93 results on '"Cianflone E"'
Search Results
2. Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors and Heart Failure: A Bedside-to-Bench Journey
- Author
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Cappetta D, De Angelis A, Bellocchio G, Telesca M, Cianflone E, Torella D, Rossi F, Urbanek K, Berrino L, Cappetta, D, De Angelis, A, Bellocchio, G, Telesca, M, Cianflone, E, Torella, D, Rossi, F, Urbanek, K, and Berrino, L
- Published
- 2021
3. Amelioration of diastolic dysfunction by dapagliflozin in a non-diabetic model involves coronary endothelium
- Author
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Cappetta, D., De Angelis, A., Ciuffreda, L. P., Coppini, R., Cozzolino, A., Micciche, A., Dell'Aversana, C., D'Amario, D., Cianflone, E., Scavone, C., Santini, L., Palandri, C., Naviglio, S., Crea, F., Rota, M., Altucci, L., Rossi, F., Capuano, A., Urbanek, K., Berrino, L., De Angelis A., D'Amario D., Crea F. (ORCID:0000-0001-9404-8846), Capuano A., Cappetta, D., De Angelis, A., Ciuffreda, L. P., Coppini, R., Cozzolino, A., Micciche, A., Dell'Aversana, C., D'Amario, D., Cianflone, E., Scavone, C., Santini, L., Palandri, C., Naviglio, S., Crea, F., Rota, M., Altucci, L., Rossi, F., Capuano, A., Urbanek, K., Berrino, L., De Angelis A., D'Amario D., Crea F. (ORCID:0000-0001-9404-8846), and Capuano A.
- Abstract
The results of trials with sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors raised the possibility that this class of drugs provides cardiovascular benefits independently from their anti-diabetic effects, although the mechanisms are unknown. Therefore, we tested the effects of SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin on the progression of experimental heart disease in a non-diabetic model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Dahl salt-sensitive rats were fed a high-salt diet to induce hypertension and diastolic dysfunction and were then treated with dapagliflozin for six weeks. Dapagliflozin ameliorated diastolic function as documented by echo-Doppler and heart catheterization, while blood pressure remained markedly elevated. Chronic in vivo treatment with dapagliflozin reduced diastolic Ca2+ and Na+ overload and increased Ca2+ transient amplitude in ventricular cardiomyocytes, although no direct action of dapagliflozin on isolated cardiomyocytes was observed. Dapagliflozin reversed endothelial activation and endothelial nitric oxide synthase deficit, with reduced cardiac inflammation and consequent attenuation of pro-fibrotic signaling. The potential involvement of coronary endothelium was supported by the endothelial upregulation of Na+/H+ exchanger 1in vivo and direct effects on dapagliflozin on the activity of this exchanger in endothelial cells in vitro. In conclusions, several mechanisms may cumulatively play a significant role in the dapagliflozin-associated cardioprotection. Dapagliflozin ameliorates diastolic function and exerts a positive effect on the myocardium, possibly targeting coronary endothelium. The lower degree of endothelial dysfunction, inflammation and fibrosis translate into improved myocardial performance.
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- 2020
4. Activated c-Kit receptor in the heart promotes cardiac repair and regeneration after injury
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Di Siena, S, primary, Gimmelli, R, additional, Nori, S L, additional, Barbagallo, F, additional, Campolo, F, additional, Dolci, S, additional, Rossi, P, additional, Venneri, M A, additional, Giannetta, E, additional, Gianfrilli, D, additional, Feigenbaum, L, additional, Lenzi, A, additional, Naro, F, additional, Cianflone, E, additional, Mancuso, T, additional, Torella, D, additional, Isidori, A M, additional, and Pellegrini, M, additional
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- 2016
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5. Lingua Franca English and Food Science education
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Cianflone, E., Di Bella, G., and Giacomo Dugo
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food specification ,collaboration, food specification, Food Science education, lingua franca English ,Food Science education ,collaboration ,lingua franca English - Published
- 2011
6. The adult myocardium has a robust endogenous cardiomyocyte turnover potential
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Marino, F., primary, Aquila, I., additional, Carresi, C., additional, Mancuso, T., additional, Cianflone, E., additional, Mollace, V., additional, Indolfi, C., additional, Ellison, G.M., additional, Nadal-Ginard, B., additional, and Torella, D., additional
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- 2015
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7. C-kit+CSC-derived cardiomyocytes exhibit the typical transcriptional gene blueprint of adult cardiomyocytes
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Scalise, M., primary, Aquila, I., additional, Vicinanza, C., additional, Marino, F., additional, Cristiano, F., additional, Cianflone, E., additional, Veltri, P., additional, Indolfi, C., additional, Nadal-Ginard, B., additional, Ellison, G.M., additional, and Torella, D., additional
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- 2015
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8. C-kit/Creert2 knock-in allele minimally tags c-kit positive resident endogenous cardiac stem cells and its cardiomyocyte progeny in the adult life
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Cianflone, E., primary, Vicinanza, C., additional, Aquila, I., additional, Scalise, M., additional, Marino, F., additional, Mancuso, T., additional, Giovannone, E.D., additional, Indolfi, C., additional, Ellison, G.M., additional, Nadal-Ginard, B., additional, and Torella, D., additional
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- 2015
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9. A Seventeeth-century Description of Olive-oil Making in Tuscany
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Cianflone, E., primary and Dugo, G., additional
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- 2013
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10. John Ray and Caciocavallo Cheese
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Cianflone, E., primary
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- 2013
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11. C-kit + CSC-derived cardiomyocytes exhibit the typical transcriptional gene blueprint of adult cardiomyocytes
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Scalise, M., Aquila, I., Vicinanza, C., Marino, F., Cristiano, F., Cianflone, E., Veltri, P., Indolfi, C., Nadal-Ginard, B., Ellison, G.M., and Torella, D.
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- 2015
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12. Preliminary insights on British travellers' accounts of Sicilian oranges
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Cianflone, E., Di Bella, G., and Giacomo Dugo
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tourism ,culture ,British travellers ,Sicilian oranges - Abstract
EC-labelled products, identified by PDO, PGI and TSG tags, are linked to a geographical area and to specific growing/manufacturing methods that guarantee quality and sustain local traditions. These features can promote local products by raising tourists’ interest not only in local food but also in the place of origin of the same and in its history. This note wants to report ongoing research on a facet of cultural tourism that has not so far been studied: British Grand Tourists’ accounts of local quality products. The selected item was the PGI Sicilian orange, whereas the literary evidence was taken from Brydone’s travelogue and from Dennis’ travel book. The result is a description of a PGI product where specialists from Food Science and English Studies work in team to offer a model to be used in cultural tourism., tourismos, Vol. 8 No. 2 (2013)
13. c-kit Haploinsufficiency impairs adult cardiac stem cell growth, myogenicity and myocardial regeneration
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Donato Cappetta, Konrad Urbanek, Andrew J. Smith, Antonella De Angelis, Bernardo Nadal-Ginard, Georgina M. Ellison-Hughes, Andrea M. Isidori, Mariangela Scalise, Andrea Filardo, Teresa Mancuso, Valter Agosti, Eleonora Cianflone, Daniele Torella, Michele Torella, Iolanda Aquila, Giuseppe Viglietto, Fabiola Marino, Aquila, I, Cianflone, E, Scalise, M, Marino, F, Mancuso, T, Filardo, A, Smith, Aj, Cappetta, D, De Angelis, A, Urbanek, K, Isidori, Am, Torella, M, Agosti, V, Viglietto, G, Nadal-Ginard, B, Ellison-Hughes, Gm, Torella, D, Aquila, I., Cianflone, E., Scalise, M., Marino, F., Mancuso, T., Filardo, A., Smith, A. J., Cappetta, D., De Angelis, A., Urbanek, K., Isidori, A. M., Torella, M., Agosti, V., Viglietto, G., Nadal-Ginard, B., Ellison-Hughes, G. M., and Torella, D.
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Male ,0301 basic medicine ,Cancer Research ,Necrosis ,Cellular differentiation ,Apoptosis ,Haploinsufficiency ,030204 cardiovascular system & hematology ,Inbred C57BL ,Muscle Development ,Heart Ventricle ,Mice ,0302 clinical medicine ,Medicine ,Myocyte ,Myocytes, Cardiac ,Cells, Cultured ,Mice, Knockout ,Cultured ,lcsh:Cytology ,adult stem cells ,animals ,apoptosis ,cell differentiation ,cell proliferation ,haploinsufficiency ,heart ventricles ,isoproterenol ,Cell Differentiation ,Necrosi ,Adult Stem Cells ,Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit ,medicine.symptom ,Cardiac ,Adult stem cell ,Heart Ventricles ,Knockout ,Immunology ,Article ,03 medical and health sciences ,Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience ,Animals ,Regeneration ,lcsh:QH573-671 ,Progenitor cell ,Cell Proliferation ,Wound Healing ,Animal ,business.industry ,Regeneration (biology) ,Isoproterenol ,Apoptosi ,Cell Biology ,Mice, Inbred C57BL ,Transplantation ,030104 developmental biology ,Adult Stem Cell ,Cancer research ,Cell ,business - Abstract
An overdose of Isoproterenol (ISO) causes acute cardiomyocyte (CM) dropout and activates the resident cardiac c-kitpos stem/progenitor cells (CSCs) generating a burst of new CM formation that replaces those lost to ISO. Recently, unsuccessful attempts to reproduce these findings using c-kitCre knock-in (KI) mouse models were reported. We tested whether c-kit haploinsufficiency in c-kitCreKI mice was the cause of the discrepant results in response to ISO. Male C57BL/6J wild-type (wt) mice and c-kitCreKI mice were given a single dose of ISO (200 and/or 400 mg/Kg s.c.). CM formation was measured with different doses and duration of BrdU or EdU. We compared the myogenic and regenerative potential of the c-kitCreCSCs with wtCSCs. Acute ISO overdose causes LV dysfunction with dose-dependent CM death by necrosis and apoptosis, whose intensity follows a basal-apical and epicardium to sub-endocardium gradient, with the most severe damage confined to the apical sub-endocardium. The damage triggers significant new CM formation mainly in the apical sub-endocardial layer. c-kit haploinsufficiency caused by c-kitCreKIs severely affects CSCs myogenic potential. c-kitCreKI mice post-ISO fail to respond with CSC activation and show reduced CM formation and suffer chronic cardiac dysfunction. Transplantation of wtCSCs rescued the defective regenerative cardiac phenotype of c-kitCreKI mice. Furthermore, BAC-mediated transgenesis of a single c-kit gene copy normalized the functional diploid c-kit content of c-kitCreKI CSCs and fully restored their regenerative competence. Overall, these data show that c-kit haploinsufficiency impairs the endogenous cardioregenerative response after injury affecting CSC activation and CM replacement. Repopulation of c-kit haploinsufficient myocardial tissue with wtCSCs as well c-kit gene deficit correction of haploinsufficient CSCs restores CM replacement and functional cardiac repair. Thus, adult neo-cardiomyogenesis depends on and requires a diploid level of c-kit.
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- 2019
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14. Heterogeneity of Adult Cardiac Stem Cells
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Eleonora Cianflone, Pina Marotta, Daniele Torella, Mariangela Scalise, Fabiola Marino, Michele Torella, Teresa Mancuso, Iolanda Aquila, Bernardo Nadal-Ginard, Scalise M, Marino F, Cianflone E, Mancuso T, Marotta P, Aquila I, Torella M, Nadal-Ginard B, Torella D., Scalise, M., Marino, F., Cianflone, E., Mancuso, T., Marotta, P., Aquila, I., Torella, M., Nadal-Ginard, B., and Torella, D.
