Angiotensin II impairs the remyelination mediated by brain endothelial cell-derived exosomes

White matter hyperintensities (WMH), characterized by myelin loss and axonal injury, are largely driven by hypertension, their most significant modifiable risk factor. The role of endothelial cell-derived exosomes (EC-Exos) in oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPCs)-mediated remyelination within WMH remains critical but poorly defined. This study investigated the function of EC-Exos in remyelination by comparing exosomes from angiotensin II-treated brain microvascular endothelial cells (AngII-Exos; modeling hypertensive conditions) with those from untreated cells (BMEC-Exos; modeling normotensive conditions). In vitro, BMEC-Exos promoted OPCs differentiation, evidenced by increased myelin basic protein (MBP) expression and reduced immature NG2+ OPCs. AngII-Exos lost this pro-differentiation capacity, instead suppressing OPCs proliferation and inducing immature OPCs accumulation. In vivo, the focal demyelination mouse model showed that BMEC-Exos injected into the lateral ventricle migrated to lesions, enhancing MBP intensity and reducing NG2+ areas, while AngII-Exos failed to promote remyelination. Lipidomic analysis revealed AngII-Exos exhibited altered fatty acid profiles, including reduced levels of essential myelin-related lipids (e.g., FFA 18:1, 22:0) and elevated FFA 22:6, impairing their ability to supply lipid precursors for OPCs maturation. These findings demonstrate that Ang II disrupts EC-Exos lipid composition, compromising their pro-remyelination effects on OPCs, which may represent a critical pathological mechanism underlying hypertension-associated white matter damage. This study provides new mechanistic insights into vascular contributions to myelin repair and pathology.

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Publication Details

Journal
Acta Neuropathologica Communications
Published
2026-04-13
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40478-026-02288-w
Primary Topic
Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Angiotensin II impairs the remyelination mediated by brain endothelial cell-derived exosomes

Yiwen Yuan, Suzhen Liang, Ao Guan, Jian Sun et al.
Acta Neuropathologica Communications
Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
article

Angiotensin II impairs the remyelination mediated by brain endothelial cell-derived exosomes

Yiwen Yuan, Suzhen Liang, Ao Guan, Jian Sun, Min Guo, Weiwei Shen, Mei Cui, Qiang Dong
article en

Abstract

White matter hyperintensities (WMH), characterized by myelin loss and axonal injury, are largely driven by hypertension, their most significant modifiable risk factor. The role of endothelial cell-derived exosomes (EC-Exos) in oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPCs)-mediated remyelination within WMH remains critical but poorly defined. This study investigated the function of EC-Exos in remyelination by comparing exosomes from angiotensin II-treated brain microvascular endothelial cells (AngII-Exos; modeling hypertensive conditions) with those from untreated cells (BMEC-Exos; modeling normotensive conditions). In vitro, BMEC-Exos promoted OPCs differentiation, evidenced by increased myelin basic protein (MBP) expression and reduced immature NG2+ OPCs. AngII-Exos lost this pro-differentiation capacity, instead suppressing OPCs proliferation and inducing immature OPCs accumulation. In vivo, the focal demyelination mouse model showed that BMEC-Exos injected into the lateral ventricle migrated to lesions, enhancing MBP intensity and reducing NG2+ areas, while AngII-Exos failed to promote remyelination. Lipidomic analysis revealed AngII-Exos exhibited altered fatty acid profiles, including reduced levels of essential myelin-related lipids (e.g., FFA 18:1, 22:0) and elevated FFA 22:6, impairing their ability to supply lipid precursors for OPCs maturation. These findings demonstrate that Ang II disrupts EC-Exos lipid composition, compromising their pro-remyelination effects on OPCs, which may represent a critical pathological mechanism underlying hypertension-associated white matter damage. This study provides new mechanistic insights into vascular contributions to myelin repair and pathology.

Acta Neuropathologica Communications
Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University (CN), Fudan University (CN), Huashan Hospital (CN)
Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 8%
Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
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