In vivo gene transfer of soluble TNF-alpha receptor 1 alleviates myocardial infarction.

Apoptosis is the major independent form of cardiomyocyte cell death in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). TNF-alpha release early in the course of AMI contributes to myocardial injury, and TNF-alpha induces apoptosis in cardiomyocytes. Soluble TNF-alpha receptor 1 (sTNFR1) is an antagonist to TNF-alpha. However, the effect of sTNFR1 on AMI remains unclear. Here we report that direct injection of an sTNFR1 expression plasmid DNA to the myocardium reduces infarct size in experimental rat AMI. Treatment with sTNFR1 expression plasmid DNA reduced the TNF-alpha bioactivity in the myocardium and the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes. These findings suggest that the anti-TNF-alpha therapy by sTNFR1 can be a new strategy for treatment of AMI.