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16-kDa Prolactin and Bromocriptine in Postpartum Cardiomyopathy

  • Investigative Therapies (J.-L. Balligand, Section editor)
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Abstract

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a potentially life-threatening heart disease emerging toward the end of pregnancy or in the first postpartal months in previously healthy women. Recent data suggest a central role of unbalanced peri-/postpartum oxidative stress that triggers the proteolytic cleavage of the nursing hormone prolactin (PRL) into a potent antiangiogenic, proapoptotic, and proinflammatory 16-kDa PRL fragment. This notion is supported by the observation that inhibition of PRL secretion by bromocriptine, a dopamine D2-receptor agonist, prevented the onset of disease in an animal model of PPCM and by first clinical experiences where bromocriptine seem to exert positive effects with respect to prevention or treatment of PPCM patients. Here, we highlight the current state of knowledge on diagnosis of PPCM, provide insights into the biology and pathophysiology of 16-kDa PRL and bromocriptine, and outline potential consequences for the clinical management and treatment options for PPCM patients.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and the National Research Foundation (NRF).

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No potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cardiology and Angiology, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Carl-Neuberg-Strasse 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany

    Denise Hilfiker-Kleiner, Melanie Hoch & Edith Podewski

  2. Unit of Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering, GIGA-Cancer, University of Liège, Sart-Tilman, 4000, Liège, Belgium

    Ingrid Struman

  3. Hatter Institute for Cardiovascular Research in Africa, Department of Medicine & IIDMM, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Karen Sliwa

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  1. Denise Hilfiker-Kleiner
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  2. Ingrid Struman
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  3. Melanie Hoch
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  4. Edith Podewski
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  5. Karen Sliwa
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Correspondence to Denise Hilfiker-Kleiner.

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Hilfiker-Kleiner, D., Struman, I., Hoch, M. et al. 16-kDa Prolactin and Bromocriptine in Postpartum Cardiomyopathy. Curr Heart Fail Rep 9, 174–182 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11897-012-0095-7

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