New insights into the causes of heart failure

Heart failure (HF) has a complex pathophysiology because it is the final outcome of several primary cardiovascular disorders. Although cardiac remodeling is considered as a major mechanism contributing to the development of HF, it seems that the restructuring of the heart merely reflects the adaptations of the heart to pathological stimuli. There is a growing body of evidence indicating that the remodeling of subcellular organelles within cardiomyocytes as well as within the extracellular matrix at the biochemical and molecular levels results in the mismatching of subcellular functions and leads to the development of cardiac dysfunction in HF. Thus, the mechanisms of existing as well as emerging therapeutic approaches for the treatment of HF should be understood by examining their influence on processes that impact the remodeling of subcellular organelles.

Section editor:Joel Linden – Department of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States