DAB2IP: unifying cardiovascular pathogenesis and cardiovascular brain crosstalk

Cardiovascular diseases and brain disorders collectively represent a major global health burden. Not only do they frequently occur as comorbidities, but their pathological mechanisms are also intricately linked through a complex network of cardiovascular-brain crosstalk. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and neurological disorders together impose high global health burdens. The <i>DAB2IP</i> gene, initially characterized as a tumor suppressor, serves as a multifunctional regulator and performs roles in both the cardiovascular and neurological systems. In atherosclerosis (AS), DAB2IP suppresses the inflammation and apoptosis of endothelial cells (ECs) through the TNF signaling pathways, inhibits phenotypic switching of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) via the JAK-STAT and PI3K-Akt axes, and attenuates plaque angiogenesis via VEGF-related pathways. It is genetically associated with coronary artery disease (CAD), aortic aneurysm (AA), and aortic dissection (AD) risk, and mediates hemodynamic stress responses and glucose/lipid metabolic dysregulation in the vasculature. In the cardiovascular brain circuit (CBC), DAB2IP governs cortical neuron migration through the Rap1-integrin pathways, modulates the integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in Alzheimer's disease models via apoptosis-related signaling, and associates with arterial adventitial immune-neural remodeling. Newly developed DAB2IP-targeted strategies, including epigenetic modulators and engineered exosomal circRNA delivery systems, demonstrate preclinical potential but require rigorous validation in various models to assess long-term biosafety and organ-specific efficacy.