The cardiomyocyte assay are normally used to measure cardiac safety. Generally speaking there are a range of different ways in which these work in order to be able to gather results effectively. This article will go over the different features of the cardiomyocyte assay and how it is practically applied in a range of different kind of settings.
Recently, it has been discovered that hawthorn (Prunella vulgaris) plant extract causes negative chronotropic actions in a laboratory test of cultured human cardiomyocyte cells. The test was conducted to determine the effect of hawthorn extracts on the activity of an enzyme called epsilon-amino butyric acid (BA). BA is an amino acid produced by the sarcomere gene during cardiomyocyte differentiation. It is thought that this process may be involved in the development of cardiac arrhythmias. It is currently believed that this action occurs when cardiomyocytes are exposed to excessive concentration of epsilon-amino butyric acid. However, further studies are needed to confirm this and other effects of hawthorn in human cardiomyocyte testing.
Further Studies That Have Been Conducted
In recent years, hawthorn has become well known for its potential anti-aging properties. Hawthorn extract has exhibited anti-aging properties in animal and human tissue and reduced cellular aging in mice. This is the first study to directly link the action of hawthorn with the prevention of heart failure. The test showed that both the hawthorns and the extracts caused an increased level of cell division and significantly delayed the formation of cardiomyocytes during a period of treadmill exercise. This delayed the formation of cardiomyocytes is believed to result in the delay of the accumulation of fatty deposits within the heart. The cardiomyocyte assay is a key part of arranging all this data.
The test did not indicate any adverse events or drug interactions. Based on these results, the researchers launched a phase I clinical trial using five different doses of the herb. The study showed positive results in both the animals and humans. In addition, it was found that the herb combination was effective in inhibiting the formation of LDL or “bad” cholesterol in the human heart and improving cardiovascular function. Further studies are currently underway and early results are being published in leading health publications.
A secondary analysis of the cardiomyocyte assay revealed that the herb combination is also effective in inhibiting the formation of FSH and ACTH. The researchers further reported that they had found “unpublished data” in Germany indicating that the combination of hawthorn and calcium imaging conditions may be useful in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. They further reported that future research should focus on the relationship between these two conditions and coronary artery disease. The researchers concluded their report by recommending further studies in experimental allergic asthma and rhinitis due to virus exposure. No conclusions concerning the safety of the combination were drawn due to the fact that other variables involved in the study were not controlled.
Dr. Mahesh at MSR London stated “This research is exciting and I look forward to seeing the implications of the findings in the future. The potential for using genetic pharmacology in multiple drug delivery strategies is very exciting and the combination of plant medicine and traditional pharmacology is thought to be very clever and potentially very beneficial in treating a wide range of diseases.” Multiple Myeloma is not the first drug discovery in the biotechnology/medical field; in fact the incidence of cancerous tumors has increased dramatically in the past few decades. For this reason, additional research in this area is very important.
Overall Findings And Conclusions From The Research
The scientists did express some caution in their conclusions, however, as only a small number of the cells tested produced a single cell, consistent with the process of cell generation in the human body. These single cells could possibly be representative of undifferentiated cardiomyocytes. In previous studies, mouse cells from the stomach and ovaries were used in the same assay and the researchers noted that the mice showed no significant alterations in the numbers of cells.
In addition, these previous studies also employed a different method of cell generation, using genetically engineered mouse cells. While these mice did not show a significant increase in the numbers of cardiomyocytes, the study was unable to determine whether or not the cells from these mice were truly human pluripotent stem cells. This research was also unable to determine whether the cells generated by this procedure were indeed pluripotent.