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Biomedical subjects

N S Dhalla

Publications and source records attributed to N S Dhalla.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Troponin I phosphorylation in heart homogenate from diabetic rat.

Although cardiac myofibrillar ATPase activity has been shown to be depressed during the development of diabetic heart dysfunction, the mechanisms of this alteration are not fully understood. Since phosphorylation of troponin I (TnI) is known to decrease the myofibrillar ATPase activity, the present study was undertaken to examine the TnI phosphorylation capacity in the diabetic heart homogenate. For this purpose rats were made diabetic by injecting streptozotocin (65 mg/kg; i.v.) and the hearts were removed 8 wk later. Some 6 wk diabetic animals were injected with insulin (3 U/day) for 2 wk. TnI content in the heart homogenate was measured by immunoblot assay, the mRNA abundance for TnI gene was determined by Northern blot analysis and the in vitro phosphorylation level of TnI was estimated by the ratio of phosphorylated TnI and total (phosphorylated and unphosphorylated) TnI. No significant changes in TnI content and gene expression of TnI were observed in right and left ventricles from the diabetic rats. However, the phosphorylation of TnI was higher (approximately 40%) in the diabetic hearts; this change was reversible upon insulin treatment. These results regarding TnI phosphorylation measured under in vitro conditions suggest that increased phosphorylation of TnI may contribute toward the depression in cardiac myofibrillar ATPase activity in chronic diabetes.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Mechanisms of subcellular remodelling in post-infarct heart failure.

Occlusion of a coronary artery results in myocardial ischemia and subsequent myocardial infarction. Whenever the infarct size is more than 30% of the ventricular wall, the remaining myocardium attempts to compensate for the loss of muscle mass by changing the size and shape of cardiocytes in addition to developing cardiac hypertrophy, cardiac dilatation and congestive heart failure. This remodeling of the heart is associated with changes in the extracellular matrix including collagen proteins and is most probably due to the activation of both sympathetic nervous system and renin-angiotensin system as well as increased formation of various growth factors. Alterations in contractile function of the infarcted heart are associated with remodelling of the sarcoplasmic reticulum with respect to Ca(2+)-pump and Ca(2+)-release channels as well as contractile and regulatory proteins of the myofibrils. Myocardial infarction has also been shown to result in remodelling of the sarcolemmal membrane with respect to Ca(2+)-channels, Ca(2+)-transport systems, cardiac receptors and signal transduction mechanisms. Although information regarding remodelling of mitochondria in the infarcted heart is limited, alterations in energy yielding and Ca(2+)-accumulating systems are suspected. Accordingly, it is suggested that changes in cardiac contractile dysfunction due to myocardial infarction are associated with remodeling of both extracellular matrix and subcellular organelles in the heart.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Mechanisms of alterations in cardiac membrane Ca2+ transport due to excess catecholamines.

The occurrence of excessive catecholamine release is often associated with stress due to the lifestyle of Western societies. Contrary to the general thinking that excess catecholamines produce cardiotoxicity mainly via binding to adrenoceptors, there is increasing evidence that catecholamine-induced deleterious actions may also occur through oxidative mechanisms. In this overview it is shown that a high dose of isoproterenol induces a biphasic change in cardiac Ca2+ transport in the sarcolemma and in sarcoplasmic reticulum. Both sarcolemmal and sarcoplasmic reticular Ca2+-transport activities are initially increased to maintain Ca2+ homeostasis and then are impaired, which may be associated with the occurrence of intracellular Ca2+ overload. On the other hand, mitochondrial Ca2+-transport activities exhibited a delayed increase. Pretreatment with vitamin E partially prevented the deleterious changes in cardiac membranes as well as the depressed energetic status of the heart muscle cell. It is concluded that excess catecholamines affect Ca2+-transport mechanisms primarily via oxidation reactions involving free radical-mediated damage. Thus drug approaches that reduce circulating catecholamines and/or prevent their oxidation should prove beneficial. A combination therapy involving inhibitors of catecholamine release, blockers of adrenoceptors, and antioxidants may be indicated for stress-induced heart disease.

Adrenergic beta-Agonists↗
PubMed1996

Modification of catecholamine-induced changes in heart function by food restriction in rats.

