title: Autoimmune giant cell myocarditis: clinical characteristics, experimental models and future treatments.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although prognosis in acute myocarditis is generally moderate, giant cell myocarditis shows poor prognosis. Giant cell myocarditis is considered to be an autoimmune disease, however, its pathophysiology and specific treatment is yet to be elucidated.
  
  
  METHODS
  This article reviews the clinical characteristics of autoimmune myocarditis and its possible future treatments. An animal model of experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM) is characterized by severe myocardial damage and multinucleated giant cell infiltration, and this has been used as a disease model for human acute giant cell myocarditis. Using experimental models, we reported that NF-κB, cytokines, adhesion molecules and other factors play a critical role in the development of autoimmune myocarditis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Giant cell myocarditis, an autoimmune form of myocarditis, has a high mortality rate unless mechanical support or cardiac transplantation is performed. Therefore, further therapeutic applications of novel methodologies are needed to expand the number of alternative choices for treating autoimmune myocarditis.
authors.affiliation: University of Tokyo, Department of Advanced Clinical Science and Therapeutics, Hongo, Bunkyo, Japan. junichisuzuki-circ@umin.ac.jp
authors.forename: Jun-Ichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Masahito
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Ryuichi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morishita
authors.forename: Yasunobu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.forename: Ryozo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nagai
authors.forename: Mitsuaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Isobe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015726:Giant Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D011379:Prognosis; D051381:Rats; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation