Oncostatin M promotes infarct repair and improves cardiac function after myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The immune response plays a central role in post-MI cardiac repair. A growing body of evidence suggests that oncostatin M (OSM), a pleiomorphic cytokine of the interleukin (IL)-6 family, participates in the cardiac healing and remodeling process. However, previous studies have shown inconsistent results, and the exact mechanisms underlying this process have not yet been fully elucidated. We verified whether OSM is involved in the healing process and cardiac remodeling after MI and sought to explore its potential mechanisms. Our data implied OSM's role in facilitating the post-MI healing process in mice, manifested by improved cardiac functional performance and a reduction in fibrotic changes. Furthermore, our flow cytometry analysis revealed that OSM influences the dynamics of cardiac monocytes and macrophages. In mice with a blunted C-X-C motif receptor (CCR)2 signaling pathway, OSM reserved its protective roles and polarized cardiac macrophages toward a reparative phenotype. Moreover, OSM reduced the number of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9⁺ immune cells and increased the number of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1⁺ immune cells in the infarct area, mitigating the maladaptive remodeling following MI. These findings demonstrate that OSM favorably modulates cardiac remodeling, partially by accelerating the shift in the cardiac macrophage phenotype from M1 to M2 and by correcting the MMP-9 and TIMP-1 balance.