A recent study published in the journal Science Immunology reported that heart failure (HF) promotes multimorbidity. Despite medical advances, HF mortality is considerably high. Repeated hospitalization is a characteristic of HF, suggesting that HF elevates the risk of future HF events and contributes to multimorbidity.
Chronic inflammation is recognized as a common pathological feature of most diseases comprising multimorbidity. Nevertheless, whether HF contributes to chronic inflammation and mechanisms driving HF-related multimorbidity are unclear. Study: Heart failure promotes multimorbidity through innate immune memory .
Image Credit: CalypsoArt / Shutterstock In the present study, researchers examined HF-induced changes in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), their monocyte descendants, and their impact on the skeletal muscle, heart, and kidneys. First, they investigated whether cardiac events alter HSCs and impact cardiac functions. To this end, HF was induced in mice by applying pressure overload through transverse aortic constriction (TAC) on the left ventricle.
Bone marrow (BM) was collected four weeks later for transplantation into lethally irradiated mice. BM transplantation (BMT) from control mice was also performed. Four months later, mice that received BM from HF mice had increased fibrosis and decreased cardiac function relative to those who received BM from control mice.
These abnormalities were more prominent at six months. Next, the researchers investigated whet.