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Updated: Dec 20, 2025
A Doxorubicin-Induced Murine Model of Dilated Cardiomyopathy In Vivo
Published on: May 16, 2020
Interleukin-9 aggravates doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity by promoting inflammation and apoptosis in mice
1Department of Cardiology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China; Cardiovascular Research Institute, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Cardiology, Wuhan, China.
Insights
Interleukin-9 (IL-9) worsens Doxorubicin-induced heart damage by increasing inflammation and cell death. Blocking IL-9 (IL-9nAb) protected against Doxorubicin cardiotoxicity in mice and cell models.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Immunology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Interleukin-9 (IL-9) is a cytokine linked to cardiovascular diseases through inflammation.
- Doxorubicin (DOX) causes significant cardiac injury and dysfunction by promoting inflammation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the specific role of IL-9 in Doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity.
Main Methods:
- DOX induced cardiac dysfunction in mice; IL-9 expression was measured.
- Mice received recombinant mouse IL-9 (rmIL-9) or anti-IL-9 neutralizing antibody (IL-9nAb).
- Pro-inflammatory cytokine mRNA levels and apoptosis were assessed via RT-qPCR and in vitro/in vivo assays.
Main Results:
- DOX injection increased cardiac IL-9 levels.
- IL-9nAb treatment alleviated DOX-induced cardiac injury and dysfunction, while rmIL-9 aggravated it.
- IL-9nAb reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines and apoptosis, whereas rmIL-9 increased them.
Conclusions:
- IL-9 exacerbates DOX-induced cardiotoxicity.
- IL-9 promotes inflammation and cardiomyocyte apoptosis, contributing to cardiac dysfunction.
Aims:
Interleukin (IL) 9 is a pleiotropic cytokine, and recent studies have demonstrated that IL-9 is associated with several cardiovascular diseases, via regulation of the inflammatory response. Doxorubicin (DOX) is known to induce severe cardiac injury and dysfunction by enhancing inflammation. This study aimed to investigate the role of IL-9 in DOX-induced cardiotoxicity.
Materials And Methods:
DOX was used to induce cardiac dysfunction and the expression of IL-9 in the murine cardiac tissues was measured. The mice were intraperitoneally injected with recombinant mouse IL-9 (rmIL-9) or anti-IL-9 neutralizing antibody (IL-9nAb) for investigating the effect of IL-9 on DOX-induced cardiac injury and dysfunction. The messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines were determined in each group by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The effect of rmIL-9 or IL-9nAb on DOX-induced apoptosis was determined both in vivo and vitro.
Key Findings:
IL-9 levels significantly increased in the heart following DOX injection. Cardiac injury and dysfunction were induced by DOX, and treatment with IL-9nAb significantly alleviated DOX-induced injury, whereas rmIL-9 administration aggravated the cardiac damage. IL-9nAb decreased the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the DOX-treated mice, while rmIL-9 administration increased the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. IL-9nAb reduced DOX-induced myocardial apoptosis, whereas rmIL-9 administration produced the opposite results. Additionally, IL-9nAb mitigated the DOX-induced apoptosis in H9C2 cells, while administration of rmIL-9 produced the opposite effect.
Significance:
Our results demonstrated that IL-9 aggravated DOX-induced cardiac injury and dysfunction by promoting the inflammatory response and cardiomyocyte apoptosis.