In view of the common practice of dieting for weight reduction, the influence of severe food restriction (about 25% of ad libitum intake) on adrenergic mechanisms was studied. Cardiac norepinephrine and epinephrine concentrations as well as plasma norepinephrine levels, were increased upon feeding a restricted diet to rats for 14 days in comparison with control rats that ingested about 30 g food/ day. Bradycardia as well as characteristic electrocardiographic abnormalities, including prolongation of the QRS and QT intervals, were observed in food-restricted rats. Diet-restricted rats did not develop ventricular arrhythmias in response to epinephrine injections as readily as control rats. Depression in both + dP/dt and -dP/dt of the heart in situ as well as reductions in the inotropic responses to epinephrine were evident in diet-restricted rats. Beta-adrenergic binding studies revealed a significant decrease in receptor density, but the dissociation constant for binding was also depressed in the food-restricted rat heart. Downregulation of the beta-adrenergic receptors in the heart may explain the lack of an epinephrine-induced increase in contractile force development as well as arrhythmias in food-restricted rats. These data demonstrate that severe food restriction has marked effects on adrenergic mechanisms and heart function, and thus some caution should be exercised at early periods of this therapy for weight reduction.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Effects of long-term dietary restriction on cardiovascular function and plasma catecholamines in the rat.

To examine the relationship between heart function and plasma catecholamines upon food restriction, normal adult rats were fed 12 g or 6 g food/day for 14 days and 12 g food/day for 28 days. Food-restricted rats exhibited bradycardia, hypotension, and decreased rates of cardiac contraction (+dP/dt) as well as relaxation (-dP/dt) at 14 (12 or 6 g food/day) and 28 (12 g food/day) days. Plasma norepinephrine and epinephrine levels were significantly elevated in the 6 g food/day group at 14 days, whereas in the 12 g food/day group, plasma norepinephrine was elevated at 14 days but was significantly decreased at 28 days. Heart norepinephrine and epinephrine concentrations were elevated at both 14 and 28 days of food restriction in the 12 g food/day group as well as at 14 days in the 6 g food/day group. Thus, dietary restriction appears to result in depressed indices of heart function, while the circulating levels of catecholamines were elevated at early stages.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Cardiac membrane Ca(2+)-transport in alloxan-induced diabetes in rats.

In order to determine if cardiac membrane Ca(2+)-transport activities are altered in chronic diabetes induced by alloxan, rats were given an intravenous injection of 65 mg/kg and the hearts were used 8 weeks later. Some 4 weeks, diabetic animals were injected with insulin (3 U/day) for 4 weeks. Both sarcolemmal (SL) and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) membranes were isolated from the ventricular tissue and their Ca(2+)-transporting activities were determined. SL Na(+)-dependent Ca2+ uptake, ATP-dependent Ca2+ uptake and Ca(2+)-stimulated ATPase activities were depressed in the diabetic heart. Likewise, SR ATP-dependent Ca2+ uptake activity in the diabetic heart was markedly decreased in comparison to the control preparations. These defects in diabetic SL and SR Ca(2+)-transport activities were prevented by treatment of diabetic animals with insulin. The results from the alloxan-rat model of diabetes support the view that membrane abnormalities with respect to Ca2+ handling may lead to the occurrence of intracellular Ca2+ overload and the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Neuropeptide Y modulation of sympathetic activity in myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVES: We examined the possible effect of neuropeptide Y in modulating central sympathetic activity after myocardial infarction in rats. BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown the coexistence of neuropeptide Y and norepinephrine in the brain and a possible functional interaction between the two. Neuropeptide Y inhibits the release of norepinephrine at the presynaptic level and can be considered to act as a neuromodulator. METHODS: Two groups of rats were examined in this study-an experimental group, defined as those rats undergoing left coronary artery ligation, and a sham group without coronary artery ligation, serving as the control group. The animal in both groups underwent microdialysis in the paraventricular nucleus at 2, 4 and 8 weeks after operation. Microdialysis samples were collected with and without injecting neuropeptide Y in the paraventricular nucleus. The concentration of norepinephrine was determined by injecting purified microdialysate samples during high performance liquid chromatography. To explore the receptor's possible role, autoradiographic localization of neuropeptide Y receptors in the paraventricular nucleus was also carried out in the experimental and sham groups. RESULTS: The concentration of norepinephrine measured in the samples was decreased by 50% with neuropeptide Y in 2- and 4-week old rats after infarction, but by only 20% (p < 0.05) in 8-week old rats after infraction. The diminished inhibitory effects of neuropeptide Y on norepinephrine release was associated with increased sympathetic activity, as reflected by plasma norepinephrine; 8-week old rats after infarction had almost a 100% (p < 0.05) increase in their plasma norepinephrine level compared with the sham group. Autoradiography revealed a significant decrease in density of neuropeptide Y receptors in the paraventricular nucleus in 8-week old rats after infarction (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The data presented in this report suggest that the reduction of the inhibitory activation of neuropeptide Y on sympathetic release may contribute to elevated norepinephrine levels after myocardial infarction.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Sequence of alterations in subcellular organelles during the development of heart dysfunction in diabetes.

