[Apoptosis of myocardial cells in dilated cardiomyopathy].
OBJECTIVE
To study apoptosis of myocardial cells in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and its relation with cardiac function.


METHODS
Myocardial samples of 21 patients in a DCM group were obtained from hearts of 14 patients undergoing endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) in right ventricular (EMB sub-group) and from the hearts of the 7 remaining patients at autopsy (Autopsy sub-group). Myocardial samples of a control group were obtained from hearts of 5 patients at autopsy, who died of causes other than cardiovascular disease. Apoptosis was evaluated histochemically by in situ end-labeled DNA (Tunel method).


RESULTS
(1) Apoptotic index (AI) of the DCM group was significantly higher than that of the control group(P < 0.01), AI of EMB sub-group was significantly lower than that of autopsy sub-group (P < 0.01), but significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.01). (2) AI in patients with heart-thorax ratio (HTR) < 0.6, left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVDd) < 65 mm and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) > or = 40% was significantly lower than that of patients with HTR > or = 0.6, LVDd > or = 65 mm and LVEF < 40% respectively (P < 0.01 for all), but was significantly higher than that of the control group respectively (P < 0.01 for all).


CONCLUSIONS
Apoptotic myocardial cells were frequently observed in the myocardial tissues of the DCM and the magnitude of apoptosis increased with the deterioration of cardiac function, indicating that apoptosis may be an important mechanism of loss of myocardial cells and cardiac dysfunction in the DCM.
Liu
T
T
Department of Cardiology, First Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China.
Wu
W
W
Feng
Z
Z
D000328:Adult; D017209:Apoptosis; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000209:etiology; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left