Editorial
Apoptosis: a pivotal event or an epiphenomenon in the pathophysiology of heart failure?
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is an evolutionary conserved genetically programmed process by which multicellular organisms regulate cell numbers. It is critical in development and in tissue homeostasis. Unlike necrosis, the process is active, energy requiring and precisely regulated.
Apoptosis in cardiac development and diseaseCardiac myocytes are by and large terminally differentiated and
have a limited capacity for self renewal. It would therefore seem that
loss of a significant number of cardiomyocytes would have lasting
adverse consequences. Apoptosis is, however, integral to normal cardiac
development and is also important in the morphogenesis of the
conducting system. This can be illustrated by accessory pathway
mediated arrhythmias caused by inadequate removal of loop short circuit
cells by apoptosis. Apoptotic cardiomyocytes have also been identified
in subjects with ischaemic heart disease and myocarditis. Moreover,
evidence exists to show that apoptosis occurs in "end stage" heart
failure. The relevance of this process in
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[Abstract] [Full Text]
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