Post by Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research

🫀 A brand new paper in Science Translational Medicine! 🎉 First author is our Ph.D. student Niharika S.👩‍🔬: When the heart is injured - by a heart attack or prolonged strain - it doesn’t just suffer in silence. It sends out signals to heal itself. A new discovery from by PhD student Niharika Shiva and Prof. Dr. Nina Wettschureck from our Department of Pharmacology reveals one of the heart’s own natural defenses: a peptide called neurotensin, produced not by heart muscle, but by its lymphatic vessels. In response to damage, these specialized endothelial cells ramp up production of neurotensin—a molecule long known for its role in the brain and gut, but now shown to act as a powerful internal regulator in the heart. Once released, neurotensin activates a specific receptor, NTSR2, on heart muscle and connective tissue cells. This triggers a protective chain reaction: a rise in a key cellular messenger called cGMP, which helps calm down harmful stress responses. The result? Reduced scarring, less thickening of heart muscle, and better overall function. In mouse models of heart injury, a synthetic version of this signal—called NT150—reproduced these benefits, significantly improving heart performance and preventing long-term damage. Most importantly, the same protective effect was observed in heart tissue taken directly from patients with severe heart failure, suggesting this mechanism is relevant in humans. This breakthrough shifts our view of the heart’s lymphatic system: no longer just a drainage network, but an active participant in healing. And it opens a promising new path for treatment—strengthening this natural protective pathway with drugs that mimic neurotensin’s action, such as NT150. Nature has already designed a way to protect the heart. Now, science is learning how to harness it. Link to paper: https://lnkd.in/e2Nx7yYG #maxplanckinstitut #ScienceTranslationalMedicine #CardiovascularResearch #HeartFailure #Neurotensin #Pharmacology