PUBLICATION

Sphingosine-1-Phosphate-derived 2-Hexadecenal is a central mediator of ocular neovascularization by inhibiting Sphingosine-1-Phosphate receptor 5

Authors
Qian, X., Ge, R., Chu, Y., Kuang, T., Zhang, X., Bennewitz, K., Lou, B., Hao, W., Ast, V., Klinke, G., Poschet, G., Morgenstern, J., Fleming, T., Hausser, I., Szendroedi, J., Nawroth, P.P., Kroll, J.
ID
ZDB-PUB-260415-9
Date
2026
Source
Nature communications   17: (Journal)
Registered Authors
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
none
PubMed
41980976 Full text @ Nat. Commun.
Abstract
Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a crucial sphingolipid mediator in vasculature and neovascular eye diseases by controlling angiogenesis, inflammation and fibrosis. Five S1P receptors (S1PRs) are key therapeutic targets, with several S1PR-targeted drugs already in clinical use or trials. However, the vascular function of its major metabolic product, the reactive lipid aldehyde 2-hexadecenal (2-HD), remains unexplored. Here, we show that loss of the aldehyde dehydrogenase ALDH3B1 impairs 2-HD detoxification and leads to retinal vascular abnormalities in zebrafish, without affecting the trunk vasculature. Mechanistically, multi-omics analyses reveal that 2-HD accumulation disrupts iron homeostasis and induces ferroptosis by directly interacting with S1PR5. This finding is supported by integrative analyses of single-cell RNA sequencing and RNA sequencing from human neovascular retinal samples, identifying S1PR5 as a clinically relevant target. These findings uncover a previously unrecognized role of S1P derived 2-HD in vasculature and retinal vascular homeostasis, suggesting that targeting S1PR5 could offer a therapeutic strategy for diabetic retinopathy.
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