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Sca-1 ,Cellular differentiation ,Terminal differentiation ,Population ,Biology ,Bioinformatics ,Cardiac stem cell ,Myocyte renewal ,03 medical and health sciences ,Cardiac progenitor cell ,0302 clinical medicine ,Adult stem cell ,medicine ,Myocytes, Cardiac ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Progenitor cell ,education ,education.field_of_study ,Animal ,Regeneration (biology) ,Myocardium ,Cre-lox recombination ,Cell Differentiation ,medicine.disease ,Transplantation ,c-kit ,Heart failure ,Cardiac regeneration ,Stem cell - Abstract
Cardiac biology and heart regeneration have been intensively investigated and debated in the last 15years. Nowadays, the well-established and old dogma that the adult heart lacks of any myocyte-regenerative capacity has been firmly overturned by the evidence of cardiomyocyte renewal throughout the mammalian life as part of normal organ cell homeostasis, which is increased in response to injury. Concurrently, reproducible evidences from independent laboratories have convincingly shown that the adult heart possesses a pool of multipotent cardiac stem/progenitor cells (CSCs or CPCs) capable of sustaining cardiomyocyte and vascular tissue refreshment after injury. CSC transplantation in animal models displays an effective regenerative potential and may be helpful to treat chronic heart failure (CHF), obviating at the poor/modest results using non-cardiac cells in clinical trials. Nevertheless, the degree/significance of cardiomyocyte turnover in the adult heart, which is insufficient to regenerate extensive damage from ischemic and non-ischemic origin, remains strongly disputed. Concurrently, different methodologies used to detect CSCs in situ have created the paradox of the adult heart harboring more than seven different cardiac progenitor populations. The latter was likely secondary to the intrinsic heterogeneity of any regenerative cell agent in an adult tissue but also to the confusion created by the heterogeneity of the cell population identified by a single cell marker used to detect the CSCs in situ. On the other hand, some recent studies using genetic fate mapping strategies claimed that CSCs are an irrelevant endogenous source of new cardiomyocytes in the adult. On the basis of these contradictory findings, here we critically reviewed the available data on adult CSC biology and their role in myocardial cell homeostasis and repair.
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- 2019
15. Kitcreknock-in mice fail to fate-map cardiac stem cells
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Bernardo Nadal-Ginard, Mariangela Scalise, Ciro Indolfi, Iolanda Aquila, Dieter Saur, Andrea M. Isidori, Eleonora Cianflone, Konrad Urbanek, Daniele Torella, Enrico Iaccino, Carla Vicinanza, Fabiola Marino, Pierangelo Veltri, Emilia Dora Giovannone, Annalaura Torella, Teresa Mancuso, Francesca Cristiano, Valter Agosti, Francesca Fumagalli, Pina Marotta, Roberto Latini, Vicinanza, C., Aquila, I., Cianflone, E., Scalise, M., Marino, F., Mancuso, T., Fumagalli, F., Giovannone, E. D., Cristiano, F., Iaccino, E., Marotta, P., Torella, A., Latini, R., Agosti, V., Veltri, P., Urbanek, K., Isidori, A. M., Saur, D., Indolfi, C., Nadal-Ginard, B., Torella, D., Vicinanza, C, Aquila, I, Cianflone, E, Scalise, M, Marino, F, Mancuso, T, Fumagalli, F, Giovannone, Ed, Cristiano, F, Iaccino, E, Marotta, P, Torella, A, Latini, R, Agosti, V, Veltri, Pierangelo, Urbanek, K, Isidori, Am, Saur, D, Indolfi, C, Nadal-Ginard, B, and Torella, D
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0301 basic medicine ,Multidisciplinary ,business.industry ,030204 cardiovascular system & hematology ,Biology ,3. Good health ,Cell biology ,knock-in mice ,cardiac stem cells ,03 medical and health sciences ,030104 developmental biology ,0302 clinical medicine ,Text mining ,Fate mapping ,Gene knockin ,Stem cell ,business - Published
- 2018
16. In vitro CSC-derived cardiomyocytes exhibit the typical microRNA-mRNA blueprint of endogenous cardiomyocytes
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Teresa Mancuso, Francesco Rossi, Mariangela Scalise, Luca Salerno, Fabiola Marino, Annalaura Torella, Antonella De Angelis, Bernardo Nadal-Ginard, Marcello Rota, Donato Cappetta, Daniele Torella, Eleonora Cianflone, Alessandro Weisz, Elvira Immacolata Parrotta, Antonella Barone, Pierangelo Veltri, Liberato Berrino, Domenico Palumbo, Konrad Urbanek, Scalise, Mariangela, Marino, Fabiola, Salerno, Luca, Mancuso, Teresa, Cappetta, Donato, Barone, Antonella, Parrotta Elvira, Immacolata, Torella, Annalaura, Palumbo, Domenico, Veltri, Pierangelo, De Angelis, Antonella, Berrino, Liberato, Rossi, Francesco, Weisz, Alessandro, Rota, Marcello, Urbanek, Konrad, Nadal-Ginard, Bernardo, Torella, Daniele, Cianflone, Eleonora, Scalise, M., Marino, F., Salerno, L., Mancuso, T., Cappetta, D., Barone, A., Parrotta, E. I., Torella, A., Palumbo, D., Veltri, P., De Angelis, A., Berrino, L., Rossi, F., Weisz, A., Rota, M., Urbanek, K., Nadal-Ginard, B., Torella, D., and Cianflone, E.
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QH301-705.5 ,Stem-cell differentiation ,Medicine (miscellaneous) ,Biology ,Muscle Development ,Article ,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology ,Transcriptome ,Mice ,Stem Cell ,microRNA ,medicine ,Animals ,Myocytes, Cardiac ,RNA, Messenger ,Biology (General) ,Progenitor cell ,reproductive and urinary physiology ,Messenger RNA ,Animal ,Stem Cells ,Cell Cycle ,Cardiac muscle ,MicroRNA ,Cell Differentiation ,Cell cycle ,Cell Cycle Gene ,Up-Regulation ,Cell biology ,MicroRNAs ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,embryonic structures ,Stem cell ,General Agricultural and Biological Sciences ,Heart stem cells - Abstract
miRNAs modulate cardiomyocyte specification by targeting mRNAs of cell cycle regulators and acting in cardiac muscle lineage gene regulatory loops. It is unknown if or to-what-extent these miRNA/mRNA networks are operative during cardiomyocyte differentiation of adult cardiac stem/progenitor cells (CSCs). Clonally-derived mouse CSCs differentiated into contracting cardiomyocytes in vitro (iCMs). Comparison of “CSCs vs. iCMs” mRNome and microRNome showed a balanced up-regulation of CM-related mRNAs together with a down-regulation of cell cycle and DNA replication mRNAs. The down-regulation of cell cycle genes and the up-regulation of the mature myofilament genes in iCMs reached intermediate levels between those of fetal and neonatal cardiomyocytes. Cardiomyo-miRs were up-regulated in iCMs. The specific networks of miRNA/mRNAs operative in iCMs closely resembled those of adult CMs (aCMs). miR-1 and miR-499 enhanced myogenic commitment toward terminal differentiation of iCMs. In conclusions, CSC specification/differentiation into contracting iCMs follows known cardiomyo-MiR-dependent developmental cardiomyocyte differentiation trajectories and iCMs transcriptome/miRNome resembles that of CMs., Scalise et al. examine the mRNAome and miRNAome of cardiomyocytes differentiated from murine adult cardiac stem cells (CSCs). Their results show that the differentiation process follows a trajectory of miRNA/mRNA expression that resembles that of adult cardiomyocytes.
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- 2021
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17. Statins Stimulate New Myocyte Formation After Myocardial Infarction by Activating Growth and Differentiation of the Endogenous Cardiac Stem Cells
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Mariangela Scalise, Bernardo Nadal-Ginard, Fabiola Marino, Liberato Berrino, Daniele Torella, Teresa Mancuso, Elvira Immacolata Parrotta, Francesco Rossi, Eleonora Cianflone, Donato Cappetta, Giovanni Cuda, Konrad Urbanek, Alessandro Salatino, Michele Albanese, Antonella De Angelis, Jolanda Sabatino, Cianflone, E., Cappetta, D., Mancuso, T., Sabatino, J., Marino, F., Scalise, M., Albanese, M., Salatino, A., Parrotta, E. I., Cuda, G., De Angelis, A., Berrino, L., Rossi, F., Nadal-Ginard, B., Torella, D., and Urbanek, K.
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0301 basic medicine ,Simvastatin ,Myocardial Infarction ,030204 cardiovascular system & hematology ,Cardiac stem cell ,lcsh:Chemistry ,Mice ,0302 clinical medicine ,3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A ,Myocardial infarction ,Phosphorylation ,Rosuvastatin Calcium ,lcsh:QH301-705.5 ,Cells, Cultured ,Spectroscopy ,Pravastatin ,Cultured ,Akt ,Cardiac stem cells ,Myocardial regeneration ,Statins ,Animals ,Cell Differentiation ,Cell Proliferation ,Disease Models, Animal ,Female ,Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors ,Muscle Cells ,Myocardium ,Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ,Rats ,Stem Cells ,cardiac stem cells ,General Medicine ,Computer Science Applications ,myocardial regeneration ,Stem cell ,medicine.drug ,Cells ,Article ,Catalysis ,Inorganic Chemistry ,03 medical and health sciences ,medicine ,Rosuvastatin ,cardiovascular diseases ,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry ,Progenitor cell ,Molecular Biology ,Protein kinase B ,Animal ,business.industry ,Cell growth ,Organic Chemistry ,nutritional and metabolic diseases ,medicine.disease ,030104 developmental biology ,lcsh:Biology (General) ,lcsh:QD1-999 ,Disease Models ,Cancer research ,business - Abstract
The 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors (statins) exert pleiotropic effects on cardiac cell biology which are not yet fully understood. Here we tested whether statin treatment affects resident endogenous cardiac stem/progenitor cell (CSC) activation in vitro and in vivo after myocardial infarction (MI). Statins (Rosuvastatin, Simvastatin and Pravastatin) significantly increased CSC expansion in vitro as measured by both BrdU incorporation and cell growth curve. Additionally, statins increased CSC clonal expansion and cardiosphere formation. The effects of statins on CSC growth and differentiation depended on Akt phosphorylation. Twenty-eight days after myocardial infarction by permanent coronary ligation in rats, the number of endogenous CSCs in the infarct border zone was significantly increased by Rosuvastatin-treatment as compared to untreated controls. Additionally, commitment of the activated CSCs into the myogenic lineage (c-kitpos/Gata4pos CSCs) was increased by Rosuvastatin administration. Accordingly, Rosuvastatin fostered new cardiomyocyte formation after MI. Finally, Rosuvastatin treatment reversed the cardiomyogenic defects of CSCs in c-kit haploinsufficient mice, increasing new cardiomyocyte formation by endogenous CSCs in these mice after myocardial infarction. In summary, statins, by sustaining Akt activation, foster CSC growth and differentiation in vitro and in vivo. The activation and differentiation of the endogenous CSC pool and consequent new myocyte formation by statins improve myocardial remodeling after coronary occlusion in rodents. Similar effects might contribute to the beneficial effects of statins on human cardiovascular diseases.
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- 2020
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18. Deficit of glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper amplifies angiotensin-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction
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Sara Flamini, Liberato Berrino, Donato Cappetta, Antonella De Angelis, Francesco Rossi, Anna Cozzolino, Concetta Rafaniello, Eleonora Cianflone, Carlo Riccardi, Oxana Bereshchenko, Erika Ricci, Stefano Bruscoli, Simona Ronchetti, Konrad Urbanek, Andrea Gagliardi, Cappetta, D., De Angelis, A., Flamini, S., Cozzolino, A., Bereshchenko, O., Ronchetti, S., Cianflone, E., Gagliardi, A., Ricci, E., Rafaniello, C., Rossi, F., Riccardi, C., Berrino, L., Bruscoli, S., and Urbanek, K.
