Translational cardiac and skeletal muscle physiology

Daniel C Andersson’s translational research group studies heart and skeletal muscle dysfunction in the context of inflammatory diseases, eg to study how rheumatic diseases affects muscle and heart function.

The laboratory uses experimental physiology and molecular biology tools to investigate disease mechanisms. In clinical studies Daniel C Andersson investigates how inflammatory/rheumatic diseases affects the risk for heart failure. 

The studies utilize mouse models, patient materials and clinical data to better understand the disease processes of heart dysfunction in rheumatic disease.

The experimental studies are performed at FYFA in collaboration with the rheumatology clinic and the Heart and vascular theme at Karolinska University Hospital.

Group members

   David Makari                                                  Medical student 

Support our research

Selected Publications

Acyl ghrelin improves cardiac function in heart failure and increases fractional shortening in cardiomyocytes without calcium mobilization.
Lund LH, Hage C, Pironti G, Thorvaldsen T, Ljung-Faxén U, Zabarovskaja S, Shahgaldi K, Webb DL, Hellström PM, Andersson DC, Ståhlberg M
Eur Heart J 2023 Mar;():

Association Between Rheumatoid Arthritis and Incident Heart Failure by Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction.
Faxén J, Benson L, Mantel Ä, Savarese G, Hage C, Dahlström U, Askling J, Lund LH, Andersson DC
Am Heart J 2023 Feb;():

Citrullination is linked to reduced Ca2+ sensitivity in hearts of a murine model of rheumatoid arthritis.
Pironti G, Gastaldello S, Rassier DE, Lanner JT, Carlström M, Lund LH, Westerblad H, Yamada T, Andersson DC
Acta Physiol (Oxf) 2022 Nov;236(3):e13869

Improved skeletal muscle fatigue resistance in experimental autoimmune myositis mice following high-intensity interval training.
Yamada T, Ashida Y, Tamai K, Kimura I, Yamauchi N, Naito A, Tokuda N, Westerblad H, Andersson DC, Himori K
Arthritis Res Ther 2022 Jun;24(1):156

Myositis-specific autoantibodies and QTc changes by ECG in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.
Korsholm SS, Andersson DC, Knudsen JB, Dastmalchi M, Diederichsen ACP, Gerke O, Witting N, Jacobsen S, Pecini R, Friis T, Krogager ME, Lundberg IE, Diederichsen LP
Rheumatology (Oxford) 2022 Oct;61(10):4076-4086

Larger improvements in fatigue resistance and mitochondrial function with high- than with low-intensity contractions during interval training of mouse skeletal muscle.
Yamada T, Kimura I, Ashida Y, Tamai K, Fusagawa H, Tohse N, Westerblad H, Andersson DC, Sato T
FASEB J 2021 Nov;35(11):e21988

Eccentric Resistance Training Ameliorates Muscle Weakness in a Mouse Model of Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies.
Himori K, Ashida Y, Tatebayashi D, Abe M, Saito Y, Chikenji T, Westerblad H, Andersson DC, Yamada T
Arthritis Rheumatol 2021 May;73(5):848-857

Intact single muscle fibres from SOD1G93A amyotrophic lateral sclerosis mice display preserved specific force, fatigue resistance and training-like adaptations.
Cheng AJ, Allodi I, Chaillou T, Schlittler M, Ivarsson N, Lanner JT, Thams S, Hedlund E, Andersson DC
J Physiol 2019 Jun;597(12):3133-3146

Cardiomyopathy, oxidative stress and impaired contractility in a rheumatoid arthritis mouse model.
Pironti G, Bersellini-Farinotti A, Agalave NM, Sandor K, Fernandez-Zafra T, Jurczak A, Lund LH, Svensson CI, Andersson DC
Heart 2018 Dec;104(24):2026-2034

Association Between Rheumatoid Arthritis and Risk of Ischemic and Nonischemic Heart Failure.
Mantel Ä, Holmqvist M, Andersson DC, Lund LH, Askling J
J Am Coll Cardiol 2017 Mar;69(10):1275-1285

Dietary nitrate improves cardiac contractility via enhanced cellular Ca²⁺ signaling.
Pironti G, Ivarsson N, Yang J, Farinotti AB, Jonsson W, Zhang SJ, Bas D, Svensson CI, Westerblad H, Weitzberg E, Lundberg JO, Pernow J, Lanner J, Andersson DC
Basic Res Cardiol 2016 May;111(3):34

Endurance exercise increases skeletal muscle kynurenine aminotransferases and plasma kynurenic acid in humans.
Schlittler M, Goiny M, Agudelo LZ, Venckunas T, Brazaitis M, Skurvydas A, Kamandulis S, Ruas JL, Erhardt S, Westerblad H, Andersson DC
Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2016 May;310(10):C836-40

Maternal androgen excess induces cardiac hypertrophy and left ventricular dysfunction in female mice offspring.
Manti M, Fornes R, Pironti G, McCann Haworth S, Zhengbing Z, Benrick A, et al
Cardiovascular Research, August 2019;

Three weeks of sprint interval training improved high-intensity cycling performance and limited ryanodine receptor modifications in recreationally active human subjects.
Schlittler M, Neyroud D, Tanga C, Zanou N, Kamandulis S, Skurvydas A, et al
European Journal of Applied Physiology, June 2019;119(9):1951-1958

Intact single muscle fibres from SOD1G93A amyotrophic lateral sclerosis mice display preserved specific force, fatigue resistance and training-like adaptations.
Cheng AJ, Allodi I, Chaillou T, Schlittler M, Ivarsson N, Lanner JT, et al
The Journal of Physiology (London), May 2019;597(12):3133-3146

Cardiomyopathy, oxidative stress and impaired contractility in a rheumatoid arthritis mouse model.
Pironti G, Bersellini-Farinotti A, Agalave NM, Sandor K, Fernandez-Zafra T, Jurczak A, et al
Heart (British Cardiac Society), May 2018;104(24):2026-2034

Association Between Rheumatoid Arthritis and Risk of Ischemic and Nonischemic Heart Failure.
Mantel Ä, Holmqvist M, Andersson DC, Lund LH, Askling J
Journal of the American College of Cardiology, March 2017;69(10):1275-1285

DC
Content reviewer:
Karin Wrangö
29-08-2023