Cardiac function and extracellular matrix morphology are altered by chronic high fat diet in Drosophila larvae.

ABSTRACT: Cardiovascular disease is characterized by aberrant and excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelling, termed fibrosis. Fibrotic remodelling is typically triggered by inflammation, which occurs systemically in obesity. Despite the contribution of fibrosis to adverse clinical outcomes and disease progression, there are no available treatments for this condition. Developing therapeutics for chronic conditions requires an understanding of in vivo ECM regulation, and how the ECM responds to a systemic challenge. We have therefore developed a Drosophila model for obesity via chronic high fat diet feeding of larvae and evaluated the response of the cardiac ECM to this metabolic challenge. We found that this model displays a striking reorganisation of the cardiac ECM, with fibres oriented ante

SUBMITTER: Andrews RM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12373202 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature