Acute manifestations of ischemic heart disease are among the most serious and fatal consequences of atherosclerotic processes. In this study, we hypothesized that a soluble proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), soluble bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP-4), soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin), soluble endoglin (sENG) and soluble endocan (Endocan) would differ from healthy controls in myocardial infarction (MI) patients admitted to the hospital without any previous history of cardiovascular disease and with no cardioprotective drugs taken before admission. The study was conducted using a cross-sectional design. We analyzed data from 79 patients (mean age 54.1 ± 8.9, 18% of women) admitted for the first manifestation of MI and with no history of cardioprotective treatment use before the event. As a control group, we analyzed 17 age-matched healthy volunteers (mean age 51.5 ± 8.6, 47% of women). In addition to routinely obtaining clinical and laboratory data, we analyzed plasma concentrations of the aforementioned biomarkers using ELISA and Luminex analyses. Patients with MI did not differ from healthy controls in total cholesterol, LDL, non-HDL, and triglyceride levels. PCSK9, BMP-4, and sE-selectin levels did not differ significantly between the MI and the control group. Patients with MI had significantly higher sENG and Endocan levels than the control group. In addition, levels of sENG were significantly higher in patients with higher body mass index (BMI) and in smokers. We demonstrated that sENG could serve as a biomarker reflecting endothelial dysfunction in MI patients without prior treatment for cardiovascular risk factors.

• Keywords
• myocardial infarction, soluble endocan., soluble endoglin,
• MeSH
• Biomarkers blood   MeSH
• Endothelium, Vascular * physiopathology   pathology   metabolism   MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• E-Selectin blood   MeSH
• Endoglin * blood   MeSH
• Myocardial Infarction * blood   pathology   physiopathology   MeSH
• Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4 blood   MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Neoplasm Proteins blood   MeSH
• Proprotein Convertase 9 blood   MeSH
• Proteoglycans blood   MeSH
• Cross-Sectional Studies MeSH
• Retrospective Studies MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Case-Control Studies MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Observational Study MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Biomarkers MeSH
• BMP4 protein, human MeSH Browser
• E-Selectin MeSH
• Endoglin * MeSH
• ENG protein, human MeSH Browser
• ESM1 protein, human MeSH Browser
• Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4 MeSH
• Neoplasm Proteins MeSH
• PCSK9 protein, human MeSH Browser
• Proprotein Convertase 9 MeSH
• Proteoglycans MeSH
• SELE protein, human MeSH Browser

Sepsis is a clinical syndrome characterized by a dysregulated response to infection. It represents a leading cause of mortality in ICU patients worldwide. Although sepsis is in the point of interest of research for several decades, its clinical management and patient survival are improving slowly. Monitoring of the biomarkers and their combinations could help in early diagnosis, estimation of prognosis and patient's stratification and response to the treatment. Circulating soluble endoglin (sEng) is the cleaved extracellular part of transmembrane glycoprotein endoglin. As a biomarker, sEng has been tested in several pathologic conditions where its elevation was associated with endothelial dysfunction. In this study we have tested the ability of sEng to predict mortality and its correlation with other clinical characteristics in the cohort of septic shock patients (n = 37) and patients with severe COVID-19 (n = 40). In patients with COVID-19 sEng did not predict mortality or correlate with markers of organ dysfunction. In contrast, in septic shock the level of sEng was significantly higher in patients with early mortality (p = 0.019; AUC = 0.801). Moreover, sEng levels correlated with signs of circulatory failure (required dose of noradrenalin and lactate levels; p = 0.002 and 0.016, respectively). The predominant clinical problem in patients with COVID-19 was ARDS, and although they often showed signs of other organ dysfunction, circulatory failure was exceptional. This potentially explains the difference between sEng levels in COVID-19 and septic shock. In conclusion, we have confirmed that sEng may reflect the extent of the circulatory failure in septic shock patients and thus could be potentially used for the early identification of patients with the highest degree of endothelial dysfunction who would benefit from endothelium-targeted individualized therapy.

• Keywords
• COVID-19, biomarker, endoglin, endothelial dysfunction, mortality, sepsis, shock,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Endoglin is a 180 kDa transmembrane glycoprotein that was demonstrated to be present in two different endoglin forms, namely membrane endoglin (Eng) and soluble endoglin (sEng). Increased sEng levels in the circulation have been detected in atherosclerosis, arterial hypertension, and type II diabetes mellitus. Moreover, sEng was shown to aggravate endothelial dysfunction when combined with a high-fat diet, suggesting it might be a risk factor for the development of endothelial dysfunction in combination with other risk factors. Therefore, this study hypothesized that high sEng levels exposure for 12 months combined with aging (an essential risk factor of atherosclerosis development) would aggravate vascular function in mouse aorta. Male transgenic mice with high levels of human sEng in plasma (Sol-Eng+) and their age-matched male transgenic littermates that do not develop high soluble endoglin (Control) on a chow diet were used. The aging process was initiated to contribute to endothelial dysfunction/atherosclerosis development, and it lasted 12 months. Wire myograph analysis showed impairment contractility in the Sol-Eng+ group when compared to the control group after KCl and PGF2α administration. Endothelium-dependent responsiveness to Ach was not significantly different between these groups. Western blot analysis revealed significantly decreased protein expression of Eng, p-eNOS, and ID1 expression in the Sol-Eng+ group compared to the control group suggesting reduced Eng signaling. In conclusion, we demonstrated for the first time that long-term exposure to high levels of sEng during aging results in alteration of vasoconstriction properties of the aorta, reduced eNOS phosphorylation, decreased Eng expression, and altered Eng signaling. These findings suggest that sEng can be considered a risk factor for the development of vascular dysfunction during aging and a potential therapeutical target for pharmacological intervention.

