Ventricular assist device unloading reverses microvascular senescence in single ventricle disease - PubMed
12 hours ago
- #cardiovascular
- #VAD
- #senescence
- Ventricular assist device (VAD) unloading reverses microvascular senescence in single ventricle disease.
- Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) patients have an underdeveloped left ventricle and require surgery for survival.
- Single-nucleus RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics were used to profile the HLHS right-ventricular microenvironment.
- HLHS cardiomyocytes are intrinsically senescent, both in the heart and when derived from induced pluripotent stem cells.
- The HLHS myocardium contains a senescent microvascular niche with endothelial cells, pericytes, and YAP-high fibroblasts.
- This senescent niche is similar to adult myocardial infarction but not pediatric dilated cardiomyopathy, indicating hypoxia's role in senescence.
- VAD unloading improves the microvascular senescent niche, suggesting potential to reverse cardiac cell states leading to heart failure.