The PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway and Heart Failure

Serine/threonine kinase(AKT) is a key molecule which participates in the cellular signal transduction of eukaryotic cells. Now it has been confirmed that the PI3K(phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase, PI3K)/AKT signaling pathway plays an important role in human diseases, such as swelling, metabolic disorders,kidney diseases and mental disorders. Research in recent years has also discovered that the activation of PI3K/AKT signal pathway would have effect on the growth, metabolism and apoptosis of myocardial cell. Besides, this signaling pathway, together with many of its receptors and kinases has been proved to have close relation with heart failure. Because of all these mechanisms, people are paying more attention to the role of this pathway in research about the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of heart failure. To summarize the structure characteristics and the related signal transduction pathway of PI3K/AKT will help us understand the mechanism and relationship of PI3K/AKT pathway and heart failure.