title: Stiffness of left ventricular cardiac fibroblasts is associated with ventricular dilation in patients with recent-onset nonischemic and nonvalvular cardiomyopathy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ventricular dilation is known as a pivotal predictor in recent-onset cardiomyopathy (ROCM), but its pathophysiology is not fully understood. In the present study we investigated whether single-cell stiffness of right and left ventricular-derived fibroblasts has an effect on cardiac phenotype in patients with ROCM.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with endomyocardial biopsy-proven ROCM were included (n=10). Primary cardiac fibroblasts (CFBs) were cultured from left and right ventricular endomyocardial biopsies and their single-cell stiffness was analyzed by quantification of Young's modulus using colloidal probe atomic force microscopy. Cardiac fibrosis was analyzed by Masson's trichrome staining. CFBs from the left ventricle showed significantly decreased stiffness when compared with CFBs from the right ventricle, indexed by decreased stiffness (Young's modulus 3,374±389 vs. 4,837±690 Pa; P<0.05). Young's modulus of CFBs derived from the left ventricle correlated negatively with the left ventricular end-diastolic dimension derived from 2-dimensional echocardiography (R(2)=0.77; P<0.01). Neither left nor right ventricular fibrosis correlated with the respective ventricular dimensions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that a decrease in single-cell stiffness of left ventricular fibroblasts could trigger left ventricular dilation in patients with ROCM. This implies a new potential mechanism for the ventricular dilation with this disease.
authors.affiliation: ZIK-HIKE - Zentrum für Innovationskompetenz "Humorale Immunreaktionen bei kardiovaskulären Erkrankungen", University Medicine Greifswald.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Glaubitz
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Block
authors.forename: Jeannine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Witte
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Empen
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gross
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schlicht
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Weitmann
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Klingel
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kandolf
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: Kay E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Gottschalk
authors.forename: Mathias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Busch
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dörr
authors.forename: Christiane A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Helm
authors.forename: Stephan B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Felix
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Riad
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D005260:Female; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008875:Middle Aged