A study demonstrates that falling in love can indeed mend a shattered heart.
Our bodies create oxytocin when we embrace, have sex, and fall in love.
Now, scientists in Michigan have discovered that it also looks capable of repairing damaged cardiac cells.
When a person has a heart attack, their cardiomyocytes, which allow the heart to contract, die in large numbers.
They are highly specialized cells incapable of self-renewal
Researchers discovered that oxytocin promotes stem cells in the outer layer of the heart, which then move to the middle layer and transform into cardiomyocytes.
The research has only been conducted on zebrafish and human cells in the laboratory. However, it is anticipated that the love hormone will one day be employed to provide a cure.
Dr. Aitor Aguirre, an assistant professor of biology at Michigan State University and the study’s lead author, stated, “Here, we demonstrate that oxytocin is capable of activating heart repair mechanisms in injured hearts in zebrafish and human cell cultures, thereby paving the way for potential new therapies for human heart regeneration.”
After a heart attack, cardiomyocytes often perish in large numbers and cannot be replaced.
However, earlier research has demonstrated that some outer heart layer cells can be reprogrammed into makeshift cardiomyocytes.
However, humans cannot achieve this on their own.
This prompted the researchers to investigate whether zebrafish, which have the unusual capacity to regrow organs such as the brain, bones, and skin, might hold the secret.
Although they do not suffer from heart attacks, their predators are willing to consume any organ, including the heart.
Due to the number of cardiomyocytes and other reprogrammable cells, zebrafish can regenerate up to a quarter of the organ.
Researchers discovered that within three days of heart damage, brain oxytocin levels increased by up to 20-fold.
They also demonstrated that the hormone is directly engaged in the process of cardiac repair.
Significantly, oxytocin exhibited the same impact on human tissue in a test tube.
Dr. Aguirre continued, “Oxytocin is commonly used in the clinic for various purposes, so repurposing it for patients with heart injury is not a far-fetched idea.”
Even if only a portion of the heart regenerates, the benefits for patients could be substantial.
The next stage for the researchers will be to examine the effect of oxytocin on patients following heart injury.
The naturally occurring hormone has a short half-life, hence longer-lasting oxytocin medications may be required.
The research was published in Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology.
Oxytocin is also used to induce or enhance contractions during labor and to reduce postpartum hemorrhage.
