Na+/H+ Exchanger 1, a Potential Therapeutic Drug Target for Cardiac Hypertrophy and Heart Failure

Cardiac hypertrophy is defined as increased heart mass in response to increased hemodynamic requirements. Long-term cardiac hypertrophy, if not counteracted, will ultimately lead to heart failure. The incidence of heart failure is related to myocardial infarction, which could be salvaged by reperfusion and ultimately invites unfavorable myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. The Na⁺/H⁺ exchangers (NHEs) are membrane transporters that exchange one intracellular proton for one extracellular Na⁺. The first discovered NHE isoform, NHE1, is expressed almost ubiquitously in all tissues, especially in the myocardium. During myocardial ischemia-reperfusion, NHE1 catalyzes increased uptake of intracellular Na⁺, which in turn leads to Ca²⁺ overload and subsequently myocardial injury. Numerous preclinical research has shown that NHE1 is involved in cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure, but the exact molecular mechanisms remain elusive. The objective of this review is to demonstrate the potential role of NHE1 in cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure and investigate the underlying mechanisms.