A multidisciplinary team made up of the Lipid and Cardiovascular Pathology Research Group led by Dr. Vicenta Llorente Cortés from the Sant Pau Research Institute, members of the Sant Pau Cardiology Service and physicists from the University of Toulouse have identified new biophysical and structural biomarkers for ventricular remodelling in patients with cardiovascular disease that open up a new way forward in diagnosis and more personalised treatments.
This multidisciplinary team of researchers from CIBER Cardiovascular Diseases (CIBERCV) has developed a translational porcine model of dilated cardiomyopathy in which they have identified new biomarkers of cardiac remodeling.
In this model, Dr. Llorente’s team has demonstrated the existence of metabolic and structural differences in cardiac remodeling between the two ventricles, in particular a greater degree of fibrosis in the right ventricle. On the other hand, they have observed that, in a normal heart, the left ventricle has less triglyceride accumulation than the right ventricle, probably due to greater energy expenditure, and this difference is lost in progression to dilated cardiomyopathy.
In addition, Vicenta Llorente indicates that the results obtained “point to the intramiocardiac lipid as a potential therapeutic target in the control of cardiac remodeling”. Currently, in line with this work, the CIBERCV team is carrying out a study on human myocardial samples with the aim of analysing the interest of the new biomarkers discovered in other cardiomyopathies and their relationship with molecular, lipidic and functional parameters.
Arrhythmias and sudden death, main clinical manifestation
Non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NICM) is characterized by dilation of the left ventricle and global systolic dysfunction with normal coronary arteries. Progressive heart failure, ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias, thromboembolisms and sudden death are the main clinical manifestations. It is also the most common cause of heart failure leading to heart transplantation.
Ventricular remodeling that produces ventricular dilation and dysfunction has been extensively studied in vivo using non-invasive and post mortem techniques in human and animal studies for histopathology and biochemical analysis. At present, the current knowledge of the mechanisms involved in their genesis is still limited. As a result, treatments are reduced and have incomplete efficacy.
Reference article:
Identification of new biophysical markers for pathological ventricular remodelling in tachycardia-induced dilated cardiomyopathy. Benitez-Amaro, Samouillan, Jorge, Dandurand, Nasarre, de Gonzalo-Calvo, Bornachea, Amoros-Figueras, Lacabanne, Vilades, Leta, Carreras, Gallardo, Lerma, Cinca, Guerra, Llorente-Cortés.
