Researchers discover protein that repairs the heart. And the confirmation is given by the zebrafish

Thanks to zebrafish, scientists from the Alma Mater and the Sant'Orsola Polyclinic in Bologna have discovered a protein that repairs the heart

BOLOGNA – A protein specialized in the development of fetal bones during the nine months of pregnancy could be the key to repairing a damaged heart. And the confirmation comes from both mice and zebrafish. It is the discovery resulting from the work of an international research group, coordinated by scientists from the Alma Mater and the Sant’Orsola Polyclinic of Bologna, whose results were published in the journal Cell Reports. The research, in fact, can open the way to new potential therapies for the regeneration of the heart muscle.

THE STUDIO

Heart attacks, infections but also some anti-tumor treatments can damage the muscle cells of the heart, which become scarred and lose their elasticity, often leading to conditions of heart failure. In mammals, cardiac cells are able to regenerate up until the moment of birth, after which they lose this ability. The Bologna scholars therefore tried to understand how to reactivate this faculty. “We hypothesized that the loss of regenerative capacity in the immediate postnatal period was at least partly consequent to a decreased production of growth factors – explains Gabriele Matteo D’Uva, professor at the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences of the Alma Mater who coordinated study- in preclinical mammalian models, we observed that cardiac expression levels of various growth factors decline rapidly after birth, paralleling the loss of the regenerative capacity of cardiomyocytes.”

THE CASE OF THE ZEBRAFISH

From this, scientists discovered that a particular molecule from the family of bone morphogenetic proteins, called BMP7, has “the most significant effects in promoting the proliferation of cardiac muscle cells in the neonatal phase”, adds doctoral student Chiara Bongiovanni , the studio’s first signature. Confirmation of this aspect came from zebrafish, which has a spontaneous ability to regenerate the heart. In his case, the inhibition of the protein reduced the regeneration of cardiomyocytes, while its induction speeded up the regeneration process.

THE EXPERIMENT ON MOUSE

The same BMP7 was administered to mice. And also in this case, it has been demonstrated that the protein “is able to stimulate the proliferation of cardiomyocytes even in the adult phase, and even more effectively following a myocardial infarction – continues D’Uva – these results suggest that the administration of this factor may represent a new therapeutic strategy to promote heart regeneration. If validated in humans, it could have a significant impact on the treatment of heart disease, a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. “.

NEW FRONTIERS FOR THERAPIES

Researchers are now focusing on experimenting with combinations with other stimuli, to develop even more effective strategies for tissue and organ regeneration. The study is also supported by Pnrr funds and is part of the new organ perfusion and regeneration platform (“Restore”) recently activated by the Sant’Orsola Polyclinic to support assistance and research on transplants and critically ill patients.