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Drug repurposing is defined as the use of approved therapeutic drugs for indications different from those for which they were originally designed. Repositioning diminishes both the time and cost for drug development by omitting the discovery stage, the analysis of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion routes, as well as the studies of the biochemical and physiological effects of a new compound. Besides, drug repurposing takes advantage of the increased bioinformatics knowledge and availability of big data biology. There are many examples of drugs with repurposed indications evaluated in in vitro studies, and in pharmacological, preclinical, or retrospective clinical analyses. Here, we briefly review some of the experimental strategies and technical advances that may improve translational research in cardiovascular diseases. We also describe exhaustive research from basic science to clinical studies that culminated in the final approval of new drugs and provide examples of successful drug repurposing in the field of cardiology., (© 2024 Deutsche Pharmazeutische Gesellschaft.)

Background: Perioperative myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery is associated with postoperative mortality. Heart rate (HR) is an independent risk factor for perioperative myocardial injury. In this pilot trial we tested the feasibility of a randomised, placebo-controlled trial of personalised HR-targeted perioperative ivabradine., Methods: This was a single-centre, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel group, feasibility pilot trial conducted at Geneva University Hospitals. We included patients ≥75 yr old or ≥45 yr old with cardiovascular risk factors planned for intermediate- or high-risk surgery. Patients were randomised to receive ivabradine (2.5, 5.0, or 7.5 mg) or placebo according to their HR, twice daily, from the morning of surgery until postoperative day 2. Primary outcomes were appropriate dosage and blinding success rates., Results: Between October 2020 and January 2022, we randomised 78 patients (recruitment rate of 1.3 patients week -1 ). Some 439 of 444 study drug administrations were adequate (99% appropriate dosage rate). The blinding success rate was 100%. There were 137 (31%) administrations of Pill A (placebo in both groups for HR ≤70 beats min -1 ). Nine (11.5%) patients had a high-sensitive cardiac troponin T elevation ≥14 ng L -1 between any two measurements. The number of bradycardia episodes was eight in the placebo group and nine in the ivabradine group., Conclusions: This pilot study demonstrates the feasibility of, and provides guidance for, a future trial testing the efficacy of personalised perioperative ivabradine. Future studies should include patients at higher risk of cardiac complications., Clinical Trial Registration: NCT04436016., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Presently, there are many drugs for the treatment of atherosclerosis (AS), among which lipid-lowering, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative drugs have been the most studied. These drugs have been shown to have inhibitory effects on the development of AS. Nanoparticles are suitable for AS treatment research due to their fine-tunable and modifiable properties. Compared with drug monotherapy, experimental results have proven that the effects of nanoparticle-encapsulated drugs are significantly enhanced. In addition to nanoparticles containing a single drug, there have been many studies on collaborative drug treatment, collaborative physical treatment (ultrasound, near-infrared lasers, and external magnetic field), and the integration of diagnosis and treatment. This review provides an introduction to the therapeutic effects of nanoparticles loaded with drugs to treat AS and summarizes their advantages, including increased targeting ability, sustained drug release, improved bioavailability, reduced toxicity, and inhibition of plaque and vascular stenosis., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. A total of 28 new molecular entities (NMEs) were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases from 2011 to 2023. Approximately 25 % of the medications were sanctioned for the management of diverse vascular disorders. The other major therapeutic areas of focus included antilipemic agents (15 %), blood pressure disease (11 %), heart failure, hyperkalemia, and cardiomyopathy (7-8% each). Among all the approved drugs, there are a total of 22 new chemical entities (NCEs), including inhibitors, agonists, polymers, and inorganic compounds. In addition to NCEs, 6 biological agents (BLAs), including monoclonal antibodies, small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), and antisense oligonucleotides, have also obtained approval for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. From this perspective, approved NCEs are itemized and discussed based on their disease, targets, chemical classes, major drug metabolites, and biochemical and pharmacological properties. Systematic analysis has been conducted to examine the binding modes of these approved drugs with their targets using cocrystal structure information or docking studies to provide valuable insights for designing next-generation agents. Furthermore, the synthetic approaches employed in the creation of these drug molecules have been emphasized, aiming to inspire the development of novel, efficient, and applicable synthetic methodologies. Generally, the primary objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive examination of the clinical applications, pharmacology, binding modes, and synthetic methodologies employed in small-molecule drugs approved for treating CVD. This will facilitate the development of more potent and innovative therapeutics for effectively managing cardiovascular diseases., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and its internal medicine treatments are mostly single/few-target chemical drugs. Long-term use of cardiovascular drugs for complex chronic diseases may lead to serious adverse drug reactions. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used to treat heart diseases for thousands of years, helping to ease symptoms and prolong patients' lifespan in ancient China. TCM has the pharmacological characteristics of being multi-component, multi-target and multi-pathway, and the combined application of TCM and western medicine can be an alternative treatment for chronic and intractable diseases with high safety levels. This article reviewed the interactions and synergistic effect of TCM and cardiovascular drugs. In the treatment of arrhythmia, TCM combined with western medicine can more effectively regulate patients' cardiac electrophysiological characteristics, reduce the onsets of premature beat and heart rate variability, lower the levels of QT interval dispersion and serum inflammatory factors, alleviate clinical symptoms and TCM syndromes, and improve cardiac function with good safety levels. In the treatment of hypertension, integrative medicine can more steadily reduce blood pressure and levels of serum inflammatory factors and improve hemodynamic indexes and exercise tolerance, and it has high safety levels, especially for pregnant women. As for coronary heart disease, the combination of TCM and antiplatelet drugs may promote the absorption of each other. However, the interaction risk of pharmacokinetic mechanism between them is low at the dose of efficacy. Integrative medicine can reduce the level of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, delay cardiac remodeling and improve heart function and quality of life for patients with heart failure with high safety levels., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Quadruple therapy is effective for patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, providing significant clinical benefits, including reduced mortality. Clinicians are now in an era focused on how to initiate and titrate quadrable therapy in the early phase of the disease trajectory, including during heart failure hospitalization. However, patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction still face a significant "residual risk" of mortality and heart failure hospitalization. Despite the effective implementation of quadruple therapy, high mortality and rehospitalization rates persist in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, and many patients cannot maximize therapy due to side effects such as hypotension and renal dysfunction. In this context, ivabradine, vericiguat, and omecamtiv mecarbil may have adjunct roles in addition to quadruple therapy (note that omecamtiv mecarbil is not currently approved for clinical use). However, the contemporary use of ivabradine and vericiguat is relatively low globally, likely due in part to the under-recognition of the role of these therapies as well as costs. This review offers clinicians a straightforward guide for bedside evaluation of potential candidates for these medications. Quadruple therapy, with strong evidence to reduce mortality, should always be prioritized for implementation. As second-line therapies, ivabradine could be considered for patients who cannot achieve optimal heart rate control (≥ 70 bpm at rest) despite maximally tolerated beta-blocker dosing. Vericiguat could be considered for high-risk patients who have recently experienced worsening heart failure events despite being on quadrable therapy, but they should not have N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels exceeding 8000 pg/mL. In the future, omecamtiv mecarbil may be considered for severe heart failure (New York Heart Association class III to IV, ejection fraction ≤ 30%, and heart failure hospitalization within 6 months) when current quadrable therapy is limited, although this is still hypothesis-generating and requires further investigation before its approval., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Ivabradine is a pharmacologic agent that inhibits the funny current responsible for determining heart rate in the sinoatrial node. Ivabradine's clinical potential has been investigated in the context of heart failure since it is associated with reduced myocardial oxygen demand, enhanced diastolic filling, stroke volume, and coronary perfusion time; however, it is yet to demonstrate definitive mortality benefit. Alternative effects of ivabradine include modulation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, sympathetic activation, and endothelial function. Here, we review key clinical trials informing the clinical use of ivabradine and explore opportunities for leveraging its potential pleiotropic effects in other diseases, including treatment of hyperadrenergic states and mitigating complications of COVID-19 infection., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Recent breakthroughs in human genetics and in information technologies have markedly expanded our understanding at the molecular level of the response to drugs, i.e., pharmacogenetics (PGx), across therapy areas. This review is restricted to PGx for cardiovascular (CV) drugs. First, we examined the PGx information in the labels approved by regulatory agencies in Europe, Japan, and North America and related recommendations from expert panels. Out of 221 marketed CV drugs, 36 had PGx information in their labels approved by one or more agencies. The level of annotations and recommendations varied markedly between agencies and expert panels. Clopidogrel is the only CV drug with consistent PGx recommendation (i.e., "actionable"). This situation prompted us to dissect the steps from discovery of a PGx association to clinical translation. We found 101 genome-wide association studies that investigated the response to CV drugs or drug classes. These studies reported significant associations for 48 PGx traits mapping to 306 genes. Six of these 306 genes are mentioned in the corresponding PGx labels or recommendations for CV drugs. Genomic analyses also highlighted the wide between-population differences in risk allele frequencies and the individual load of actionable PGx variants. Given the high attrition rate and the long road to clinical translation, additional work is warranted to identify and validate PGx variants for more CV drugs across diverse populations and to demonstrate the utility of PGx testing. To that end, pre-emptive PGx combining genomic profiling with electronic medical records opens unprecedented opportunities to improve healthcare, for CV diseases and beyond. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Despite spectacular breakthroughs in human molecular genetics and information technologies, consistent evidence supporting PGx testing in the cardiovascular area is limited to a few drugs. Additional work is warranted to discover and validate new PGx markers and demonstrate their utility. Pre-emptive PGx combining genomic profiling with electronic medical records opens unprecedented opportunities to improve healthcare, for CV diseases and beyond., (Copyright © 2024 by The Author(s).)

