Background: Ventricular assist devices (VADs) lead to an immediate unloading of the failing heart. Although VADs are used as a bridge to transplant, in some cases patients suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy have been weaned from the VAD without transplantation after a recovery process initiated by the cardiac support. Myocardial apoptosis is associated with inadequate myocardium and might be reverted during VAD support of the failing heart. Therefore we measured transcription of apoptosis-associated genes FasExo6 Del, Fas-receptor, and Bcl-xL as markers of a putative recovery.
Methods: Fas-receptor, its soluble isoform FasExo6Del, and Bcl-xL mRNA were quantified by standard calibrated competitive reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 6 patients suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy. RNA standards were prepared by introducing 100 bp deletions into the native cDNA, resulting in truncated PCR products with identical primer-binding sites. Standards were transcribed in vitro and the resulting RNA was quantified.
Results: Transcription of apoptosis-inhibiting genes FasExo6 Del and Bcl-xL were upregulated in patients supported for more than 6 weeks. Fas receptor mRNA remained unaffected by VAD support.
Conclusions: Transcriptional upregulation of apoptosis-inhibiting genes might be caused by a desensitization to apoptotic stimuli and might indicate a relaxation of the diseased status of the myocardium. These data outline the first biochemical evidence of a remodelling process occurring in supported ventricular myocardium.