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0301 basic medicine ,myocardial hypertrophy ,Fibrosi ,Transcription Factor ,Blood Pressure ,Left ventricular hypertrophy ,Muscle hypertrophy ,0302 clinical medicine ,Fibrosis ,Diastole ,Myocytes, Cardiac ,Mice, Knockout ,Cell Death ,glucocorticoids ,Angiotensin II ,Extracellular Matrix ,glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Molecular Medicine ,Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular ,Original Article ,medicine.symptom ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Inflammation ,glucocorticoid‐induced leucine zipper ,03 medical and health sciences ,Internal medicine ,Renin–angiotensin system ,medicine ,Animals ,Animal ,business.industry ,angiotensin II, diastolic dysfunction, glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper, glucocorticoids, myocardial hypertrophy ,Cell Biology ,Hypertrophy ,Original Articles ,medicine.disease ,Capillaries ,Mice, Inbred C57BL ,Capillarie ,030104 developmental biology ,Endocrinology ,Heart failure ,glucocorticoid ,diastolic dysfunction ,business ,Transcription Factors - Abstract
Poor prognosis in heart failure and the lack of real breakthrough strategies validate targeting myocardial remodelling and the intracellular signalling involved in this process. So far, there are no effective strategies to counteract hypertrophy, an independent predictor of heart failure progression and death. Glucocorticoid‐induced leucine zipper (GILZ) is involved in inflammatory signalling, but its role in cardiac biology is unknown. Using GILZ‐knockout (KO) mice and an experimental model of hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction, we addressed the role of GILZ in adverse myocardial remodelling. Infusion of angiotensin II (Ang II) resulted in myocardial dysfunction, inflammation, apoptosis, fibrosis, capillary rarefaction and hypertrophy. Interestingly, GILZ‐KO showed more evident diastolic dysfunction and aggravated hypertrophic response compared with WT after Ang II administration. Both cardiomyocyte and left ventricular hypertrophy were more pronounced in GILZ‐KO mice. On the other hand, Ang II–induced inflammatory and fibrotic phenomena, cell death and reduction in microvascular density, remained invariant between the WT and KO groups. The analysis of regulators of hypertrophic response, GATA4 and FoxP3, demonstrated an up‐regulation in WT mice infused with Ang II; conversely, such an increase did not occur in GILZ‐KO hearts. These data on myocardial response to Ang II in mice lacking GILZ indicate that this protein is a new element that can be mechanistically involved in cardiovascular pathology.
- Published
- 2020
19. Unravelling the Biology of Adult Cardiac Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes to Foster Endogenous Cardiac Regeneration and Repair
- Author
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Michele Torella, Antonella Barone, Antonella De Angelis, Eleonora Cianflone, Daniele Torella, Teresa Mancuso, Fabiola Marino, Mariangela Scalise, Claudia Molinaro, Alessandro Salatino, Konrad Urbanek, Mancuso, T., Barone, A., Salatino, A., Molinaro, C., Marino, F., Scalise, M., Torella, M., De Angelis, A., Urbanek, K., Torella, D., Cianflone, E., Mancuso, Teresa, Barone, Antonella, Salatino, Alessandro, Molinaro, Claudia, Marino, Fabiola, Scalise, Mariangela, Torella, Michele, De Angelis, Antonella, Urbanek, Konrad, Torella, Daniele, and Cianflone, Eleonora
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Heart Diseases ,Cellular differentiation ,cardiac progenitor cells ,Review ,heart ,exosomes ,030204 cardiovascular system & hematology ,Biology ,Catalysis ,Inorganic Chemistry ,Cell therapy ,Cardiac stem cell ,lcsh:Chemistry ,03 medical and health sciences ,Paracrine signalling ,Cardiac progenitor cell ,0302 clinical medicine ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Regeneration ,Myocytes, Cardiac ,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry ,Progenitor cell ,Molecular Biology ,lcsh:QH301-705.5 ,Spectroscopy ,Tissue homeostasis ,Organic Chemistry ,cardiac stem cells ,Cardiac muscle ,cardiac regeneration ,General Medicine ,Microvesicles ,Computer Science Applications ,Transplantation ,Exosome ,030104 developmental biology ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,lcsh:Biology (General) ,lcsh:QD1-999 ,Extracellular vesicle ,extracellular vesicles ,Neuroscience ,Myoblasts, Cardiac ,Stem Cell Transplantation - Abstract
Cardiac remuscularization has been the stated goal of the field of regenerative cardiology since its inception. Along with the refreshment of lost and dysfunctional cardiac muscle cells, the field of cell therapy has expanded in scope encompassing also the potential of the injected cells as cardioprotective and cardio-reparative agents for cardiovascular diseases. The latter has been the result of the findings that cell therapies so far tested in clinical trials exert their beneficial effects through paracrine mechanisms acting on the endogenous myocardial reparative/regenerative potential. The endogenous regenerative potential of the adult heart is still highly debated. While it has been widely accepted that adult cardiomyocytes (CMs) are renewed throughout life either in response to wear and tear and after injury, the rate and origin of this phenomenon are yet to be clarified. The adult heart harbors resident cardiac/stem progenitor cells (CSCs/CPCs), whose discovery and characterization were initially sufficient to explain CM renewal in response to physiological and pathological stresses, when also considering that adult CMs are terminally differentiated cells. The role of CSCs in CM formation in the adult heart has been however questioned by some recent genetic fate map studies, which have been proved to have serious limitations. Nevertheless, uncontested evidence shows that clonal CSCs are effective transplantable regenerative agents either for their direct myogenic differentiation and for their paracrine effects in the allogeneic setting. In particular, the paracrine potential of CSCs has been the focus of the recent investigation, whereby CSC-derived exosomes appear to harbor relevant regenerative and reparative signals underlying the beneficial effects of CSC transplantation. This review focuses on recent advances in our knowledge about the biological role of exosomes in heart tissue homeostasis and repair with the idea to use them as tools for new therapeutic biotechnologies for “cell-less” effective cardiac regeneration approaches.
- Published
- 2020
20. Adult cardiac stem cells are multipotent and robustly myogenic: c-kit expression is necessary but not sufficient for their identification
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Bernardo Nadal-Ginard, Teresa Mancuso, Carla Vicinanza, Liam Couch, Pierangelo Veltri, Mariangela Scalise, Domenico Britti, Georgina M. Ellison-Hughes, Francesca Cristiano, Andrew J. Smith, Cesare M. Terracciano, Eleonora Cianflone, Pina Marotta, Victoria Shone, Walter Sacco, Daniele Torella, Fiona C. Lewis, Iolanda Aquila, Fabiola Marino, Ciro Indolfi, Annalaura Torella, Giulia Gritti, British Heart Foundation, Vicinanza, C., Aquila, I., Scalise, M., Cristiano, F., Marino, F., Cianflone, E., Mancuso, T., Marotta, P., Sacco, W., Lewis, F. C., Couch, L., Shone, V., Gritti, G., Torella, A., Smith, A. J., Terracciano, C. M., Britti, D., Veltri, P., Indolfi, C., Nadal-Ginard, B., Ellison-Hughes, G. M., and Torella, D.
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Male ,0301 basic medicine ,Pathology ,Cellular differentiation ,Stem cell factor ,MYOCYTE ,CARDIOMYOCYTES ,Mice ,IN-VIVO ,Cells, Cultured ,11 Medical and Health Sciences ,Multipotent Stem Cell ,WNT/BETA-CATENIN ,education.field_of_study ,C-KIT(+) CELLS ,Cell Differentiation ,Cell biology ,Endothelial stem cell ,Adult Stem Cells ,Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit ,DIFFERENTIATION ,Stem cell ,Life Sciences & Biomedicine ,Biochemistry & Molecular Biology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,RAT-HEART ,Population ,Biology ,03 medical and health sciences ,Cancer stem cell ,medicine ,Animals ,Rats, Wistar ,Progenitor cell ,education ,Molecular Biology ,Original Paper ,Science & Technology ,Animal ,Multipotent Stem Cells ,Myocardium ,Regeneration (biology) ,Cell Biology ,06 Biological Sciences ,MYOCARDIAL REGENERATION ,Rats ,SELF-RENEWAL ,030104 developmental biology ,PROGENITOR CELLS ,Adult Stem Cell ,Rat - Abstract
Multipotent adult resident cardiac stem cells (CSCs) were first identified by the expression of c-kit, the stem cell factor receptor. However, in the adult myocardium c-kit alone cannot distinguish CSCs from other c-kit-expressing (c-kitpos) cells. The adult heart indeed contains a heterogeneous mixture of c-kitpos cells, mainly composed of mast and endothelial/progenitor cells. This heterogeneity of cardiac c-kitpos cells has generated confusion and controversy about the existence and role of CSCs in the adult heart. Here, to unravel CSC identity within the heterogeneous c-kit-expressing cardiac cell population, c-kitpos cardiac cells were separated through CD45-positive or -negative sorting followed by c-kitpos sorting. The blood/endothelial lineage-committed (Lineagepos) CD45pos c-kitpos cardiac cells were compared to CD45 neg (Lineage neg /Lin neg) c-kitpos cardiac cells for stemness and myogenic properties in vitro and in vivo. The majority (∼90%) of the resident c-kitpos cardiac cells are blood/endothelial lineage-committed CD45pos CD31pos c-kitpos cells. In contrast, the Lin neg CD45 neg c-kitpos cardiac cell cohort, which represents >1/210% of the total c-kitpos cells, contain all the cardiac cells with the properties of adult multipotent CSCs. These characteristics are absent from the c-kit neg and the blood/endothelial lineage-committed c-kitpos cardiac cells. Single Lin neg c-kitpos cell-derived clones, which represent only 1-2% of total c-kitpos myocardial cells, when stimulated with TGF-β/Wnt molecules, acquire full transcriptome and protein expression, sarcomere organisation, spontaneous contraction and electrophysiological properties of differentiated cardiomyocytes (CMs). Genetically tagged cloned progeny of one Lin neg c-kitpos cell when injected into the infarcted myocardium, results in significant regeneration of new CMs, arterioles and capillaries, derived from the injected cells. The CSC's myogenic regenerative capacity is dependent on commitment to the CM lineage through activation of the SMAD2 pathway. Such regeneration was not apparent when blood/endothelial lineage-committed c-kitpos cardiac cells were injected. Thus, among the cardiac c-kitpos cell cohort only a very small fraction has the phenotype and the differentiation/regenerative potential characteristics of true multipotent CSCs.
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- 2017
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21. Targeting Cardiac Stem Cell Senescence to Treat Cardiac Aging and Disease
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Antonella De Angelis, Georgina M. Ellison-Hughes, Michele Torella, Daniele Torella, Eleonora Cianflone, Francesco Costanzo, Konrad Urbanek, Flavia Biamonte, Marcello Rota, Cianflone, Eleonora, Torella, Michele, Biamonte, Flavia, De Angelis, Antonella, Urbanek, Konrad Arkadiusz, Costanzo, Francesco, Rota, Marcello, M Ellison-Hughes, Georgina, Torella, Daniele, Cianflone, E., Torella, M., Biamonte, F., De Angelis, A., Urbanek, K., Costanzo, F. S., Rota, M., Ellison-Hughes, G. M., and Torella, D.