Although changes in different subcellular organelles such as myofibrils, sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), mitochondria and sarcolemma (SL), as well as in heart function have been reported to occur in chronic diabetes, their inter-relationships and functional significance are poorly understood. In order to gain information on this aspect, diabetes in rats was induced by an intravenous injection of streptozotocin and animals were assessed hemodynamically at 15-27 days. Ventricular tissue from several diabetic animals was pooled, subcellular organelles were isolated and their biochemical activities determined. Significant depressions in cardiac contractile and relaxation were observed to be associated with decreases in myofibrillar Ca(2+)-stimulated ATPase and SR Ca(2+)-pump activities at 21 days from the induction of diabetes. Likewise, the SL Na+-Ca2+ exchange and Ca(2+)-channel density were decreased at 21 days but the affinity of SL Ca(2+)-channels was increased in the diabetic heart. The SL Ca(2+)-pump and Na+-K+ ATPase activities were depressed at 18 and 24 days, respectively. Both alpha- and beta- adrenoceptor densities in SL were decreased at 27 days whereas no changes in mitochondrial function were observed at these early stages of diabetes. The SL low affinity Ca(2+)-binding was decreased while the low affinity Ca(2+)-ATPase activity was increased at 18 days following the induction of diabetes. These results indicate that SL defects precede those in SR, myofibrils or mitochondria and suggest that abnormalities in Ca(2+)-handling as well as interaction of Ca2+ with myofilaments in cardiomyocytes may lead to the development of heart dysfunction in chronic diabetes.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1996

Modification of sarcoplasmic reticulum gene expression in pressure overload cardiac hypertrophy by etomoxir.

Pressure overload on the heart is known to produce hypertrophy of cardiomyocytes and distinct changes in protein phenotype, including reduced expression of the gene for the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ATPase (SERCA2). In this study we have shown that the decrease in SERCA2 gene expression (normalized by poly(A)+ mRNA or 18 S rRNA) in rats with 8 wk of aortic constriction was prevented by treatment with etomoxir, an inhibitor of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1. The reduction in steady-state mRNA levels for SR phospholamban (PLP) and Ca2+ release channel (CRC) in the pressure-overloaded animals was also prevented without any reduction in the extent of cardiac hypertrophy by treatment with etomoxir. Although no changes in mRNA levels for GAPDH were evident in rats with pressure overload, the expression of the alpha-skeletal actin was increased; this change was prevented by etomoxir. Similar beneficial effects of etomoxir treatment were also evident when the gene expression for SR SERCA2, PLP, and CRC in the hypertrophied heart was normalized with respect to mRNA for GAPDH. These results support the view that drugs such as etomoxir may increase the abundance of the mRNA for SR proteins in the hypertrophied heart and thus may prevent the transition of cardiac hypertrophy into heart failure.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Phosphatidic acid increases intracellular free Ca2+ and cardiac contractile force.

