By Ana Espino | Published on August 18, 2025 | 2 min read #CD146 #Immunology
#RespiratoryDisease #Immunotherapy
Respiratory diseases are among the
leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, affecting millions of
people every year and creating a
substantial socio-economic burden. They
encompass a wide range of pathologies of
inflammatory,
tumoral, or
infectious
origin, often with severe and rapidly evolving courses.
Current therapeutic
approaches remain
limited, partly because they insufficiently address
vascular
mechanisms and
angiogenesis, which play
key roles in pulmonary pathophysiology.
A major challenge in these
conditions lies in identifying reliable biomarkers and therapeutic targets to
guide diagnosis, refine prognosis, and optimize treatment strategies. Among the
most promising candidates is CD146, a
cell adhesion molecule mainly expressed
on the surface of
endothelial cells. Its
soluble form,
sCD146, circulates in
various biological fluids and regulates key processes such as
angiogenesis and
inflammation.
This review aimed to analyze the
role of CD146 and sCD146 across a broad spectrum of respiratory diseases, and
to assess their
potential as
diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, as well as
therapeutic targets for future personalized interventions.
CD146: miracle biomarker or
double-edged sword?
The review examined available
experimental and clinical data on CD146 and sCD146 in a wide range of
respiratory diseases, from thoracic cancers to asthma, COPD, bronchopulmonary
dysplasia, obstructive sleep apnea, interstitial lung diseases, pulmonary hypertension,
and respiratory infections.
Findings show that
CD146 is
frequently
overexpressed in thoracic cancers, such as
NSCLC and
SCLC, where it
is associated with
poor prognosis. It plays a key role in
tumor angiogenesis
and
epithelial–mesenchymal transition. In
T2-high asthma and COPD, CD146
contributes to
inflammatory processes, airway remodeling, and
infectious
exacerbations.
However, in some contexts, CD146
appears to exert
protective effects, as observed in
systemic sclerosis with
pulmonary involvement and certain fungal infections.
As for sCD146, it can be detected in
various biological fluids, and its variations reflect disease activity or
severity, making it a
promising biomarker.
Overall, the evidence highlights a
“Janus effect”: CD146 may either worsen or mitigate disease progression,
depending on the pathological context and the cell type involved.
CD146: key to future respiratory
therapies?
Respiratory diseases remain a major
cause of global mortality, and current treatments still struggle to effectively
target their underlying mechanisms. This review underscores the central role of
CD146 and
sCD146—both critical actors in
pulmonary angiogenesis and
inflammation—in these conditions. Their study paves the way for
developing
biomarkers capable of refining
diagnosis and
prognosis, and may also lead to
targeted therapies, including
specific antibodies,
replacement treatments, or
selective inhibitors. Future research should rely on
large-scale multicenter clinical studies to validate these findings, clarify
the role of different isoforms, and explore
personalized therapies targeting
CD146/sCD146.
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About the author – Ana EspinoPhD in Immunology, specialized in Virology
