Robert D Hume, Shaan Kanagalingam, Tejas Deshmukh, Siqi Chen, Suzanne M Mithieux, Fairooj Rashid, Iman Roohani, Juntang Lu, Tram Doan, Dinny Graham, Zoe E Clayton, Eugene Slaughter, Eddy Kizana, April S Stempien-Otero, Paula Brown, Liza Thomas, Anthony S Weiss, James J H Chong
BACKGROUND: Myocardial infarction (MI) is among the leading causes of death worldwide. Following MI, necrotic cardiomyocytes are replaced by a stiff collagen-rich scar. Compared to collagen, the extracellular matrix protein elastin has high elasticity and may have more favorable properties within the cardiac scar. We sought to improve post-MI healing by introducing tropoelastin, the soluble subunit of elastin, to alter scar mechanics early after MI. METHODS AND RESULTS: We developed an ultrasound-guided direct intramyocardial injection method to administer tropoelastin directly into the left ventricular anterior wall of rats subjected to induced MI...
December 1, 2022: Circulation Research