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0301 basic medicine ,Senescence ,Cell type ,Aging ,senescence ,tissue homeostasis ,Population ,Review ,Biology ,adult stem cells ,SASP ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Humans ,Progenitor cell ,education ,lcsh:QH301-705.5 ,Tissue homeostasis ,education.field_of_study ,epigenetics ,Myocardium ,Stem Cells ,General Medicine ,adult stem cell ,Telomere ,Cell biology ,030104 developmental biology ,lcsh:Biology (General) ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Stem cell ,metabolism ,epigenetic ,Adult stem cell - Abstract
Adult stem/progenitor are a small population of cells that reside in tissue-specific niches and possess the potential to differentiate in all cell types of the organ in which they operate. Adult stem cells are implicated with the homeostasis, regeneration, and aging of all tissues. Tissue-specific adult stem cell senescence has emerged as an attractive theory for the decline in mammalian tissue and organ function during aging. Cardiac aging, in particular, manifests as functional tissue degeneration that leads to heart failure. Adult cardiac stem/progenitor cell (CSC) senescence has been accordingly associated with physiological and pathological processes encompassing both non-age and age-related decline in cardiac tissue repair and organ dysfunction and disease. Senescence is a highly active and dynamic cell process with a first classical hallmark represented by its replicative limit, which is the establishment of a stable growth arrest over time that is mainly secondary to DNA damage and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation elicited by different intrinsic stimuli (like metabolism), as well as external stimuli and age. Replicative senescence is mainly executed by telomere shortening, the activation of the p53/p16INK4/Rb molecular pathways, and chromatin remodeling. In addition, senescent cells produce and secrete a complex mixture of molecules, commonly known as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), that regulate most of their non-cell-autonomous effects. In this review, we discuss the molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating different characteristics of the senescence phenotype and their consequences for adult CSCs in particular. Because senescent cells contribute to the outcome of a variety of cardiac diseases, including age-related and unrelated cardiac diseases like diabetic cardiomyopathy and anthracycline cardiotoxicity, therapies that target senescent cell clearance are actively being explored. Moreover, the further understanding of the reversibility of the senescence phenotype will help to develop novel rational therapeutic strategies.
- Published
- 2020
22. Amelioration of diastolic dysfunction by dapagliflozin in a non-diabetic model involves coronary endothelium
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Francesco Rossi, Donato Cappetta, Agostino Miccichè, Silvio Naviglio, Annalisa Capuano, Loreta Pia Ciuffreda, Raffaele Coppini, Lucia Altucci, Cristina Scavone, Chiara Palandri, Liberato Berrino, Anna Cozzolino, Filippo Crea, Eleonora Cianflone, Domenico D'Amario, Marcello Rota, Konrad Urbanek, Antonella De Angelis, Carmela Dell'Aversana, Lorenzo Santini, Cappetta, D., De Angelis, A., Ciuffreda, L. P., Coppini, R., Cozzolino, A., Micciche, A., Dell'Aversana, C., D'Amario, D., Cianflone, E., Scavone, C., Santini, L., Palandri, C., Naviglio, S., Crea, F., Rota, M., Altucci, L., Rossi, F., Capuano, A., Urbanek, K., and Berrino, L.
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0301 basic medicine ,Male ,Heart disease ,H ,Pharmacology ,Coronary endothelium ,Dapagliflozin ,Diastolic dysfunction ,Na(+)/H(+)exchanger 1 ,Ventricular Function, Left ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Ventricular Dysfunction, Left ,0302 clinical medicine ,Glucosides ,Diastole ,Myocytes, Cardiac ,Endothelial dysfunction ,Cardioprotection ,Sodium-Hydrogen Exchanger 1 ,Coronary Vessels ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III ,+ ,exchanger 1 ,Endothelial activation ,03 medical and health sciences ,Sodium-Glucose Transporter 1 ,Sodium-Glucose Transporter 2 ,medicine ,Animals ,Na ,Calcium Signaling ,Benzhydryl Compounds ,Sodium-Glucose Transporter 2 Inhibitors ,Heart Failure ,Rats, Inbred Dahl ,business.industry ,Sodium ,Endothelial Cells ,medicine.disease ,Disease Models, Animal ,030104 developmental biology ,Blood pressure ,chemistry ,Heart catheterization ,Settore MED/11 - MALATTIE DELL'APPARATO CARDIOVASCOLARE ,Endothelium, Vascular ,Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction ,business - Abstract
The results of trials with sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors raised the possibility that this class of drugs provides cardiovascular benefits independently from their anti-diabetic effects, although the mechanisms are unknown. Therefore, we tested the effects of SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin on the progression of experimental heart disease in a non-diabetic model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Dahl salt-sensitive rats were fed a high-salt diet to induce hypertension and diastolic dysfunction and were then treated with dapagliflozin for six weeks. Dapagliflozin ameliorated diastolic function as documented by echo-Doppler and heart catheterization, while blood pressure remained markedly elevated. Chronic in vivo treatment with dapagliflozin reduced diastolic Ca2+ and Na+ overload and increased Ca2+ transient amplitude in ventricular cardiomyocytes, although no direct action of dapagliflozin on isolated cardiomyocytes was observed. Dapagliflozin reversed endothelial activation and endothelial nitric oxide synthase deficit, with reduced cardiac inflammation and consequent attenuation of pro-fibrotic signaling. The potential involvement of coronary endothelium was supported by the endothelial upregulation of Na+/H+ exchanger 1in vivo and direct effects on dapagliflozin on the activity of this exchanger in endothelial cells in vitro. In conclusions, several mechanisms may cumulatively play a significant role in the dapagliflozin-associated cardioprotection. Dapagliflozin ameliorates diastolic function and exerts a positive effect on the myocardium, possibly targeting coronary endothelium. The lower degree of endothelial dysfunction, inflammation and fibrosis translate into improved myocardial performance.
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- 2020
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23. Atrial myxomas arise from multipotent cardiac stem cells
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Mariangela Scalise, Pasquale Mastroroberto, Michele Torella, Iolanda Aquila, Giovanni Nassa, Carla Vicinanza, Georgina M. Ellison-Hughes, Marisa De Feo, Liberato Berrino, Konrad Urbanek, Bernardo Nadal-Ginard, Daniele Torella, Donatella Paolino, Eleonora Cianflone, Alessandro Weisz, Fabiola Marino, Pierangelo Veltri, Giuseppe Viglietto, Maria Ravo, Luca Salerno, Antonella De Angelis, Valter Agosti, Giorgio Giurato, Teresa Mancuso, Scalise, Mariangela, Torella, Michele, Marino, Fabiola, Ravo, Maria, Giurato, Giorgio, Vicinanza, Carla, Cianflone, Eleonora, Mancuso, Teresa, Aquila, Iolanda, Salerno, Luca, Nassa, Giovanni, Agosti, Valter, De Angelis, Antonella, Urbanek, Konrad, Berrino, Liberato, Veltri, Pierangelo, Paolino, Donatella, Mastroroberto, Pasquale, De Feo, Marisa, Viglietto, Giuseppe, Weisz, Alessandro, Nadal-Ginard, Bernardo, Ellison-Hughes, Georgina M, Torella, Daniele, Scalise, M., Torella, M., Marino, F., Ravo, M., Giurato, G., Vicinanza, C., Cianflone, E., Mancuso, T., Aquila, I., Salerno, L., Nassa, G., Agosti, V., De Angelis, A., Urbanek, K., Berrino, L., Veltri, P., Paolino, D., Viglietto, G., Weisz, A., Nadal-Ginard, B., Ellison-Hughes, G. M, and Torella, D.
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Stromal cell ,animal diseases ,Adult cardiac stem cells ,Mice, SCID ,030204 cardiovascular system & hematology ,RNASeq ,Transcriptome ,Heart Neoplasms ,03 medical and health sciences ,Mice ,0302 clinical medicine ,Mice, Inbred NOD ,Tumour histogenesis ,microRNA ,Medicine ,Animals ,cardiovascular diseases ,Progenitor cell ,Clonogenic assay ,neoplasms ,030304 developmental biology ,0303 health sciences ,business.industry ,Adult cardiac stem cell ,Stem Cells ,Myxoma ,virus diseases ,MicroRNA ,medicine.disease ,In vitro ,Cancer research ,cardiovascular system ,Myxoma, Tumor Histogenesis, Adult Cardiac Stem Cells, RNASeq, microRNA ,Stem cell ,Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine ,business - Abstract
Aims Cardiac myxomas usually develop in the atria and consist of an acid-mucopolysaccharide-rich myxoid matrix with polygonal stromal cells scattered throughout. These human benign tumours are a valuable research model because of the rarity of cardiac tumours, their clinical presentation and uncertain origin. Here, we assessed whether multipotent cardiac stem/progenitor cells (CSCs) give rise to atrial myxoma tissue. Methods and results Twenty-three myxomas were collected and analysed for the presence of multipotent CSCs. We detected myxoma cells positive for c-kit (c-kitpos) but very rare Isl-1 positive cells. Most of the c-kitpos cells were blood lineage-committed CD45pos/CD31pos cells. However, c-kitpos/CD45neg/CD31neg cardiac myxoma cells expressed stemness and cardiac progenitor cell transcription factors. Approximately ≤10% of the c-kitpos/CD45neg/CD31neg myxoma cells also expressed calretinin, a characteristic of myxoma stromal cells. In vitro, the c-kitpos/CD45neg/CD31neg myxoma cells secrete chondroitin-6-sulfate and hyaluronic acid, which are the main components of gelatinous myxoma matrix in vivo. In vitro, c-kitpos/CD45neg/CD31neg myxoma cells have stem cell properties being clonogenic, self-renewing, and sphere forming while exhibiting an abortive cardiac differentiation potential. Myxoma-derived CSCs possess a mRNA and microRNA transcriptome overall similar to normal myocardium-derived c-kitpos/CD45neg/CD31negCSCs , yet showing a relatively small and relevant fraction of dysregulated mRNA/miRNAs (miR-126-3p and miR-335-5p, in particular). Importantly, myxoma-derived CSCs but not normal myocardium-derived CSCs, seed human myxoma tumours in xenograft’s in immunodeficient NOD/SCID mice. Conclusion Myxoma-derived c-kitpos/CD45neg/CD31neg CSCs fulfill the criteria expected of atrial myxoma-initiating stem cells. The transcriptome of these cells indicates that they belong to or are derived from the same lineage as the atrial multipotent c-kitpos/CD45neg/CD31neg CSCs. Taken together the data presented here suggest that human myxomas could be the first-described CSC-related human heart disease.
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- 2019
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24. Role of c-Kit in Myocardial Regeneration and Aging
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Fabiola Marino, Mariangela Scalise, Eleonora Cianflone, Teresa Mancuso, Iolanda Aquila, Valter Agosti, Michele Torella, Donatella Paolino, Vincenzo Mollace, Bernardo Nadal-Ginard, Daniele Torella, Marino, F., Scalise, M., Cianflone, E., Mancuso, T., Aquila, I., Agosti, V., Torella, M., Paolino, D., Mollace, V., Nadal-Ginard, B., and Torella, D.
