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Endothelial dysfunction as a nexus for endothelial cell-cardiomyocyte miscommunication

Thorsten M Leucker1, Steven P Jones2

  • 1Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, MD, USA.

Frontiers in Physiology
|September 11, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Endothelial cells (EC) play active roles in heart function, not just passive support. Understanding EC-cardiomyocyte (CM) communication is key to treating cardiovascular diseases.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Biology
  • Cellular Cardiology
  • Vascular Biology

Background:

  • Cardiomyocyte-centric research overlooks the crucial roles of other cardiac cell types.
  • Endothelial cells (EC) are often presumed to have a passive supportive function in the myocardium.
  • This view neglects the dynamic contributions of EC to vascular tone, cardiac development, and repair.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the dynamic interactions between endothelial cells (EC) and cardiomyocytes (CM) in healthy myocardium.
  • To discuss the role of EC dysfunction in various cardiovascular diseases.
  • To explore therapeutic strategies targeting EC-CM communication for improved patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review focusing on EC-CM interactions.
  • Analysis of structural and signaling properties of vascular and epicardial EC.
  • Examination of disease states involving EC dysfunction.

Main Results:

  • Endothelial cells (EC) actively regulate vascular tone, cardiac development, and repair.
  • Two distinct EC types, vascular and epicardial, have unique properties in healthy and diseased hearts.
  • EC-CM "miscommunication" is implicated in cardiovascular pathologies.

Conclusions:

  • EC are integral to myocardial function, not merely a passive lining.
  • Targeting EC-CM interactions offers potential therapeutic avenues for cardiovascular diseases.
  • Further research into EC biology is essential for advancing cardiac medicine.

Keywords:
cardiomyocytecardiovascular diseaseendothelial functionjuxtacrine communicationparacrine factors

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