Itraconazole Induces Regression of Infantile Hemangioma via Downregulation of the Platelet-Derived Growth Factor–D/PI3K/Akt/mTOR Pathway

Infantile hemangioma is the most common benign vascular tumor of infancy. We have previously reported that itraconazole, a common antifungal agent, can clinically improve or cure infantile hemangioma; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms are still unclear. Here, we show that itraconazole treatment significantly inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis of the endothelial cells of mouse hemangioma cell line and infantile primary hemangioma endothelial cell. Itraconazole also remarkably reduced angiogenesis of hemangioma endothelial cell in vitro. We further performed transcriptome profiling via mRNA microarrays in hemangioma endothelial cell upon itraconazole treatment, and identified cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction as the top significantly enriched pathway. Importantly, itraconazole significantly reduced platelet-derived growth factor–D level, resulting in suppression of platelet-derived growth factor–β activation and inhibition of its downstream effectors, such as PI3K, Akt, 4E-BP1, and p70S6K, which are important for cellular growth and survival of infantile hemangioma. In conclusion, our results suggest that platelet-derived growth factor–D is a target of itraconazole in infantile hemangioma.