In children with severe heart failure (dilated cardiomyopathy), surgical narrowing of the pulmonary artery (banding) can trigger regenerative processes in the heart. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn have demonstrated in a mouse model that targeted pressure shortly after birth leads to increased division of heart muscle and vascular cells in both ventricles.

The study shows that regardless of which chamber generates the compressive load, the other chamber also reacts with regenerative mechanisms. The scientists speak of a previously unknown “ventricular crosstalk”, in which both ventricles communicate with each other and synchronize their growth.

If the procedure is not performed until seven days after birth, this regenerative effect no longer occurs. Instead, there is only hypertrophic growth of the heart muscle cells, which further deteriorates the pumping function in the long term. The regenerative mechanisms are therefore only active in a very narrow postnatal time window.

The results could explain why surgical “cardiac training” in affected children only leads to functional recovery if it occurs early. Until now, very few therapeutic options were available for this patient group.

The study has now been published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation . It was funded by the BONFOR program of the Medical Faculty of the University of Bonn and by the German Foundation for Heart Research.

Original paper:

Fabian Ebach, Julia Nicke, Tianyuan Hu, Hemmen Sabir, Andreas Müller, Bernd K. Fleischmann, Mona Malek Mohammadi: Pressure Overload-Induced Ventricular Crosstalk Activates Regenerative Mechanisms in the Contralateral Ventricle in Neonatal Mice; AHAJs Circulation, DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.125.077779

Editor: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR

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