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 levels decreased across the pulmonary circulation, with transpulmonary gradients negatively correlating with invasive hemodynamics.
Conclusions:
- This study is the first to report reduced circulating IL-7 and VEGF-C concentrations in human PAH.
- Decreased IL-7 and VEGF-C levels are inversely correlated with key indicators of PAH severity.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the specific roles of IL-7 and VEGF-C in pediatric and adult PAH.
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