Could a new protein become a future treatment target in pulmonary arterial hypertension
(PAH)?
Researchers have identified a protein called placental growth factor (PlGF) as a possible new driver of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Although its name suggests it is only involved in pregnancy, placental growth factor is also active in blood vessels and the immune system. In this study, researchers measured placental growth facto levels in 80 people with newly diagnosed PAH and compared them with healthy volunteers. They found that people with pulmonary arterial hypertension had much higher levels of placental growth factor, and those with the highest levels tended to have a poorer outlook. The team also studied lung tissue from people with pulmonary arterial hypertension and used animal models to understand what placental growth factor does. When animals were genetically unable to produce PlGF, they developed much less severe pulmonary hypertension. They had:
- Lower blood pressure in the lungs.
- Less strain on the right side of the heart.
- Less narrowing and remodelling of the lung blood vessels.
Further laboratory experiments showed that placental growth factor appears to switch on the cells lining the blood vessels, making them attract immune cells. These immune cells then release inflammatory signals that contribute to blood vessel damage and remodelling, helping the disease progress.
Why is this important for people with pulmonary arterial hypertension?
This research suggests that placental growth factor plays an active role in driving pulmonary arterial hypertenion, rather than simply being a marker of the disease.
The findings raise two exciting possibilities:
- Placental growth factor could become a biomarker, helping doctors identify patients at higher risk of disease progression.
- Blocking placental growth factor may become a new treatment strategy, potentially reducing inflammation and preventing damage to the lung blood vessels.
Although these results are very promising, the research is still at an early stage. More studies and clinical trials are needed before treatments targeting placental growth factor can become available for people living with pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Take-home message
By uncovering how placental growth facto links inflammation with blood vessel damage, this study opens the door to a potential new way of treating pulmonary arterial hypertension—not just managing symptoms, but targeting one of the underlying disease processes.
Read more at this link on Cardiovascular Research
Citation
My Ngoc Ha, Raphaël Thuillet, Mina Ottaviani, Corinne Normand, Fabien Robert, Maxime Surbier, Olivier Sitbon, Marc Humbert, Athénaïs Boucly, Laurent Savale, Deborah J Gorth, Vanessa Petit, Ly Tu, Christophe Guignabert, Placental growth factor promotes endothelial activation and inflammatory remodelling in pulmonary hypertension, Cardiovascular Research, 2026;, cvag147, https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvag147
Summary by Louise Bouman, Vice President of the Alliance for Pulmonary Hypertension