Although phosphatidic acid (PA) is mainly formed due to the hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine by myocardial phospholipase D, its functional significance in the heart is not fully understood. The present study was designed to determine the effects of PA on intracellular free Ca2+ level ([Ca2+]i) in freshly isolated adult rat cardiomyocytes by using fura 2-acextoxmethylester and free fura 2 technique. Addition of PA at concentrations of 1-200 microM produced a concentration-dependent increase in [Ca2+]i from the basal level of 117 +/- 8 nM; maximal increase in [Ca2+]i was 233 +/- 50 nM, whereas median effective concentration (EC50) for PA was 45 +/- 1.2 microM. This increase in [Ca2+]i was abolished by the removal of extracellular Ca2+ with ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid and was partially attenuated by Ca2+ channel blockers, verapamil or diltiazem. Preincubation of cardiomyocytes with cyclopiazonic acid and thapsigargin or with ryanodine [to deplete sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+] attenuated the PA-induced increase in [Ca2+]i by 66, 37, and 43%, respectively. Furthermore, the response of [Ca2+]i to PA was blunted by 2-nitro-4 carboxyphenylcarbonate, an inhibitor of phospholipase C, but was unaffected by staurosporine, a protein kinase C inhibitor. PA was also observed to induce Ca2+ efflux from the myocytes. In addition, an injection of PA (0.34 microgram/100 g body wt i.v.) in rats produced a significant increase of the left ventricular developed pressure as well as the maximum rates of cardiac contraction and relaxation within 5 min. These data suggest that the PA-induced increase in [Ca2+]i in cardiomyocytes is a consequence of both Ca2+ influx from the extracellular source and Ca2+ release from the intracellular SR stores. Furthermore, these in vitro data suggest the possibility that PA may regulate [Ca2+]i and contractile parameters in the heart.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Sarcoplasmic reticular Ca2+ pump ATPase activity in congestive heart failure due to myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVE: Earlier studies have shown a depression in the sarcoplasmic reticular (SR) Ca2+ uptake and gene expression in Ca2+ pump ATPase protein in congestive heart failure subsequent to myocardial infarction. It is the objective of this study to understand further the mechanisms of depressed SR Ca2+ pump activity in the failing heart. METHODS: Heart failure in rats was induced by occluding the left coronary artery for 16 weeks and the viable left ventricle was processed for the isolation of SR membranes. Sham-operated animals were used as control. The characteristics of SR Ca2+ pump ATPase in the presence of different concentrations of K+, Ca2+ and ATP were examined and the purity of these membranes was monitored by determining the marker enzyme activities. In addition to measuring changes in cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) protein kinase and Ca(2+)-calmodulin induced phosphorylation, alterations in SR phospholipid composition as well as sulfhydryl (SH) group content were investigated. RESULTS: Ca(2+)-stimulated ATPase activity, unlike Mg(2+)-ATPase activity, was depressed in the left ventricular SR from failing hearts as compared to control. The decrease in Ca(2+)-stimulated ATPase activity was seen at different concentrations of Ca2+, K+ and ATP but no changes in the affinities of the enzyme for Ca2+ and ATP were evident. The SR Ca(2+)-stimulated ATPase activities in the presence of both cAMP-dependent protein kinase and Ca(2+)-calmodulin were markedly decreased in the failing hearts when compared to control preparations. Furthermore, the 32P incorporation in the presence of cAMP-dependent protein kinase or Ca(2+)-calmodulin was also reduced in the experimental heart SR membranes. The phospholipid composition of the SR membranes from the failing heart was markedly altered. No changes in SH-group or the degree of cross contamination with other membranes were apparent in the failing heart SR. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that abnormalities in membrane phospholipid composition and phosphorylation of the enzyme may partly explain the observed depression in SR Ca2+ pump ATPase activity in heart failure following myocardial infarction.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Responses of heart function and intracellular free Ca2+ to phosphatidic acid in chronic diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: In view of the crucial role of phosphatidic acid (PA) in signal transduction and Ca(2+)-handling in myocardium, it was the objective of this study to examine the effects of PA on cardiac contractile force and intracellular free Ca2+ in control and chronic diabetic rats. METHODS: Diabetes was induced in rats by a single intravenous injection of streptozotocin (65 mg/kg.) and the animals were used for experiments eight weeks after the injection. Heart function was measured by using the isolated perfused heart preparations, and values for systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, rate of contraction (+dP/dt) and rate of relaxation (-dP/dt) were monitored. Intracellular free Ca2+ in cardiomyocytes was estimated by employing Fura-2/AM method. RESULTS: PA (5 x 10(-8) to 1 x 10(-5) M) produced a concentration-dependent increase in +dP/dt and -dP/dt in the isolated heart; however, these responses were significantly attenuated in diabetic hearts. ATP also caused a positive inotropic effect at concentrations of 1 x 10(-5) to 1 x 10(-4) M but the magnitude of these responses was similar in both control and diabetic groups. Using freshly isolated cardiomyocytes and Fura-2 technique, PA (1 x 10(-6) to 1 x 10(-4) M) was observed to evoke a concentration-dependent increase in [Ca2+]i in both control and diabetic groups. The EC50 and EC95 values for PA were not different but the maximum increase of [Ca2+]i in diabetic hearts was significantly lower in comparison to the control group (152 +/- 41 versus 304 +/- 56 nM). On the other hand, no difference in the increase of [Ca2+]i due to ATP or potassium chloride was seen between control and diabetic cardiomyocytes. Adrenaline pretreatment enhanced [Ca2+]i responses to ATP and PA in both groups; however, the PA-induced increase in [Ca2+]i, unlike the ATP-induced increase, was lower in the diabetic group compared to the control cells with similar pretreatment with adrenaline. The diminished increase in [Ca2+]i due to PA was also observed in cardiomyocytes obtained from rats in which diabetes was induced by intravenous alloxan (65 mg/kg). CONCLUSIONS: PA induced [Ca2+]i mobilization and positive inotropic response were depressed in diabetic heart; this defect in the signal transduction mechanism may contribute to the lower tonic responses of certain inotropic agents in chronic diabetes.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1995