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0301 basic medicine ,Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism ,Population ,Cre recombinase ,030209 endocrinology & metabolism ,Stem cell factor ,Review ,Biology ,lcsh:Diseases of the endocrine glands. Clinical endocrinology ,Receptor tyrosine kinase ,03 medical and health sciences ,Endocrinology ,0302 clinical medicine ,Fate mapping ,Progenitor cell ,education ,education.field_of_study ,lcsh:RC648-665 ,Regeneration (biology) ,cardiac stem cells ,cardiac regeneration ,Cell biology ,030104 developmental biology ,c-kit ,biology.protein ,cardiac remodeling ,cardiac aging ,Adult stem cell - Abstract
C-Kit, a type III receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK), is involved in multiple intracellular signaling whereby it is mainly considered a stem cell factor receptor, which participates in vital functions of the mammalian body, including the human. Furthermore, c-kit is a necessary yet not sufficient marker to detect and isolate several types of tissue-specific adult stem cells. Accordingly, c-kit was initially used as a marker to identify and enrich for adult cardiac stem/progenitor cells (CSCs) that were proven to be clonogenic, self-renewing and multipotent, being able to differentiate into cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells in vitro as well as in vivo after myocardial injury. Afterwards it was demonstrated that c-kit expression labels a heterogenous cardiac cell population, which is mainly composed by endothelial cells while only a very small fraction represents CSCs. Furthermore, c-kit as a signaling molecule is expressed at different levels in this heterogenous c-kit labeled cardiac cell pool, whereby c-kit low expressers are enriched for CSCs while c-kit high expressers are endothelial and mast cells. This heterogeneity in cell composition and expression levels has been neglected in recent genetic fate map studies focusing on c-kit, which have claimed that c-kit identifies cells with robust endothelial differentiation potential but with minimal if not negligible myogenic commitment potential. However, modification of c-kit gene for Cre Recombinase expression in these Cre/Lox genetic fate map mouse models produced a detrimental c-kit haploinsufficiency that prevents efficient labeling of true CSCs on one hand while affecting the regenerative potential of these cells on the other. Interestingly, c-kit haploinsufficiency in c-kit-deficient mice causes a worsening myocardial repair after injury and accelerates cardiac aging. Therefore, these studies have further demonstrated that adult c-kit-labeled CSCs are robustly myogenic and that the adult myocardium relies on c-kit expression to regenerate after injury and to counteract aging effects on cardiac structure and function.
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- 2019
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25. Glucocorticoid-Induced Leucine Zipper (GILZ) in Cardiovascular Health and Disease
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Donato Cappetta, Daniele Torella, Stefano Bruscoli, Carlo Riccardi, Eleonora Cianflone, Oxana Bereshchenko, Antonella De Angelis, Liberato Berrino, Francesco Rossi, Konrad Urbanek, Cappetta, D., Bereshchenko, O., Cianflone, E., Rossi, F., Riccardi, C., Torella, D., Berrino, L., Urbanek, K., De Angelis, A., Bruscoli, S., Cappetta, Donato, Bereshchenk, Oxana, Cianflone, Eleonora, Rossi, Francesco, Riccardi, Carlo, Torella, Daniele, Berrino, Liberato, Urbanek, Konrad, De Angelis, Antonella, and Bruscoli, Stefano
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MAPK/ERK pathway ,Leucine zipper ,Chemokine ,QH301-705.5 ,Inflammation ,Review ,Cardiovascular System ,Glucocorticoid ,Immune system ,Downregulation and upregulation ,cardiovascular disease ,medicine ,Humans ,Biology (General) ,Leucine Zippers ,glucocorticoids ,biology ,business.industry ,Cell adhesion molecule ,General Medicine ,glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipperglucocorticoidscardiovascular diseaseinflammation ,glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper ,inflammation ,Cancer research ,biology.protein ,medicine.symptom ,business ,Homeostasis ,Human - Abstract
Glucocorticoids (GCs) are essential in regulating functions and homeostasis in many biological systems and are extensively used to treat a variety of conditions associated with immune/inflammatory processes. GCs are among the most powerful drugs for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, but their long-term usage is limited by severe adverse effects. For this reason, to envision new therapies devoid of typical GC side effects, research has focused on expanding the knowledge of cellular and molecular effects of GCs. GC-induced leucine zipper (GILZ) is a GC-target protein shown to mediate several actions of GCs, including inhibition of the NF-κB and MAPK pathways. GILZ expression is not restricted to immune cells, and it has been shown to play a regulatory role in many organs and tissues, including the cardiovascular system. Research on the role of GILZ on endothelial cells has demonstrated its ability to modulate the inflammatory cascade, resulting in a downregulation of cytokines, chemokines, and cellular adhesion molecules. GILZ also has the capacity to protect myocardial cells, as its deletion makes the heart, after a deleterious stimulus, more susceptible to apoptosis, immune cell infiltration, hypertrophy, and impaired function. Despite these advances, we have only just begun to appreciate the relevance of GILZ in cardiovascular homeostasis and dysfunction. This review summarizes the current understanding of the role of GILZ in modulating biological processes relevant to cardiovascular biology.
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- 2021
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26. Adult cardiac stem cell aging. a reversible stochastic phenomenon
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Cristina Chimenti, Konrad Urbanek, Daniele Torella, Marcello Rota, Antonio Paolo Beltrami, Eleonora Cianflone, Antonella De Angelis, Michele Torella, Cianflone, E, Torella, M, Chimenti, C, De Angelis, A, Beltrami, Ap, Urbanek, K, Rota, M, Torella, D, Cianflone, Eleonora, Torella, Michele, Chimenti, Cristina, De Angelis, Antonella, Beltrami, Antonio P., Urbanek, Konrad, Rota, Marcello, and Torella, Daniele
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0301 basic medicine ,Telomerase ,Aging ,Population ,Review Article ,Biology ,Biochemistry ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Myocyte ,cellular senescence ,Myocytes, Cardiac ,lcsh:QH573-671 ,myocytes cardiac ,education ,humans ,Endogenous cardiac stem cell ,Tissue homeostasis ,education.field_of_study ,lcsh:Cytology ,adult ,Cell Biology ,General Medicine ,multipotent stem cells ,Cell biology ,Telomere ,030104 developmental biology ,Ageing ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery ,Homeostasis - Abstract
Aging is by far the dominant risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases, whose prevalence dramatically increases with increasing age reaching epidemic proportions. In the elderly, pathologic cellular and molecular changes in cardiac tissue homeostasis and response to injury result in progressive deteriorations in the structure and function of the heart. Although the phenotypes of cardiac aging have been the subject of intense study, the recent discovery that cardiac homeostasis during mammalian lifespan is maintained and regulated by regenerative events associated with endogenous cardiac stem cell (CSC) activation has produced a crucial reconsideration of the biology of the adult and aged mammalian myocardium. The classical notion of the adult heart as a static organ, in terms of cell turnover and renewal, has now been replaced by a dynamic model in which cardiac cells continuously die and are then replaced by CSC progeny differentiation. However, CSCs are not immortal. They undergo cellular senescence characterized by increased ROS production and oxidative stress and loss of telomere/telomerase integrity in response to a variety of physiological and pathological demands with aging. Nevertheless, the old myocardium preserves an endogenous functionally competent CSC cohort which appears to be resistant to the senescent phenotype occurring with aging. The latter envisions the phenomenon of CSC ageing as a result of a stochastic and therefore reversible cell autonomous process. However, CSC aging could be a programmed cell cycle-dependent process, which affects all or most of the endogenous CSC population. The latter would infer that the loss of CSC regenerative capacity with aging is an inevitable phenomenon that cannot be rescued by stimulating their growth, which would only speed their progressive exhaustion. The resolution of these two biological views will be crucial to design and develop effective CSC-based interventions to counteract cardiac aging not only improving health span of the elderly but also extending lifespan by delaying cardiovascular disease-related deaths.
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- 2019
27. MiRNA regulation of the hyperproliferative phenotype of vascular smooth muscle cells in diabetes
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Carla Vicinanza, Michele Torella, Iolanda Aquila, Mariangela Scalise, Eleonora Cianflone, Ferdinando Carlo Sasso, Fabiola Marino, Giorgio Giurato, Ciro Indolfi, Claudia Veneziano, Chiara Valeriano, Alessandro Weisz, Claudio Iaconetti, Laura Tammè, Teresa Mancuso, Pina Marotta, Roberta Tarallo, Daniele Torella, Domenico Cozzolino, Torella, D, Iaconetti, C, Tarallo, Rosanna, Marino, F, Giurato, G, Veneziano, C, Aquila, I, Scalise, M, Mancuso, Raffaella, Cianflone, E, Valeriano, C, Marotta, P, Tammè, L, Vicinanza, C, Sasso, Fc, Cozzolino, D, Torella, M, Weisz, A, and Indolfi, C
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Male ,0301 basic medicine ,Vascular smooth muscle ,Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism ,Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ,Cell ,Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ,Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ,03 medical and health sciences ,Downregulation and upregulation ,microRNA ,Internal Medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Myocyte ,Medicine ,Rats, Wistar ,Cell Proliferation ,Errata ,business.industry ,Phenotype ,Plaque, Atherosclerotic ,Rats ,MicroRNAs ,Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 ,030104 developmental biology ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ,Cancer research ,Experimental pathology ,business ,Artery - Abstract
Harnessing the mechanisms underlying the exacerbated vascular remodelling in Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is pivotal to prevent the high toll of vascular diseases in DM patients. microRNAs (miRNA) regulate vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) phenotypic switch. However, miRNA modulation of the detrimental diabetic VSMC phenotype is underexplored. Streptozotocin-induced Type 1 Diabetes (T1DM) Wistar rats and T2DM Zucker rats underwent right carotid artery experimental angioplasty and global miRNA/mRNA expression profiling was obtained by RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq). 2 days after injury a set of 6 miRs were found to be uniquely down-regulated or up-regulated both in VSMCs in T1DM and T2DM. Among these, miR-29c and miR-204 were the most significantly mis-regulated in atherosclerotic plaques from DM patients. miR-29c overexpression and miR-204 inhibition per se attenuated VSMC phenotypic switch in DM. Concomitant miR-29c overexpression and miR-204 inhibition fostered an additive reduction in VSMC proliferation. Epithelial membrane protein 2 (Emp2) and Caveolin-1 (Cav1) mRNAs were identified as direct targets of miR-29c and miR-204, respectively. Importantly, contemporary miR-29c overexpression and miR-204 inhibition in the injured artery robustly reduced arterial stenosis in DM rats. Thus, contemporaneous miR-29c activation and miR-204 inhibition in DM arterial tissues is necessary and sufficient to prevent the exaggerated VSMC growth upon injury. Harnessing the mechanisms underlying the exacerbated vascular remodeling in diabetes mellitus (DM) is pivotal to prevent the high toll of vascular diseases in patients with DM. miRNA regulates vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) phenotypic switch. However, miRNA modulation of the detrimental diabetic VSMC phenotype is underex-plored. Streptozotocin-induced type 1 DM (T1DM) Wistar rats and type 2 DM (T2DM) Zucker rats underwent right carotid artery experimental angioplasty, and global miRNA/mRNA expression profiling was obtained by RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq). Two days after injury, a set of six miRNAs were found to be uniquely downregulated or upregulated in VSMCs both in T1DM and T2DM. Among these miRNAs, miR-29c and miR-204 were the most significantly misregulated in atherosclerotic plaques from patients with DM. miR-29c overexpression and miR-204 inhibition per se attenuated VSMC phenotypic switch in DM. Concomitant miR-29c overexpression and miR-204 inhibition fostered an additive reduction in VSMC proliferation. Epithelial membrane protein 2 (Emp2) and Caveolin-1 (Cav1) mRNAs were identified as direct targets of miR-29c and miR-204, respectively. Importantly, contemporary miR-29c overexpression and miR-204 inhibition in the injured artery robustly reduced arterial stenosis in DM rats. Thus, contemporaneous miR-29c activation and miR-204 inhibition in DM arterial tissues is necessary and sufficient to prevent the exaggerated VSMC growth upon injury.
