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Markedly increased intracellular lipid droplets and disruption of intercellular junctions in biopsied myocardium from a patient with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy

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Abstract

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is characterized by the progressive replacement of myocardial cells by fat and fibrous tissue. Here we describe the histopathological features of biopsied myocardium from a patient with ARVC. A large amount of adipose tissue was present in the biopsy specimen, and a group of myocardial cells were isolated as an island-like region in the adipose tissue. Electron microscopic examination of cardiomyocytes revealed a large number of intracellular lipid droplets, including some extremely large droplets. Disruptions of the plasma membrane and dissociation of intercellular junctions were associated with discharge of intracellular lipid droplets into the interstitial space. The high accumulation of intracellular lipid droplets may be involved in the pathogenesis of ARVC and may have played an important role in myocardial cell death and progressive replacement of cardiomyocytes by fatty tissue in the current case.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine III, Osaka Medical College, 2-7 Daigaku-machi, Takatsuki, 569-8686, Japan

    Shuichi Fujita, Fumio Terasaki, Kaoru Otsuka, Takashi Katashima, Yumiko Kanzaki, Keishiro Kawamura & Yasushi Kitaura

  2. Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Osaka University of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Takatsuki, Japan

    Takao Tanaka

Authors
  1. Shuichi Fujita
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  2. Fumio Terasaki
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  3. Kaoru Otsuka
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  4. Takashi Katashima
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  5. Yumiko Kanzaki
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  6. Keishiro Kawamura
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  7. Takao Tanaka
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  8. Yasushi Kitaura
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Correspondence to Fumio Terasaki.

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Fujita, S., Terasaki, F., Otsuka, K. et al. Markedly increased intracellular lipid droplets and disruption of intercellular junctions in biopsied myocardium from a patient with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. Heart Vessels 23, 440–444 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00380-008-1079-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00380-008-1079-0

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