Assessment for abnormality of astrocyte in the sympathoexcitation of chronic heart failure

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24591058
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Circulatory organs internal medicine
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: KISHI Takuya 九州大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 准教授 (70423514)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 循環器・高血圧 / 生理学 / 脳・神経

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In the present research, I focused on brain astrocyte in sympathoexcitation of chronic heart failure. In the first 2 years, I evaluated neuron and astrocytes in rostral ventrolateral medulla, which is known as a vasomotor center in brainstem. In myocardial infarction-induced heart failure mice, astrocytes, not neurons, were reduced accompanied with apoptosis mediated by angiotensin II receptor and oxidative stress. In final year, we made astrocyte-specific angiotensin II type 1 receptor deletion mice using Cre-Lox P system, and determined that the survival of myocardial infarction-induced heart failure mice was significantly improved in astrocyte-specific angiotensin II type 1 receptor deletion mice.
These obtained results indicated that angiotensin II at astrocytes, not neuron, mainly cause abnormal sympathoexcitation in chronic heart failure, and that angiotensin II at astrocytes could be a novel therapeutic target in the treatment for chronic heart failure.

Free Research Field

循環器内科学