Multiscale profiling of tyrosine kinase inhibitor cardiotoxicity reveals mechanosensitive ion channel PIEZO1 as cardioprotective [bulk RNA-seq]
Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have improved cancer outcomes but are limited by cardiovascular toxicity, most notably hypertension and heart failure. The underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood, hindering the development of protective strategies. Here, we investigated the role of endothelial mechanotransduction in mediating vascular and cardiac injury caused by the VEGFR-targeting TKI sunitinib. Using patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell-derived endothelial cells (iPSC-ECs) and a mouse model of TKI-induced hypertension, we identified downregulation of PIEZO1, a mechanically activated ion channel, as a central driver of endothelial dysfunction. Restoring PIEZO1 expression, either pharmacologically with Yoda1, a selective agonist, or through inducible overexpression in iPSC-ECs, reversed sunitinib-induced endothelial dysfunction and mitigated its hypertensive effects, providing both mechanistic and genetic validation of PIEZO1's protective role against vascular toxicity. In mice, Yoda1 co-treatment prevented the long-term cardiac dysfunction observed following sunitinib exposure, and normalized elevations in circulating cardiac stress biomarkers. Single-nuclei multiomic profiling of mouse hearts revealed that sunitinib exposure activated chromatin remodeling and fibrogenic programs, which were reversed with PIEZO1 activation. Human engineered cardiac organoids further demonstrated that sunitinib impaired cardiomyocyte function only in the presence of endothelial cells, confirming a role for disrupted endothelial-cardiomyocyte crosstalk in TKI cardiotoxicity. Together, these findings identify endothelial PIEZO1 as a critical mediator of TKI-induced hypertension and cardiac dysfunction and highlight PIEZO1 activation as a potential therapeutic strategy for protecting cardiovascular health during cancer therapy. Overall design: RNA-seq of patient-specific iPSC-ECs, primary endothelial cells, and iPSC-derived cardiac organoids