Review on Activator and Inhibitors of Programmed Cell Death: Vital Role in Heart Diseases

ABOUT AUTHOR 
Hema Arya*, Bharat Bhushan, Komal Gupta 
Department of Pharmacy, Ram-Eesh Institute, Greater Noida, UP, India

Abstract
Apoptosis of cardiomyocytes is seen in acute myocardial infarction where it may contribute to infarct size, and also in chronic heart failure, where it may be responsible for the gradual decline in cardiac function. Apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells is both physiological, in vessel remodelling, and pathological, in disease states such as atherosclerosis and arterial aneurysm formation. Apoptosis is regulated by both pro- and anti-apoptotic stimuli, and both activators and inhibitors of apoptosis signalling within the cell. Treatment to inhibit apoptosis in the heart can be targeted to inhibit ischaemia or reperfusion injury, to enhance endogenous protective mechanisms within cardiomyocytes, or to disrupt apoptosis signalling. The benefits of conventional heart failure treatment may be due in part to the inhibition of cardiomyocyte apoptosis.
Keywords: Apoptosis, Ischemia, Atherosclerosis, Cardiac Heart Failure.