Full Press Release Details
• June 13, 2026
• Cordula Wolf, et al., Technical University of Munich
Abstract
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is driven by sarcomeric mutations that cause energetic failure and secondary inflammation. This study demonstrates that targeting this metabolic-inflammatory axis with pioglitazone or its peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma inactive enantiomer, R-pioglitazone, reverses disease progression in a murine HCM model. Both agents restored mitochondrial function (including Mitochondrial Pyruvate Carrier 1 [ MPC1 ] levels) and resolved inflammation. Notably, R-pioglitazone showed superior efficacy, reducing interstitial fibrosis by >95% and hypertrophy by 33% without affecting healthy control hearts. These findings identify R-pioglitazone as a promising, mechanism-based candidate for disease-modifying therapy in HCM.
Authors & Affiliations
Anna-Theresa Pfaller, BEngᵃ˒ᵇ*, Claudia Veneziano, PhDᶜ*, Sarala Raj Murthi, PhDᵃ, Jan B. Stöckl, PhDᵈ, Bachuki Shashikadze, PhDᵈ, Florian Flenkenthaler, PhDᵈ, Josh Gorham, BAᵉ, Alessandra Moretti, PhDᵇ˒ᶠ, Ana Kitanovic, PhDᵍ, Linden J. Gearing, PhDᵍ, Frederik Heinrich, PhDᵍ˒ʰ, Pawel Durek, PhDᵍ˒ʰ, Katrin Lehmann, MScᵍ, Mir-Farzin Mashreghi, PhDᵍ, Peter Ewert, MDᵃ˒ᵇ, Thomas Fröhlich, PhDᵈ, Joachim P. Schmitt, MDⁱ, Nadine Spielmann, PhDʲ, Martin Hrabě de Angelis, PhDʲ, Manuel Schmid, MDᵉ˒ᵏ˒ˡ, Christopher N. Toepfer, PhDᵉ˒ᵏ˒ˡ, Eicke Latz, MD, PhDᵍ, Karin Klingel, MDᵐ, Gianluca Santamaria, PhDᶜ˒ᶠ˒ⁿ, Jonathan G. Seidman, PhDᵉ, Christine E. Seidman, MDᵉ, and Cordula M. Wolf, MDᵃ˒ᵇ
ᵃ Department of Congenital Heart Defects and Pediatric Cardiology, German Heart Centre Munich, Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine and Health, Munich, Germany ᵇ DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany ᶜ Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, “Magna Graecia” University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy ᵈ Laboratory for Functional Genome Analysis LAFUGA, Gene Center, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany ᵉ Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA ᶠ First Department of Medicine and Regenerative Medicine in Cardiovascular Diseases, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Germany ᵍ German Rheumatism Research Centre, Berlin, Germany ʰ Zuse Institute Berlin, Berlin, Germany ⁱ Institute of Pharmacology, University Hospital Düsseldorf and Cardiovascular Research Institute Düsseldorf (CARID), Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany ʲ Institute of Experimental Genetics and German Mouse Clinic, Helmholtz Center Munich, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany ᵏ Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom ˡ Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom ᵐ Cardiopathology, Institute for Pathology and Neuropathology, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany ⁿ Interdepartmental Center of Services (CIS), Omics Sciences and Biobank, “Magna Graecia” University, Catanzaro, Italy
The post Targeting Inflammation by Pioglitazone and its R-Enantiomer Mitigates Pathological Myocardial Remodeling in Murine Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy appeared first on Alamar Biosciences .