The new specific therapy for myocarditis with ghrelin

• Project/Area Number: 24790761
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Circulatory organs internal medicine
• Research Institution: The University of Tokushima
• Principal Investigator: UEMATSU Etsuko 徳島大学, ヘルスバイオサイエンス研究部, 教務補佐員 (10352080)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2014-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2013)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,030,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥930,000); Fiscal Year 2013: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000); Fiscal Year 2012: ¥2,340,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥540,000)
• Keywords: 分子心臓学 / 循環器・高血圧 / 国際研究者交流

Research Abstract

Methods: Male Lewis rats were immunized and autoimmune myocarditis was induced. From the 3 weeks after the first myosin injection, ghrelin or vehicle were administered for 3 weeks. Six weeks after the first immunization, the severity of myocarditis was evaluated by echocardiography, hemodynamics, pathology, and gene expressions in myocardium. Ghrelin improved the deteriorated left ventricular (LV) fractional shortening and LV enlargement. In a hemodynamic study, there was a substantial decrease in LV end-diastolic pressure in ghrelin-treated rats. Ghrelin markedly attenuated an increase in morphometrical collagen volume fraction in LV. Interestingly, the treatment of ghrelin decreased the mRNA expression of interferon -gamma and interleukin (IL) -2 and increased the mRNA expression of IL-4 and IL-10 in the heart of rats with myocarditis. In conclusion, administration of ghrelin improved LV dysfunction in rats with myocarditis probably via the modulation of helper T cell activation.

Research Products

• [Presentation] Ghrelin ameliorates the progression of experimental autoimmune myocarditis (2013)
  • Author(s): Bando S, Soeki T, Uematsu E, Matsuura T, Fukuda D, Yamada H, Wakatsuki T, Shimabukuro M, Kangawa K, Sata M.
  • Organizer: ESC Congress 2013, Congress center Amsterdam RAI, (Amsterdam , Netherlands)
• [Presentation] Ghrelin ameliorates the progression of experimental autoimmune myocarditis. (2013)
  • Author(s): Bando S, Soeki T, Uematsu E, Matsuura T, Fukuda D, Yamada H, Wakatsuki T, Shimabukuro M, Kangawa K, Sata M.
  • Organizer: ESC Congress 2013
  • Place of Presentation: Congress centre Amsterdam RAI, (Netherlands)