Cited by 197Cardiovascular Effects of ExerciseCardiomyopathy and Myosin StudiesCardiac electrophysiology and arrhythmias

Therapeutic Modulation of the Immune Response in Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy

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Chelko, Stephen P., Asimaki, Angeliki, Lowenthal, Justin, Bueno-Beti, Carlos, Bedja, Djahida, Scalco, Arianna, Amat-Alarcon, Nuria, Andersen, Peter +3 more·2019·Circulation

Abstract

Background: Inflammation is a prominent feature of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM), but whether it contributes to the disease phenotype is not known. Methods: To define the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of ACM, we characterized nuclear factor-κB signaling in ACM models in vitro and in vivo and in cardiac myocytes from patient induced pluripotent stem cells. Results: Activation of nuclear factor-κB signaling, indicated by increased expression and nuclear accumulation of phospho-RelA/p65, occurred in both an in vitro model of ACM (expression of JUP 2157del2 in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes) and a robust murine model of ACM (homozygous knock-in of mutant desmoglein-2 [ Dsg2 mut/mu t ]) that recapitulates the cardiac manifestations seen in patients with ACM. Bay 11-7082, a small-molecule inhibitor of nuclear factor-κB signaling, prevented the development of ACM disease features in vitro (abnormal redistribution of intercalated disk proteins, myocyte apoptosis, release of inflammatory cytokines) and in vivo (myocardial necrosis and fibrosis, left ventricular contractile dysfunction, electrocardiographic abnormalities). Hearts of Dsg2 mut/mut mice expressed markedly increased levels of inflammatory cytokines and chemotactic molecules that were attenuated by Bay 11-7082. Salutary effects of Bay 11-7082 correlated with the extent to which production of selected cytokines had been blocked. Nuclear factor-κB signaling was also activated in cardiac myocytes derived from a patient with ACM. These cells produced and secreted abundant inflammatory cytokines under basal conditions, and this was also greatly reduced by Bay 11-7082. Conclusions: Inflammatory signaling is activated in ACM and drives key features of the disease. Targeting inflammatory pathways may be an effective new mechanism-based therapy for ACM.

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Crossref · 10.1161/circulationaha.119.040676

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  • Elevated levels of circulating and myocardial inflammatory cytokines and chemokines from DGV-linked ACM subjects have been observed across disease phases and phenotypes.

    “Prior works have shown elevated levels of circulating [22] and myocardial inflammatory cytokines and chemokines from DGV-linked ACM subjects [11,23] that have been observed across disease phases and phenotypes”

    From A Paradigm Shift: Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy Is an Inflammatory Disease (2026) · cites this paper as [11]

    The Results section on cytokine production reports elevated inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in hearts of Dsg2-mutant ACM mice; the patient-derived cells studied were cultured cardiomyocytes, not myocardial samples. The paper does not establish that myocardial elevations occur in ACM subjects across disease phases and phenotypes. The circulating-level claim is attached to a different citation. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Myocardial inflammation arises as an intrinsic consequence of the Dsg2 mutation, reflecting mutation-driven inflammatory remodeling.

    “these authors demonstrated myocardial inflammation arises as an intrinsic consequence of the Dsg2 mutation [11,12], reflecting mutation-driven inflammatory remodeling.”

    From A Paradigm Shift: Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy Is an Inflammatory Disease (2026) · cites this paper as [11]

    The Results (‘Cytokines are produced by cardiac myocytes and infiltrating inflammatory cells in ACM’; page unavailable) show increased inflammatory mediators and infiltrating cells in Dsg2-mutant mouse hearts compared with wild-type hearts. The Discussion reports cell-autonomous inflammatory signaling in cardiac myocytes with desmosomal variants, but says it remains unclear whether infiltrating cells accumulate as a response to myocardial damage. The paper therefore supports inflammation associated with the Dsg2-mutant phenotype, but not the unqualified claim that all myocardial inflammation is an intrinsic consequence of that mutation. (LLM, conf=0.83)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • ACM is an inflammatory disease where cardiomyocytes harboring DGVs lead to NFκB activation, propagating inflammatory cascades that lead to ACM disease onset and progression.

