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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Visvesh Jeyalan, Dr David Austin, Shu Xian Loh, Vincent Wangsaputra, Professor Ioakim SpyridopoulosORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2023 by the authors. Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a cardiac condition with structural and functional impairment, where either the left ventricle or both ventricular chambers are enlarged, coinciding with reduced systolic pump function (reduced ejection fraction, rEF). The prevalence of DCM is more than 1:250 individuals, and mortality largely due to heart failure in two-third of cases, and sudden cardiac death in one-third of patients. Damage to the myocardium, whether from a genetic or environmental cause such as viruses, triggers inflammation and recruits immune cells to the heart to repair the myocardium. Examination of myocardial biopsy tissue often reveals an inflammatory cell infiltrate, T lymphocyte (T cell) infiltration, or other activated immune cells. Despite medical therapy, adverse outcomes for DCM remain. The evidence base and existing literature suggest that upregulation of CX3CR1, migration of immune cells, together with cytomegalovirus (CMV) seropositivity is associated with worse outcomes in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. We hypothesise that this potentially occurs through cardiac inflammation and fibrosis, resulting in adverse remodelling. Immune modulators to target this pathway may potentially improve outcomes above and beyond current guideline-recommended therapy.
Author(s): Jeyalan V, Austin D, Loh SX, Wangsaputra VK, Spyridopoulos I
Publication type: Review
Publication status: Published
Journal: Cells
Year: 2023
Volume: 12
Issue: 19
Online publication date: 28/09/2023
Acceptance date: 26/09/2023
ISSN (electronic): 2073-4409
Publisher: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12192377
DOI: 10.3390/cells12192377
PubMed id: 37830591