Global health concerns persist due to the multifaceted nature of heart diseases, which include lifestyle choices, genetic predispositions, and emerging post-COVID complications like myocarditis and pericarditis. This broadens the spectrum of cardiovascular ailments to encompass conditions such as coronary artery disease, heart failure, arrhythmias, and valvular disorders. Timely interventions, including lifestyle modifications and regular medications such as antiplatelets, beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, antiarrhythmics, and vasodilators, are pivotal in managing these conditions. In drug development, topological indices play a critical role, offering cost-effective computational and predictive tools. This study explores modified reverse degree topological indices, highlighting their adjustable parameters that actively shape the degree sequences of molecular drugs. This feature makes the approach suitable for datasets with unique physicochemical properties, distinguishing it from traditional methods that rely on fixed degree approaches. In our investigation, we examine a dataset of 30 drug compounds, including sotagliflozin, dapagliflozin, dobutamine, etc., which are used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Through the structural analysis, we utilize modified reverse degree indices to develop quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) models, aiming to unveil essential understandings of their characteristics for drug development. Furthermore, we compare our QSPR models against the degree-based models, clearly demonstrating the superior effectiveness inherent in our proposed method., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to EDP Sciences, SIF and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have a complex pathogenesis and pose a major threat to human health. Cardiomyocytes have a low regenerative capacity, and their death is a key factor in the morbidity and mortality of many CVDs. Cardiomyocyte death can be regulated by specific signaling pathways known as programmed cell death (PCD), including apoptosis, necroptosis, autophagy, pyroptosis, and ferroptosis, etc. Abnormalities in PCD can lead to the development of a variety of cardiovascular diseases, and there are also molecular-level interconnections between different PCD pathways under the same cardiovascular disease model. Currently, the link between programmed cell death in cardiomyocytes and cardiovascular disease is not fully understood. This review describes the molecular mechanisms of programmed death and the impact of cardiomyocyte death on cardiovascular disease development. Emphasis is placed on a summary of drugs and potential therapeutic approaches that can be used to treat cardiovascular disease by targeting and blocking programmed cell death in cardiomyocytes., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest I'd like to declare on behalf of my co-author that the work described was original research that has not been published previously and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, in whole or in part. No conflict of interest exists in the submission of this manuscript, and all the authors listed have approved the manuscript that is closed., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The global incidence of cardiac diseases is increasing, imposing a substantial socioeconomic burden on healthcare systems. The pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease is complex and not fully understood, and the physiological function of the heart is inextricably linked to well-regulated cardiac muscle movement. Myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) is essential for myocardial contraction and diastole, cardiac electrophysiological homeostasis, vasoconstriction of vascular nerves and blood pressure regulation. In this sense, MLCK appears to be an attractive therapeutic target for cardiac diseases. MLCK participates in myocardial cell movement and migration through diverse pathways, including regulation of calcium homeostasis, activation of myosin light chain phosphorylation, and stimulation of vascular smooth muscle cell contraction or relaxation. Recently, phosphorylation of myosin light chains has been shown to be closely associated with the activation of myocardial exercise signaling, and MLCK mediates systolic and diastolic functions of the heart through the interaction of myosin thick filaments and actin thin filaments. It works by upholding the integrity of the cytoskeleton, modifying the conformation of the myosin head, and modulating innervation. MLCK governs vasoconstriction and diastolic function and is associated with the activation of adrenergic and sympathetic nervous systems, extracellular transport, endothelial permeability, and the regulation of nitric oxide and angiotensin II. Additionally, MLCK plays a crucial role in the process of cardiac aging. Multiple natural products/phytochemicals and chemical compounds, such as quercetin, cyclosporin, and ML-7 hydrochloride, have been shown to regulate cardiomyocyte MLCK. The MLCK-modifying capacity of these compounds should be considered in designing novel therapeutic agents. This review summarizes the mechanism of action of MLCK in the cardiovascular system and the therapeutic potential of reported chemical compounds in cardiac diseases by modifying MLCK processes., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper, (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) presents a significant global health challenge, with high morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. The current therapeutic options for ADHF are limited. Ivabradine, a selective inhibitor of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels, has emerged as a potential therapy for ADHF by reducing the heart rate (HR) without negatively affecting myocardial contractility. However, the evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of ivabradine in patients with ADHF is limited and inconsistent. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ivabradine for ADHF based on observational studies., Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted following PRISMA guidelines to identify relevant observational studies comparing ivabradine with placebo in adult patients with ADHF. Data were pooled using a random-effects model, and heterogeneity was assessed. The risk of bias was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale., Results: Four observational studies comprising a total of 12034 patients. Meta-analysis revealed that ivabradine significantly reduced all-cause mortality (RR: 0.66, 95 % CI: 0.49-0.89, p < 0.01) and resting HR (MD: -12.54, 95 % CI: -21.66-3.42, p < 0.01) compared to placebo. However, no significant differences were observed in cardiovascular mortality, hospital readmission for all causes, changes in LVEF, or changes in LVEDD. Sensitivity and publication bias assessments were conducted for each outcome., Conclusion: Ivabradine may be beneficial for reducing mortality and HR in patients with ADHF. However, its impact on other clinical outcomes such as cardiovascular mortality, hospital readmission, and cardiac function remains inconclusive. Further research, particularly well-designed RCTs with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up durations, are warranted., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a group of diseases, affecting the human heart and accounting for 30% of deaths worldwide. Major CVDs include heart failure, hypertension, stroke, etc. Various therapeutics are available against CVD, still there is a dire need to find out potential protein drug targets to reduce economic burden and mortality rate. Goal of the current study was to utilize sequential computational techniques to find the best cardiovascular drug targets and their inhibitors. Common human cardiovascular targets of both databases (GeneCards and Uniprot) were subjected to bioinformatics analyses. Purpose was to validate putative therapeutic targets employing the structure-based bioinformatics methods to determine their physiochemical properties and biological processes. Three stable proteins, that have 0 transmembrane helices, and possess biological processes were screened as potential protein-based therapeutic targets: Hemoglobin subunit beta (HBB), Gamma-enolase (ENO2), and Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP). Tertiary structures of target proteins were retrieved from PDB, and molecular docking technique was utilized to evaluate a library of 5000 phytochemicals against the interacting residues of the target protein as well as their respective standard drugs through MOE and Pyrx software. Top five phytochemicals (d-Sesamin, 1,3-benzodioxole, Sativanone, Thiamine, and Cajanol) were identified based on their RMSD and docking scores as compared to their standard drugs. The docking studies were also validated by MM-GBSA binding free energy and molecular dynamics simulations. According to the study's findings, these phytochemicals may eventually be used as drugs to treat CVD. Further in vitro testing is required to confirm their efficacy and drug potency.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs) have emerged as a promising tool for studying cardiac physiology and drug responses. However, their use is largely limited by an immature phenotype and lack of high-throughput analytical methodology. In this study, we developed a high-throughput testing platform utilizing hPSC-CMs to assess the cardiotoxicity and effectiveness of drugs. Following an optimized differentiation and maturation protocol, hPSC-CMs exhibited mature CM morphology, phenotype, and functionality, making them suitable for drug testing applications. We monitored intracellular calcium dynamics using calcium imaging techniques to measure spontaneous calcium oscillations in hPSC-CMs in the presence or absence of test compounds. For the cardiotoxicity test, hPSC-CMs were treated with various compounds, and calcium flux was measured to evaluate their effects on calcium dynamics. We found that cardiotoxic drugs withdrawn due to adverse drug reactions, including encainide, mibefradil, and cetirizine, exhibited toxicity in hPSC-CMs but not in HEK293-hERG cells. Additionally, in the effectiveness test, hPSC-CMs were exposed to ATX-II, a sodium current inducer for mimicking long QT syndrome type 3, followed by exposure to test compounds. The observed changes in calcium dynamics following drug exposure demonstrated the utility of hPSC-CMs as a versatile model system for assessing both cardiotoxicity and drug efficacy. Overall, our findings highlight the potential of hPSC-CMs in advancing drug discovery and development, which offer a physiologically relevant platform for the preclinical screening of novel therapeutics.

