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Pericardial Fluid of Patients With Coronary Artery Disease Can Drive Fibrosis Via TGF-Beta Pathway

Ali Fatehi Hassanabad1,2, Darrell D Belke2, Paul M K Gordon3

  • 1Section of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Cardiac Sciences, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

JACC. Basic to Translational Science
|December 2, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Human pericardial fluid (PF) contains active markers that stimulate cardiac fibroblast activity via the transforming growth factor-beta pathway. This profibrotic capacity is elevated in patients with coronary artery disease.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular biology
  • Fibrosis research
  • Biomarker discovery

Background:

  • Human pericardial fluid (PF) is a source of biologically active molecules.
  • Pericardial fluid influences cardiac cell behavior.
  • Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) is a key regulator of fibrosis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of acellular human pericardial fluid in cardiac fibroblast activation.
  • To identify the molecular pathways involved in PF-mediated fibroblast activity.
  • To compare the profibrotic capacity of PF from patients with and without coronary artery disease (CAD).

Main Methods:

  • In vitro assays using cardiac fibroblasts.
  • Analysis of acellular pericardial fluid.
  • Assessment of transforming growth factor-beta pathway activation.

Main Results:

  • The acellular component of human pericardial fluid promotes cardiac fibroblast activity in vitro.
  • This activation is mediated by the transforming growth factor-beta pathway.
  • Pericardial fluid from patients with coronary artery disease exhibits a significantly higher profibrotic capacity compared to that from control patients.

Conclusions:

  • Human pericardial fluid possesses intrinsic profibrotic properties.
  • The transforming growth factor-beta pathway is a critical mediator of PF-induced cardiac fibroblast activation.
  • Elevated profibrotic capacity of pericardial fluid in coronary artery disease patients may contribute to cardiac remodeling.

Keywords:
coronary artery diseasefibrosisgrowth factorsimmune mediatorspericardial fluid

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