Corticosteroid hormone action in cardiomyocytes - impact on heart failure

肾上腺是一种产生激素的器官，分泌两种主要的类固醇激素，皮质醇和醛固酮。皮质醇通过与其受体的结合在体内发挥着至关重要的作用，通过调节能量稳态、免疫功能、炎症和应激反应。相比之下，醛固酮通过与相关受体结合来调节盐的体内平衡和血压。除了这些影响外，许多研究已经证实，醛固酮对心脏和血管有有害影响，可能导致心脏病患者心力衰竭。反之亦然，使用抑制醛固酮的药物治疗可以提高心力衰竭患者的存活率。相比之下，皮质醇似乎起着保护作用，但其潜在机制尚不清楚。我们的研究旨在确定醛固酮和皮质醇对心肌细胞的特定作用，以阐明参与心脏病发生和进展的潜在分子机制。研究将主要基于实验室，使用从大鼠心脏培养的心脏细胞系和心脏细胞，但也将涉及对接受心脏手术的患者的心脏活检材料的直接分析。更好地了解这些机制将最终导致治疗心力衰竭的新治疗策略。

The adrenal gland is a hormone producing organ that secretes two principal classes of steroid hormones, cortisol and aldosterone. Cortisol through binding to its receptor plays a vitally important role in the body by regulating energy homeostasis, immune function, inflammation and stress response. By contrast, aldosterone by binding to a related receptor regulates salt homeostasis and blood pressure. Besides these effects, many studies have now established that aldosterone exhibits deleterious effects on the heart and blood vessels that may contribute to heart failure in patients with heart disease. Vice versa, medical treatment with drugs that inhibit aldosterone lead to improved survival of patients suffering from heart failure. Cortisol by contrast, seems to play a protective role but the underlying mechanisms are unknown.Our study aims to determine the specific effects of aldosterone and cortisol on heart muscle cells to clarify the underlying molecular mechanisms that are involved in the development and progression of cardiac disease. Studies will be largely based within the laboratory using cardiac cell lines and heart cells grown from rat heart but will also involve the direct analysis of heart biopsy material from patients undergoing cardiac surgery. A better understanding of these mechanisms will ultimately result in new therapeutic strategies in the treatment of heart failure.