Why the study?
Existing heart failure therapies reduce cardiac workload but do not address abnormal myocardial energetics or directly target mitochondrial abnormalities.
Does targeting mitochondrial dysfunction improve cardiac function, quality of life, and survival in patients with heart failure?
Does targeting mitochondrial dysfunction improve cardiac function, quality of life, and survival in patients with heart failure?
Correcting mitochondrial dysfunction represents a potential new therapeutic approach to address the underlying energy supply-demand imbalance in heart failure.
Hypothesis-generating for mitochondrial-targeted therapies in heart failure; randomized trials needed before clinical adoption.
The burden of heart failure (HF) in terms of health care expenditures, hospitalizations, and mortality is substantial and growing. The failing heart has been described as "energy-deprived" and mitochondrial dysfunction is a driving force associated with this energy supply-demand imbalance. Existing HF therapies provide symptomatic and longevity benefit by reducing cardiac workload through heart rate reduction and reduction of preload and afterload but do not address the underlying causes of abnormal myocardial energetic nor directly target mitochondrial abnormalities. Numerous studies in animal models of HF as well as myocardial tissue from explanted failed human hearts have shown that the failing heart manifests abnormalities of mitochondrial structure, dynamics, and function that lead to a marked increase in the formation of damaging reactive oxygen species and a marked reduction in on demand adenosine triphosphate synthesis. Correcting mitochondrial dysfunction therefore offers considerable potential as a new therapeutic approach to improve overall cardiac function, quality of life, and survival for patients with HF.
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Hani N. Sabbah (2020) studied this question.
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