The Molecular Pathogenesis of Haemangioma
Authors:   , Vishvanath Anasuya 
Published: November 2021

<p>Haemangioma is a primary tumour of the microvasculature characterised by active angiogenesis and endothelial cell (EC) proliferation followed by slow regression or involution whereby the newly formed blood vessels are gradually replaced by fibrofatty tissue. These developmental changes have been arbitrarily divided into the proliferative, involuting and involuted phases. The cellular and molecular events that initiate and regulate the proliferation and spontaneous involution of haemangioma remain poorly understood. This study examined the expression of a number of genes known to be associated with angiogenesis. These include members of the signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) protein family of transcription factors, STAT-3 and STAT-1, and the endothelial receptor tyrosine kinases, VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2. While STAT-3, STAT-1 and VEGFR-1 expression was detected in all phases of haemangioma, VEGFR-2 expression was found to be abundant only during the proliferative phase and decreased with ongoing involution. In this study the cellular structures that form capillary-like outgrowths in an in vitro haemangioma explant model were characterised as haemangioma-derived mesenchymal stem cells (HaemDMSCs) while the cells obtained directly from dissociated proliferative haemangioma tissue were defined as haemangioma-derived endothelial progenitor cells (HaemDEPCs). This investigation showed that although the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a key growth factor for ECs, was able to maintain HaemDEPCs morphology and immunophenotype for a limited period, these cells eventually differentiated into HaemDMSCs, which subsequently differentiated into adipocytes. Furthermore, while VEGF induced significant capillary-like sprouting from tissue explants, both capillary-like sprouting and HaemDMSCs proliferation was inhibited by the addition of AG490, a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor which has also been shown to inhibit the STAT protein pathway. These findings indicate that the development and differentiation of a progenitor cell and a stem cell population underlies the aethiopathogenesis of haemangioma and that VEGF and STAT signalling is involved in the programmed life-cycle of haemangioma. The in vitro explant model for haemangioma offers an opportunity to study and identify novel treatment options for haemangioma. Interferon-alpha (IFN ) has been used to treat steroid-resistant haemangioma but is associated with serious side-affects. The tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) has been shown to specifically induce apoptosis of cancer cells while sparing normal cells. As IFN has previously been shown to sensitise cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis, this study examined the efficacy of low dose IFN in combination with TRAIL in the in vitro explant model and also in the purified HaemDMSCs. Results showed that combining IFN with TRAIL led to synergistic inhibition of capillary-like outgrowth. These results indicate that IFN in combination with TRAIL serves as a potential treatment option for haemangioma. In contrast, HaemDMSCs were protected from TRAIL-induced killing. These cells were found to express high levels of the decoy receptors, osteoprotegerin (OPG) and decoy receptor 2 (DcR2). Increased OPG expression was also detected in the extracellular matrix and in the conditioned medium of HaemDMSCs. From these findings, we postulate that the increased level of extracellular OPG by HaemDMSCs is a stress response induced by their in vitro expansion and that secreted OPG functions as a protective shield preventing TRAIL action. The empirical and unsatisfactory nature of the current therapies for haemangioma underscores the importance of a scientific approach to this common tumour. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that govern haemangioma is of both clinical and biological interest as it may provide vital information with therapeutic potential for haemangioma and also for other angiogenesis-dependent conditions.</p>