Alzbeta Chorvatova

Spectrally resolved time-correlated single photon counting: a novel approach for characterization of endogenous fluorescence in isolated cardiac myocytes

A new setup for time-resolved fluorescence micro-spectroscopy of cells, based on multi-dimensional time-correlated single photon counting, was designed and tested. Here we demonstrate that the spectrometer allows fast and reproducible measurements of endogenous flavin fluorescence measured directly in living cardiac cells after excitation with visible picosecond laser diodes. Two complementary approaches for the analysis of spectrally- and time-resolved autofluorescence data are presented, comprising the fluorescence decay fitting by exponential series and the time-resolved emission spectroscopy analysis. In isolated cardiac myocytes, we observed three distinct lifetime pools with characteristic lifetime values spanning from picosecond to nanosecond range and the time-dependent red shift of the autofluorescence emission spectra. We compared obtained results to in vitro recordings of free flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and FAD in lipoamide dehydrogenase (LipDH). The developed setup combines the strength of both spectral and fluorescence lifetime analysis and provides a solid base for the study of complex systems with intrinsic fluorescence, such as identification of the individual flavinoprotein components in living cardiac cells. This approach therefore constitutes an important instrumental advancement towards redox fluorimetry of living cardiomyocytes, with the perspective of its applications in the investigation of oxidative metabolic state under pathophysiological conditions, such as ischemia and/or metabolic disorders.

Intracellular calcium homeostasis in patients with early stagesof chronic kidney disease: effects of vitamin D3 supplementation

BACKGROUND Chronic renal failure has been referred to as a state of cellular calcium toxicity. The aim of this study was to investigate the status of free cytosolic calcium ([Ca(2+)](i)), intracellular calcium reserves and the capacitative calcium entry in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of early-stage chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, and to determine the effect of vitamin D(3) supplementation on these parameters. METHODS The study involved 44 patients with CKD stages 2-3; 27 of them were treated with cholecalciferol (5000 IU/week) for 12 months. [Ca(2+)](i) was measured using Fluo-3 AM fluorimetry. Intracellular calcium reserves were emptied by the application of thapsigargin (Tg), a specific inhibitor of endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase. 2-Aminoethyl-diphenyl borate (2APB) was used to examine the capacitative calcium entry. RESULTS [Ca(2+)](i) of CKD patients was substantially higher in comparison with healthy subjects: 123 (115-127) versus 102 (98-103) nmol/l, P < 0.001. The calcium concentration of Tg-sensitive stores and the capacitative calcium entry were also significantly increased in CKD patients. After the 12-month vitamin D(3) supplementation, there was a marked decrease in [Ca(2+)](i) [105 (103-112) nmol/l, P < 0.001 versus baseline], independently of the increase in 25(OH)D(3) or the decrease in PTH levels. No significant changes in intracellular calcium reserves and the capacitative calcium entry were found. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that (1) [Ca(2+)](i), intracellular calcium stores and the capacitative calcium entry were significantly increased already in early stages of CKD; (2) long-term vitamin D(3) supplementation normalized [Ca(2+)](i) without any effect on intracellular calcium reserves or the capacitative calcium entry.

Effect of ouabain on metabolic oxidative state in living cardiomyocytes evaluated by time-resolved spectroscopy of endogenous NAD(P)H fluorescence

Abstract. Time-resolved spectrometry of endogenous nicotinamide dinucleotide phosphate [NAD(P)H] fluorescence is a useful method to evaluate metabolic oxidative state in living cells. Ouabain is a well-known pharmaceutical drug used in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, the effects of which on myocardial metabolism were recently demonstrated. Mechanisms implicated in these actions are still poorly understood. We investigate the effect of ouabain on the metabolic oxidative state of living cardiac cells identified by time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy of mitochondrial NAD(P)H. Spectral unmixing is used to resolve individual NAD(P)H fluorescence components. Ouabain decreased the integral intensity of NAD(P)H fluorescence, leading to a reduced component amplitudes ratio corresponding to a change in metabolic state. We also noted that lactate/pyruvate, affecting the cytosolic NADH gradient, increased the effect of ouabain on the component amplitudes ratio. Cell oxidation levels, evaluated as the percentage of oxidized NAD(P)H, decreased exponentially with rising concentrations of the cardiac glycoside. Ouabain also stimulated the mitochondrial NADH production. Our study sheds a new light on the role that ouabain plays in the regulation of metabolic state, and presents perspective on a noninvasive, pharmaceutical approach for testing the effect of drugs on the mitochondrial metabolism by means of time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy in living cells.

