Cangrelor ameliorates CLP-induced pulmonary injury in sepsis by inhibiting GPR17

BACKGROUND: Sepsis is a common complication of severe wound injury and infection, with a very high mortality rate. The P2Y12 receptor inhibitor, cangrelor, is an antagonist anti-platelet drug. METHODS: In our study, we investigated the protective mechanisms of cangrelor in CLP-induced pulmonary injury in sepsis, using C57BL/6 mouse models. RESULTS: TdT-mediated dUTP Nick-End Labeling (TUNEL) and Masson staining showed that apoptosis and fibrosis in lungs were alleviated by cangrelor treatment. Cangrelor significantly promoted surface expression of CD40L on platelets and inhibited CLP-induced neutrophils in Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) (p < 0.001). We also found that cangrelor decreased the inflammatory response in the CLP mouse model and inhibited the expression of inflammatory cytokines, IL-1β (p < 0.01), IL-6 (p < 0.05), and TNF-α (p < 0.001). Western blotting and RT-PCR showed that cangrelor inhibited the increased levels of G-protein-coupled receptor 17 (GPR17) induced by CLP (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our study indicated that cangrelor repressed the levels of GPR17, followed by a decrease in the inflammatory response and a rise of neutrophils in BALF, potentially reversing CLP-mediated pulmonary injury during sepsis.