Mechanisms of inotropic responses of the isolated rat hearts to vanadate.

In view of the invariable development of insulin resistance in different types of cardiovascular diseases, considerable attention has been focused on vanadate because of its ability to exert insulin-like effects in the body. Since vanadate, like insulin, has been shown to exert a beneficial effect in diabetic cardiomyopathy, this study was undertaken to examine the mechanisms of its action on the heart. Vanadate, at 5-10 microM concentrations, produced a positive inotropic effect in the isolated perfused rat heart, whereas at higher concentrations (20 microM), it decreased the contractile force development. The positive inotropic effect of 10 microM vanadate was not affected by the pretreatment of animals with reserpine as well as the presence of propranolol or phenoxybenzamine in the perfusion medium. The increase in contractile force development due to vanadate at low (0.3-0.6 mM) concentrations of Ca2+ was markedly augmented, but this agent produced a negative inotropic action at high concentrations of Ca2+ (2.0-3.0 mM). Preperfusion of hearts with verapamil enhanced the positive inotropic effect of vanadate whereas hearts preperfused with ouabain, low sodium or amiloride showed negative inotropic effects of vanadate. Vanadate was found to inhibit sarcoplasmic reticular Ca(2+)-pump and sarcolemmal Ca(2+)-pump as well as Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activities but the sarcolemmal effects were evident at lower concentrations in comparison to that on the sarcoplasmic reticulum. The actions of vanadate on membrane Ca2+ transport and ATPase systems were specific since this agent exerted no effect on sarcolemmal Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange or myofibrillar ATPase activities. In isolated cardiomyocytes suspended in buffer containing 0.5 or 1.0 mM Ca2+, vanadate increased the intracellular concentration of Ca2+; this increase in intracellular Ca2+ was more pronounced at 0.5 mM Ca2+. These results indicate that increased intracellular concentration of Ca2+ due to inhibition of sarcolemmal Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase and sarcolemmal Ca(2+)-pump may be the primary mechanism of the positive inotropic action of vanadate in the heart. It is suggested that vanadate may serve as an inotropic agent and that this mechanism may contribute towards its beneficial effects on cardiac dysfunction in different cardiovascular diseases.

Amiloride↗
PubMed1995

Basic fibroblast growth factor is cardioprotective in ischemia-reperfusion injury.

To examine whether basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) administered to the heart by perfusion can improve cardiac resistance to injury we employed an isolated rat heart model of ischemia-reperfusion injury and determined the extent of functional recovery in bFGF-treated and control hearts. Global ischemia was simulated by interruption of flow for 60 min. Recovery of developed force of contraction (DF), recorded after reestablishment of flow for 30 min, reached 63.8 +/- 1.5% and 96.5 +/- 3.5% of preischemic levels in control and bFGF-treated hearts (10 micrograms/heart), respectively, indicating that bFGF induced significantly improved recovery of mechanical function. Recoveries of the rates of contraction or relaxation were also significantly improved in bFGF-treated hearts. Extent of myocardial injury, assessed by determination of phosphocreatine kinase in the effluent, was reduced as a result of bFGF treatment. As a first step towards understanding the mechanism and direct cellular target(s) of bFGF-induced cardioprotection, we investigated its fate after perfusion. Perfusion of 10 micrograms bFGF/heart resulted in a 4-fold increase in bFGF associated with the heart compared to control levels, as estimated by biochemical fractionation and immunoblotting. Immunofluorescent staining of the bFGF-perfused hearts revealed intense anti-bFGF staining in association with blood vessels as well as the periphery of cardiomyocytes, suggesting that the latter may be a target for direct bFGF action. In conclusion, our findings of bFGF-induced increases in cardiac resistance to, and improved functional recovery from, ischemia-reperfusion injury indicate that bFGF may have clinical applications in the treatment of ischemic heart disease.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Myosin light chain phosphorylation in cardiac hypertrophy and failure due to myocardial infarction.

