ArticleNPJ precision oncology2019
Propranolol exhibits activity against hemangiomas independent of beta blockade.
Article in NPJ precision oncology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Efficacy and safety of oral propranolol and topical timolol in the treatment of infantile hemangioma: a meta-analysis and systematic review.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Pooled it
- Targeted Therapies in Infantile Hemangiomas and Vascular Malformations: From β-Blockers to PI3K/AKT/mTOR Inhibitors.Journal of cellular and molecular medicine · 2026Review
- The traditional Chinese medicine bloodletting therapy at the Taiyang acupoint (No.EX-HN5) for the treatment of periorbital venous malformation: a case report.Frontiers in ophthalmology · 2026Article
- Immune microenvironment of infantile hemangioma: cellular dynamics, molecular networks, and emerging immunomodulatory strategies.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Key cellular subpopulations and mechanisms of propranolol in infantile hemangioma: insights from single-cell omics.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Review
- R-(+)-propranolol for infantile hemangioma:Frontiers in medicine · 2026Review
- ANGPTL4: A Comprehensive Review of 25 Years of Research.Cancers · 2025Review
- Systemic angiogenic protein changes following propranolol therapy in infantile hemangioma: a multi-target perspective.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Article
- Infantile hemangioma: the common and enigmatic vascular tumor.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2024Review
- Propranolol or atenolol for the management of infantile hemangioma: Implications for long-term health.JAAD international · 2023Article
- R-Propranolol Has Broad-Spectrum Anti-Coronavirus Activity and Suppresses Factors Involved in Pathogenic Angiogenesis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- Indolium 1 Exerts Activity against Vemurafenib-Resistant Melanoma In Vivo.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Non-beta blocker enantiomers of propranolol and atenolol inhibit vasculogenesis in infantile hemangioma.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2022Article
- Beta-adrenergic receptor blockade in angiosarcoma: Which beta-blocker to choose?Frontiers in oncology · 2022Article
- Insights Into Vascular Anomalies, Cancer, and Fibroproliferative Conditions: The Role of Stem Cells and the Renin-Angiotensin System.Frontiers in surgery · 2022Review
- Case report: Deterioration of infantile hemangioma related to oral or nebulized administration of β2-AR agonist: Three cases reports.Frontiers in oncology · 2022Article
- Dissecting VEGF-induced acute versus chronic vascular hyperpermeability: Essential roles of dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase-1.iScience · 2021Article
- Infantile Hemangiomas: An Update on Pathogenesis and Treatment.Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Review
- Vascular anomalies of the head and neck: diagnosis and treatment.Pediatric radiology · 2021Review
- The Activation of Endothelial Cells Relies on a Ferroptosis-Like Mechanism: Novel Perspectives in Management of Angiogenesis and Cancer Therapy.Frontiers in oncology · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Propranolol is a widely used beta blocker that consists of a racemic mixture of R and S stereoisomers. Only the S stereoisomer has significant activity against the beta-adrenergic receptor. A fortuitous clinical observation was made in an infant who received propranolol for cardiac disease, and regression of a hemangioma of infancy was noted. This has led to the widespread use of propranolol for the treatment of large and life-threatening hemangiomas of infancy. Infants receiving propranolol require monitoring to ensure that they do not suffer from side effects related to beta blockade. The exact mechanism of activity of propranolol in hemangioma of infancy is unknown. In this study, we treated hemangioma stem cells with both beta blockade active S- and inactive R-propranolol and looked for genes that were coordinately regulated by this treatment. Among the genes commonly downregulated, Angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) was among the most regulated. We confirmed that propranolol isomers downregulated ANGPTL4 in endothelial cells, with greater downregulation of ANGPTL4 using the beta blockade inactive R-propranolol. ANGPTL4 is present in human hemangiomas of infancy. Finally, R-propranolol inhibited the growth of bEnd.3 hemangioma cells in vivo. The implication of this is that hemangioma growth can be blocked without the side effects of beta blockade. Given that humans have been exposed to racemic propranolol for decades and thus to R-propranolol, clinical development of R-propranolol for hemangiomas of infancy and other angiogenic diseases is warranted.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.