• Keywords
• endoglin signaling, mice, soluble endoglin, vascular function,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Membrane endoglin (Eng, CD105) is a transmembrane glycoprotein essential for the proper function of vascular endothelium. It might be cleaved by matrix metalloproteinases to form soluble endoglin (sEng), which is released into the circulation. Metabolic syndrome comprises conditions/symptoms that usually coincide (endothelial dysfunction, arterial hypertension, hyperglycemia, obesity-related insulin resistance, and hypercholesterolemia), and are considered risk factors for cardiometabolic disorders such as atherosclerosis, type II diabetes mellitus, and liver disorders. The purpose of this review is to highlight current knowledge about the role of Eng and sEng in the disorders mentioned above, in vivo and in vitro extent, where we can find a wide range of contradictory results. We propose that reduced Eng expression is a hallmark of endothelial dysfunction development in chronic pathologies related to metabolic syndrome. Eng expression is also essential for leukocyte transmigration and acute inflammation, suggesting that Eng is crucial for the regulation of endothelial function during the acute phase of vascular defense reaction to harmful conditions. sEng was shown to be a circulating biomarker of preeclampsia, and we propose that it might be a biomarker of metabolic syndrome-related symptoms and pathologies, including hypercholesterolemia, hyperglycemia, arterial hypertension, and diabetes mellitus as well, despite the fact that some contradictory findings have been reported. Besides, sEng can participate in the development of endothelial dysfunction and promote the development of arterial hypertension, suggesting that high levels of sEng promote metabolic syndrome symptoms and complications. Therefore, we suggest that the treatment of metabolic syndrome should take into account the importance of Eng in the endothelial function and levels of sEng as a biomarker and risk factor of related pathologies.

• Keywords
• Endoglin, Endothelial dysfunction, Hyperglycemia, Metabolic syndrome, Soluble endoglin,
• MeSH
• Atherosclerosis metabolism   pathology   MeSH
• Biomarkers metabolism   MeSH
• Cell Membrane metabolism   MeSH
• Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 metabolism   pathology   MeSH
• Endoglin chemistry   metabolism   MeSH
• Gene Expression MeSH
• Cardiovascular Diseases metabolism   pathology   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Metabolic Syndrome metabolism   pathology   MeSH
• Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III metabolism   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Biomarkers MeSH
• Endoglin MeSH
• Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III MeSH

Upon inflammation, monocyte-derived macrophages (MΦ) infiltrate blood vessels to regulate several processes involved in vascular pathophysiology. However, little is known about the mediators involved. Macrophage polarization is crucial for a fast and efficient initial response (GM-MΦ) and a good resolution (M-MΦ) of the inflammatory process. The functional activity of polarized MΦ is exerted mainly through their secretome, which can target other cell types, including endothelial cells. Endoglin (CD105) is a cell surface receptor expressed by endothelial cells and MΦ that is markedly upregulated in inflammation and critically involved in angiogenesis. In addition, a soluble form of endoglin with anti-angiogenic activity has been described in inflammation-associated pathologies. The aim of this work was to identify components of the MΦ secretome involved in the shedding of soluble endoglin. We find that the GM-MΦ secretome contains metalloprotease 12 (MMP-12), a GM-MΦ specific marker that may account for the anti-angiogenic activity of the GM-MΦ secretome. Cell surface endoglin is present in both GM-MΦ and M-MΦ, but soluble endoglin is only detected in GM-MΦ culture supernatants. Moreover, MMP-12 is responsible for the shedding of soluble endoglin in vitro and in vivo by targeting membrane-bound endoglin in both MΦ and endothelial cells. These data demonstrate a direct correlation between GM-MΦ polarization, MMP-12, and soluble endoglin expression and function. By targeting endothelial cells, MMP-12 may represent a novel mediator involved in vascular homeostasis.

• Keywords
• MMP-12, endoglin, endothelial cells, inflammation, macrophages, monocytes,
• MeSH
• Models, Biological MeSH
• Endoglin genetics   metabolism   MeSH
• Endothelial Cells metabolism   MeSH
• Gene Expression MeSH
• Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor metabolism   MeSH
• Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor metabolism   MeSH
• Cells, Cultured MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Macrophages immunology   metabolism   MeSH
• Matrix Metalloproteinase 12 metabolism   MeSH
• Inflammation Mediators metabolism   MeSH
• Disease Models, Animal MeSH
• Mice MeSH
• Disease Susceptibility MeSH
• Inflammation etiology   metabolism   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Mice MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Endoglin MeSH
• Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor MeSH
• Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor MeSH
• Matrix Metalloproteinase 12 MeSH
• Inflammation Mediators MeSH