Abstract: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. CVD and kidney disease are closely related, with kidney injury increasing CVD mortality. The pathogenesis of cardiovascular and renal diseases involves complex and diverse interactions between multiple extracellular and intracellular signaling molecules, among which transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1)/transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) channels have received increasing attention. TRPV1 belongs to the vanilloid receptor subtype family of transient receptor potential ion channels, and TRPA1 belongs to the transient receptor potential channel superfamily. TRPV1/TRPA1 are jointly involved in the management of cardiovascular and renal diseases and play important roles in regulating vascular tension, promoting angiogenesis, antifibrosis, anti-inflammation, and antioxidation. The mechanism of TRPV1/TRPA1 is mainly related to regulation of intracellular calcium influx and release of nitric oxide and calcitonin gene-related peptide. Therefore, this study takes the TRPV1/TRPA1 channel as the research object, analyzes and summarizes the process and mechanism of TRPV1/TRPA1 affecting cardiovascular and renal diseases, and lays a foundation for the treatment of cardiorenal diseases., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Chronic wound treatments pose a challenge for healthcare worldwide, particularly for the people in developed countries. Chronic wounds significantly impair quality of life, especially among the elderly. Current research is devoted to novel approaches to wound care by repositioning cardiovascular agents for topical wound treatment. The emerging field of medicinal products' repurposing, which involves redirecting existing pharmaceuticals to new therapeutic uses, is a promising strategy. Recent studies suggest that medicinal products such as sartans, beta-blockers, and statins have unexplored potential, exhibiting multifaceted pharmacological properties that extend beyond their primary indications. The purpose of this review is to analyze the current state of knowledge on the repositioning of cardiovascular agents' use and their molecular mechanisms in the context of wound healing.

Objectives: Flavonoids are polyphenolic compounds found in a wide range of foods, including fruits, vegetables, tea plants, and other natural products. They have been mainly classified as flavanols, flavonols, flavones, isoflavones, flavanones, and flavanonols. In this comprehensive review, we will discuss preclinical pieces of evidence on the potential of flavonoids for the prevention/treatment of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury., Key Findings: In-vitro and in-vivo studies have shown that flavonoids play an important role in preventing ischemic heart disease (IHD). They possess strong anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-thrombotic, anti-apoptotic, and anti-carcinogenic activities. In addition, at a molecular level, flavonoids also modulate various pathways like MAPK, NFκB etc. to confer beneficial effects., Summary: The current review of flavonoids in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury furnishes updated information that could drive future research. The in-vitro and in-vivo experiments have demonstrated various favourable pharmacological properties of flavonoids. This review provides valuable information to conduct clinical studies, validating the safety aspects of flavonoids in the clinical domain., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Cardiovascular drugs (CVDs) are agents working on the heart and the vascular system to treat many cardiovascular disorders. Such disorders represent the leading cause for morbidity and mortality worldwide. The treatment regimen includes different administered drugs on chronic basis. The cumulative drugs in human body coincides with exposure to electromagnetic radiations from different sources leading to drug-radiation interaction that may lead to drug photosensitization. Such photosensitization may lead to mutagenesis, cancer, and cell death due to molecular damage to DNA. This work involves the application of two bioluminescent genosensors; Terbium chloride and EvaGreen are utilized to investigate potential DNA damage caused by frequently used CVDs following UVA irradiation. A variety of CVDs are investigated. Ten drugs; Amiloride, Atorvastatin, Captopril, Enalapril, Felodipine, Hydrochlorothiazide, Indapamide, Losartan, Triamterene and Valsartan are studied. The study's findings showed that such drugs induced DNA damage following UVA irradiation. The induced DNA damage altered the fluorescence of terbium chloride and EvaGreen genosensors, proportionally. The results are confirmed by viscosity measurements reflecting the possible intercalation of CVDs with DNA. Also, the work is applied on calf thymus DNA to mimic the actual biological variability. The demonstrated bioluminescent genosensors provide automatic, simple and low-cost methods for assessing DNA-drug interactions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: There is little evidence for ivabradine hydrochloride in patients undergoing hemodialysis., Methods: In this open-label prospective interventional trial of hemodialysis patients with chronic heart failure, during 12 weeks of treatment, changes in Heart rate (HR), frequency of dialysis-related hypotension were examined, and we investigated health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) and adverse effects., Results: 18 patients from 6 facilities were enrolled in the study. HR significantly decreased over time, from 87 ± 12.61/min at baseline to 75.85 ± 8.91/min (p = 0.0003), and systolic blood pressure also increased significantly (p < 0.0001). The frequency of dialysis-related hypotension was markedly reduced (p = 0.0001). The HR-QOL survey showed significant improvements in Social Functioning among others (p = 0.0178). No specific adverse events occurred., Conclusion: Ivabradine hydrochloride improved dialysis-related hypotension. Furthermore, the HR-QOL improvement effect were suggested. These results demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of ivabradine hydrochloride., (© 2024 The Authors. Therapeutic Apheresis and Dialysis published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of International Society for Apheresis and Japanese Society for Apheresis.)

