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Elevated circulating fibrocyte levels in patients with hypertensive heart disease

Ellen C Keeley1, Borna Mehrad, Rajesh Janardhanan

  • 1Division of Cardiology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908-0158, USA. Keeley@Virginia.edu

Journal of Hypertension
|July 17, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Circulating fibrocytes, bone marrow-derived cells, are significantly elevated in patients with hypertensive heart disease. Higher fibrocyte levels correlate with increased left ventricular mass, suggesting their role in cardiac remodeling.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Hypertensive heart disease is characterized by increased cardiac fibrosis.
  • Fibrocytes, circulating bone marrow-derived cells, are implicated in scar formation in various diseases.
  • The role of fibrocytes in human hypertensive heart disease remains uninvestigated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if circulating fibrocyte levels are elevated in individuals with hypertensive heart disease.
  • To investigate the association between fibrocytes and left ventricular hypertrophy in this patient population.

Main Methods:

  • Peripheral blood fibrocyte levels and their activated phenotypes were measured in 12 patients with hypertensive heart disease.
  • Fibrocyte levels were compared to 19 healthy controls.
  • Cardiac MRI findings, including left ventricular mass index, were correlated with fibrocyte counts.

Main Results:

  • Patients with hypertensive heart disease exhibited significantly higher circulating levels of total and activated fibrocytes compared to controls.
  • Elevated levels of fibrocyte subsets expressing chemokine markers CXCR4, CCR2, and CCR7 were observed.
  • A strong positive correlation was found between left ventricular mass index and both total and activated fibrocytes.

Conclusions:

  • Bone marrow-derived circulating fibrocytes are associated with hypertensive heart disease.
  • Fibrocyte levels correlate with the extent of left ventricular hypertrophy in these patients.
  • These findings suggest fibrocytes play a role in the cardiac remodeling associated with hypertension.
Abstract

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