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- 2018
28. Senolytics rejuvenate aging cardiomyopathy in human cardiac organoids.
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Scalise M, Cianflone E, Quercia C, Pagano L, Chiefalo A, Stincelli A, Torella A, Puccio B, Santamaria G, Guzzi HP, Veltri P, De Angelis A, Urbanek K, Ellison-Hughes GM, Torella D, and Marino F
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- Humans, Aging drug effects, Aging metabolism, Oxidative Stress drug effects, Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells metabolism, Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells drug effects, Cell Proliferation drug effects, Cardiomyopathies metabolism, Cardiomyopathies drug therapy, Cardiomyopathies pathology, Doxorubicin pharmacology, Organoids drug effects, Organoids metabolism, Cellular Senescence drug effects, Senotherapeutics pharmacology, Quercetin pharmacology, Dasatinib pharmacology, Myocytes, Cardiac drug effects, Myocytes, Cardiac metabolism, Myocytes, Cardiac pathology
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Background: Human cardiac organoids closely replicate the architecture and function of the human heart, offering a potential accurate platform for studying cellular and molecular features of aging cardiomyopathy. Senolytics have shown potential in addressing age-related pathologies but their potential to reverse aging-related human cardiomyopathy remains largely unexplored., Methods: We employed human iPSC-derived cardiac organoids (hCOs/hCardioids) to model doxorubicin(DOXO)-induced cardiomyopathy in an aged context. hCardioids were treated with DOXO and subsequently with a combination of two senolytics: dasatinib (D) and quercetin (Q)., Results: DOXO-treated hCardioids exhibited significantly increased oxidative stress, DNA damage (pH2AX), cellular senescence (p16
INK4A ) and decreased cell proliferation associated with a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). DOXO-treated hCardioids were considerably deprived of cardiac progenitors and displayed reduced cardiomyocyte proliferation as well as contractility. These distinctive aging-associated characteristics were confirmed by global RNA-sequencing analysis. Treatment with D+Q reversed these effects, reducing oxidative stress and senescence markers, alleviating SASP, and restoring hCardioids viability and function. Additionally, senolytics replenished cardiac progenitors and reversed the cardiomyocyte proliferation deficit., Conclusions: Doxorubicin triggers an age-associated phenotype in hCardioids reliably modelling the main cellular and molecular features of aging cardiomyopathy. Senescence is a key mechanism of the aged-hCOs phenotype as senolytics rejuvenated aged-hCardioids restoring their structure and function while reverting the age-associated regenerative deficit., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)- Published
- 2025
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29. Understanding Vascular Calcification in Chronic Kidney Disease: Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Implications.
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Siracusa C, Carabetta N, Morano MB, Manica M, Strangio A, Sabatino J, Leo I, Castagna A, Cianflone E, Torella D, Andreucci M, Zicarelli MT, Musolino M, Bolignano D, Coppolino G, and De Rosa S
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- Humans, Risk Factors, Animals, Osteoprotegerin metabolism, alpha-2-HS-Glycoprotein metabolism, Oxidative Stress, Vascular Calcification etiology, Vascular Calcification metabolism, Vascular Calcification pathology, Renal Insufficiency, Chronic metabolism, Renal Insufficiency, Chronic complications, Renal Insufficiency, Chronic pathology, Renal Insufficiency, Chronic etiology
- Abstract
Vascular calcification (VC) is a biological phenomenon characterized by an accumulation of calcium and phosphate deposits within the walls of blood vessels causing the loss of elasticity of the arterial walls. VC plays a crucial role in the incidence and progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD), leading to a significant increase in cardiovascular mortality in these patients. Different conditions such as age, sex, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and hypertension are the main risk factors in patients affected by chronic kidney disease. However, VC may occur earlier and faster in these patients if it is associated with new or non-traditional risk factors such as oxidative stress, anemia, and inflammation. In chronic kidney disease, several pathophysiological processes contribute to vascular calcifications, including osteochondrogenic differentiation of vascular cells, hyperphosphatemia and hypercalcemia, and the loss of specific vascular calcification inhibitors including pyrophosphate, fetuin-A, osteoprotegerin, and matrix GLA protein. In this review we discuss the main traditional and non-traditional risk factors that can promote VC in patients with kidney disease. In addition, we provide an overview of the main pathogenetic mechanisms responsible for VC that may be crucial to identify new prevention strategies and possible new therapeutic approaches to reduce cardiovascular risk in patients with kidney disease.
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- 2024
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30. Effects of sacubitril-valsartan on aging-related cardiac dysfunction.
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Telesca M, De Angelis A, Donniacuo M, Bellocchio G, Riemma MA, Mele E, Canonico F, Cianflone E, Torella D, D'Amario D, Patti G, Liantonio A, Imbrici P, De Luca A, Castaldo G, Rossi F, Cappetta D, Urbanek K, and Berrino L
- Subjects
- Animals, Female, Rats, Renin-Angiotensin System drug effects, Fibrosis, Oxidative Stress drug effects, Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists pharmacology, Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists therapeutic use, Stroke Volume drug effects, Disease Models, Animal, Neprilysin antagonists & inhibitors, Neprilysin metabolism, Myocytes, Cardiac drug effects, Myocytes, Cardiac pathology, Aminobutyrates pharmacology, Aminobutyrates therapeutic use, Biphenyl Compounds pharmacology, Valsartan pharmacology, Valsartan therapeutic use, Drug Combinations, Aging drug effects, Aging pathology, Tetrazoles pharmacology, Tetrazoles therapeutic use, Rats, Inbred F344, Heart Failure drug therapy, Heart Failure physiopathology
- Abstract
Heart failure (HF) remains a huge medical burden worldwide, with aging representing a major risk factor. Here, we report the effects of sacubitril/valsartan, an approved drug for HF with reduced EF, in an experimental model of aging-related HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Eighteen-month-old female Fisher 344 rats were treated for 12 weeks with sacubitril/valsartan (60 mg/kg/day) or with valsartan (30 mg/kg/day). Three-month-old rats were used as control. No differential action of sacubitril/valsartan versus valsartan alone, either positive or negative, was observed. The positive effects of both sacubitril/valsartan and valsartan on cardiac hypertrophy was evidenced by a significant reduction of wall thickness and myocyte cross-sectional area. Contrarily, myocardial fibrosis in aging heart was not reduced by any treatment. Doppler echocardiography and left ventricular catheterization evidenced diastolic dysfunction in untreated and treated old rats. In aging rats, both classical and non-classical renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) were modulated. In particular, with respect to untreated animals, both sacubitril/valsartan and valsartan showed a partial restoration of cardioprotective non-classical RAAS. In conclusion, this study evidenced the favorable effects, by both treatments, on age-related cardiac hypertrophy. The attenuation of cardiomyocyte size and hypertrophic response may be linked to a shift towards cardioprotective RAAS signaling. However, diastolic dysfunction and cardiac fibrosis persisted despite of treatment and were accompanied by myocardial inflammation, endothelial activation, and oxidative stress., 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 B.V. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2024
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31. Mechanisms of Cardiovascular Calcification and Experimental Models: Impact of Vitamin K Antagonists.
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Siracusa C, Carino A, Carabetta N, Manica M, Sabatino J, Cianflone E, Leo I, Strangio A, Torella D, and De Rosa S
- Abstract
Cardiovascular calcification is a multifactorial and complex process involving an array of molecular mechanisms eventually leading to calcium deposition within the arterial walls. This process increases arterial stiffness, decreases elasticity, influences shear stress events and is related to an increased risk of morbidity and mortality associated with cardiovascular disease. In numerous in vivo and in vitro models, warfarin therapy has been shown to cause vascular calcification in the arterial wall. However, the exact mechanisms of calcification formation with warfarin remain largely unknown, although several molecular pathways have been identified. Circulating miRNA have been evaluated as biomarkers for a wide range of cardiovascular diseases, but their exact role in cardiovascular calcification is limited. This review aims to describe the current state-of-the-art research on the impact of warfarin treatment on the development of vascular calcification and to highlight potential molecular targets, including microRNA, within the implicated pathways.
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- 2024
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32. Initial Phase of Anthracycline Cardiotoxicity Involves Cardiac Fibroblasts Activation and Metabolic Switch.
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Telesca M, Donniacuo M, Bellocchio G, Riemma MA, Mele E, Dell'Aversana C, Sgueglia G, Cianflone E, Cappetta D, Torella D, Altucci L, Castaldo G, Rossi F, Berrino L, Urbanek K, and De Angelis A
- Abstract
The application of doxorubicin (DOX) is hampered by cardiotoxicity, with diastolic dysfunction as the earliest manifestation. Fibrosis leads to impaired relaxation, but the mechanisms that operate shortly after DOX exposure are not clear. We asked whether the activation of cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) anticipates myocardial dysfunction and evaluated the effects of DOX on CF metabolism. CFs were isolated from the hearts of rats after the first injection of DOX. In another experiment, CFs were exposed to DOX in vitro. Cell phenotype and metabolism were determined. Early effects of DOX consisted of diastolic dysfunction and unchanged ejection fraction. Markers of pro-fibrotic remodeling and evidence of CF transformation were present immediately after treatment completion. Oxygen consumption rate and extracellular acidification revealed an increased metabolic activity of CFs and a switch to glycolytic energy production. These effects were consistent in CFs isolated from the hearts of DOX-treated animals and in naïve CFs exposed to DOX in vitro. The metabolic switch was paralleled with the phenotype change of CFs that upregulated markers of myofibroblast differentiation and the activation of pro-fibrotic signaling. In conclusion, the metabolic switch and activation of CFs anticipate DOX-induced damage and represent a novel target in the early phase of anthracycline cardiomyopathy.
- Published
- 2023
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33. Science Is a Self-Correcting Discipline: Revisiting the Biological Potential of Adult Cardiac Progenitors.
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Torella D and Cianflone E
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- Adult, Humans, Myocytes, Cardiac, Regeneration, Heart, Myocardium
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- 2023
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34. Adult Multipotent Cardiac Progenitor-Derived Spheroids: A Reproducible Model of In Vitro Cardiomyocyte Commitment and Specification.
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Scalise M, Marino F, Salerno L, Amato N, Quercia C, Siracusa C, Filardo A, Chiefalo A, Pagano L, Misdea G, Salerno N, De Angelis A, Urbanek K, Viglietto G, Torella D, and Cianflone E
- Subjects
- Animals, Sepharose, Cell Differentiation, Myocytes, Cardiac, Hematopoietic Stem Cells
- Abstract
Background: Three-dimensional cell culture systems hold great promise for bridging the gap between in vitro cell-based model systems and small animal models to study tissue biology and disease. Among 3D cell culture systems, stem-cell-derived spheroids have attracted significant interest as a strategy to better mimic in vivo conditions. Cardiac stem cell/progenitor (CSC)-derived spheroids (CSs) provide a relevant platform for cardiac regeneration., Methods: We compared three different cell culture scaffold-free systems, (i) ultra-low attachment plates, (ii) hanging drops (both requiring a 2D/3D switch), and (iii) agarose micro-molds (entirely 3D), for CSC-derived CS formation and their cardiomyocyte commitment in vitro., Results: The switch from a 2D to a 3D culture microenvironment per se guides cell plasticity and myogenic differentiation within CS and is necessary for robust cardiomyocyte differentiation. On the contrary, 2D monolayer CSC cultures show a significant reduced cardiomyocyte differentiation potential compared to 3D CS culture. Forced aggregation into spheroids using hanging drop improves CS myogenic differentiation when compared to ultra-low attachment plates. Performing CS formation and myogenic differentiation exclusively in 3D culture using agarose micro-molds maximizes the cardiomyocyte yield., Conclusions: A 3D culture system instructs CS myogenic differentiation, thus representing a valid model that can be used to study adult cardiac regenerative biology.
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- 2023
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35. Polarizing Macrophage Functional Phenotype to Foster Cardiac Regeneration.