Background: One of the major determinants of exercise intolerance and limiting symptoms among patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is an elevated intracardiac pressure resulting from left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. Aficamten is an oral selective cardiac myosin inhibitor that reduces left ventricular outflow tract gradients by mitigating cardiac hypercontractility., Methods: In this phase 3, double-blind trial, we randomly assigned adults with symptomatic obstructive HCM to receive aficamten (starting dose, 5 mg; maximum dose, 20 mg) or placebo for 24 weeks, with dose adjustment based on echocardiography results. The primary end point was the change from baseline to week 24 in the peak oxygen uptake as assessed by cardiopulmonary exercise testing. The 10 prespecified secondary end points (tested hierarchically) were change in the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire clinical summary score (KCCQ-CSS), improvement in the New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class, change in the pressure gradient after the Valsalva maneuver, occurrence of a gradient of less than 30 mm Hg after the Valsalva maneuver, and duration of eligibility for septal reduction therapy (all assessed at week 24); change in the KCCQ-CSS, improvement in the NYHA functional class, change in the pressure gradient after the Valsalva maneuver, and occurrence of a gradient of less than 30 mm Hg after the Valsalva maneuver (all assessed at week 12); and change in the total workload as assessed by cardiopulmonary exercise testing at week 24., Results: A total of 282 patients underwent randomization: 142 to the aficamten group and 140 to the placebo group. The mean age was 59.1 years, 59.2% were men, the baseline mean resting left ventricular outflow tract gradient was 55.1 mm Hg, and the baseline mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 74.8%. At 24 weeks, the mean change in the peak oxygen uptake was 1.8 ml per kilogram per minute (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2 to 2.3) in the aficamten group and 0.0 ml per kilogram per minute (95% CI, -0.5 to 0.5) in the placebo group (least-squares mean between-group difference, 1.7 ml per kilogram per minute; 95% CI, 1.0 to 2.4; P<0.001). The results for all 10 secondary end points were significantly improved with aficamten as compared with placebo. The incidence of adverse events appeared to be similar in the two groups., Conclusions: Among patients with symptomatic obstructive HCM, treatment with aficamten resulted in a significantly greater improvement in peak oxygen uptake than placebo. (Funded by Cytokinetics; SEQUOIA-HCM ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT05186818.)., (Copyright © 2024 Massachusetts Medical Society.)

Mast cells are tissue-resident immune cells strategically located in different compartments of the normal human heart (the myocardium, pericardium, aortic valve, and close to nerves) as well as in atherosclerotic plaques. Cardiac mast cells produce a broad spectrum of vasoactive and proinflammatory mediators, which have potential roles in inflammation, angiogenesis, lymphangiogenesis, tissue remodelling, and fibrosis. Mast cells release preformed mediators (e.g. histamine, tryptase, and chymase) and de novo synthesized mediators (e.g. cysteinyl leukotriene C4 and prostaglandin D2), as well as cytokines and chemokines, which can activate different resident immune cells (e.g. macrophages) and structural cells (e.g. fibroblasts and endothelial cells) in the human heart and aorta. The transcriptional profiles of various mast cell populations highlight their potential heterogeneity and distinct gene and proteome expression. Mast cell plasticity and heterogeneity enable these cells the potential for performing different, even opposite, functions in response to changing tissue contexts. Human cardiac mast cells display significant differences compared with mast cells isolated from other organs. These characteristics make cardiac mast cells intriguing, given their dichotomous potential roles of inducing or protecting against cardiovascular diseases. Identification of cardiac mast cell subpopulations represents a prerequisite for understanding their potential multifaceted roles in health and disease. Several new drugs specifically targeting human mast cell activation are under development or in clinical trials. Mast cells and/or their subpopulations can potentially represent novel therapeutic targets for cardiovascular disorders., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest R.P., G.M., and G.V. declare no conflict of interest in relation to this work. S.J.G. consults for Evommune, Inc. and for Jasper Therapeutics Inc., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The development of new molecules for the treatment of calmodulin related cardiovascular or neurodegenerative diseases is an interesting goal. In this work, we introduce a novel strategy with four main steps: (1) chemical synthesis of target molecules, (2) Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) biosensor development and in vitro biological assay of new derivatives, (3) Cheminformatics models development and in vivo activity prediction, and (4) Docking studies. This strategy is illustrated with a case study. Firstly, a series of 4-substituted Riluzole derivatives 1-3 were synthetized through a strategy that involves the construction of the 4-bromoriluzole framework and its further functionalization via palladium catalysis or organolithium chemistry. Next, a FRET biosensor for monitoring Ca 2+ -dependent CaM-ligands interactions has been developed and used for the in vitro assay of Riluzole derivatives. In particular, the best inhibition (80%) was observed for 4-methoxyphenylriluzole 2b. Besides, we trained and validated a new Networks Invariant, Information Fusion, Perturbation Theory, and Machine Learning (NIFPTML) model for predicting probability profiles of in vivo biological activity parameters in different regions of the brain. Next, we used this model to predict the in vivo activity of the compounds experimentally studied in vitro. Last, docking study conducted on Riluzole and its derivatives has provided valuable insights into their binding conformations with the target protein, involving calmodulin and the SK4 channel. This new combined strategy may be useful to reduce assay costs (animals, materials, time, and human resources) in the drug discovery process of calmodulin inhibitors., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Sex differences (SDs) in pharmacology of cardiovascular (CV) drugs have been described previously; however, paradoxically, there are scarce recommendations in therapy based on these differences. It is of utmost importance to identify whether these SDs determine a modified clinical response and the potential practical implications for this, to provide a base for personalized medicine., Area of Uncertainty: The aim of this article was to outline the most important pharmacological drivers of cardiovascular drugs that differ between women and men, along with their implications and challenges in clinical practice., Data Sources: A detailed assessment of English-written resources reflecting SDs impact in CV drug pharmacology was performed using PubMed and Embase databases., Results: Despite large variations in CV drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in individuals, correcting for height, weight, surface area, and body composition compensate for most "sex-dependent" differences. In addition, individual, cultural, and social factors significantly impact disease management in women versus men. Gender-biased prescribing patterns and gender-dependent adherence to therapy also influence outcomes. The development of sex-specific guidelines requires that they should reflect the SDs implications for the management of a disease and that the evidence should be carefully evaluated as to whether there is an adequate representation of both sexes and whether sex-disaggregated data are reported., Conclusions: Pharmacological drivers are under the influence of an impressive number of differences between women and men. However, to establish their significance in clinical practice, an adequate representation of women in studies and the reporting of distinct results is mandatory., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy is characterized by the deposition of misfolded monomeric transthyretin (TTR) in the heart. Acoramidis is a high-affinity TTR stabilizer that acts to inhibit dissociation of tetrameric TTR and leads to more than 90% stabilization across the dosing interval as measured ex vivo., Methods: In this phase 3, double-blind trial, we randomly assigned patients with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy in a 2:1 ratio to receive acoramidis hydrochloride at a dose of 800 mg twice daily or matching placebo for 30 months. Efficacy was assessed in the patients who had an estimated glomerular filtration rate of at least 30 ml per minute per 1.73 m 2 of body-surface area. The four-step primary hierarchical analysis included death from any cause, cardiovascular-related hospitalization, the change from baseline in the N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level, and the change from baseline in the 6-minute walk distance. We used the Finkelstein-Schoenfeld method to compare all potential pairs of patients within strata to generate a P value. Key secondary outcomes were death from any cause, the 6-minute walk distance, the score on the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire-Overall Summary, and the serum TTR level., Results: A total of 632 patients underwent randomization. The primary analysis favored acoramidis over placebo (P<0.001); the corresponding win ratio was 1.8 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4 to 2.2), with 63.7% of pairwise comparisons favoring acoramidis and 35.9% favoring placebo. Together, death from any cause and cardiovascular-related hospitalization contributed more than half the wins and losses to the win ratio (58% of all pairwise comparisons); NT-proBNP pairwise comparisons yielded the highest ratio of wins to losses (23.3% vs. 7.0%). The overall incidence of adverse events was similar in the acoramidis group and the placebo group (98.1% and 97.6%, respectively); serious adverse events were reported in 54.6% and 64.9% of the patients., Conclusions: In patients with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy, the receipt of acoramidis resulted in a significantly better four-step primary hierarchical outcome containing components of mortality, morbidity, and function than placebo. Adverse events were similar in the two groups. (Funded by BridgeBio Pharma; ATTRibute-CM ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03860935.)., (Copyright © 2024 Massachusetts Medical Society.)

