Spleen-derived Small Extracellular Vesicles Protect against Myocardial Infarction via Mediating Spleen-heart Crosstalk

Background

The cardiosplenic axis has recently begun to be recognized as an important mediator in ischemic heart disease, but its mechanistic role remains incompletely understood. This study aimed to investigate novel molecular mechanisms underlying spleen-heart crosstalk in acute myocardial infarction (AMI), focusing on the role of spleen-derived small extracellular vesicles (sEVs).

Methods

We used both a murine AMI model and an oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) cell model. Orthogonal approaches, including splenectomy, TTC staining, Masson’s trichrome staining, wheat agglutinin staining, echocardiography, TUNEL staining, RNA sequencing, transmission electron microscope imaging, GW4869 administration as a sEVs inhibitor, and functional assays, was employed to evaluate the role of spleen-derived sEVs in AMI-induced cardiac injuries and dysfunction. 4D-proteomics was conducted to profile the protein cargo of sEVs. The function of mitochondrial pyruvate carrier 1 (MPC1) was evaluated with specific antibody blockade and pharmacological inhibition (UK5099, GW604714x). Plasma levels of sEVs-capsulated MPC1 were compared between patients with and without coronary heart disease (CHD), and AMI using ELISA.

Results

Spleen immune activity was upregulated in AMI mice. Splenectomy worsened AMI outcomes by reducing survival, impairing cardiac function, and increasing fibrosis. Spleen-derived sEVs levels increased with a temporal manner following AMI and was taken up by ischemic myocardium, peaking at day 3 post AMI (defined as M3D-sEVs). Administration of M3D-sEVs improved survival, reduced infarct size, and restored mitochondrial respiration. Conversely, sEVs depletion by GW4869 aggravated cardiac ischemic damage and left ventricle dysfunction. Proteomic analysis revealed that cardioprotective M3D-sEVs were enriched for MPC1, which promoted pyruvate metabolism and increased ATP/ADP ratio in recipient cardiomyocytes. Neutralization of MPC1 within M3D-sEVs abrogated these beneficial effects. Clinically, plasma sEVs-MPC1 levels were significantly elevated in AMI patients compared to CHD patients without AMI, and in CHD patients compared to non-CHD controls.

Conclusions

The spleen exerts cardioprotection against AMI by releasing MPC1-enriched sEVs that preserve mitochondrial energetics in the injured myocardium. Augmenting this endogenous sEVs-mediated pathway may represent a promising therapeutic strategy for ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Clinical Perspective What Is New?

• Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) induces transcriptional activation of splenic extracellular vesicle-related genes, resulting in elevated vesicle secretion.

• Following AMI, splenic sEVs enriched with mitochondrial pyruvate carrier 1 (MPC1) increase in response to cardiac injury. These sEVs enhance mitochondrial metabolic energy production in the heart, critically influencing post-MI outcomes, displaying as reducing mortality, promoting wound healing and repair, and attenuating long-term adverse cardiac remodeling.

• Levels of MPC1 in circulating sEVs are elevated in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and show a further significant increase in those with AMI patients.

What Are the Clinical Implication?

• Our findings reveal a novel heart-spleen communication axis mediated by sEVs following AMI. These vesicular messengers enhance cardiac mitochondrial energy metabolism in the injured myocardium, ultimately improving functional recovery and clinical outcomes post-MI.

• Circulating sEVs MPC1 is a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of myocardial injury.