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Molinaro C, Scalise M, Leo I, Salerno L, Sabatino J, Salerno N, De Rosa S, Torella D, Cianflone E, and Marino F
- Subjects
- Myocardium, Phenotype, Macrophages, Heart physiology
- Abstract
There is an increasing interest in understanding the connection between the immune and cardiovascular systems, which are highly integrated and communicate through finely regulated cross-talking mechanisms. Recent evidence has demonstrated that the immune system does indeed have a key role in the response to cardiac injury and in cardiac regeneration. Among the immune cells, macrophages appear to have a prominent role in this context, with different subtypes described so far that each have a specific influence on cardiac remodeling and repair. Similarly, there are significant differences in how the innate and adaptive immune systems affect the response to cardiac damage. Understanding all these mechanisms may have relevant clinical implications. Several studies have already demonstrated that stem cell-based therapies support myocardial repair. However, the exact role that cardiac macrophages and their modulation may have in this setting is still unclear. The current need to decipher the dual role of immunity in boosting both heart injury and repair is due, at least for a significant part, to unresolved questions related to the complexity of cardiac macrophage phenotypes. The aim of this review is to provide an overview on the role of the immune system, and of macrophages in particular, in the response to cardiac injury and to outline, through the modulation of the immune response, potential novel therapeutic strategies for cardiac regeneration.
- Published
- 2023
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36. A Mouse Model of Dilated Cardiomyopathy Produced by Isoproterenol Acute Exposure Followed by 5-Fluorouracil Administration.
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Salerno N, Scalise M, Marino F, Filardo A, Chiefalo A, Panuccio G, Torella M, De Angelis A, De Rosa S, Ellison-Hughes GM, Urbanek K, Viglietto G, Torella D, and Cianflone E
- Abstract
Appropriate dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) animal models are highly desirable considering the pathophysiological and clinical heterogeneity of DCM. Genetically modified mice are the most widely and intensively utilized research animals for DCM. However, to translate discoveries from basic science into new and personalized medical applications, research in non-genetically based DCM models remains a key issue. Here, we characterized a mouse model of non-ischemic DCM induced by a stepwise pharmacologic regime of Isoproterenol (ISO) high dose bolus followed by a low dose systemic injection of the chemotherapy agent, 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU). C57BL/6J mice were injected with ISO and, 3 days after, were randomly assigned to saline or 5-FU. Echocardiography and a strain analysis show that ISO + 5FU in mice induces progressive left ventricular (LV) dilation and reduced systolic function, along with diastolic dysfunction and a persistent global cardiac contractility depression through 56 days. While mice treated with ISO alone recover anatomically and functionally, ISO + 5-FU causes persistent cardiomyocyte death, ensuing in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy through 56 days. ISO + 5-FU-dependent damage was accompanied by significant myocardial disarray and fibrosis along with exaggerated oxidative stress, tissue inflammation and premature cell senescence accumulation. In conclusions, a combination of ISO + 5FU produces anatomical, histological and functional cardiac alterations typical of DCM, representing a widely available, affordable, and reproducible mouse model of this cardiomyopathy.
- Published
- 2023
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37. Clinical Application of Circular RNAs as Biomarkers in Acute Ischemic Stroke.
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Siracusa C, Vono N, Morano MB, Sabatino J, Leo I, Eyileten C, Cianflone E, Postula M, Torella D, and De Rosa S
- Abstract
Despite the substantial improvement in diagnosis and treatment within the last decades, ischemic stroke still represents a challenge, responsible still for a high burden of morbidity and mortality. Among the unmet clinical needs are the difficulties in identifying those subjects with the greatest risk of developing a stroke, the challenges in obtaining a timely diagnosis, the prompt recognition of the different clinical forms of stroke, the assessment of the response to treatments and the prognostic assessment. All these issues might be improved with appropriate smart biomarkers that could better inform clinical management. The present article offers an overview of the potential role of circular RNAs as disease biomarkers in stroke. A systematic approach was adopted to gather all potentially relevant information in order to provide a panoramic view on this class of promising molecules.
- Published
- 2023
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38. Correction: c-kit Haploinsufficiency impairs adult cardiac stem cell growth, myogenicity and myocardial regeneration.
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Aquila I, Cianflone E, Scalise M, Marino F, Mancuso T, Filardo A, Smith AJ, Cappetta D, De Angelis A, Urbanek K, Isidori AM, Torella M, Agosti V, Viglietto G, Nadal-Ginard B, Ellison-Hughes GM, and Torella D
- Published
- 2023
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39. Endothelial Glycocalyx and Cardiomyocyte Damage Is Prevented by Recombinant Syndecan-1 in Acute Myocardial Infarction.
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Vahldieck C, Cianflone E, Fels B, Löning S, Depelmann P, Sabatino J, Salerno N, Karsten CM, Torella D, Weil J, Sun D, Goligorsky MS, and Kusche-Vihrog K
- Subjects
- Animals, Mice, Glycocalyx pathology, Syndecan-1, Myocytes, Cardiac, Endothelial Cells pathology, Myocardial Infarction drug therapy, Myocardial Infarction pathology
- Abstract
The outer layer of endothelial cells (ECs), consisting of the endothelial glycocalyx (eGC) and the cortex (CTX), provides a protective barrier against vascular diseases. Structural and functional impairments of their mechanical properties are recognized as hallmarks of endothelial dysfunction and can lead to cardiovascular events, such as acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This study investigated the effects of AMI on endothelial nanomechanics and function and the use of exogenous recombinant syndecan-1 (rSyn-1), a major component of the eGC, as recovering agent. ECs were exposed in vitro to serum samples collected from patients with AMI. In addition, in situ ECs of ex vivo aorta preparations derived from a mouse model for AMI were employed. Effects were quantified by using atomic force microscopy-based nanoindentation measurements, fluorescence staining, and histologic examination of the mouse hearts. AMI serum samples damaged eGC/CTX and augmented monocyte adhesion to the endothelial surface. In particular, the anaphylatoxins C3a and C5a played an important role in these processes. The impairment of endothelial function could be prevented by rSyn-1 treatment. In the mouse model of myocardial infarction, pretreatment with rSyn-1 alleviated eGC/CTX deterioration and reduced cardiomyocyte damage in histologic analyses. However, echocardiographic measurements did not indicate a functional benefit. These results provide new insights into the underlying mechanisms of AMI-induced endothelial dysfunction and perspectives for future studies on the benefit of rSyn-1 in post-AMI treatment., (Copyright © 2023 American Society for Investigative Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2023
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40. Senescent cells enhance ischemic aging in the female heart.
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Torella D, Salerno N, and Cianflone E
- Subjects
- Female, Humans, Heart, Cellular Senescence
- Published
- 2023
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- View/download PDF
41. Dapagliflozin protects the kidney in a non-diabetic model of cardiorenal syndrome.
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Urbanek K, Cappetta D, Bellocchio G, Coppola MA, Imbrici P, Telesca M, Donniacuo M, Riemma MA, Mele E, Cianflone E, Naviglio S, Conte E, Camerino GM, Mele M, Bucci M, Castaldo G, De Luca A, Rossi F, Berrino L, Liantonio A, and De Angelis A
- Subjects
- Animals, Rats, Benzhydryl Compounds pharmacology, Benzhydryl Compounds therapeutic use, Kidney metabolism, Rats, Inbred Dahl, Cardio-Renal Syndrome drug therapy, Cardio-Renal Syndrome metabolism, Diabetes Mellitus drug therapy
- Abstract
Cardiorenal syndrome encompasses a spectrum of disorders involving heart and kidney dysfunction, and sharing common risk factors, such as hypertension and diabetes. Clinical studies have shown that patients with and without diabetes may benefit from using sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors to reduce the risk of heart failure and ameliorate renal endpoints. Because the underlying mechanisms remain elusive, we investigated the effects of dapagliflozin on the progression of renal damage, using a model of non-diabetic cardiorenal disease. Dahl salt-sensitive rats were fed a high-salt diet for five weeks and then randomized to dapagliflozin or vehicle for the following six weeks. After treatment with dapagliflozin, renal function resulted ameliorated as shown by decrease of albuminuria and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio. Functional benefit was accompanied by a decreased accumulation of extracellular matrix and a reduced number of sclerotic glomeruli. Dapagliflozin significantly reduced expression of inflammatory and endothelial activation markers such as NF-κB and e-selectin. Upregulation of pro-oxidant-releasing NADPH oxidases 2 and 4 as well as downregulation of antioxidant enzymes were also counteracted by drug treatment. Our findings also evidenced the modulation of both classic and non-classic renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), and effects of dapagliflozin on gene expression of ion channels/transporters involved in renal homeostasis. Thus, in a non-diabetic model of cardiorenal syndrome, dapagliflozin provides renal protection by modulating inflammatory response, endothelial activation, fibrosis, oxidative stress, local RAAS and ion channels., 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. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)
- Published
- 2023
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42. Toward Smart Biomimetic Apatite-Based Bone Scaffolds with Spatially Controlled Ion Substitutions.
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Cianflone E, Brouillet F, Grossin D, Soulié J, Josse C, Vig S, Fernandes MH, Tenailleau C, Duployer B, Thouron C, and Drouet C
- Abstract
Biomimetic apatites exhibit a high reactivity allowing ion substitutions to modulate their in vivo response. We developed a novel approach combining several bioactive ions in a spatially controlled way in view of subsequent releases to address the sequence of events occurring after implantation, including potential microorganisms' colonization. Innovative micron-sized core-shell particles were designed with an external shell enriched with an antibacterial ion and an internal core substituted with a pro-angiogenic or osteogenic ion. After developing the proof of concept, two ions were particularly considered, Ag
+ in the outer shell and Cu2+ in the inner core. In vitro evaluations confirmed the cytocompatibility through Ag-/Cu-substituting and the antibacterial properties provided by Ag+ . Then, these multifunctional "smart" particles were embedded in a polymeric matrix by freeze-casting to prepare 3D porous scaffolds for bone engineering. This approach envisions the development of a new generation of scaffolds with tailored sequential properties for optimal bone regeneration.- Published
- 2023
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43. COVID-19 and atrial fibrillation: Intercepting lines.
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Donniacuo M, De Angelis A, Rafaniello C, Cianflone E, Paolisso P, Torella D, Sibilio G, Paolisso G, Castaldo G, Urbanek K, Rossi F, Berrino L, and Cappetta D
- Abstract
Almost 20% of COVID-19 patients have a history of atrial fibrillation (AF), but also a new-onset AF represents a frequent complication in COVID-19. Clinical evidence demonstrates that COVID-19, by promoting the evolution of a prothrombotic state, increases the susceptibility to arrhythmic events during the infective stages and presumably during post-recovery. AF itself is the most frequent form of arrhythmia and is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. One of the molecular factors involved in COVID-19-related AF episodes is the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) 2 availability. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) uses ACE2 to enter and infect multiple cells. Atrial ACE2 internalization after binding to SARS-CoV-2 results in a raise of angiotensin (Ang) II, and in a suppression of cardioprotective Ang(1-7) formation, and thereby promoting cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis and oxidative stress. Furthermore, several pharmacological agents used in COVID-19 patients may have a higher risk of inducing electrophysiological changes and cardiac dysfunction. Azithromycin, lopinavir/ritonavir, ibrutinib, and remdesivir, used in the treatment of COVID-19, may predispose to an increased risk of cardiac arrhythmia. In this review, putative mechanisms involved in COVID-19-related AF episodes and the cardiovascular safety profile of drugs used for the treatment of COVID-19 are summarized., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Donniacuo, De Angelis, Rafaniello, Cianflone, Paolisso, Torella, Sibilio, Paolisso, Castaldo, Urbanek, Rossi, Berrino and Cappetta.)
- Published
- 2023
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44. SETD7 methyltransferase is a key druggable target for effective cardioprotection from myocardial ischaemic injury.
- Author
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Torella D, Salerno N, and Cianflone E
- Subjects
- Humans, Methylation, Signal Transduction, Ischemia, Protein Processing, Post-Translational, Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase genetics, Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase metabolism, Methyltransferases, Heart Injuries
- Abstract
Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: None declared.
- Published
- 2023
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45. Streptozotocin-Induced Type 1 and 2 Diabetes Mellitus Mouse Models Show Different Functional, Cellular and Molecular Patterns of Diabetic Cardiomyopathy.
- Author
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Marino F, Salerno N, Scalise M, Salerno L, Torella A, Molinaro C, Chiefalo A, Filardo A, Siracusa C, Panuccio G, Ferravante C, Giurato G, Rizzo F, Torella M, Donniacuo M, De Angelis A, Viglietto G, Urbanek K, Weisz A, Torella D, and Cianflone E
- Subjects
- Mice, Animals, Streptozocin adverse effects, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Disease Models, Animal, Diabetic Cardiomyopathies genetics, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 chemically induced, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 complications, Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental complications, Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental chemically induced
- Abstract
The main cause of morbidity and mortality in diabetes mellitus (DM) is cardiovascular complications. Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) remains incompletely understood. Animal models have been crucial in exploring DCM pathophysiology while identifying potential therapeutic targets. Streptozotocin (STZ) has been widely used to produce experimental models of both type 1 and type 2 DM (T1DM and T2DM). Here, we compared these two models for their effects on cardiac structure, function and transcriptome. Different doses of STZ and diet chows were used to generate T1DM and T2DM in C57BL/6J mice. Normal euglycemic and nonobese sex- and age-matched mice served as controls (CTRL). Immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR and RNA-seq were employed to compare hearts from the three animal groups. STZ-induced T1DM and T2DM affected left ventricular function and myocardial performance differently. T1DM displayed exaggerated apoptotic cardiomyocyte (CM) death and reactive hypertrophy and fibrosis, along with increased cardiac oxidative stress, CM DNA damage and senescence, when compared to T2DM in mice. T1DM and T2DM affected the whole cardiac transcriptome differently. In conclusion, the STZ-induced T1DM and T2DM mouse models showed significant differences in cardiac remodeling, function and the whole transcriptome. These differences could be of key relevance when choosing an animal model to study specific features of DCM.
- Published
- 2023
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46. Pharmacological clearance of senescent cells improves cardiac remodeling and function after myocardial infarction in female aged mice.
- Author
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Salerno N, Marino F, Scalise M, Salerno L, Molinaro C, Filardo A, Chiefalo A, Panuccio G, De Angelis A, Urbanek K, Torella D, and Cianflone E
- Subjects
- Mice, Male, Female, Animals, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Myocytes, Cardiac, Cellular Senescence, Dasatinib pharmacology, Quercetin pharmacology, Ventricular Remodeling, Myocardial Infarction genetics, Myocardial Infarction therapy
- Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are predominantly an aging disease. Important sex-specific differences exist and the mechanism(s) by which this sex-by-age interaction influences CVD development and progression remains elusive. Accordingly, it is still unknown whether cell senescence, a main feature of cardiac male aging, is a significant feature also of the female aged mouse heart and whether senolytics, senescence-clearing compounds, promote myocardial repair and regeneration after myocardial infarction (MI) in aged female mice. To this aim, the combination of two senolytics, dasatinib and quercetin (D+Q) or just their vehicle was administered to 22-24 months old C57BL/6 female mice after MI. D+Q improved global left ventricle function and myocardial performance after MI whereby female cardiac aging is characterized by accumulation of cardiac senescent cells that are further increased by MI. Despite their terminal differentiation nature, also cardiomyocytes acquire a senescent phenotype with age in females. D+Q removed senescent cardiac non-myocyte and myocyte cells ameliorating cardiac remodeling and regeneration. Senolytics removed aged dysfunctional cardiac stem/progenitor cells (CSCs), relieving healthy CSCs with normal proliferative and cardiomyogenic differentiation potential. In conclusions, cardiac senescent cells accumulate in the aged female hearts. Removing senescent cells is a key therapeutic target for efficient repair of the aged female heart., Competing Interests: Declarations of interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2022
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47. The negative regulation of gene expression by microRNAs as key driver of inducers and repressors of cardiomyocyte differentiation.
- Author
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Cianflone E, Scalise M, Marino F, Salerno L, Salerno N, Urbanek K, and Torella D
- Subjects
- Adult, Cell Differentiation genetics, Humans, Myocardium metabolism, Myocytes, Cardiac metabolism, Regeneration, Heart Failure genetics, Heart Failure metabolism, MicroRNAs genetics, MicroRNAs metabolism
- Abstract
Cardiac muscle damage-induced loss of cardiomyocytes (CMs) and dysfunction of the remaining ones leads to heart failure, which nowadays is the number one killer worldwide. Therapies fostering effective cardiac regeneration are the holy grail of cardiovascular research to stop the heart failure epidemic. The main goal of most myocardial regeneration protocols is the generation of new functional CMs through the differentiation of endogenous or exogenous cardiomyogenic cells. Understanding the cellular and molecular basis of cardiomyocyte commitment, specification, differentiation and maturation is needed to devise innovative approaches to replace the CMs lost after injury in the adult heart. The transcriptional regulation of CM differentiation is a highly conserved process that require sequential activation and/or repression of different genetic programs. Therefore, CM differentiation and specification have been depicted as a step-wise specific chemical and mechanical stimuli inducing complete myogenic commitment and cell-cycle exit. Yet, the demonstration that some microRNAs are sufficient to direct ESC differentiation into CMs and that four specific miRNAs reprogram fibroblasts into CMs show that CM differentiation must also involve negative regulatory instructions. Here, we review the mechanisms of CM differentiation during development and from regenerative stem cells with a focus on the involvement of microRNAs in the process, putting in perspective their negative gene regulation as a main modifier of effective CM regeneration in the adult heart., (© 2022 The Author(s).)
- Published
- 2022
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48. Myocardial regeneration protocols towards the routine clinical scenario: An unseemly path from bench to bedside.
- Author
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Salerno N, Salerno L, Marino F, Scalise M, Chiefalo A, Panuccio G, De Angelis A, Cianflone E, Urbanek K, and Torella D
- Abstract
Heart failure secondary to cardiomyocyte loss and/or dysfunction is the number one killer worldwide. The field of myocardial regeneration with its far-reaching primary goal of cardiac remuscularization and its hard-to-accomplish translation from bench to bedside, has been filled with ups and downs, steps forward and steps backward, controversies galore and, unfortunately, scientific scandals. Despite the present morass in which cardiac remuscularization is stuck in, the search for clinically effective regenerative approaches remains keenly active. Starting with a concise overview of the still highly debated regenerative capacity of the adult mammalian heart, we focus on the main interventions, that have reached or are close to clinical use, critically discussing key findings, successes, and failures. Finally, some promising and innovative approaches for myocardial repair/regeneration still at the pre-clinical stage are discussed to offer a holistic view on the future of myocardial repair/regeneration for the prevention/management of heart failure in the clinical scenario., Funding: This research was funded by Grants from the Ministry of University and Research PRIN2015 2015ZTT5KB_004; PRIN2017NKB2N4_005; PON-AIM - 1829805-2., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2022 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)
- Published
- 2022
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49. Scn1b expression in the adult mouse heart modulates Na + influx in myocytes and reveals a mechanistic link between Na + entry and diastolic function.
- Author
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Cervantes DO, Pizzo E, Ketkar H, Parambath SP, Tang S, Cianflone E, Cannata A, Vinukonda G, Jain S, Jacobson JT, and Rota M
- Subjects
- Action Potentials, Animals, Arrhythmias, Cardiac genetics, Arrhythmias, Cardiac metabolism, Diastole, Mice, Myocytes, Cardiac metabolism, Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel beta-1 Subunit genetics, Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel beta-1 Subunit metabolism, Sodium metabolism, Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels metabolism
- Abstract
Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) are macromolecular assemblies composed of a number of proteins regulating channel conductance and properties. VGSCs generate Na
+ current ( INa ) in myocytes and play fundamental roles in excitability and impulse conduction in the heart. Moreover, VGSCs condition mechanical properties of the myocardium, a process that appears to involve the late component of INa . Variants in the gene SCN1B , encoding the VGSC β1- and β1B-subunits, result in inherited neurological disorders and cardiac arrhythmias. But the precise contributions of β1/β1B-subunits and VGSC integrity to the overall function of the adult heart remain to be clarified. For this purpose, adult mice with cardiac-restricted, inducible deletion of Scn1b (conditional knockout, cKO) were studied. Myocytes from cKO mice had increased densities of fast (+20%)- and slow (+140%)-inactivating components of INa , with respect to control cells. By echocardiography and invasive hemodynamics, systolic function was preserved in cKO mice, but diastolic properties and ventricular compliance were compromised, with respect to control animals. Importantly, inhibition of late INa with GS967 normalized left ventricular filling pattern and isovolumic relaxation time in cKO mice. At the cellular level, cKO myocytes presented delayed kinetics of Ca2+ transients and cell mechanics, defects that were corrected by inhibition of INa . Collectively, these results document that VGSC β1/β1B-subunits modulate electrical and mechanical function of the heart by regulating, at least in part, Na+ influx in cardiomyocytes. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We have investigated the consequences of deletion of Scn1b , the gene encoding voltage-gated sodium channel β1-subunits, on myocyte and cardiac function. Our findings support the notion that Scn1b expression controls properties of Na+ influx and Ca2+ cycling in cardiomyocytes affecting the modality of cell contraction and relaxation. These effects at the cellular level condition electrical recovery and diastolic function in vivo, substantiating the multifunctional role of β1-subunits in the physiology of the heart.- Published
- 2022
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50. Diabetes-Induced Cellular Senescence and Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype Impair Cardiac Regeneration and Function Independently of Age.
- Author
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Marino F, Scalise M, Salerno N, Salerno L, Molinaro C, Cappetta D, Torella M, Greco M, Foti D, Sasso FC, Mastroroberto P, De Angelis A, Ellison-Hughes GM, Sampaolesi M, Rota M, Rossi F, Urbanek K, Nadal-Ginard B, Torella D, and Cianflone E
- Subjects
- Animals, Cellular Senescence, Heart, Humans, Mice, Phenotype, Regeneration, Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
- Abstract
Diabetes mellitus (DM) affects the biology of multipotent cardiac stem/progenitor cells (CSCs) and adult myocardial regeneration. We assessed the hypothesis that senescence and senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) are main mechanisms of cardiac degenerative defect in DM. Accordingly, we tested whether ablation of senescent CSCs would rescue the cardiac regenerative/reparative defect imposed by DM. We obtained cardiac tissue from nonaged (50- to 64-year-old) patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and without DM (NDM) and postinfarct cardiomyopathy undergoing cardiac surgery. A higher reactive oxygen species production in T2DM was associated with an increased number of senescent/dysfunctional T2DM-human CSCs (hCSCs) with reduced proliferation, clonogenesis/spherogenesis, and myogenic differentiation versus NDM-hCSCs in vitro. T2DM-hCSCs showed a defined pathologic SASP. A combination of two senolytics, dasatinib (D) and quercetin (Q), cleared senescent T2DM-hCSCs in vitro, restoring their expansion and myogenic differentiation capacities. In a T2DM model in young mice, diabetic status per se (independently of ischemia and age) caused CSC senescence coupled with myocardial pathologic remodeling and cardiac dysfunction. D + Q treatment efficiently eliminated senescent cells, rescuing CSC function, which resulted in functional myocardial repair/regeneration, improving cardiac function in murine DM. In conclusion, DM hampers CSC biology, inhibiting CSCs' regenerative potential through the induction of cellular senescence and SASP independently from aging. Senolytics clear senescence, abrogating the SASP and restoring a fully proliferative/differentiation-competent hCSC pool in T2DM with normalization of cardiac function., (© 2022 by the American Diabetes Association.)
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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