Abstract 16699: Chitinase-3-like-1 Reduces Reparative Inflammatory Cells and Exacerbates Cardiac Dysfunction After Myocardial Infarction

Introduction: Chitinase-3-like-1 (CHI3L1), a putative marker of inflammation and acute-phase reactant, is upregulated in human heart failure. Although elevated CHI3L1 serum levels correlate with cardiovascular morbidity, how it participates in heart failure remains untested. Hypothesis: Supplementation of CHI3L1 following myocardial infarction (MI) would exacerbate heart failure through attenuating reparative inflammation. Methods: Female C57BL/6J mice were subjected to MI for 2 or 35 d; CHI3L1 was measured by ELISA. To interrogate the effect of CHI3L1, mice were subjected to MI and treated with vehicle (PBS) or CHI3L1 (250 μg/kg, SQ) every other day immediately following surgical intervention until 35 d. Cardiac function was assessed via echocardiography 5 wk post MI. Isolectin B4 and Masson’s Trichrome were used to evaluate angiogenesis and fibrosis, respectively. The contribution of CHI3L1 supplementation to inflammation was assessed 7 d post MI by flow cytometry of inflammatory cells in the heart. Res...