    “ACM is increasingly recognized as an inflammatory disease where cardiomyocytes harboring DGVs lead to NFκB activation, propagating inflammatory cascades that lead to ACM disease onset and progression [11].”

    From A Paradigm Shift: Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy Is an Inflammatory Disease (2026) · cites this paper as [11]

    The Abstract Results and Discussion report NFκB activation and inflammatory cytokine release in cardiomyocytes carrying ACM-associated desmosomal gene variants; NFκB inhibition also prevented disease features in experimental models. The Introduction says these inflammatory responses could contribute to disease onset and progression. The claim states that causal role as established for ACM generally, beyond what the paper demonstrates. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Aberrant signaling pathways lead to chemokine and cytokine production, facilitating local inflammation and recruitment of inflammatory cells to the heart, further amplifying arrhythmogenesis and clinical manifestations.

    “These aberrant signaling pathways (Figure 3) lead to chemokine and cytokine production, facilitating local inflammation and recruitment of inflammatory cells to the heart, further amplifying arrhythmogenesis and clinical manifestations [11,12].”

    From A Paradigm Shift: Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy Is an Inflammatory Disease (2026) · cites this paper as [11]

    The Discussion reports that NFκB signaling in ACM cardiac myocytes induces cytokines and chemoattractants that likely recruit inflammatory cells to the heart. It also says immune signaling may drive clinical features, but explicitly notes that the results do not prove cytokines cause arrhythmias or myocardial damage; the claim presents that final causal step more firmly than the source does. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Intrinsic NFκB activation is demonstrated by increased nuclear localization and elevated expression of NFκB-mediated gene transcripts, independent of exogenous inflammatory stimuli.

    “This intrinsic activation is demonstrated by increased NFκB nuclear localization and elevated expression of NFκB-mediated gene transcripts, independent of exogenous inflammatory stimuli [11,12].”

    From A Paradigm Shift: Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy Is an Inflammatory Disease (2026) · cites this paper as [11]

    The Results section on ACM patient iPSC-cardiac myocytes (page unavailable) reports nuclear accumulation of phospho-RelA/p65 and abundant cytokine production under basal conditions, without provocative stimuli. It supports intrinsic NFκB activation, but reports cytokine expression and secretion rather than elevated NFκB-mediated gene transcripts. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Authors
Chelko, S. P., Asimaki, A., Lowenthal, J., Bueno-Beti, C., Bedja, D., Scalco, A., Amat-Alarcon, N., Andersen, P., Judge, D. P., Tung, L., & Saffitz, J. E.
Affiliations
  • Johns Hopkins University (US)
  • St George's, University of London (GB)
  • St. George’s University of London, UK (A.A., C.B.-B.).
  • University of Padua (IT)
  • Departments of Medicine (S.P.C., D.B., N.A.-A., P.A.), Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
  • Medical University of South Carolina (US)
  • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (US)
Venue
Circulation
Published
2019-10-29
Volume
140
Issue
18
Pages
1491-1505
ISSN
  • 0009-7322 (ISSN-L)
  • 1524-4539
OpenAlex
W2974365689
Cited by
192
References
38
Citations by year
2026: 22 · 2025: 33 · 2024: 28 · 2023: 31 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 29 · 2020: 28 · 2019: 1
FWCI
14.10
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Circulation (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • St George's Online Research Archive (St George's University of London) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • British Heart Foundation (PG/18/27/33616)
  • National Institutes of Health (UL1TR001079)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01HL120959, R01HL102361)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (T32GM136577)
  • National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD086026)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiovascular Effects of Exercise
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiomyopathy and Myosin Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiac electrophysiology and arrhythmias
Keywords
arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, inflammation, BAY 11-7082, desmoglein 2, cardiomyocytes, inflammatory cytokines, myocardial fibrosis, cardiomyocyte apoptosis
MeSH terms
Animals, Arrhythmias, Cardiac, Inflammation, Cardiomyopathies, Myocardial Infarction, Myocardium, Cytokines, Rats, Wistar, Ventricular Dysfunction, Left, Myocytes, Cardiac, Rats, Transgenic

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