New Royal Veterinary College research reveals different endothelial cell responses between humans and horses.
New research from the Royal Veterinary College has uncovered a key distinction in the way cells lining blood vessels, known as endothelial cells, respond in horses compared to humans.
The findings, published in the journal Vascular Cell, demonstrate that equine endothelial cells are stimulated to form new blood vessels by a different biological growth factor than the one primarily responsible in humans.
This discovery could have significant implications for developing treatments for diseases in both horses and humans that involve regulating blood vessel formation, such as cancer.
“Endothelial cells play a crucial role in many aspects of health, but until now, very little was known about how these cells function specifically in the horse,” said Dr. Elizabeth Finding, the study’s lead author.
Using optimized laboratory methods to isolate and study equine endothelial cells, the RVC research team examined the cells’ ability to facilitate angiogenesis – the process of growing new blood vessel networks.
While human endothelial cells are most potently activated by the growth factor Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (VEGF-A), the study found equine cells responded much more robustly to a different factor called Fibroblast Growth Factor Two (FGF2).
“This is the first time such a fundamental difference has been identified between these cell types in horses versus humans,” Finding said. “It raises really intriguing questions about the implications of this variance that warrant further investigation.”
In human medicine, anti-angiogenic drugs that inhibit VEGF-A are sometimes used to treat cancer by regulating blood vessel formation. The RVC study suggests such therapies may not be as effective in horses since equine endothelial cells rely more heavily on FGF2 signaling.
“Given this novel finding, the horse may actually provide a useful model for studying human diseases where targeting FGF2, rather than VEGF-A, could be more beneficial,” Finding added.
The research paves the way for greater understanding of vascular biology and pathologies in the horse. It also lays the groundwork for informing more effective, species-specific approaches to treating diseases involving angiogenesis in both equine and human patients.
This research was funded by the Horserace Betting Levy Board.
Reference
Finding, E.J.T.; Faulkner, A.; Nash, L.; Wheeler-Jones, C.P.D. Equine Endothelial Cells Show Pro-Angiogenic Behaviours in Response to Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 but Not Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25, 6017. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25116017
The full paper is available here: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/25/11/6017
