Anni Suominen, Guillem Saldo Rubio, Saku Ruohonen, Zoltán Szabó, Lotta Pohjolainen, Bishwa Ghimire, Suvi T Ruohonen, Karla Saukkonen, Jani Ijas, Sini Skarp, Leena Kaikkonen, Minying Cai, Sharon L Wardlaw, Heikki Ruskoaho, Virpi Talman, Eriika Savontaus, Risto Kerkelä, Petteri Rinne
α-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) regulates diverse physiological functions by activating melanocortin receptors (MC-R). However, the role of α-MSH and its possible target receptors in the heart remain completely unknown. Here we investigate whether α-MSH could be involved in pathological cardiac remodeling. We found that α-MSH was highly expressed in the mouse heart with reduced ventricular levels after transverse aortic constriction (TAC). Administration of a stable α-MSH analog protected mice against TAC-induced cardiac hypertrophy and systolic dysfunction...
March 7, 2024: EMBO Reports