Rejection of transplanted hearts in patients evaluated by the component analysis of multi-wavelength NAD(P)H fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy

Rejection of transplanted hearts remains one of the principal reasons for death of paediatric patients, but an appropriate diagnostic tool for the mild rejection in early stages is still missing. Tissue autofluorescence (AF) is one of the most versatile non-invasive tools for mapping the metabolic state in living tissues. Increasing interest in the imaging and diagnosis of living cells and tissues based on their intrinsic fluorescence rather than fluorescence labelling is closely connected to the latest developments in high-performance spectroscopy and microscopy techniques. In this contribution, we investigate individual components in spectrally- and time-resolved NAD(P)H fluorescence, revealed by linear unmixing, responsible for increased fluorescence in patients presenting mild rejection of transplanted hearts. Application of such approach has the potential to improve the diagnostics of the cardiac transplant rejection by helping currently used histological analysis.

Spectral decomposition of NAD(P)H fluorescence components recorded by multi-wavelength fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy in living cardiac cells

We report a novel analytical approach to identify individual components of a cell’s endogenous fluorescence, recorded by spectrally-resolved time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC). Time-resolved area-normalized emission spectroscopy (TRANES) and principal component analysis (PCA) were applied to estimate the number of spectral components after metabolic modulation of cardiac cells following excitation with a 375 nm picosecond laser. Linear unmixing of TCSPC data spectrally decomposed individual components in living cells, while using characteristics of endogenously fluorescing molecules in solvents as a reference spectral database. Our data demonstrate the presence of three individual components, corresponding to the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (phosphate) (NAD(P)H) in organic and inorganic solvents and to the residual flavoprotein fluorescence. The presented analytical approach offers a new alternative for the spectral separation of multi-wavelength fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy data to the conventional analysis, and opens a new possibility for the use of pattern recognition for fast resolution of components in 2D fluorescence lifetime microscopy images.

Comparative study of the effects of lacidipine and enalapril on the left ventricular cardiomyocyte remodeling in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Antihypertensive medications are the most efficient drugs in achieving regression of myocardial hypertrophy in both clinical studies and animal models of hypertension. Nevertheless, there is a lack of clear and concise comparative study of their effects on the modulation of cardiomyocyte morphology and function. Here, we assessed the tissue-protective actions of 2 of these drugs, the calcium channel blocker lacidipine (3 mg/kg/day) and the angiotensin-converting enzyme-inhibitor enalapril (10 mg/kg/day) in vivo, after 8 weeks of treatment of 12-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats, as well as in vitro, after short-term (4 min) application to isolated cardiomyocytes. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) was compared at organ, tissue, and single-cell level. Our data showed that both drugs prevented the LVH of 20-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats, but only lacidipine significantly decreased the cardiomyocyte size. Similarly, the single-cell contractility was significantly lowered in lacidipine-treated rats only. The effect of lacidipine was initiated shortly after exposure to the drug in a dose-dependent manner at 0.5 Hz, as well as at 2 Hz, with EC50 of 10−7 mol/L. These results can help in understanding the effects of these drugs on the prevention of LVH.

Metabolic Remodelling of Cardiac Myocytes During Pregnancy: The Role of Mineralocorticoids

