Ticagrelor Enhances Release of Anti-Hypoxic Cardiac Progenitor Cell-Derived Exosomes Through Increasing Cell Proliferation In Vitro

Sci Rep. 2020 Feb 12;10(1):2494. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-59225-7.

Abstract

Despite the widespread clinical use of cardioprotection by long-term direct antagonism of P2Y12 receptor, underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, we identify how release of pro-survival exosomes from human cardiac-derived mesenchymal progenitor cells (hCPCs) is regulated by clinically relevant dose of ticagrelor (1 μM), an oral selective and reversible non-thienopyridine P2Y12 inhibitor. Ticagrelor-induced enhancement of exosome levels is related to increased mitotic activity of hCPCs. We show a drug-response threshold above which the effects on hCPCs are lost due to higher dose of ticagrelor and larger adenosine levels. While it is known that pan-Aurora kinase inhibitor halts cell proliferation through dephosphorylation of histone H3 residue Ser10, we demonstrate that it also prevents ticagrelor-induced effects on release of cardiac progenitor cell-derived exosomes delivering anti-apoptotic HSP70. Indeed, sustained pre-treatment of cardiomyocytes with exosomes released from explant-derived hCPCs exposed to low-dose ticagrelor attenuated hypoxia-induced apoptosis through acute phosphorylation of ERK42/44. Our data indicate that ticagrelor can be leveraged to modulate release of anti-hypoxic exosomes from resident hCPCs.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Animals
  • Apoptosis
  • Aurora Kinases / metabolism
  • Cell Hypoxia
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Exosomes / drug effects*
  • Exosomes / metabolism
  • HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / metabolism
  • Humans
  • MAP Kinase Signaling System
  • Mice
  • Myocytes, Cardiac / drug effects*
  • Myocytes, Cardiac / metabolism
  • Myocytes, Cardiac / physiology
  • Purinergic P2Y Receptor Antagonists / pharmacology*
  • Ticagrelor / pharmacology*

Substances

  • HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins
  • Purinergic P2Y Receptor Antagonists
  • Aurora Kinases
  • Ticagrelor