Wnt signaling pathways in myocardial infarction and the therapeutic effects of Wnt pathway inhibitors

• Published in: Acta pharmacologica Sinica Vol. 40; no. 1; pp. 9 - 12
• Main Authors: Fu, Wen-bin, Wang, Wei Eric, Zeng, Chun-yu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.01.2019; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cell differentiation; Cell division; Clinical trials; Embryos; Health risks; Heart; Heart attacks; Immunology; Inhibitors; Internal Medicine; Medical Microbiology; Myocardial infarction; Pattern formation; Pharmacology/Toxicology; Review; Review Article; Signal transduction; Vaccine; Wnt protein; therapeutic effect; myocardial infarction; cardiac repairing; Wnt pathway inhibitors
• ISSN: 1671-4083; 1745-7254
• DOI: 10.1038/s41401-018-0060-4

Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the most serious health threats, resulting in huge physical and economic burdens worldwide. Wnt signaling pathways play an important role in developmental processes such as tissue patterning, cell differentiation and cell division. Appropriate regulation of the activities of Wnt signaling pathways is also important for heart development and healing in post-MI heart. Moreover, Wnt pathway inhibitors have been identified as novel antitumor drugs and applied in ongoing clinical trials. This research progress has generated increasing interests for investigating the effects of Wnt pathway inhibitors on MI healing. In this short review, we summarize the roles of Wnt signaling pathways in post-MI heart and the therapeutic effects of Wnt pathway inhibitors on MI, and discuss the underlying mechanisms of Wnt pathway inhibitors in cardiac repairing.