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Published on: June 14, 2016
Ultrastructural myocardial changes in seven cats with spontaneous hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
L B Christiansen1, C Prats2, P Hyttel3
1Department of Veterinary Clinical and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Dyrlægevej 16, DK-1870 Frederiksberg, Denmark; Xlab, Center for Healthy Aging, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.
Insights
Ultrastructural changes in feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) affect the cytoskeleton and mitochondria. Further research is needed to understand the causes of this common feline heart disease.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Cardiology
- Cellular Biology
Background:
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most prevalent cardiac disease in domestic cats.
- Feline HCM shares similarities with human HCM, but its pathogenic mechanisms remain poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the ultrastructural changes in the myocardium of cats with spontaneous HCM.
- To identify potential cellular targets involved in the pathogenesis of feline HCM.
Main Methods:
- Transmission electron microscopy was used to examine myocardial biopsies from seven cats with HCM and eight healthy controls.
- Biopsies were obtained from the left ventricular posterior free wall.
Main Results:
- Cats with HCM exhibited ultrastructural aberrations in myocardial cytoarchitecture and the interstitium.
- Disorganized myofibrils and depleted subsarcolemmal mitochondria were observed in severely affected cats.
- Contraction band artifacts were common in control cats.
Conclusions:
- Ultrastructural myocardial changes in feline HCM involve the cytoskeleton and mitochondria.
- These findings provide a basis for future research into the pathogenic mechanisms of feline HCM.
- Larger studies with quantitative analysis are recommended to further elucidate mitochondrial distribution and cytoskeletal abnormalities.
Objectives:
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common heart disease in cats and shares clinical and pathological characteristics with human HCM. Little is known about the pathogenic mechanisms underlying development of spontaneous feline HCM.
Animals:
The study population consisted of seven cats diagnosed with HCM and eight age-matched cats with no evidence of cardiac disease.
Methods:
Fresh myocardial biopsies taken from the middle of the left ventricular posterior free wall were obtained and examined with transmission electron microscopy.
Results:
Electron microscopic examination showed ultrastructural aberrations of the myocardial cytoarchitecture and of the interstitium in the seven cats with HCM. In the most severely affected cats the myofibrils were disorganized and subsarcolemmal mitochondria were depleted. In control cats, contraction band artifacts were commonly seen.
Conclusions:
In this preliminary study we show that ultrastructural changes of the myocardium in seven cats with HCM involve the cytoskeleton and mitochondria. We suggest that our findings are important for future research aiming at elucidating the pathogenic mechanisms underlying the phenotypic expression of feline HCM. The results of this study prompt for a larger scale study, including quantitative measurements of mitochondrial distribution and cytoskeletal derangements in feline HCM.
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