Role of the serotonin transporter in heart valve development and disease

摘要

Serotonin exerts a wide range of physiological functions, including regulation of the cardiovascular system, both during embryogenesis and in adult life (Ni and Watts 2006). Recent studies have demonstrated that most heart valve disease in adult life arises from developmental abnormalities of heart valves (Garg 2006). Much evidence correlates heart valve disease with increased circulation levels of serotonin (i.e., in carcinoid tumors) and the use of serotonin antagonist-based antidepressant or appetite suppressor drugs (Nebigil et al. 2003; Gustafsson et al. 2005). The physiological activity of serotonin is regulated by its transporter SERT which modulates serotonin concentration in the extracellular fluids (Cote et al. 2004).