Columbia scientists discover surprising link between serotonin and heart valve disease
Researchers at Columbia University have identified a link between serotonin transporter activity and the progression of degenerative mitral regurgitation in the heart. The study suggests that reduced serotonin activity may accelerate damage to the mitral valve.
Why it matters
Understanding the biological mechanisms behind heart valve disease could lead to new therapeutic targets for patients suffering from mitral regurgitation.
Serotonin is usually associated with mood, sleep, and digestion. But research published in 2023 suggests this chemical messenger may also influence a small structure that performs a vital job during every heartbeat: the mitral valve.
The multicenter investigation found evidence that reduced activity of the serotonin transporter may accelerate damaging changes in valves already affected by degenerative mitral regurgitation (DMR). Researchers at Columbia University's Department of Surgery led the work in collaboration with the Pediatric Heart Valve Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), the University of Pennsylvania, and the Valley Hospital Heart Institute.
The study was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and was co led by Columbia's Giovanni Ferrari, PhD, and CHOP's Robert J. Levy, MD. The findings were published in Science Translational Medicine in 2023.
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