Serum cardiac troponin T and creatine kinase-MB elevations in murine autoimmune myocarditis

We used a murine model of autoimmune myocarditis to investigate systematically whether serum markers of myocardial cell injury, that is, cardiac troponin T (TnT) and the MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase (CK-MB) are useful for the diagnosis of inflammatory heart disease.

Fifty-two A.SW mice were immunized with cardiac myosin to induce myocarditis. The disease was evident on day 12 after the initial immunization in 14 of 22 immunized mice, on day 16 in 7 of 10 mice, on day 19 in 6 of 10 mice, and on day 23 in 5 of 10. The severity of myocarditis increased between days 12 and 16 and remained constant thereafter. TnT was elevated in a considerable number of mice with myocarditis, resulting in a diagnostic sensitivity (number of marker elevations per number of mice with myocarditis) of 0.43 on day 12, 0.71 on day 16, and 0.50 on day 19. CK-MB elevations were not seen on day 12 but resulted in a diagnostic sensitivity of 0.71 on day 16 and of 0.33 on day 19. No elevations of CK-MB or TnT were observed on day 23. All elevations were specific for the disease, as none of the mice lacking myocarditis showed increased markers.

In murine autoimmune myocarditis, TnT is a more sensitive marker for the disease than CK-MB. Elevations clearly indicate myocarditis, but negative test results do not exclude the presence of the disease. These data suggest that the determination of CK-MB and, in particular, of TnT, can be useful for the diagnostic evaluation of patients with suspected myocarditis.