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Apoptosis in acute and chronic myocarditis
1Research Laboratory for Cardiovascular Pathology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Insights
Programmed cell death, or apoptosis, is crucial for organ development and linked to diseases. This study found apoptotic myocytes in chronic myocarditis, suggesting a role in myocyte damage.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Pathology
- Cell Biology
- Immunology
Background:
- Programmed cell death (apoptosis) influences normal organ development and is implicated in various diseases.
- Myocarditis is an inflammatory condition affecting the heart muscle.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence and significance of cardiomyocyte apoptosis in myocarditis.
- To determine if apoptosis contributes to myocyte damage in myocarditis.
Main Methods:
- Pathological examination of heart tissue from six myocarditis cases (three acute, three chronic).
- Histochemical techniques were employed to identify apoptotic cells.
- Comparison with normal heart tissue from autopsy cases.
Main Results:
- Apoptosis was observed in endocardial cells of normal hearts.
- Myocardial cells in normal hearts showed minimal to no apoptosis, except in rare binucleated myocytes.
- No cardiomyocyte apoptosis was detected in acute myocarditis cases.
- One of three chronic myocarditis cases exhibited significant cardiomyocyte apoptosis.
Conclusions:
- Apoptosis may be a contributing factor to myocyte damage in chronic myocarditis.
- The role of apoptosis in acute myocarditis appears limited.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the precise mechanisms of myocyte injury in myocarditis.
Abstract:
Programmed cell death or apoptosis plays a major role in the modification of morphologic and functional maturity in various normal organ systems. However, it is also related to certain diseases. We conducted a pathological study of the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes in six cases with myocarditis (three of acute myocarditis and three of chronic or persistent myocarditis) using histochemical methods. In normal hearts obtained from autopsy cases, apoptosis was seen in endocardial cells. There was no apoptosis in myocardial cells, except for a few in myocytes with two nuclei. In myocarditis, although the myocytes of all cases with acute myocarditis did not show apoptosis, one of the three cases with chronic or persistent myocarditis showed many apoptotic myocytes. Apoptosis may be one of the mechanisms causing myocyte damage in myocarditis.