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Protein Isolation from the Developing Embryonic Mouse Heart Valve Region
Published on: September 23, 2014
Bone formation and inflammation in cardiac valves
E R Mohler1, F Gannon, C Reynolds
1Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Circulation
|March 21, 2001
Summary
Bone formation, or heterotopic ossification, is a common finding in calcified heart valves, suggesting a repair process for microfractures. This study investigated its prevalence and pathology in surgically excised valves.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular research
- Bone biology
- Pathology
Background:
- Heart valve failure was historically viewed as passive degeneration.
- Recent findings suggest an active tissue repair process involving bone formation in excised heart valves.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence and pathology of heterotopic ossification in surgically excised human heart valves.
- To explore the association between bone formation and microfractures in calcified heart valves.
Main Methods:
- Microscopic examination of 347 surgically excised aortic and mitral valves.
- Analysis of bone formation, remodeling, microfractures, neoangiogenesis, and protein expression (BMP 2/4).
Main Results:
- 83% of valves showed dystrophic calcification.
- 13% of calcified valves exhibited mature lamellar bone with active remodeling (heterotopic ossification).
- Microfractures (92%) and neoangiogenesis were prevalent in ossified valves; BMP 2/4 expression was noted.
Conclusions:
- Heterotopic ossification is a common finding in end-stage valvular heart disease.
- This bone formation may represent a repair response to pathological microfractures in calcified heart valves.
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