Copper promotes cardiac functional recovery via suppressing the transformation of fibroblasts to myofibroblasts in ischemia-infarcted monkey hearts

Nanomaterials: Promising Tools for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Myocardial Infarction

Myocardial infarction (MI) is the leading cause of mortality from cardiovascular diseases. Rapid diagnosis and effective treatment are critical for improving patient prognosis. Although current diagnostic and therapeutic approaches have made significant progress, they still face challenges such as ischemia-reperfusion injury, microcirculatory disorders, adverse cardiac remodeling, and inflammatory responses. These issues highlight the urgent need for innovative solutions. Nanomaterials, with their diverse types, excellent physicochemical properties, biocompatibility, and targeting capabilities, offer promising potential in addressing these challenges. Advances in nanotechnology have increasingly drawn attention to the application of nanomaterials in both diagnosing and treating myocardial infarction. We summarize the pathophysiological mechanisms and staging of myocardial infarction. We systematically review the applications of nanomaterials in MI diagnosis, including the detection of biomarkers and imaging techniques, as well as in MI treatment, encompassing anti-inflammatory effects, antioxidant stress, inhibition of fibrosis, promotion of angiogenesis, and cardiac conduction repair. We analyze the existing challenges and provide insights into future research directions and potential solutions. Specifically, we discuss the need for rigorous safety assessments, long-term efficacy studies, and the development of robust strategies for translating laboratory findings into clinical practice. In conclusion, nanotechnology holds significant promise as a new strategy for diagnosing and treating myocardial infarction. Its potential to enhance clinical outcomes and revolutionize patient care makes it an exciting area of research with practical applications in real-world clinical settings.

Rebuilding the myocardial microenvironment to enhance mesenchymal stem cells-mediated regeneration in ischemic heart disease

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are naturally-derived regenerative materials that exhibit significant potential in regenerative medicine. Previous studies have demonstrated that MSCs-based therapy can improve heart function in ischemia-injured hearts, offering an exciting therapeutic intervention for myocardial ischemic infarction, a leading cause of worldwide mortality and disability. However, the efficacy of MSCs-based therapies is significantly disturbed by the myocardial microenvironment, which undergoes substantial changes following ischemic injury. After the ischemic injury, blood vessels become obstructed and damaged, and cardiomyocytes experience ischemic conditions. This activates the hypoxia-induced factor 1 (HIF-1) pathway, leading to the rapid production of several cytokines and chemokines, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and stromal-derived factor 1 (SDF-1), which are crucial for angiogenesis, cell migration, and tissue repair, but it is not sustainable. MSCs respond to these cytokines and chemokines by homing to the injured site and participating in myocardial regeneration. However, the deteriorated microenvironment in the injured myocardium poses challenges for cell survival, interacting with MSCs, and constraining their homing, retention, and migration capabilities, thereby limiting their regenerative potential. This review discusses how the deteriorated microenvironment negatively affects the ability of MSCs to promote myocardial regeneration. Recent studies have shown that optimizing the microenvironment through the promotion of angiogenesis can significantly enhance the efficacy of MSCs in treating myocardial infarction. This approach harnesses the full therapeutic potential of MSCs-based therapies for ischemic heart disease.

Copper-loaded Milk-Protein Derived Microgel Preserves Cardiac Metabolic Homeostasis After Myocardial Infarction

Myocardial Infarction (MI) is a leading cause of death worldwide. Metabolic modulation is a promising therapeutic approach to prevent adverse remodeling after MI. However, whether material-derived cues can treat MI through metabolic regulation is mainly unexplored. Herein, a Cu2+ loaded casein microgel (CuCMG) aiming to rescue the pathological intramyocardial metabolism for MI amelioration is developed. Cu2+ is an important ion factor involved in metabolic pathways, and intracardiac copper drain is observed after MI. It is thus speculated that intramyocardial supplementation of Cu2+ can rescue myocardial metabolism. Casein, a milk-derived protein, is screened out as Cu2+ carrier through molecular-docking based on Cu2+ loading capacity and accessibility. CuCMGs notably attenuate MI-induced cardiac dysfunction and maladaptive remodeling, accompanied by increased angiogenesis. The results from unbiased transcriptome profiling and oxidative phosphorylation analyses support the hypothesis that CuCMG prominently rescued the metabolic homeostasis of myocardium after MI. These findings enhance the understanding of the design and application of metabolic-modulating biomaterials for ischemic cardiomyopathy therapy.

