Chloroquine decreases cardiac fibrosis and improves cardiac function in a mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a severe degenerative skeletal and cardiac muscle disease, has a poor prognosis, and no curative treatments are available. Because decreased autophagy has been reported to contribute to skeletal muscle degeneration, therapies targeting autophagy are expected to improve skeletal muscle hypofunction. However, the role of this regulatory mechanism has not been evaluated clearly in DMD cardiomyocytes.

Methods

In this present study, we evaluated myocardial fibrosis and its mechanism in mdx mice, a model of DMD, and also evaluated changes in cardiac function.

Results

As assessed by LC3 immunohistochemistry, a small number of autophagosomes were detected in cardiomyocytes of both mdx mice and control wild-type (WT) mice. The numb

SUBMITTER: Hirata T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10830020 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature