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COVID-19 and BRD4: a stormy and cardiotoxic bromo-romance

Emma L Robinson1, Timothy A McKinsey1

  • 1Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology and Consortium for Fibrosis Research & Translation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045-0508, USA.

The Journal of Cardiovascular Aging
|December 13, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Bromodomain-containing protein 4 inhibitors protect heart cells from COVID-19

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular biology
  • Molecular mechanisms of inflammation
  • COVID-19 pathogenesis

Background:

  • Severe COVID-19 causes systemic inflammation, leading to multi-organ dysfunction, including cardiac damage.
  • The
  • cytokine storm
  • is a key driver of this inflammation and subsequent organ injury.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the protective effects of bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) inhibitors on cardiomyocytes during COVID-19-associated inflammation.
  • To evaluate the therapeutic potential of targeting BRD4 in COVID-19 cardiac complications.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized an ex vivo cardiac organoid system to model COVID-19 effects on heart tissue.
  • Assessed the impact of BRD4 inhibition on cardiomyocyte survival and function under inflammatory conditions.

Main Results:

  • BRD4 inhibitors demonstrated significant protection of cardiomyocytes against COVID-19-induced inflammatory damage.
  • Targeting BRD4 effectively mitigated the detrimental effects of the
  • cytokine storm
  • on heart cells.

Conclusions:

  • Bromodomain-containing protein 4 inhibition represents a promising therapeutic strategy for preventing COVID-19-related heart damage.
  • These findings highlight the translational significance of targeting epigenetic regulators for managing severe COVID-19 complications.

Keywords:
COVID-19SARS-CoV-2bromodomain-containing protein 4cytokine stormdiastolic dysfunction

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