Also known as broken heart syndrome, Takotsubo syndrome usually occurs after an emotional or physical shock. It is characterized by contraction anomalies of the left ventricle which can leave scars. Australian researchers recently described their work aimed at alleviating these injuries to the heart.
Described for the first time in 1990 by a Japanese doctor, Takotsubo syndrome is still little studied at present. And yet, this "broken heart syndrome" is aptly named. In two-thirds of cases, heart disease appears after an emotional or physical shock.
“This stress cardiomyopathy can appear after intense physical or psychological stress, most often in a woman over the age of fifty. It results in signs suggestive of an acute myocardial infarction. It is transient, but exposes to a significant risk of complications (serious secondary cardiovascular disease) and recurrence “, read an expert consensus published in 2018.
For a long time, experts considered Takotsubo syndrome to be benign. Indeed, the symptoms often resolve by themselves after a few days or even a few weeks. On the other hand, some patients have experienced serious and in some cases fatal complications. Today, some researchers continue to try to define the factors favoring or aggravating this disease for which there is still no treatment .
Nevertheless, a publication in the journal Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy on April 20, 2021 gives some hope. Researchers at Monash University (Australia) believe they have found a treatment track to alleviate the cardiac dysfunctions characterizing Takotsubo syndrome. The scientists manipulated a specific molecule:suberanilohydroxamic acid (or Saha). It is present on the market as Zolinza, prescribed for cutaneous T-cell lymphomas and therefore has anti-cancer properties. The researchers tested the drug in mice in which an injection of isoprenaline can mimic Takotsubo syndrome. Remember that isoprenaline is an inotropic substance that forces the heart to contract. The researchers therefore observed the abnormalities of the left ventricle, as well as collagen deposits witnesses of fibrosis, two characteristic symptoms of Takotsubo syndrome.
Researchers injected suberanilohydroxamic acid into the peritoneum, the membrane surrounding the abdominal cavity. According to the results, the collagen deposits became less prominent. In other words, the injuries caused by isoprenaline are less serious. The scientists explained that the substance acts directly on the expression of certain genes , including those that activate to protect the heart after stress. This preliminary work must obviously continue. However, researchers consider this to be a very serious lead in the treatment of Takotsubo syndrome.
