New research from Italy suggests a novel approach to preventing heart disease, currently the leading cause of death globally, by focusing on the vagus nerve‘s connection to the heart. Scientists at the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa have discovered that maintaining the integrity of this nerve pathway is crucial for slowing cardiac aging and preserving the health of heart muscle cells. The study, published in Science Translational Medicine, details the progress of a bioresorbable implant aimed at restoring vagal innervation and offers a potential paradigm shift in cardiac surgery and transplantation procedures.
A healthy heart may depend on maintaining a strong connection to the vagus nerve, according to a recent study. Researchers have identified preserving the nerve’s connection to the heart as a potential factor in slowing cardiac aging, offering new avenues for preventing heart disease – a leading cause of death worldwide.
The research, coordinated by the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, Italy, and published in Science Translational Medicine, found that the integrity of the vagus nerve’s connection to the heart is crucial for maintaining the health of heart muscle cells, known as cardiomyocytes. Specifically, the right cardiac vagal nerve appears to play a key role in preserving heart health, independent of heart rate.
The study was a highly collaborative effort, integrating experimental medicine and bioengineering applied to cardiovascular research. It was led by the Translational Intensive Care Unit (TrancriLab) at the Interdisciplinary Research Center Health Sciences, under the direction of Professor Vincenzo Lionetti, and by the laboratory of the Institute of Biorobotics, led by Professor Silvestro Micera, which contributed to the development of a bioresorbable nerve conduit used to facilitate vagal regeneration.
The experimental work was conducted in Pisa with funding from the European FET (Future and Emerging Technologies) program within the NeuCœur project, and with partial support from funds from the Tuscany Health Ecosystem PNRR. The research involved a network of Italian and international institutions, including the Scuola Normale Superiore, the University of Pisa, the Fondazione Toscana G. Monasterio, the CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, the University of Udine, GVM Care & Research, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, the Leibniz Institute on Aging in Jena, and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne.
“When the integrity of the connection with the vagus nerve is lost, the heart ages more quickly,” explained Professor Lionetti.
Even a partial restoration of the connection between the right vagus nerve and the heart is sufficient to counteract the mechanisms of remodeling and preserve effective cardiac contractility.
Anar Dushpanova, cardiologist at TrancriLab
A key component of the research was the development of a novel bioengineering tool. “We developed an implantable, bioresorbable nerve conduit designed to promote and guide the spontaneous regeneration of the thoracic vagus nerve at the cardiac level,” said Eugenio Redolfi Riva, co-author of the neuroprosthesis patent at the Biorobotics Institute.
The findings suggest a potential shift in how cardiac surgery and transplantation are approached. Researchers believe restoring vagal innervation during surgery could offer a new strategy for long-term heart protection, moving beyond managing the complications of premature cardiac aging to preventing them altogether, Professor Lionetti concluded.
