title: Thyroid hormone action in postnatal heart development.
abstract: Thyroid hormone is a critical regulator of cardiac growth and development, both in fetal life and postnatally. Here we review the role of thyroid hormone in postnatal cardiac development, given recent insights into its role in stimulating a burst of cardiomyocyte proliferation in the murine heart in preadolescence; a response required to meet the massive increase in circulatory demand predicated by an almost quadrupling of body weight during a period of about 21 days from birth to adolescence. Importantly, thyroid hormone metabolism is altered by chronic diseases, such as heart failure and ischemic heart disease, as well as in very sick children requiring surgery for congenital heart diseases, which results in low T3 syndrome that impairs cardiovascular function and is associated with a poor prognosis. Therapy with T3 or thyroid hormone analogs has been shown to improve cardiac contractility; however, the mechanism is as yet unknown. Given the postnatal cardiomyocyte mitogenic potential of T3, its ability to enhance cardiac function by promoting cardiomyocyte proliferation warrants further consideration.
authors.affiliation: Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia; University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2033, Australia.
authors.forename: Siiri E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Iismaa
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
authors.forename: Nawazish
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Naqvi
authors.affiliation: Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia; University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nicks
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. Electronic address: ahusain2@emory.edu.
authors.forename: Ahsan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Husain
authors.affiliation: Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia; University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2033, Australia. Electronic address: b.graham@victorchang.edu.au.
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Graham
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D006321:Heart / Q000254:growth & development*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D013963:Thyroid Hormones