Background: Dendritic cells (DC) play pivotal roles in regulating the immune system and inflammatory response. We previously reported DC infiltration in the infarcted heart and its immunoprotective roles in the post-infarction healing process after experimental myocardial infarction (MI). However, its clinical significance has not been determined.
Methods and results: The degree of DC infiltration and its correlation with the post-infarction healing process in the human infarcted heart were investigated in 24 autopsy subjects after ST-elevation MI. Patients were divided into two groups according to the presence (n=13) or absence (n=11) of cardiac rupture. The numbers of infiltrated DC and macrophages and the extent of fibrosis in the infarcted area were examined. In the rupture group, CD68(+) macrophage infiltration was increased and CD209(+) DC, and CD11c(+) DC infiltration and the extent of reparative fibrosis were decreased compared with the non-rupture group, under matched baseline characteristics including the time from onset to death and use of revascularization. Furthermore, there was a significant positive correlation between the number of infiltrating CD209(+) DC, and CD11c(+) DC and the extent of reparative fibrosis.
Conclusions: Decreased number of DC in human-infarcted myocardial tissue was associated with increased macrophage infiltration, impaired reparative fibrosis, and the development of cardiac rupture after MI. These findings suggest a protective role of DC in post-MI inflammation and the subsequent healing process.
Keywords: cardiac rupture; dendritic cell; inflammation; myocardial infarction; reparative fibrosis.
© 2014 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley Blackwell.