Stroke-induced Myocardial dysfunction: role of GDF-15 – SMOG-15

Acute stroke may induce dramatic alterations of cardiovascular function and even may increase myocardial vulnerability to ischemia-reperfusion injury. However, few works have explored this cross-talk between the brain and heart during ischemic processes and the role of new effective biomarkers in correlation with an increased risk of recurrence and overall survival. The cytokine Growth Differentiation Factor-15 (GDF-15), a risk factor of cardiovascular diseases, is released during cerebral ischemia, and could thus be a key molecule involved in these stroke-induced alterations of cardiac function. Indeed, cell fate decisions in the heart and brain are controlled by common survival factors and overlapping signalling pathways. Our hypothesis is that during cerebral ischemic events, GDF-15 is produced by the damaged brain neurons, released in the circulation, and may affect other organs such as the heart that may respond by altered functioning.
The questions that we aim to answer are:
1. Are ischemic stroke lesions, of different intensities and time-lapses, able to affect myocardial function and heart vulnerability to ischemia/infarction?
2. Which is the contribution of GDF-15 as a protective or deleterious factor in the crosstalk between brain and heart after ischemic stroke?
3. Are these findings relevant to the clinical situation?
Our experimental and clinical results will provide a wide range of original data, leading to innovative therapeutic perspectives.