Overview
- In Science Translational Medicine, a Sant'Anna-led team reports that restoring cardiac vagal innervation reduced cellular and functional signs of ageing in a minipig model.
- Right-sided vagal reconnection alone was sufficient to curb remodeling and maintain contractility, pointing to a predominant protective role of the right cardiac branch.
- Benefits occurred independently of heart-rate control, indicating neurogenic signaling effects on cardiomyocyte longevity beyond rhythm modulation.
- The bioengineering group developed an implantable, bioabsorbable nerve conduit that promoted and guided reinnervation of the thoracic vagus to the heart.
- Investigators propose testing vagal restoration during cardiothoracic surgery or transplantation as a preventive strategy, with human validation still required.