Cardiovascular diseases remain one of the leading causes of death in both developed and developing countries, imposing a substantial disease burden. Myocardial fibrosis—one of the most common pathological changes in the development of cardiovascular diseases—is characterized by excessive deposition of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Myocardial fibrosis can lead to impaired cardiac systolic and diastolic functions. Programmed cell death (PCD) plays an important role in the occurrence and development of myocardial fibrosis. Different types of PCD—such as apoptosis, autophagic programmed cell death, ferroptosis, necroptosis, and pyroptosis—affect the activation and proliferation of cardiac fibroblasts, as well as the synthesis and degradation of ECM through their unique signaling pathways. An in-depth understanding of the mechanisms of programmed cell death in myocardial fibrosis is expected to provide new targets and strategies for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, this article will systematically review the roles of different types of programmed cell death in myocardial fibrosis and explore potential treatment methods based on these mechanisms.
Wang et al. (Wed,) studied this question.