Copper homeostasis and cuproptosis in radiation-induced injury

Radiation therapy for cancer treatment brings about a series of radiation injuries to normal tissues. In recent years, the discovery of copper-regulated cell death, cuproptosis, a novel form of programmed cell death, has attracted widespread attention and exploration in various biological functions and pathological mechanisms of copper metabolism and cuproptosis. Understanding its role in the process of radiation injury may open up new avenues and directions for exploration in radiation biology and radiation oncology, thereby improving tumor response and mitigating adverse reactions to radiotherapy. This review provides an overview of copper metabolism, the characteristics of cuproptosis, and their potential regulatory mechanisms in radiation injury.

Redox homeostasis in cardiac fibrosis: Focus on metal ion metabolism

Cardiac fibrosis is a major public health problem worldwide, with high morbidity and mortality, affecting almost all patients with heart disease worldwide. It is characterized by fibroblast activation, abnormal proliferation, excessive deposition, and abnormal distribution of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. The maladaptive process of cardiac fibrosis is complex and often involves multiple mechanisms. With the increasing research on cardiac fibrosis, redox has been recognized as an important part of cardiac remodeling, and an imbalance in redox homeostasis can adversely affect the function and structure of the heart. The metabolism of metal ions is essential for life, and abnormal metabolism of metal ions in cells can impair a variety of biochemical processes, especially redox. However, current research on metal ion metabolism is still very limited. This review comprehensively examines the effects of metal ion (iron, copper, calcium, and zinc) metabolism-mediated redox homeostasis on cardiac fibrosis, outlines possible therapeutic interventions, and addresses ongoing challenges in this rapidly evolving field.

Exogeneous metal ions as therapeutic agents in cardiovascular disease and their delivery strategies

Metal ions participate in many metabolic processes in the human body, and their homeostasis is crucial for life. In cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), the equilibriums of metal ions are frequently interrupted, which are related to a variety of disturbances of physiological processes leading to abnormal cardiac functions. Exogenous supplement of metal ions has the potential to work as therapeutic strategies for the treatment of CVDs. Compared with other therapeutic drugs, metal ions possess broad availability, good stability and safety and diverse drug delivery strategies. The delivery strategies of metal ions are important to exert their therapeutic effects and reduce the potential toxic side effects for cardiovascular applications, which are also receiving increasing attention. Controllable local delivery strategies for metal ions based on various biomaterials are constantly being designed. In this review, we comprehensively summarized the positive roles of metal ions in the treatment of CVDs from three aspects: protecting cells from oxidative stress, inducing angiogenesis, and adjusting the functions of ion channels. In addition, we introduced the transferability of metal ions in vascular reconstruction and cardiac tissue repair, as well as the currently available engineered strategies for the precise delivery of metal ions, such as integrated with nanoparticles, hydrogels and scaffolds.

Post-myocardial infarction fibrosis: Pathophysiology, examination, and intervention

Cardiac fibrosis plays an indispensable role in cardiac tissue homeostasis and repair after myocardial infarction (MI). The cardiac fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation and extracellular matrix collagen deposition are the hallmarks of cardiac fibrosis, which are modulated by multiple signaling pathways and various types of cells in time-dependent manners. Our understanding of the development of cardiac fibrosis after MI has evolved in basic and clinical researches, and the regulation of fibrotic remodeling may facilitate novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, and finally improve outcomes. Here, we aim to elaborate pathophysiology, examination and intervention of cardiac fibrosis after MI.