Treatments that boost levels of the muscle protein desmin may help protect the heart in people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), according to a recent study published in the journal Acta Physiologica.
While a lack of the protein dystrophin is the main cause of muscle damage in DMD, researchers have found that other muscle proteins can also affect how quickly or severely DMD progresses.
In this study, scientists looked closely at desmin, a protein that acts like a scaffold inside muscle cells, keeping them properly aligned and connected. While previous research has linked changes in desmin to heart problems, its exact role in DMD-related heart disease was not clear.
The new study showed that mice with a mild form of DMD had higher-than-normal levels of desmin in their heart tissue, while dogs with a more severe form of the disease did not. This difference suggests that desmin may have a protective role.
To test this idea, researchers bred mice that completely lacked desmin. These mice developed much more severe heart problems — including weaker pumping ability, thinner heart walls and more scarring — than regular DMD mice. Even mice with only half the usual amount of desmin showed reduced heart function. These results suggest that desmin helps the heart stay stronger and healthier in DMD.
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So far, this effect has only been seen in animal studies, but the researchers hope to investigate desmin’s role in people with DMD.
Future research may look for new drugs or gene-based treatments that can safely raise desmin levels. Scientists are exploring a similar approach with another muscle protein called utrophin, which may help take over some of the work normally done by dystrophin.
“Although the precise role of desmin in cardiomyopathy progression remains only partially understood, our results position this protein as a key structural player in the context of DMD,” the researchers said.
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