The Role of Autophagy in Heart Disease

Review The Role of Autophagy in Heart Disease Osman Mohiuddin 1, Sabu Abraham 1, Hongyuan Zhang 1, and Andrea Ruiz-Velasco 2,* 1 The School of Medical Sciences, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK 2 Paris Centre de Recherche Cardiovasculaire, INSERM, 56 Rue Leblanc, 75015 Paris, France * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 21 June 2024; Revised: 15 July 2024; Accepted: 16 July 2024; Published: 19 November 2024 Abstract: Autophagy is an important biological process occurring in eukaryotic cells. There are different forms of autophagy all of which are specialised for their specific roles. The primary role of autophagy is protein degradation, regulating immune responses and maintaining cellular homeostasis. Due to its complexity, autophagy is modulated by many genes and signalling pathways. Autophagy can be induced via different mechanisms, particularly due to oxidative stress and inflammation resulting in lipid peroxidation products and the generation of cytokines. Dysregulation of autophagy modulation pathways can cause different cardiovascular pathologies ranging from atherosclerosis, cardiac hypertrophy, and failure. Targeting autophagy through therapeutic agents has proven to be fruitful in the treatment of diseases. Potential therapies comprising of Rapamycin, an mTOR inhibitor, and Resveratrol, a polyphenol, have both demonstrated efficacy in reversing cardiac hypertrophy through the modulation of autophagy. However, the challenge lies in translating the studies into real therapies which can be used clinically. It is vital to ensure that the effects of Rapamycin and Resveratrol are safe long-term. Perhaps this can be achieved through further understanding autophagy’s complex interaction with other cellular processes. This literature review will explore the different types of autophagy and their role in normal heart physiology. It also aims to study its relation to the heart diseases mentioned above. Lastly, using autophagy as a tool in disease management will also be discussed.