Mice with endothelial cell‐selective adhesion molecule deficiency develop coronary microvascular rarefaction and left ventricle diastolic dysfunction

Endothelial cell‐selective adhesion molecule (ESAM) regulates inflammatory cell adhesion and transmigration and promotes angiogenesis. Here, we examined the role of ESAM in cardiac vascularization, inflammatory cell infiltration, and left ventricle (LV) diastolic function under basal and hemodynamic stress conditions. We employed mice with homozygous genetic deletion of ESAM (ESAM(−/−)) and also performed uninephrectomy and aldosterone infusion (UNX‐Aldo) to induce volume and pressure overload. Using echocardiography, we found that ESAM(−/−) mice display no change in systolic function. However, they develop LV diastolic dysfunction, as indicated by a significantly reduced E/A ratio (E = early, A = late mitral inflow peak velocities), increased E/e’ ratio, isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT), and E wave deceleration time. An unbiased automated tracing and 3D reconstruction of coronary vasculature revealed that ESAM(−/−) mice had reduced coronary vascular density. Arteries of ESAM(−/−) mice exhibited impaired endothelial sprouting and in cultured endothelial cells siRNA‐mediated ESAM knockdown reduced tube formation. Changes in ESAM(−/−) mice were accompanied by elevated myocardial inflammatory cytokine and myeloperoxidase‐positive neutrophil levels. Furthermore, UNX‐Aldo procedure in wild type mice induced LV diastolic dysfunction, which was accompanied by significantly increased serum ESAM levels. When compared to wild types, ESAM(−/−) mice with UNX‐Aldo displayed worsening of LV diastolic function, as indicated by increased IVRT and pulmonary edema. Thus, we propose that ESAM plays a mechanistic role in proper myocardial vascularization and the maintenance of LV diastolic function under basal and hemodynamic stress conditions.