Celiprolol but not losartan improves the biomechanical integrity of the aorta in a mouse model of vascular Ehlers–Danlos syndrome

Dubacher, Nicolo; Münger, Justyna; Gorosabel, Maria C; Crabb, Jessica; Ksiazek, Agnieszka A; Caspar, Sylvan M; Bakker, Erik N T P; van Bavel, Ed; Ziegler, Urs; Carrel, Thierry; Steinmann, Beat; Zeisberger, Steffen; Meienberg, Janine; Matyas, Gabor (2020). Celiprolol but not losartan improves the biomechanical integrity of the aorta in a mouse model of vascular Ehlers–Danlos syndrome. Cardiovascular research, 116(2), pp. 457-465. Oxford University Press 10.1093/cvr/cvz095

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AIMS:
Antihypertensive drugs are included in the medical therapy of vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vEDS). The β-blocker celiprolol has been suggested to prevent arterial damage in vEDS, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. It is also unknown whether the widely used angiotensin II receptor type 1 antagonist losartan has a therapeutic effect in vEDS. Here, we evaluated the impact of celiprolol and losartan on the biomechanical integrity of the vEDS thoracic aorta.

METHODS AND RESULTS:
We established a new approach to measure the maximum tensile force at rupture of uniaxially stretched murine thoracic aortic rings. In a vEDS model, which we (re-)characterized here at molecular level, heterozygous mice showed a significant reduction in the rupture force compared to wild-type mice, reflecting the increased mortality due to aortic rupture. For the assessment of treatment effects, heterozygous mice at 4 weeks of age underwent a 4-week treatment with celiprolol, losartan, and, as a proof-of-concept drug, the matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor doxycycline. Compared to age- and sex-matched untreated heterozygous mice, treatment with doxycycline or celiprolol resulted in a significant increase of rupture force, whereas no significant change was detected upon losartan treatment.

CONCLUSIONS:
In a vEDS model, celiprolol or doxycycline, but not losartan, can improve the biomechanical integrity of the aortic wall, thereby potentially reducing the risk of dissection and rupture. As doxycycline is a broad-spectrum antibiotic with considerable side effects, celiprolol may be more suitable for a long-term therapy and thus rather indicated for the medication of patients with vEDS.

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