BACKGROUND Pregnancy is associated with significant cardiac adaptations. The regulatory mechanisms involved in functional cardiac adaptations during pregnancy are still largely unknown. In pathologic conditions, mineralocorticoids have been shown to mediate structural as well as functional remodelling of the heart. However, their role in cardiac physiological conditions is not completely understood. Here, we examined cardiac cell metabolic remodelling in the late stages of rat pregnancy, as well as mineralocorticoid involvement in this regulation. METHODS We have applied rapid video imaging, echocardiography, patch clamp technique, confocal microscopy, and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. RESULTS Our results revealed that cardiac cells undergo metabolic remodelling in pregnancy. Inhibition of mineralocorticoid receptors during pregnancy elicited functional alterations in cardiac cells: blood levels of energy substrates, particularly lactate, were decreased. As a consequence, the cardiomyocyte contractile response to these substrates was blunted, without modifications of L-type calcium current density. Interestingly, this response was associated with changes in the mitochondrial metabolic state, which correlated with modifications of bound reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (phosphate) NAD(P)H levels. We also noted that mineralocorticoid receptor inhibition prevented pregnancy-induced decrease in transient outward potassium current. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that in pregnancy, mineralocorticoids contribute to functional adaptations of cardiac myocytes. By regulating energy substrate levels, in particular lactate, in the plasma and metabolic state in the cells, mineralocorticoids affect the contractility responsiveness to these substrates. In the future, understanding cardiac adaptations during pregnancy will help us to comprehend their pathophysiological alterations.

Application of spectral unmixing in multi-wavelength time-resolved spectroscopy

We present a new approach for analysis of multi-wavelength time-resolved spectroscopy data, based on sequential spectral unmixing. Principal component analysis was used to identify the number and spectral profiles of the main components of intrinsic flavin signal in multi-wavelength time-resolved fluorescence recordings from isolated living cardiac myocytes. To determine these components, natural variations in the cardiomyocyte autofluorescence spectra were induced by modulators of mitochondrial metabolism and respiration. Using aforementioned approach we have identified two main components of intrinsic flavin emission in cardiac myocytes. The first component show emission maximum at 486-504 nm and mean lifetime of 1.2 nanoseconds, the second component with peak at 522 nm has two-exponential decay with fluorescence lifetimes of 0.3 and 3.1 nanoseconds. Comparison of gathered new results to our previous studies of flavins in vitro and in cardiac cells clearly points to the fact that the estimated spectral components correspond to flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) bound to enzyme(s) of mitochondrial metabolic chain, and to free FAD, respectively.

Analysis of NAD(P)H Fluorescence Components in Cardiac Myocytes from Human Biopsies, a New Tool to Improve Diagnostics of Rejection of Transplanted Patients

Tissue autofluorescence is one of the most versatile non-invasive tools for mapping the metabolic state in living tissues. Increasing interest in the imaging and diagnosis of living cells and tissues, based on their intrinsic fluorescence rather than fluorescence labeling, is closely connected to the latest developments in high-performance spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. We investigate metabolic state of cardiac cells isolated from one additional human biopsy from transplanted pediatric patients presenting either no rejection (R0) or mild rejection (R1). Two different approaches for isolation of human cardiac myocytes are also compared. Spectrally-resolved fluorescence lifetime detection of NAD(P)H fluorescence (excitation by pulsed 375 nm picosecond laser) is tested as a promising new tool for quantitative analysis of intrinsic cellular autofluorescence signals in living cardiomyocytes. This work opens new horizons in the evaluation of cardiac transplant rejection using latest fluorescence imaging approaches.

Screening of cardiomyocyte fluorescence during cell contraction by multi-dimensional TCSPC

Autofluorescence is one of the most versatile non-invasive tools for mapping the metabolic state of living tissues, such as the heart. We present a new approach to the investigation of changes in endogenous fluorescence during cardiomyocyte contraction - by spectrally-resolved, time correlated, single photon counting (TCSPC). Cell contraction is stimulated by external platinum electrodes, incorporated in a home-made bath and triggered by a pulse generator at a frequency of 0.5 Hz (to stabilize sarcoplasmic reticulum loading), or 5 Hz (the rat heart rate). Cell illumination by the laser is synchronized with cell contraction, using TTL logic pulses operated by a stimulator and delayed to study mitochondrial metabolism at maximum contraction (10-110 ms) and/or at steady state (1000-1100 ms at 0.5 Hz). To test the setup, we recorded calcium transients in cells loaded with the Fluo-3 fluorescent probe (excited by 475 nm pulsed picosecond diode laser). We then evaluated recordings of flavin AF (excited by 438 nm pulsed laser) at room and physiological temperatures. Application of the presented approach will shed new insight into metabolic changes in living, contracting myocytes and, therefore, regulation of excitation-contraction coupling and/or ionic homeostasis and, thus, heart excitability.