Objective: Aim: To investigate the effect of ivabradine on the hemodynamics and contractility of the myocardium and the features of NT-pro-BNP production in patients with stable ischemic heart disease after endovascular revascularization of the myocardium depending on the number of affected coronary arteries during 12 months of therapy., Patients and Methods: Materials and Methods: The object of the study was 120 patients with stable coronary artery disease: angina pectoris of functional class III with heart failure IIA FC III with preserved and moderately reduced ejection fraction of the left ventricle, who underwent coronary artery stenting. The examined patients were randomized according to the number of affected coronary vessels and the method of treatment., Results: Results: Ivabradine in patients with stable ischemic heart disease after 12 months of therapy had a significant beneficial effect on the structural and functional parameters of the myocardium (contributed to the reverse remodeling of the left ventricle), which did not depend on the number of stented coronary arteries (p<0.05). In patients with stented one coronary artery, all structural and functional indicators of the heart after 12 months of treatment reached the values of practically healthy individuals from the control group. The use of ivabradine in patients with stable ischemic heart disease with heart failure with preserved and intermediate ejection fraction of the left ventricle after coronary stenting made it possible to ensure the correction of a number of clinical and pathogenetic links of the disease, which generally contributed to the improvement of metric and volumetric parameters of the heart., Conclusion: Conclusions: Ivabradine made it possible to significantly increase the effectiveness of standard therapy, which was manifested by a faster recovery of the geometry and contractility of the left ventricle. Therefore, the use of ivabradine along with standard therapy was appropriate for such a contingent of patients. The management of patients with stable coronary heart disease should combine adequate (surgical and pharmacological) treatment of the underlying disease, further individual medication correction of symptoms and circulatory disorders inherent in coronary heart disease and heart failure.

To develop antimicrobials against Staphylococcus aureus by high throughput screening of drug library. The type of this study is experimental research. The clinical isolates of S. aureus were collected from the sputum samples of respiratory inpatient department of the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. The anti-planktonic cells growth inhibition activity of FDA-approved drugs library (including 1 573 molecules) was assessed by building a planktonic cells screening platform; The biofilm inhibitory effect of the FDA-approved drugs was detected by building a biofilm screening platform combined with crystal violet staining; Minimal inhibitory concentrations of the selected hits were determined by broth microdilution assay. Finally, the cytotoxicity of the selected hits was detected by CCK-8 assay. The results showed that 218 hits were exhibited effective growth inhibitory effects against S. aureus by setting the concentrations of the molecules in the FDA-approved library to 100 μmol/L. These selected molecules are mainly anti-infective drugs, accounting for 118 hits; Followed by anti-cancer drugs, anti-inflammatory/-immune drugs, neurological drugs, cardiovascular drugs, endocrine drugs, and metabolic disease drugs, which accounts for 40, 19, 12, 9, 8, and 3 hits; Other unclassified drugs accounts for 9 hits. The top 10 hits exhibiting anti-planktonic cells activity against S. aureus were mainly including antitumor drugs, followed by neurological drugs and unclassified drugs like vitamin K3 with the inhibition rate of 99.65%-100%. Similarly, the top 10 hits showing biofilm inhibitory effects against S. aureus were also mainly including antitumor drugs, followed by neurological drugs and anti-inflammatory/-immune drugs with the inhibition rate of 50.22%-92.95%. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the 51 hits by second round screening was determined by micro-dilution assay, which mainly include the antitumor drugs, cardiovascular drugs, endocrine drugs, anti-inflammatory/-immune drugs, metabolic disease drugs, neurological drugs and other unclassified drugs accounted for 22, 5, 3, 9, 2, 5 and 5 hits, respectively, with the MICs of 1.56-50 μmol/L, 6.25-25 μmol/L, 6.25-25 μmol/L, 0.2-50 μmol/L, 25-50 μmol/L, 1.56-50 μmol/L and 0.1-12.5 μmol/L, respectively. In conclusion, the minimum inhibitory concentrations of small molecules screened through high-throughput assay are at the level of micromolar with strong drug development potential and high modifiability. The high effective anti-planktonic cells and anti-biofilm activity by these molecules are expected to provide new ideas for the development of new antimicrobials against S. aureus .

The hemodynamic and cardiovascular impacts of coffee and caffeine have long been controversial. However, due to the worldwide popularity of coffee and caffeinated beverages, it is essential to understand how they affect the cardiovascular system, specifically in patients with a history of acute coronary syndrome. This literature review was conducted to explore the cardiovascular effects of coffee and caffeine and their interactions with common drugs after acute coronary syndrome and percutaneous coronary intervention. The evidence suggests that moderate coffee and caffeine consumption is not associated with cardiovascular disease in healthy individuals and patients with a history of acute coronary syndrome. The interactions of coffee or caffeine with common medications after acute coronary syndrome or percutaneous coronary intervention are less studied. However, based on the current human studies in this field, the only interaction is with the protective effect of statins on cardiac ischemia., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aims: In the SHIFT (Systolic Heart failure treatment with the I f inhibitor ivabradine Trial, ISRCTN70429960) study, ivabradine reduced cardiovascular death or heart failure (HF) hospitalizations in patients with HF and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) in sinus rhythm and with a heart rate (HR) ≥70 bpm. In this study, we sought to determine the clinical significance of the time durations of HR reduction and the significant treatment effect on outcomes among patients with HFrEF., Methods and Results: The time to statistically significant reduction of the primary outcome (HF hospitalization and cardiovascular death) and its components, all-cause death, and HF death, were assessed in a post-hoc analysis of the SHIFT trial in the overall population (HR ≥70 bpm) and at HR ≥75 bpm, representing the approved label in many countries. Compared to placebo, the primary outcome and HF hospitalizations were significantly reduced at 102 days, while there was no effect on cardiovascular death, all-cause death, and HF death at HR ≥70 bpm. In the population with a baseline HR ≥75 bpm, a reduction of the primary outcome occurred after 67 days, HF hospitalization after 78 days, cardiovascular death after 169 days, death from HF after 157 days and all-cause death after 169 days., Conclusion: Treatment with ivabradine should not be deferred in patients in sinus rhythm with a HR of ≥70 bpm to reduce the primary outcome and HF hospitalizations, in particular in patients with HR ≥75 bpm. At HR ≥75 bpm, the time to risk reduction was shorter for reduction of hospitalization and mortality outcomes in patients with HFrEF after initiation of guideline-directed medication, including beta-blockers at maximally tolerated doses., (© 2023 The Authors. European Journal of Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Society of Cardiology.)

Testing the mechanical properties of cardiomyocytes plays an important role in the study of the physiological and pathological processes of constant contraction and diastole of the cardiovascular system. However, there is currently no satisfactory and dynamic technology to measure the mechanical properties of cardiomyocytes in a sustained manner, greatly affecting their practical application in clinical diagnosis and treatment evaluation. Herein, a double resonator piezoelectric cytometry (DRPC) technique was employed for dynamic monitoring of H9C2 cardiomyocyte adhesion and the effects of two cardiovascular drugs on the contractile properties of H9C2 cardiomyocytes, i.e. , isoprenaline (ISO, a positive inotropic agent) and verapamil (VRP, a negative inotropic agent). Specifically, we used 9 MHz AT and BT-cut bare gold and transparent ITO electrodes and compared their dynamic adhesion to the two electrodes modified with RGD and gelatin respectively versus unmodified to measure the cell generated stress (Δ S ) exerted on the quartz crystal surface by a population of cells and the cell viscoelastic index (CVI). We found that the DRPC technique can quantitatively measure the magnitude and direction of the generated forces during the adhesion process of the cells and under the effect of drugs. In conclusion, the technique presented in this study can be used for the simultaneous measurement of cell adhesion, traction force and viscoelasticity of living cells in a noninvasive, dynamic and continuous way, making it an ideal tool for assessing the population contractility of cardiomyocytes and evaluating the efficacy and toxicity of cardiovascular drugs.

The present work focuses on the phytochemical characterization and evaluation of antianginal activity of the bark of Sterculia setigera. It was collected and authenticated in the African region of Mali, where the local population largely employs this plant for the treatment of several diseases. In the context of traditional or folk medicine and recent progresses in alternative medicine practices, it is essential to expand the knowledge about the chemical composition of such medicinal plants. In this research, a direct-Mass Spectrometry (MS) technique, known as Rapid Evaporative Ionization Mass Spectrometry (REIMS) was used for the identification of the main constituents of the Sterculia setigera bark. The REIMS source is here coupled with an electroknife as sampling device, so that the dried and pulverized bark was directly cut through the electroknife to generate a vapor, which was online transferred to the source via a Venture tube. In this way, an ambient MS approach was realized, which avoids any sample preparation procedure or pretreatment; the sample was analyzed in its native state according to a time-saving analytical process. A quadrupole-time of flight MS/MS analyzer was exploited for the identification process, based on mass accuracy data and MS/MS experiments for structure elucidation purposes. Lipids, including triterpenes, fatty acids, γ-sitosterol and α-tocopherol, and phenolic compounds were identified, some of them reported for the first time in a plant of the Sterculia genus and further confirmed through a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. The obtained metabolomic profile was successfully correlated to the antianginal activity of this plant., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The COVID-19 pandemic led to an enormous burden on healthcare systems worldwide. Causal therapy is still in its infancy. Contrary to initial views that the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi)/angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) may increase the risk for a deleterious disease course, it has been shown that these agents may actually be beneficial for patients affected by COVID-19. In this article, we provide an overview of the three most commonly used classes of drugs in cardiovascular disease (ACEi/ARB, statins, beta-blockers) and their potential role in COVID-19 therapy. More results from randomized clinical trials are necessary to identify patients that can benefit most from the use of the respective drugs., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature.)

Introduction: Angiogenesis contributes to the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Some cardiovascular drugs used in the treatment of CVD have an effect on the process of angiogenesis., Methods: Transgenic Tg (flk1: EGFP) zebrafish embryos were used to identify the effects of some cardiovascular drugs on angiogenesis during vertebral development in vivo . Zebrafish embryos at a one-cell stage or two-cell stage were cultured with embryo medium containing cardiovascular drugs at a final solvent concentration of 0.5% (V/V) dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) for 24 hours in 24-well plates., Results: We found that 6 drugs including isosorbide mononitrate, amlodipine, bisoprolol fumarate, carvedilol, irbesartan, and rosuvastatin calcium may affect angiogenesis by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling pathway., Conclusion: These new findings of some cardiovascular drugs should improve the treatment of cardiovascular diseases., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2023 Hui Lv et al.)

Cancer metabolic plasticity, including changes in fatty acid metabolism utilisation, is now widely appreciated as a key driver for cancer cell growth, survival and malignancy. Hence, cancer metabolic pathways have been the focus of much recent drug development. Perhexiline is a prophylactic antianginal drug known to act by inhibiting carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1) and 2 (CPT2), mitochondrial enzymes critical for fatty acid metabolism. In this review, we discuss the growing evidence that perhexiline has potent anti-cancer properties when tested as a monotherapy or in combination with traditional chemotherapeutics. We review the CPT1/2 dependent and independent mechanisms of its anti-cancer activities. Finally, we speculate on the clinical feasibility and utility of repurposing perhexiline as an anti-cancer agent, its limitations including known side effects and its potential added benefit of limiting cardiotoxicity induced by other chemotherapeutics.

Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a progressive disease involving proliferative remodeling of the pulmonary vessels. Despite therapeutic advances, the disease-associated morbidity and mortality remain high. Sotatercept is a fusion protein that traps activins and growth differentiation factors involved in pulmonary arterial hypertension., Methods: We conducted a multicenter, double-blind, phase 3 trial in which adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension (World Health Organization [WHO] functional class II or III) who were receiving stable background therapy were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive subcutaneous sotatercept (starting dose, 0.3 mg per kilogram of body weight; target dose, 0.7 mg per kilogram) or placebo every 3 weeks. The primary end point was the change from baseline at week 24 in the 6-minute walk distance. Nine secondary end points, tested hierarchically in the following order, were multicomponent improvement, change in pulmonary vascular resistance, change in N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide level, improvement in WHO functional class, time to death or clinical worsening, French risk score, and changes in the Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension-Symptoms and Impact (PAH-SYMPACT) Physical Impacts, Cardiopulmonary Symptoms, and Cognitive/Emotional Impacts domain scores; all were assessed at week 24 except time to death or clinical worsening, which was assessed when the last patient completed the week 24 visit., Results: A total of 163 patients were assigned to receive sotatercept and 160 to receive placebo. The median change from baseline at week 24 in the 6-minute walk distance was 34.4 m (95% confidence interval [CI], 33.0 to 35.5) in the sotatercept group and 1.0 m (95% CI, -0.3 to 3.5) in the placebo group. The Hodges-Lehmann estimate of the difference between the sotatercept and placebo groups in the change from baseline at week 24 in the 6-minute walk distance was 40.8 m (95% CI, 27.5 to 54.1; P<0.001). The first eight secondary end points were significantly improved with sotatercept as compared with placebo, whereas the PAH-SYMPACT Cognitive/Emotional Impacts domain score was not. Adverse events that occurred more frequently with sotatercept than with placebo included epistaxis, dizziness, telangiectasia, increased hemoglobin levels, thrombocytopenia, and increased blood pressure., Conclusions: In patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension who were receiving stable background therapy, sotatercept resulted in a greater improvement in exercise capacity (as assessed by the 6-minute walk test) than placebo. (Funded by Acceleron Pharma, a subsidiary of MSD; STELLAR ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04576988.)., (Copyright © 2023 Massachusetts Medical Society.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of ranolazine on hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and oxidative stress in H9c2 cardiomyocyte cells., Materials and Methods: We have assessed the effects of increasing concentrations of methotrexate (MTX) and ranolazine on proliferation of H9c2 rat cardiomyocyte cells by MTT assay. Malondialdehyde (MDA) protein oxidation [advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs)], lipid hydroperoxide (LOOH) and xanthine oxidase (XO) activity as oxidative stress markers and HIF-1α levels increased and total thiol (T-SH), catalase (CAT) activity and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) antioxidant capacity markers decreased in MTX-treated cells compared to control cells., Results: Oxidative stress markers decreased, and antioxidant capacity markers increased in cells treated with ranolazine alone compared to control cells. For all parameters, we showed that the levels of oxidant, antioxidant markers and HIF-1α in cells treated with MTX and ranolazine together reached the level of the control group, and ranolazine reversed the oxidative damage caused by MTX., Conclusions: The cell viability increased the levels of oxidant and prooxidant markers and decreased the levels of antioxidant markers decreased in H9c2 cardiomyocytes induced by oxidative stress. These results suggest that ranolazine may protect the cardiomyocytes from MTX-induced oxidative damage. The effects of ranolazine could result from its antioxidant properties.

Objective: To observe the clinical effect of Qiliqiangxin capsule combined with recombinant human brain natriuretic peptide in acute left heart failure patients 7 days after onset as well as the effects of plasma MDA and ET-1. Methods: In total, 240 hospitalized patients with acute left heart failure from October 2017 to May 2021 were selected from the Department of Emergency and Critical Care Center of Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University and the Department of Cardiology of the Jilin Provincial People's Hospital. They were randomly divided into routine treatment group and combined treatment group, with 120 cases in each group. The routine treatment group was treated with vasodilation, diuresis, cardiotonic and recombinant human brain natriuretic peptide. The combined treatment group was treated with Qiliqiangxin capsules based on the routine treatment group. One week later, the changes in clinical efficacy, ejection fraction, left ventricular commoid diameter, and plasma BNP, MDA, and ET-1 were compared between the two groups before and after treatment. SPSS 11.5 statistical software was used. The measurement data was expressed in x¯±s, the independent sample t -test was used for comparison between groups, and the paired t -test was used for comparison before and after treatment within groups. Counting data was expressed as case (%), and the rank sum test was used for inter-group comparison. Result: In terms of clinical efficacy, the total effective rate of the combined treatment group was significantly higher than that of the conventional treatment group, and the difference was statistically significant ( P< 0.05). Compared with the routine treatment group, the left ventricular ejection fraction in the combined treatment group was significantly increased ( P< 0.05). The levels of plasma BNP, MDA and ET-1 were significantly decreased ( P< 0.05). Conclusion: Qiliqiangxin capsule combined with rhBNP treatment can effectively improve the clinical symptoms of acute heart failure, as well as reduce the lipid peroxidation product MDA content and endothetin ET-1 level in blood. The clinical application value of the Qiliqiangxin capsule needs to be further confirmed by further trials.

The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-systems (RAAS) play a central role in the pathophysiology of congestive heart failure (CHF), justifying the use of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) in dogs and humans with cardiac diseases. Seminal studies in canine CHF had suggested that the pharmacological action of benazepril was relatively independent of doses greater than 0.25 mg/kg P.O, thereby providing a rationale for the European labeled dose of benazepril in dogs with CHF. However, most of these earlier studies relied on measures of ACE activity, a sub-optimal endpoint to characterize the effect of ACEi on the RAAS. The objectives of this study were (i) to expand on previous mathematical modeling efforts of the dose-exposure-response relationship of benazepril on biomarkers of the RAAS which are relevant to CHF pathophysiology and disease prognosis; and (ii) to develop a software implementation capable of simulating clinical trials in benazepril in dogs bedside dose optimization. Our results suggest that 0.5 mg/kg PO q12h of benazepril produces the most robust reduction in angiotensin II and upregulation of RAAS alternative pathway biomarkers. This model will eventually be expanded to include relevant clinical endpoints, which will be evaluated in an upcoming prospective trial in canine patients with CHF., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objective: To evaluate the impact of interventional therapy on top of drug therapy on cardiac function and structure in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) patients complicating with middle aortic syndrome caused by Takayasu arteritis (TA-MAS). Methods: It was a retrospective longitudinal study. The data of patients with TA-MAS and HFrEF, who received interventional therapy on top of drug therapy in Fuwai Hospital from January 2010 to September 2020, were collected and analyzed. Baseline clinical data (including demographic data, basic treatment, etc.) were collected through the electronic medical record system. Changes of indexes such as New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular mass index (LVMI) before and after therapy were analyzed. Results: A total of 10 patients were collected. There were 8 females in this patient cohort, age was (18.4±5.0) years and onset age was (15.3±5.0) years. All 10 patients received standard heart failure medication therapy in addition to hormone and/or immunosuppressive anti-inflammatory therapy, but cardiac function was not improved, so aortic balloon dilatation and/or aortic stenting were performed in these patients. The median follow-up was 3.3(1.3, 5.6) years. On the third day after interventional therapy, the clinical symptoms of the 10 patients were significantly improved, NYHA classfication was restored from preoperative Ⅲ/Ⅳ to Ⅱ at 6 months post intervention( P <0.05). Compared with preoperation, NT-proBNP ( P =0.028), LVEDD ( P= 0.011) and LVMI ( P =0.019) were significantly decreased, LVEF was significantly increased ( P <0.001) at 6 months after operation. Compared with preoperation, NT-proBNP ( P =0.016), LVEDD ( P =0.023) and LVMI ( P =0.043) remained decreased, LVEF remained increased ( P <0.001) at 1 year after operation. Conclusion: Results from short and medium term follow-up show that interventional therapy on top of heart failure drug therpay can effectively improve left cardiac function and attenuate cardiac remodeling in patients with TA-MAS comorbid with HFrEF.

Drug-induced cardiotoxicity is a potentially severe side effect that can alter the contractility and electrophysiology of the cardiomyocytes. Cardiotoxicity is generally assessed through animal models using conventional drug screening platforms. Despite significant developments in drug screening platforms, the difficulty in measuring electrophysiology and contractile profile together affects the investigation of cardiotoxicity in potential drugs. Some drugs can prove to be more toxic to contractility than electrophysiology, which demands the need for a reliable, dual, and simultaneous drug screening platform. Herein, we propose the microelectrode array integrated SU-8 cantilever for dual and simultaneous measurement of electrophysiology and contractility of cardiomyocytes. The SU-8 cantilever is integrated with microelectrode array (C-MEA) using conventional photolithographic techniques. Drug tests are conducted to verify the feasibility of the C-MEA platform using three cardiovascular drugs. Clinically recognized drugs, quinidine and verapamil, are used to activate both the hERG channel and the contractile characteristics of cardiomyocytes. The effect of ion channel blockers on the field potential duration (FPD) of the cardiomyocytes is compared with several contractility-based parameters. The contraction-relaxation duration (CRD) profile is relatively close to that of FPD in tested drugs (half-maximal (IC 50 ) toxicities are 1.093 μM (FPD) and 1.924 μM (CRD) for quinidine and 166.2 nM (FPD) and 459.4 nM (CRD) for verapamil). Blebbistatin, a known myosin II inhibitor, primarily affects the contractile profile of cardiomyocytes but not their field potential, with no evident correlation between contractility and field potential profiles. The proposed cantilever-based mechano-electrophysiology measurements platform provides a promising and accurate means to assess cardiotoxicity., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Direct cardiac reprogramming of fibroblasts into cardiomyocytes has emerged as a promising strategy to remuscularize injured myocardium. However, it is insufficient to generate functional induced cardiomyocytes from human fibroblasts using conventional reprogramming cocktails, and the underlying molecular mechanisms are not well studied., Methods: To discover potential missing factors for human direct reprogramming, we performed transcriptomic comparison between human induced cardiomyocytes and functional cardiomyocytes., Results: We identified TBX20 (T-box transcription factor 20) as the top cardiac gene that is unable to be activated by the MGT133 reprogramming cocktail ( MEF2C , GATA4 , TBX5 , and miR-133 ). TBX20 is required for normal heart development and cardiac function in adult cardiomyocytes, yet its role in cardiac reprogramming remains undefined. We show that the addition of TBX20 to the MGT133 cocktail (MGT+TBX20) promotes cardiac reprogramming and activates genes associated with cardiac contractility, maturation, and ventricular heart. Human induced cardiomyocytes produced with MGT+TBX20 demonstrated more frequent beating, calcium oscillation, and higher energy metabolism as evidenced by increased mitochondria numbers and mitochondrial respiration. Mechanistically, comprehensive transcriptomic, chromatin occupancy, and epigenomic studies revealed that TBX20 colocalizes with MGT reprogramming factors at cardiac gene enhancers associated with heart contraction, promotes chromatin binding and co-occupancy of MGT factors at these loci, and synergizes with MGT for more robust activation of target gene transcription., Conclusions: TBX20 consolidates MGT cardiac reprogramming factors to activate cardiac enhancers to promote cardiac cell fate conversion. Human induced cardiomyocytes generated with TBX20 showed enhanced cardiac function in contractility and mitochondrial respiration.

