Abstract

AIMS: The transglutaminase factor XIII (FXIII) emerges as a key enzyme in healing after myocardial infarction (MI). Here we assess the impact of transglutaminase-modulating therapies on healing and evolution of heart failure using a novel, non-invasive molecular imaging technique.
METHODS AND RESULTS: Immunoblotting revealed lower FXIII levels in the myocardium of nine patients with infarct rupture when compared to MI patients without rupture (P CONCLUSION: FXIII tissue levels are decreased in patients with insufficient healing. Therapeutic strategies that modulate FXIII activity impact murine myocardial healing. Molecular imaging of FXIII activity predicts prognosis in mice with experimental MI.