Selenium supplementation elevated SELENBP1 to inhibit fibroblast activation in pulmonary arterial hypertension
Benhui Liang,
Wenchao Lin,
Yiyang Tang,
Tangzhiming Li,
Qin Chen,
Wen Zhang,
Xinyi Zhou,
Jiayao Ma,
Boqing Liu,
Zaixin Yu,
Lihuang Zha,
Mengqiu Zhang
Affiliations
Benhui Liang
Department of Cardiology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
Wenchao Lin
National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; Department of Nephrology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
Yiyang Tang
Department of Cardiology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
Tangzhiming Li
Department of Cardiology, Shenzhen People’s Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
Qin Chen
Department of Cardiology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
Wen Zhang
Department of Cardiology, Xiangya Third Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
Xinyi Zhou
Department of Cardiology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
Jiayao Ma
National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
Boqing Liu
Department of Clinical Medicine, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
Zaixin Yu
Department of Cardiology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
Lihuang Zha
Department of Cardiology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; Corresponding author
Mengqiu Zhang
Department of Cardiology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; Corresponding author
Summary: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a life-threatening disease induced by abnormal activation of pulmonary adventitial fibroblasts (PAFs) in the early stage. The association between selenium deficiency and PAH is not yet fully understood. In this study, we found that the serum selenium content of PAH patients was significantly lower than that of healthy volunteers in two independent cohorts. Moreover, PAH patients with lower selenium levels may present poorer prognosis. Prophylactic selenium supplementation could effectively improve hemodynamics and pulmonary vascular remodeling in monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension rat models. Mechanistically, selenium supplementation restored the level of selenium binding protein 1 (SELENBP1) which could exert an antagonistic effect on PAF activation. The rescue assay further proved that selenium supplementation worked in a SELENBP1-dependent manner. These findings demonstrated that selenium deficiency is an important risk factor in PAH, and the selenium-SELENBP1 axis represents a promising target for PAH prevention.
