Role of metabolism in heart failure and cardiomyocyte regeneration

Heart failure is the severe and terminal stage of various heart diseases and heart transplantation is currently the only cure for patients with severe heart failure. Owing to the complexities and complications associated with heart transplantation, it is not suitable for most people. Thus, identifying novel approaches toward regenerating the cardiomyocytes has enormous therapeutic potential for heart failure. At present, zebrafish, neonatal mice and salamanders have been found in nature with the ability to regenerate the cardiomyocytes, which provides us with a model to study the mechanism of cardiac regeneration. This article lists major research advances in cardiometabolism, including fatty acid oxidation, glucose metabolism, amino acid metabolism and TCA cycle metabolites, and discusses key metabolic targets that may play important roles in cardiomyocyte development and regeneration, which can provide new ideas for the treatment of adult heart failure from the perspective of cardiac regeneration.