Many strategies have been adopted to construct in vitro myocardium models, which are of great value to both drug cardiotoxicity evaluation and cardiovascular drug development. In particular, the recent rapid development of human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) technology and the rise of the organ-on-a-chip technique have provided great potential to achieve more physiologically relevant in vitro models. However, recapitulating the key role of the vasculature endothelial layer in drug action on myocardium in the models is still challenging. In this work, we developed an openable heart-on-a-chip system using highly purified functional hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) with an integrated vascular endothelial layer based on our previously proposed culture-patch method. The purity and functionality of the differentiated hiPSC-CMs were characterized, which were applied into the lower chamber of the sandwich-structured device to form the CM layer. The integrity and cell morphology of the endothelial layer on the culture patch as well as the influence of fluid shear force were studied, which was integrated in between the upper and lower chambers. The constructed heart-on-a-chip was finally applied for drug testing. The effect of two cardiac targeting drugs (isoproterenol and E-4031) directly on the hiPSC-CMs or after penetrating through the endothelial layer under static or dynamic conditions was evaluated. The results demonstrated the significance of a vascular layer in in vitro myocardium models for drug testing, as well as the advantage and potential of the proposed platform for cardiovascular drug evaluation with more human physiological relevance., (© 2022 IOP Publishing Ltd.)

This small-group activity provides two cases in cardiovascular pharmacology to engage students in a medical or other health professions curriculum. The goal of this activity is to apply students' basic knowledge of physiology and pharmacology to clinical case scenarios. Students were provided with the cases 1 week in advance and were encouraged to use their lecture notes and/or other references of their choosing to answer as many of the questions as possible and prepare to discuss the answers with their classmates at the session. Facilitators were provided with detailed notes and a video that explain the answers and provide suggestions for engaging and challenging the students. For the 2021 academic year, 201 students (139 first-year medical students and 62 second-year pharmacy students) at UC San Diego participated in the small-group activity. Eighteen facilitators were recruited to lead this 110-min session. Students' performance was assessed on the final exam of their integrated cardiovascular physiology-pharmacology course. Students achieved 84% (SD 17.54) on questions related to the small-group session compared to 78% (SD 15.60) on other cardiovascular pharmacology questions not related to the activity. Student perceptions of the facilitators leading the small-group activity were very positive (average of 4.7 on a 5-point Likert Scale). Using this approach, we demonstrate that a small-group activity with clinical scenarios helps students master the pharmacology content related to cardiovascular drugs. The small-group activity included constructed response questions to foster conceptual understanding., (© 2022 The Authors. Pharmacology Research & Perspectives published by British Pharmacological Society and American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The preclinical assessment of efficacy and safety is essential for cardiovascular drug development in order to guarantee effective prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease and avoid human health endangerment and a huge waste of resources. Rhythmic mechanical beating as one of the crucial cardiomyocyte properties has been exploited to establish a drug assessment biosensing platform. However, the conventional label-free biosensing platforms are difficult to perform high-throughput and high-resolution mechanical beating detection for a single cardiomyocyte, while label-based strategies are limited by pharmacologically adverse effects and phototoxicity. Herein, we propose a biosensing platform involving the multichannel electrode array device and the universal mechanical beating detection system. The platform can determine the optimal characteristic working frequency of different devices and dynamically interrogate the viability of multisite single cardiomyocytes to establish the optimized cell-based model for sensitive drug assessment. The subtle changes of mechanical beating signals induced by cardiovascular drugs can be detected by the platform, thereby demonstrating its high performance in pharmacological assessment. The universal and sensitive drug assessment biosensing platform is believed to be widely applied in cardiology investigating and preclinical drug screening.

Background/aims: Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury leads to aggravated cardiac remodeling and heart failure. After myocardial infarction (MI), angiogenesis plays a vital role in the repair and regeneration of tissue. The purpose of the current study was to determine the effect of Tanshinone IIA (Tan IIA) on angiogenesis and elucidate its related mechanism., Methods: The C57BL/6 mice MI model was established to evaluate the therapeutic effect of Tan IIA in vivo. MicroRNA (miRNA) microarray and bioinformatics analysis were performed to determine the differential expressions of miRNAs after Tan IIA administration. Cell proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis capacity were detected by EdU, Transwell, and Tube formation assay in vitro, respectively. The relationship between miR-499-5p (miR-499) and paired phosphate and tension homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) was confirmed by using a Dual-luciferase reporter assay., Results: Our results showed that Tan IIA administration improved cardiac function after MI by activating angiogenesis. Further miRNA microarray and bioinformatics analysis revealed that miR-499 was significantly down-regulated, while PTEN was remarkably upregulated after Tan IIA administration post-MI. In addition, we found that miR-499 knock-down effectively promotes cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation ability of HUVECs. Dual-luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that PTEN contains a direct binding site for miR-499-5p., Conclusion: Tan IIA improves cardiac function post-MI by inducing angiogenesis. In terms of the mechanism, Tan IIA promotes therapeutic angiogenesis by regulating miR-499-5p/PTEN signaling pathway., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Colchicine is an ancient herbal drug derived from Colchicum autumnale. It was first used to treat familial Mediterranean fever and gout. Based on its unique efficacy as an anti-inflammatory agent, colchicine has been used in the therapy of cardiovascular diseases including coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis, recurrent pericarditis, vascular restenosis, heart failure, and myocardial infarction. More recently, colchicine has also shown therapeutic efficacy in alleviating cardiovascular complications of COVID-19. COLCOT and LoDoCo2 are two milestone clinical trials that confirm the curative effect of long-term administration of colchicine in reducing the incidence of cardiovascular events in patients with coronary artery disease. There is growing interest in studying the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of colchicine. The anti-inflammatory action of colchicine is mediated mainly through inhibiting the assembly of microtubules. At the cellular level, colchicine inhibits the following: (1) endothelial cell dysfunction and inflammation; (2) smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration; (3) macrophage chemotaxis, migration, and adhesion; (4) platelet activation. At the molecular level, colchicine reduces proinflammatory cytokine release and inhibits NF-κB signaling and NLRP3 inflammasome activation. In this review, we summarize the current clinical trials with proven curative effect of colchicine in treating cardiovascular diseases. We also systematically discuss the mechanisms of colchicine action in cardiovascular therapeutics. Altogether, colchicine, a bioactive constituent from an ancient medicinal herb, exerts unique anti-inflammatory effects and prominent cardiovascular actions, and will charter a new page in cardiovascular medicine., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to CPS and SIMM.)

Changes in Ca2 + influx during proinflammatory stimulation modulates cellular responses, including the subsequent activation of inflammation. Whereas the involvement of Ca 2+ has been widely acknowledged, little is known about the role of Na + . Ranolazine, a piperazine derivative and established antianginal drug, is known to reduce intracellular Na + as well as Ca2 + levels. In stable coronary artery disease patients ( n = 51) we observed reduced levels of high-sensitive C-reactive protein (CRP) 3 mo after the start of ranolazine treatment ( n = 25) as compared to the control group. Furthermore, we found that in 3,808 acute coronary syndrome patients of the MERLIN-TIMI 36 trial, individuals treated with ranolazine (1,934 patients) showed reduced CRP values compared to placebo-treated patients. The antiinflammatory effects of sodium modulation were further confirmed in an atherosclerotic mouse model. LDL -/- mice on a high-fat diet were treated with ranolazine, resulting in a reduced atherosclerotic plaque burden, increased plaque stability, and reduced activation of the immune system. Pharmacological Na + inhibition by ranolazine led to reduced express of adhesion molecules and proinflammatory cytokines and reduced adhesion of leukocytes to activated endothelium both in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrate that functional Na + shuttling is required for a full cellular response to inflammation and that inhibition of Na + influx results in an attenuated inflammatory reaction. In conclusion, we demonstrate that inhibition of Na + -Ca 2+ exchange during inflammation reduces the inflammatory response in human endothelial cells in vitro, in a mouse atherosclerotic disease model, and in human patients.