Fasudil alleviates the vascular endothelial dysfunction and several phenotypes of Fabry disease
Summary
Fabry disease (FD), a lysosomal storage disorder, is caused by defective α-galactosidase (GLA) activity, which results in the accumulation of globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) in endothelial cells and leads to life-threatening complications such as left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), renal failure, and stroke. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) results in Gb3 clearance; however, because of a short half-life in the body and the high immunogenicity of FD patients, ERT has a limited therapeutic effect, particularly in patients with late-onset disease or progressive complications. Because vascular endothelial cells (VECs) derived from FD-induced pluripotent stem cells display increased thrombospondin-1 (TSP1) expression and enhanced SMAD2 signaling, we screened for chemical compounds that could downregulate TSP1 and SMAD2 signaling. Fasudil reduced the levels of p-SMAD2 and TSP1 in FD-VECs and increased the expression of angiogenic factors. Furthermore, fasudil downregulated the endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) and mitochondrial function of FD-VECs. Oral administration of fasudil to FD mice alleviated several FD phenotypes, including LVH, renal fibrosis, anhidrosis, and heat insensitivity. Our findings demonstrate that fasudil is a novel candidate for FD therapy. Copyright © 2023 The American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
| Authors | Choi JB, Seol DW, Do HS, Yang HY, Kim TM, Byun YG, Park JM, Choi J, Hong SP, Chung WS, Suh JM, Koh GY, Lee BH, Wee G, Han YM |
|---|---|
| Journal | Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy |
| Publication Date | 2023 Apr 5;31(4):1002-1016 |
| PubMed | 36755495 |
| PubMed Central | PMC10124081 |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.ymthe.2023.02.003 |