Persistent IFN-γ links to worse cardiac remodeling in aged mice

In 2- and 18-month-old C57BL/6 J mice of both sexes, researchers evaluated inflammatory responses following myocardial infarction using Ifng-YFP reporter mice. The authors also observed a conserved interferon-gamma production signature during physiological aging in both mice and humans. In the aged mice, post-infarction myocardium displayed an increased pro-inflammatory gene expression signature and increased recruitment of interferon-gamma-expressing T cells. While this age-related inflammation had little effect on acute post-infarction responses, a persistent interferon-gamma signature in older animals was associated with an aggravation of chronic adverse cardiac remodeling. The authors suggest age-related smoldering inflammation may fuel ischemic heart failure progression.