Chronic administration of ivabradine improves cardiac Ca handling and function in a rat model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

ABSTRACT: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a severe muscle disease caused by mutations in the gene encoding for the intracellular protein dystrophin, is associated with impaired cardiac function and arrhythmias. A causative factor for complications in the dystrophic heart is abnormal calcium (Ca) handling in ventricular cardiomyocytes, and restoration of normal Ca homeostasis has emerged as therapeutic strategy. Here, we used a rodent model of DMD, the dystrophin-deficient DMD^mdx rat, to test the following hypothesis: chronic administration of ivabradine (IVA), a drug clinically approved for the treatment of heart failure, improves Ca handling in dystrophic ventricular cardiomyocytes and thereby enhances contractile performance in the dystrophic heart. Intracellular Ca measurements reve

SUBMITTER: Marksteiner J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11910634 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature