Therapeutic Opportunities for Intestinal Angioectasia- Targeting PPARγ and Oxidative Stress

Recurrent and acute bleeding from intestinal tract angioectasia (AEC) presents a major challenge for clinical intervention. Current treatments are empiric, with frequent poor clinical outcomes. Improvements in understanding the pathophysiology of these lesions will help guide treatment. Using data from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), we analyzed 12 million patient reports to identify drugs inversely correlated with gastrointestinal bleeding and potentially limiting AEC severity. FAERS analysis revealed that drugs used in patients with diabetes and those targeting PPAR gamma-related mechanisms were associated with decreased AEC phenotypes (P < 0.0001). Electronic health records (EHRs) at University of Cincinnati Hospital were analyzed to validate FAERS analysis. EHR data showed a 5.6% decrease in risk of AEC and associated phenotypes in patients on PPAR gamma agonists. Murine knockout models of AEC phenotypes were used to construct a gene-regulatory network of candidate drug targets and pathways, which revealed that wound healing, vasculature development and regulation of oxidative stress were impacted in AEC pathophysiology. Human colonic tissue was examined for expression differences across key pathway proteins, PPAR gamma, HIF1 alpha, VEGF, and TGF beta 1. In vitro analysis of human AEC tissues showed lower expression of PPAR gamma and TGF beta 1 compared with controls (0.55 +/- 0.07 and 0.49 +/- 0.05). National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) RNA-Seq data was analyzed to substantiate human tissue findings. This integrative discovery approach showing altered expression of key genes involved in oxidative stress and injury repair mechanisms presents novel insight into AEC etiology, which will improve targeted mechanistic studies and more optimal medical therapy for AEC.

Automated summary

Recurrent and acute bleeding from intestinal tract angioectasia (AEC) is a major clinical challenge, with current treatments often yielding poor outcomes. Analysis of FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) data identified drugs inversely correlated with gastrointestinal bleeding and potentially limiting AEC severity, with promising results in targeting PPAR gamma-related mechanisms. Integrative approaches combining clinical data, murine models, human tissue analysis, and gene expression data are providing novel insights into the pathophysiology of AEC, leading to the potential for more targeted and effective medical therapies.