title: Elevated circulating cardiotrophin-1 in heart failure: relationship with parameters of left ventricular systolic dysfunction.
abstract: Cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1) is a cytokine that has been implicated as a factor involved in myocardial remodelling. The objective of the present study was to establish the relationship between circulating levels of CT-1 and measures of left ventricular size and systolic function in patients with heart failure. We recruited 15 normal subjects [six male; median age 60 years (range 30-79 years)] and 15 patients [11 male; median age 66 years (range 43-84 years)] with a clinical diagnosis of heart failure and echocardiographic left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD). Echocardiographic variables (left ventricular wall motion index, end-diastolic and -systolic volumes, stroke volume, fractional shortening) and plasma CT-1 levels were determined. In patients with LVSD [median wall motion index 0.6 (range 0.3-1.4)], CT-1 was elevated [median 110.4 fmol/ml (range 33-516 fmol/ml)] compared with controls [wall motion index 2 in all cases; median CT-1 level 34.2 fmol/ml (range 6.9-54.1 fmol/ml); P<0.0001]. Log CT-1 was correlated with log wall motion index (r=-0.76, P<0.0001), log left ventricular end-systolic volume (r=0.54, P<0.05), stroke volume (r=-0.60, P=0.007) and log fractional shortening (r=-0.70, P=0.001). In a multivariate model of the predictors of log wall motion index, the only significant predictor was log CT-1 (R(2)=56%, P=0.006). This is the first assessment of the relationship between plasma CT-1 levels and the degree of LVSD in humans, and demonstrates that CT-1 is elevated in heart failure in relation to the severity of LVSD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Robert Kilpatrick Clinical Sciences Building, Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester LE2 7LX, UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Talwar
authors.forename: I B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Squire
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Downie
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Ng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D013318:Stroke Volume; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; C092073:cardiotrophin 1