Urocortin2 measurement for heart failure assessment
Despite the efficacy of many therapies for heart failure, it remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with many patients progressing to advanced stages of the condition. Since the standard treatment for heart failure includes small-molecule drugs targeting G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), GPCRs are still considered novel targets for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 2, a highly expressed GPCR in cardiomyocytes, and its ligand, urocortin2 (UCN2), have been reportedly associated with cardiovascular diseases; however, their clinical significance remains unclear. In this study, a UCN2 measurement assay was developed to measure blood UCN2 levels in patients with heart failure. The assay showed that blood UCN2 values indicated a negative relationship with cardiac ejection fraction in 52 patients with heart failure. Blood UCN2 levels were not correlated with brain natriuretic peptide, a standard marker of heart failure, and were higher in patients with cardiomyopathy than in those with heart failure, suggesting that measuring blood UCN2 levels may be a novel test for assessing the pathophysiology of heart failure.
Authors
- Ryota Morimoto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0931-3188)
- Mikito Takefuji (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4870-7913)
- Naoya Fukui (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4021-3193)
- Kazuhiko Kotani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8119-633X)
- Yoshimitsu Yura (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2618-8569)
- Hiroaki Hiraiwa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1606-7037)
- Noriyuki Ouchi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8598-3498)
- Tomoki Hattori
- Katsuhiro Kato (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9710-1451)
- Tatsuya Yoshida (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0364-4680)
- Koji Ohashi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9666-026X)
- Toru Kondo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6853-7574)
- Takahiro Okumura (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5076-2052)
- Kazuya Miyashita (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3783-1452)
- Kumiko Fukamachi
- Kohei Inukai
- Toyoaki Murohara
- Satoya Yoshida
- S. Kazama (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6976-3693)
Institutions
- Jichi Medical University (JP)
- Nagoya University Hospital (JP)
- Medical & Biological Laboratories (Japan) (JP)
- Nagoya University (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Scientific Reports
- Published
- 2025-04-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-99509-4
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.11
Funders
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science