Necroptosis may be a novel mechanism for cardiomyocyte death in acute myocarditis

• DOI: 10.1007/s11010-017-3188-5
• Publication Date: 2017-09-11T12:37:48Z
• Authors: Fei Zhou; Xuejun Jiang; Lin Teng; Jun Yang; Jiawang Ding; Chao He
• Keywords: Viral Myocarditis; Acute myocarditis

In this study, we investigated the roles of RIP1/RIP3 mediated cardiomyocyte necroptosis in CVB3-induced acute myocarditis. Serum concentrations of creatinine kinase (CK), CK-MB, and cardiac troponin I were detected using a Hitachi Automatic Biochemical Analyzer in a mouse model of acute VMC. Histological changes in cardiac tissue were observed by light microscope and expression levels of RIP1/RIP3 in the cardiac tissue were detected via Western blot and immunohistochemistry. The data showed that RIP1/RIP3 was highly expressed in cardiomyocytes in the acute VMC mouse model and that the necroptosis pathway specific blocker, Nec-1, dramatically reduced the myocardial damage by downregulating the expression of RIP1/RIP3. These findings provide evidence that necroptosis plays a significant role in cardiomyocyte death and it is a major pathway for cell death in acute VMC. Blocking the necroptosis pathway may serve as a new therapeutic option for the treatment of acute viral myocarditis.