Cardiac muscle cell apoptotic process

Cardiac muscle cell apoptosis is a highly regulated form of programmed cell death occurring in cardiomyocytes, driven by both intrinsic (mitochondrial) and extrinsic (death receptor-mediated) pathways. Key molecular executors include initiator caspases (e.g., caspase 8, 9), effector caspases (e.g., caspase 3, 7), and regulatory Bcl-2-family proteins (pro-apoptotic Bax, Bak; anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, Bcl-xL). This process is implicated in cardiac remodeling and is thought to contribute causally to progression of heart failure and other cardiac diseases. While apoptosis is not in itself a direct drug target, therapies may modulate upstream signaling pathways to protect cardiac muscle cells from excessive apoptotic loss

Other names

Cardiac myocyte apoptosiscardiomyocyte apoptosisapoptosis in cardiac muscle cellheart muscle cell apoptosisprogrammed cell death in cardiac myocytes

Drugs may modulate signaling pathways that regulate pro- and anti-apoptotic molecules, influence oxidative stress, block death receptors, or inhibit caspases