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New Insights and Current Approaches in Cardiac Hypertrophy Cell Culture, Tissue Engineering Models, and Novel
Nina Kastner1, Katrin Zlabinger1, Andreas Spannbauer1
1Department of Cardiology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Insights
Cardiac hypertrophy, a growing health concern, involves complex cellular changes. Research highlights non-coding RNAs as potential therapeutic targets, with in vitro models aiding study.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Cardiac hypertrophy is a significant clinical issue linked to risk factors like obesity and aging.
- Pathological hypertrophy is a detrimental response to stress, involving cellular and genetic alterations.
- Existing knowledge of hypertrophy pathways is incomplete, necessitating further investigation for improved treatments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore novel pathways in cardiac hypertrophy, focusing on non-coding RNAs.
- To investigate the role of microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs) in cardiac remodeling.
- To evaluate the utility of in vitro models for studying hypertrophy mechanisms and testing therapies.
Main Methods:
- Review and analysis of recent research on cardiac hypertrophy pathways.
- Identification of non-coding RNAs (miRNAs, lncRNAs, circRNAs) implicated in cardiac remodeling.
- Assessment of in vitro modeling techniques as alternatives to in vivo studies.
Main Results:
- Non-coding RNAs have been identified as key regulators, either promoting or inhibiting cardiac hypertrophy.
- These non-coding RNAs represent promising targets for developing novel therapeutic strategies.
- In vitro models offer a viable and efficient platform for pathway analysis and therapeutic testing.
Conclusions:
- Non-coding RNAs are crucial in cardiac hypertrophy and present potential therapeutic targets.
- In vitro models are valuable tools for advancing the understanding and treatment of cardiac hypertrophy.
- Continued research into these pathways is essential for developing effective interventions for cardiac hypertrophy.
Abstract:
Cardiac hypertrophy is an ongoing clinical challenge, as risk factors such as obesity, smoking and increasing age become more widespread, which lead to an increasing prevalence of developing hypertrophy. Pathological hypertrophy is a maladaptive response to stress conditions, such as pressure overload, and involve a number of changes in cellular mechanisms, gene expression and pathway regulations. Although several important pathways involved in the remodeling and hypertrophy process have been identified, further research is needed to achieve a better understanding and explore new and better treatment options. More recently discovered pathways showed the involvement of several non-coding RNAs, including micro RNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), which either promote or inhibit the remodeling process and pose a possible target for novel therapy approaches. In vitro modeling serves as a vital tool for this further pathway analysis and treatment testing and has vastly improved over the recent years, providing a less costly and labor-intensive alternative to in vivo animal models.
