Role of the Mast Cell–Neuron Tandem in Cardiac Function Regulation in Cardiovascular Pathologies

The review addresses new data on the involvement of mast cells(MCs) in the regulation of cardiac function during the developmentof some cardiovascular pathologies. Under normal conditions, the numberof MCs in the heart is very small compared to their abundance inbarrier tissues. They provide cardiac tissue homeostasis and thelife-long interaction of the heart with the nervous and endocrine systems.Cardiac pathology is accompanied by the development of the inflammatoryresponse, with MCs playing a significant role at all stages of thisprocess. The number of MCs significantly increases as myocardialinfarction, cardiac fibrosis and coronary atherosclerosis develop.Meanwhile, their pathogenic contribution to cardiovascular pathologiesis ambiguous because, on the one hand, it is aimed at cardiac tissueadaptation to injury, while on the other hand, the avalanche-likesynthesis and release of mediators from activated MCs exacerbatesthe clinical course of the process. As a result, MCs change theirsecretory profile, interfere in the realization of cardiac functionsagainst the background of inflammation, but at the same time modulatethe afferent information flow from the heart and efferent influencesof the nervous system. The coordinated activity of the system losesits stability, leading as a rule to severe consequences for thewhole organism. The current status quo analysis of the problem indicatesthat cardiac activity depends on the functional state of MCs andtheir complex interaction with the nervous system both under normalconditions and, especially, against the background of developing pathologicalprocesses.