Role of sodium-hydrogen exchange in cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure: a novel and promising therapeutic target

The myocardial sodium-hydrogen exchanger (NHE), and more specifically the NHE-1 isoform is now well-recognized to be a major contributor to ischemic and reperfusion injury. Recent evidence suggests that NHE-1 is also potential candidate for targeted intervention in terms of attenuation of the remodelling and hypertrophic processes which contributes to heart failure. Experimental studies have shown that NHE-1 inhibitors attenuate cardiomyocyte hypertrophy induced by various factors and reduce heart failure in vivo, independently of infarct size reduction. Although the precise cellular mechanisms for NHE-1 involvement remain to be elucidated, current data suggest a potentially effective new therapeutic approach for the treatment of heart failure via NHE-1 inhibition.