American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology
Cure8 research brief
Why This Matters
People with IBD already face higher cardiovascular risk; drugs used to treat IBD (anti-TNF and JAK inhibitors) may differently affect small-vessel endothelial function, a possible contributor to heart and vascular events.
Who Should Pay Attention
Patients with IBD considering or taking JAK inhibitors or anti-TNF therapy; gastroenterologists, cardiologists, and researchers studying IBD treatment safety and cardiovascular risk.
Study Snapshot
Story typeResearch paper
Evidence typeResearch paper
Source depthJournal abstract
What To Know
This study used isolated human resistance arterioles from adipose tissue to compare effects of anti-TNF (infliximab), a pan-JAK inhibitor (tofacitinib), and a JAK1-selective inhibitor (upadacitinib) on flow-mediated dilation (FMD), a measure of microvascular endothelial function linked to cardiovascular risk.
Vessels were incubated ex vivo with the drugs and FMD was measured before and after blocking nitric oxide (NO) synthase or scavenging hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).
The overall magnitude of FMD did not change with any therapy, but the underlying mediator of dilation did: infliximab preserved NO-mediated dilation; tofacitinib shifted dilation toward H2O2-dependent (considered a pathologic mechanism); upadacitinib impaired NO-dependent dilation without a compensatory H2O2 signal.
The findings suggest that different classes and selectivity of JAK inhibitors versus anti-TNF produce distinct microvascular endothelial phenotypes that could relate to cardiovascular risk, though this work is an ex vivo mechanistic study and does not report clinical cardiovascular outcomes.
Keep In Mind
The study is mechanistic and ex vivo: it explains biological pathways (NO vs H2O2-mediated dilation) rather than reporting clinical event outcomes. It complements clinical safety signals (e.g., ORAL Surveillance) but does not replace population-level studies.
Source Details
Review the original publication for the complete reporting, methods, and context.
Research paper
Evidence type derived from source or registry metadata.
PublicationAmerican journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology
AuthorsAnnie Kleynerman Roels, Erin C Birch, Yoshinori Nishijima +3 more
InstitutionMedical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
Study typeJournal article
Indexed viaPubMed
Source typeResearch paper
PublishedAug 4, 2026, 12:00 AM
Content availableJournal abstract
This Cure8 brief is based on source text from the linked article. Cure8 is informational only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
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