title: Translocator protein (18 kDa): a promising therapeutic target and diagnostic tool for cardiovascular diseases.
abstract: The translocator protein (18 kDa) (TSPO) is a five transmembrane domain protein in mitochondria, abundantly expressed in a variety of organs and tissues. TSPO contributes to a wide range of biological processes, including cholesterol transportation, mitochondrial membrane potential and respiratory chain regulation, apoptosis, and oxidative stress. Recent studies have demonstrated that TSPO might also be involved in the physiological regulation of cardiac chronotropy and inotropy. Accordingly, TSPO ligands play significant roles in protecting the cardiovascular systems under pathological conditions through cardiac electrical activity retention, intracellular calcium maintenance, mitochondrial energy provision, mitochondrial membrane potential equilibrium, and reactive oxygen species inhibition. This paper focuses on the physiological and pathological characteristics of TSPO in the cardiovascular systems and also summarizes the properties of TSPO ligands. TSPO represents a potential therapeutic target and diagnostic tool for cardiovascular diseases including arrhythmia, myocardial infarction, cardiac hypertrophy, atherosclerosis, myocarditis, and large vessel vasculitis.
authors.affiliation: Cell Metabolism Lab, School of Life Science, Shanghai University, 333 Nan Chen Road, Shanghai 200444, China.
authors.forename: Xiaolong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Jiahong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Junjie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xiao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D018079:Receptors, GABA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018079:Receptors, GABA