Characterization of dendritic cells in human and experimental myocarditis.

Aims: Dendritic cells (DCs) are central mediators of adaptive immunity, and there is growing evidence of their role in myocardial inflammatory disease. We hypothesized that plasmacytoid and myeloid DCs are involved in the mechanisms of myocarditis and analysed these two main subtypes in human myocarditis subjects, as well as in a murine model of experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM).

Methods And Results: Circulating DCs were analysed by flow cytometry in patients with acute myocarditis, dilated cardiomyopathy, and controls.

Intravital microscopy - A novel tool in characterizing congestive heart failure in experimental autoimmune myocarditis.

Aims: Experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM) is a widely used murine model, in which cellular myocardial infiltration resembles human viral myocarditis. Although myocarditis can be readily assessed on histology, heart failure has not been fully characterized, as there are limitations in available markers and difficulties in hemodynamic measurements, especially on small rodents. We investigated whether intravital microscopy of the microcirculation can be used to characterize heart failure in EAM.