Expression of tumor necrosis factor-α protein in the myocardium in fatal myocarditis |
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| Authors: | Toshiaki Jibiki Masaru Terai Shigeru Tateno Tetsuya Toyozaki Hiroshi Horie Hiromichi Nakajima Koichiro Niwa and Hiroo Niimi |
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| Affiliation: | Department of Pediatrics, Chiba University School of Medicine, Japan. heartlab@pediat3.m.chiba-u.ac.jp |
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| Abstract: | BACKGROUND: Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha is the most studied cytokine in the failing human heart and in experimental murine myocarditis. We have investigated the expression of TNF-alpha in the myocardium in human myocarditis. METHODS: We examined endomyocardial biopsy (n = 4) and autopsy (n = 5) tissues obtained from nine patients diagnosed with myocarditis by the Dallas criteria. Expression of TNF-alpha in the hearts was immunohistochemically studied using monoclonal antibodies against human TNF-alpha. RESULTS: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha protein was expressed in the myocardium of six of the nine patients studied. Four of five fatal patients showed intense immunoreactivity for TNF-alpha compared with survivors. Furthermore, left ventricular systolic function was reduced in patients with TNF-alpha-positive hearts. CONCLUSIONS: These findings may support the suggestion that TNF-alpha plays an important role in cardiac dysfunction and myocytic damage in fatal human myocarditis. |
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| Keywords: | cytokine human myocarditis tumor necrosis factor-α |
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