On Friday 7 June at 14:00, Jacob Marthinsen Seefeldt defends his PhD dissertation entitled "Metabolic modulation of cardiovascular function: Experimental exploration of potential heart failure therapies".

Heart failure is a condition characterized by reduced cardiac function, posing a significant burden on patients and healthcare systems worldwide. When cardiac output declines, it involved decreased contractile strenght of the heart muscle and a compensatory increase in vascular resistance, which strains the heart and worsens the condition. As the disease progresses, the heart's metabolism undergoes changes. Therefore, substances that optimize cardiac metabolism may have a beneficial effect on heart failure. In this PhD project, we found that treatment with selective Sodium Glucose Co Transporter (SGLT)-2 inhibitors improves cardiac function and metabolism, leading to an increase in ketone body levels. This finding led to the discovery that ketone bodies, butyrate, and lactate have a direct impact on the cardiovascular system, boostning cardiac outout and contractile strength and a simultaneous reduction of vascular resistance. These propoerties are central to heart failure treatment in general and the results presented here motivates further testing of these substances in larger animal models and in humans.

The summary is written by the PhD student.

The defence is public and takes place in Auditorium B, G206-142, Aarhus University Hospital. Please see the press release for more information. 

Contact

PhD student Jacob Marthinsen Seefeldt

Mail: jacob.seefeldt@clin.au.dk

Phone: (+45) 41178633

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