Work

Liraglutide attenuates autoimmune myocarditis by inhibiting NLRP3 and NF-κb pathways

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Myocarditis, an inflammatory heart disease, often leads to severe cardiac dysfunction, including dilated cardiomyopathy and sudden death. Current treatments for myocarditis remain limited, necessitating the exploration of new therapeutic approaches. Liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist widely used for type 2 diabetes and obesity, has shown anti-inflammatory effects in other cardiovascular diseases. In this study, we investigated liraglutide's effects on autoimmune myocarditis. Our findings demonstrated that liraglutide significantly reduced myocarditis severity by lowering heart weight/body weight ratio, serum cardiac troponin T levels, cardiac fibrosis, and inflammatory infiltration. Echocardiography showed improved left ventricular function, while immunofluorescence and RT-qPCR analyses revealed decreased T-cell and macrophage infiltration and reduced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. RNA sequencing indicated that liraglutide modulates the NLRP3 inflammasome and NF-κB pathways. These results suggest that liraglutide has the potential to be a therapeutic agent for myocarditis.

Source: Scientific Reports

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-12715-y

Authors: Lijuan Zhang, Lishuai Han, Yang Lu, Quanzhou Chen

Institutions: First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University

Language: English

Topic: Viral Infections and Immunology Research

Subfield: Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,690