A positive association between cardiomyocyte volume and serum malondialdehyde levels

Cardiac hypertrophy is the first visible sign of cardiac remodeling. Oxidative stress is implicated in the etiopathogenesis of cardiac hypertrophy. In vitro studies have shown that exposure of cardiomyocytes to free radical generators induce cell hypertrophy. However, there are no studies to show that in vivo redox status can influence cardiomyocyte growth. Blood samples were collected from healthy volunteers and serum lipid peroxidation was determined as a measure of oxidative stress. Cardiac myocytes cultured from newborn rat were exposed to serum samples. A significant correlation was observed between serum lipid peroxidation and cardiomyocyte volume, indicating that in vivo oxidative stress can act as an important co-factor in mediating the hypertrophic response. This experimental system also envisages a novel approach to identify patients prone to left ventricular remodeling and identification of humoral factors mediating the changes.