Overview

• University of Oklahoma scientists report that eliminating CD82 in blood vessels substantially reduced leakage and inflammation in animal models.
• The team found that CD82 interacts with a pool of accessible membrane cholesterol to trigger intracellular signaling that weakens endothelial barriers.
• Lowering the accessible cholesterol pool with a statin strengthened vessel walls and decreased leakage in preclinical experiments.
• Models included SARS-CoV-2–inoculated mice, where CD82 ablation was associated with reduced pulmonary leukocyte infiltration.
• The group received new NIH support, including NHLBI award R01HL173312, to extend this research toward translation while emphasizing that the findings remain preclinical.