The regulatory myosin light chain (MLC) is phosphorylated in cardiac muscle by Ca2+/calmodulin dependent myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) and is considered to play a modulatory role in the process of force generation. In order to determine changes in MLC phosphorylation in cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure, the relative content of MLCK and MLC phosphorylation in the cardiac muscle from both sham control and experimental rats were assessed at 4 and 8 weeks following ligation of the left coronary artery. Changes in the relative MLCK content were measured by electrophoresis and immunoblot assay whereas phosphorylated and unphosphorylated MLC were separated by non-denaturing 10% acrylamide/urea gel and identified by Western blotting. The relative amount of MLCK was increased by 20-35% in the viable left ventricle, right ventricle and septum from the 8-week experimental rats in comparison to the respective control values. The MLC phosphorylation increased significantly in the right ventricle and septum but decreased markedly in the viable left ventricle from 8-week experimental rats in comparison to the control values. No appreciable changes in the relative amount of MLCK and MLC phosphorylation were seen between control and experimental rats at 4 weeks. These results suggest duration and region specific changes in the levels of MLCK and MLC phosphorylation in cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure subsequent to myocardial infarction.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Status of Ca(2+)-channels in hearts perfused with Ca(2+)-free medium as well as upon reperfusion (Ca(2+)-paradox).

Although a wide variety of biochemical changes have been observed during the occurrence of Ca(2+)-paradox, very little is known about membrane alterations during Ca(2+)-free perfusion which may predispose the heart to the development of intracellular Ca(2+)-overload in the Ca(2+)-paradox phenomenon. In view of the marked influx of Ca2+ into the myocardial cell during Ca(2+)-paradox and the involvement of Ca(2+)-channels in the entry of Ca2+, we determined the status of Ca(2+)-channels by measuring the binding of a Ca(2+)-antagonist, [3H] PN200-110, with membranes obtained from rat hearts perfused with Ca(2+)-free medium. The density of Ca(2+)-channels in the membranes was increased upon perfusing the heart with Ca(2+)-free medium for > 2 min or when the perfusion medium contained less than 25 microM concentration of Ca2+. The increase in Ca(2+)-channel density was attenuated when the hearts were perfused with Ca(2+)-free medium in the presence of a low concentration (35 mM) of Na+ or at low temperature (21 degrees C); two conditions which are known to prevent the occurrence of Ca(2+)-paradox. These results indicate that increased density of Ca(2+)-channels due to Ca(2+)-free perfusion may contribute towards the massive Ca(2+)-influx into the myocardial cell for the induction of intracellular Ca(2+)-overload associated with Ca(2+)-paradox during reperfusion with Ca(2+)-containing medium.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Inotropic responses to isoproterenol in congestive heart failure subsequent to myocardial infarction in rats.

It is well known that the positive inotropic effect of catecholamines is mediated through the activation of adrenergic receptors and the formation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (AMP) in the cardiac cell. Although attenuated responses of failing hearts to catecholamines are commonly seen in patients and experimental animals with coronary artery disease, their mechanisms are poorly understood. To examine the status of beta-adrenergic receptors and postadrenergic receptor mechanisms in congestive heart failure due to myocardial infarction, the left coronary artery in rats was ligated for 4 and 8 weeks before studying the hemodynamic and biochemical changes due to isoproterenol, a beta-adrenoceptor agonist, or forskolin, a postreceptor agonist. Isolated perfused rat heart preparations were also used for studying changes in contractile function and cyclic AMP content. The hemodynamic actions and changes in the left ventricular cyclic AMP content in the experimental animals were depressed, not only in response to isoproterenol but also to forskolin. The density of beta-adrenoceptors was also decreased in the failing myocardium. In isolated perfused hearts from the 8-week experimental animals, isoproterenol-induced as well as forskolin-induced increases in both contractile force and cyclic AMP content in the left ventricle were depressed. These data suggest that defects in both beta-adrenergic receptor and postreceptor sites may be involved in attenuating the response of infarcted hearts to catecholamines.

Adenosine Monophosphate↗