Septic Cardiac Remodeling: A New Concept in Cardiac Dysfunction Induced by Experimental Sepsis.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Pathology
• Microbiology

Background:

• Septic cardiomyopathy is often considered acute and reversible.
• However, sepsis may trigger long-term cardiac remodeling with future implications.
• Experimental sepsis models are crucial for understanding these cardiac changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate morphological and functional cardiac changes during acute and subacute phases of experimental sepsis.
• To evaluate the reversibility of septic cardiomyopathy.
• To assess the impact of sepsis on cardiac structure, function, and microbiota.

Main Methods:

• Male Wistar rats underwent cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) to induce experimental sepsis.
• Echocardiography was performed at baseline, 48 hours, and 7 days post-CLP.
• Papillary muscle testing, morphometric analysis, biochemical assays, and microbiota analysis were conducted.

Main Results:

• Sepsis induced reduced systolic function in the acute phase and persistent cardiac dysfunction in the subacute phase.
• Significant cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and increased collagen content (fibrosis) were observed in septic rats.
• Microbiota analysis revealed significant differences between septic and control groups, while cardiac energy metabolism and oxidative stress markers showed no significant changes.

Conclusions:

• Experimental sepsis leads to persistent systolic and diastolic dysfunction, cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, and fibrosis.
• Septic cardiomyopathy may involve latent changes and should not be viewed as solely transient or reversible.
• Sepsis-induced alterations in gut microbiota may contribute to cardiac remodeling.