Midkine is a recently identified new
growth factor/
cytokine with pleiotropic functions in the human organism. First discovered in the late eighties, midkines have now become the subject of numerous studies in cardiovascular, neurologic, renal diseases and also various types of
cancers. We summarize here the most important functions of
midkine in
cardiovascular diseases, emphasizing its role in
inflammation and its antiapoptotic and proangiogenetic effects.
Midkine has multiple roles in the organism, with the specific feature of being either beneficial or harmful depending on which tissue it acts on. Even though
midkine has been shown to have cardiac protective effects against acute
ischemia/reperfusion injury and to inhibit cardiac remodeling, it also promotes intimal
hyperplasia and vascular
stenosis. As such, different therapeutic strategies are currently being evaluated, consisting of administering either
midkine proteins or
midkine inhibitors depending on the desired outcome. More data is gathering to suggest that these novel
therapies could become an adjunctive to standard cardiovascular
therapy. Nonetheless, much is still to be learned about
midkine. The encouraging results up till now require further studying in order to fully understand the complete profile of its mechanism of action and the clinical safety and efficacy of novel therapeutic opportunities offered by
midkine molecular targeting.