@Article{,
AUTHOR = {Krisztina Buzás, Klára Megyeri, Márta Hõgye, Miklós Csanády, Gábor Bogáts, Yvette Mándi},
TITLE = {Comparative study of the roles of cytokines and apoptosis in dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathies},
JOURNAL = {European Cytokine Network},
VOLUME = {15},
YEAR = {2004},
NUMBER = {1},
PAGES = {53--59},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/ECN/v15n1/66502},
ISSN = {1952-4005},
ABSTRACT = {Aims. In order to gain more insight into the pathogenesis of dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyo-pathies
(DCM and HCM, respectively), we investigated the roles of certain cytokines that regulate apoptosis.
Methods and results. ELISA tests, performed to determine the plasma concentrations of tumour necrosis factor-α
(TNF-α), the soluble Fas (sFas), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and the soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6R), revealed that DCM
patients exhibit elevated concentrations of TNF-α, sFas, IL-6 and sIL-6R, while HCM patients have only high
IL-6 and sIL-6R levels as compared with healthy individuals. Western blot analysis of the levels of TNF-α, IL-6,
Bcl-2 and Bax proteins in myocardium samples demonstrated that DCM patients express increased levels of
TNF-α, IL-6 and Bax, whereas HCM heart lysates display only elevated levels of Bcl-2. Annexin V binding assay
of TNF-α -treated H9C2 cells indicated that the in vitro cytotoxicity of this cytokine involves apoptotosis and
necrosis. Conclusion. In accord with previous observations, our data indicate a strong activation of the
pro-apoptotic TNF and Fas pathways in DCM patients, and an anti-apoptotic shift in HCM patients. These
findings have a bearing on the pathogenesis of cardiomyopathies, since apoptosis may account for certain
dysfunctions observed in DCM, while IL-6 may elicit the hypertrophy characteristic of HCM.},
DOI = {}
}