R(+) Propranolol decreases lipid accumulation in haemangioma-derived stem cells

Infantile hemangioma (IH), often treated with propranolol, is a benign vascular tumor that undergoes a spontaneous involution to a fibrofatty residuum. We investigated how R(+) propranolol, the non-beta blocker enantiomer of racemic propranolol, affects lipid accumulation and adipogenesis in IH. This was motivated by our previous work showing R(+) propranolol can block blood vessel formation in a pre-clinical model of IH. Our findings suggest a novel regulatory role for the R(+) propranolol in modulating lipid accumulation in HemSC. This highlights a novel role of R(+) propranolol in the involuting phase of IH and a strategy to reduce fibrofatty residua in IH.