Mer-TK in Human Cardiac Cells

Myocardial Infarction Clinical Trial

Official title:

Detecting Soluble MER Levels After Myocardial Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury in Pediatric Patients

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT04322630
• Other study ID #: 2019-2445
• Status: Completed
• Start date: May 10, 2019
• Est. completion date: December 31, 2020

Study information

• Verified date: August 2021
• Source: Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Observational

Clinical Trial Summary

The relationship between the immune system and the myocardium after myocardial ischemia is an evolving field of research. Crosstalk occurs between macrophages and cardiac myocytes to promote cardio-protection and resolution of inflammation after myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury (MI/R injury).

Myeloid-epithelial-reproductive tyrosine kinase (MerTK), a member of the TAM family of tyrosine kinase receptors (Tyro-Axl-MerTK), is a macrophage receptor that mediates efferocytosis, anti-inflammatory signaling, and resolution of inflammation. After MI/R injury, intact MerTK is necessary for the phagocytosis of dead cardiac myocytes and to promote anti-inflammatory signaling. Proteolytic cleavage of MerTK to its inactive form, soluble MER, restricts the capacity of macrophages to phagocytize dead cardiac myocytes and impairs MerTK-dependent anti-inflammatory signaling resulting in suppressive effects on cardiac remodeling and function.

The Thorp lab at Northwestern University has previously measured soluble MER levels in both adult mice and humans and found that soluble MER concentrations increase after MI/R injury. In adult MI patients, soluble MER was measured post coronary artery reperfusion and was found to be increased (average 3200 pg/mL compared to 1700 pg/mL) compared to controls with stable cardiovascular disease. Based on murine data, the lab further postulated that reperfusion injury may directly interfere with MerTK-dependent cardiac repair as reactive oxygen species formed during reperfusion injury induce proteolytic cleavage of MerTK to soluble MER.

Myocardial infarctions are rare events in pediatric patients. However, pediatric hearts are exposed to periods of hypoperfusion, ischemia, and inflammation during times of stress such as cardiac bypass and critical illness, and it is unknown how soluble MER levels change in response to these events. Thus, I was interested in investigating how soluble MER levels change after MI/R injury induced by cardiac bypass as well as in the utility of soluble MER as a biomarker of cardiac inflammation and injury in pediatric patients.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 50
• Est. completion date: December 31, 2020
• Est. primary completion date: December 31, 2020
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: N/A to 19 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• All patient ages from birth-19 years-old as well as cyanotic and acyanotic cardiac lesions will be included

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients will be excluded if both pre and post bypass blood samples are not available.

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Infarction
• Inflammation
• Myocardial Infarction
• Myocardial Inflammation
• Myocarditis

Intervention

Other:
• Change in Soluble MER Concentration
Measuring change in soluble MER Concentration post compared to pre bypass for each patient.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hopsital	Chicago	Illinois

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Change in Soluble MER Concentration		5/10/2019-12/31/2020
Secondary	Utility of soluble MER as a biomarker of inflammation and injury		5/10/2019-12/31/2020