Highly variable contractile performance correlates with myocyte content in trabeculae from failing human hearts.

ABSTRACT: Heart failure (HF) is defined by compromised contractile function and is associated with changes in excitation-contraction (EC) coupling and cardiomyocyte organisation. Tissue level changes often include fibrosis, while changes within cardiomyocytes often affect structures critical to EC coupling, including the ryanodine receptor (RyR), the associated protein junctophilin-2 (JPH2) and the transverse tubular system architecture. Using a novel approach, we aimed to directly correlate the influence of structural alterations with force development in ventricular trabeculae from failing human hearts. Trabeculae were excised from explanted human hearts in end-stage failure and immediately subjected to force measurements. Following functional experiments, each trabecula was fixed, sectioned and i

SUBMITTER: Munro ML 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5811450 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature