Upregulation of Robo4 expression by SMAD signaling suppresses vascular permeability and mortality in endotoxemia and COVID-19 models.

ABSTRACT: There is an urgent need to develop novel drugs to reduce the mortality from severe infectious diseases with the emergence of new pathogens, including Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Although current drugs effectively suppress the proliferation of pathogens, immune cell activation, and inflammatory cytokine functions, they cannot completely reduce mortality from severe infections and sepsis. In this study, we focused on the endothelial cell-specific protein, Roundabout 4 (Robo4), which suppresses vascular permeability by stabilizing endothelial cells, and investigated whether enhanced Robo4 expression could be a novel therapeutic strategy against severe infectious diseases. Endothelial-specific overexpression of Robo4 suppresses vascular permeability and reduces mortality in lipopolysa

SUBMITTER: Morita M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9934020 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature