Hai-Tao Guo

Resveratrol Attenuates Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Neonatal Cardiomyocytes and Its Underlying Mechanism

This study was designed to investigate whether Resveratrol (Res) could be a prophylactic factor in the prevention of I/R injury and to shed light on its underlying mechanism. Primary culture of neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were randomly distributed into three groups: the normal group (cultured cardiomyocytes were in normal conditions), the I/R group (cultured cardiomyocytes were subjected to 2 h simulated ischemia followed by 4 h reperfusion), and the Res+I/R group (100 µmol/L Res was administered before cardiomyocytes were subjected to 2 h simulated ischemia followed by 4 h reperfusion). To test the extent of cardiomyocyte injury, several indices were detected including cell viability, LDH activity, Na+-K+-ATPase and Ca2+-ATPase activity. To test apoptotic cell death, caspase-3 activity and the expression of Bcl-2/Bax were detected. To explore the underlying mechanism, several inhibitors, intracellular calcium, SOD activity and MDA content were used to identify some key molecules involved. Res increased cell viability, Na+-K+-ATPase and Ca2+-ATPase activity, Bcl-2 expression, and SOD level. While LDH activity, capase-3 activity, Bax expression, intracellular calcium and MDA content were decreased by Res. And the effect of Res was blocked completely by either L-NAME (an eNOS inhibitor) or MB (a cGMP inhibitor), and partly by either DS (a PKC inhibitor) or Glybenclamide (a KATP inhibitor). Our results suggest that Res attenuates I/R injury in cardiomyocytes by preventing cell apoptosis, decreasing LDH release and increasing ATPase activity. NO, cGMP, PKC and KATP may play an important role in the protective role of Res. Moreover, Res enhances the capacity of anti-oxygen free radical and alleviates intracellular calcium overload in cardiomyocytes.

Cardioprotective and antiarrhythmic effect of U50,488H in ischemia/reperfusion rat heart.

The objective of this study was to investigate the protective effect of U50,488H, a selective κ-opioid receptor agonist, in the ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) rat and to delineate the underlying mechanism. Rat heart I/R injury was induced by occluding the left anterior descending coronary artery for 45 min and restoring perfusion for 120 min. U50,488H or vehicle was intravenously injected before ischemia. Electrocardiogram, heart rate (HR), arterial blood pressure (ABP), left ventricular pressure (LVP), systolic function (+dp/dtmax), and diastolic function (−dp/dtmax) were monitored in the course of the experiment. Myocardial infarction size was evaluated. Plasma concentrations of cardiac troponin T (cTnT), creatine kinase (CK), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were measured. Single rat ventricular myocyte was obtained by enzymatic dissociation method. The potassium currents (IK) of isolated ventricular myocytes were recorded with the whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique. Compared with the sham control group, no significant change was found in HR, while ABP, LVP and ±dp/dtmax were significantly reduced in the I/R group. Administration of U50,488H significantly lowered HR in both control and I/R groups. Compared with the vehicle-treated I/R group, administration of U50,488H had no significant effect on I/R-induced reduction in ABP, LVP, and ±dp/dtmax. However, this treatment significantly reduced the myocardial infarction size, and markedly decreased the contents of plasma cTnT, CK and LDH. During ischemia and reperfusion, the incidence of ventricular arrhythmia in U50,488H-treated rats was significantly reduced. These effects were independent of the bradycardia induced by U50,488H, as the reducing infarct size and antiarrhythmic effect of U50,488H were still observed in animals in which heart rate was kept constant by electrical pacing. U50,488H and BRL-52537 still produced an antiarrhythmic effect when the rat heart was subjected to a shorter ischemic period of 10 min occlusion of coronary artery, which produced no infarction. IK of the myocytes were inhibited by U50,488H in a dose-dependent manner in normal and hypoxic rat ventricular myocytes. However, the effects of U50,488H on IK did not show any significant difference in normal and hypoxic myocytes. The above-described effects of U50,488H were totally blocked by nor-Binaltorphimine, a selective κ-opioid receptor antagonist. The results suggest that κ-opioid agonist U50,488H exerts its direct cardioprotective and antiarrhythmic effects against I/R via κ-opioid receptor, which participates in the regulation of potassium channels in normal and hypoxic ventricular myocytes.

Myocardial Apoptosis and Infarction after Ischemia/Reperfusion Are Attenuated by κ-Opioid Receptor Agonist

BACKGROUND AND AIMS It remains unclear whether U50488H (a selective kappa-opioid receptor agonist) produces anti-apoptotic effect during ischemia and reperfusion (I/R). Therefore, the effect of U50488H on myocardial apoptosis was investigated in the present study. METHODS Rats were subjected to 45min coronary artery occlusion and 180min of reperfusion. U50488H (1.5mg/kg IV) was given prior to occlusion. Nor-Binaltorphimine (nor-BNI) (2mg/kg IV), a selective kappa-opioid receptor antagonist, was given 10min prior to U50488H. Cardiac apoptosis was evaluated by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay and in situ identification of nuclear DNA fragmentation. RESULTS The ultrastructure injury of myocardium, myocardial infarct size, and plasma CK and LDH were reduced significantly with administration of U50488H before I/R, whereas the effects of U50488H were abolished by nor-BNI. DNA fragments were visualized by agarose electrophoresis, and clear DNA ladder formation was observed in myocardial tissue from hearts subjected to I/R. Administration of U50488H before ischemia exerted a significant anti-apoptotic effect as evidenced by markedly weaker DNA ladder formation. TUNEL staining showed U50488H treatment before I/R significantly reduced the percentage of apoptotic cells, which was blocked by 5-HD, a mitochondrial k(ATP) channel blocker. In accordance, U50488H treatment significantly inhibited I/R-induced elevated activities of caspase-3 and caspase-9. U50488H also produced an increase in Bcl-2 and a decrease in Bax protein expression in the I/R heart, and the anti-apoptotic effects of U50488H were all blocked by nor-BNI. CONCLUSIONS U50488H reduces myocardial necrosis and apoptosis after I/R and activation of kappa-opioid receptor may mediate a role in U50488H-induced myocardial protection.

Effects of U50,488H on hypoxia pulmonary hypertension and its underlying mechanism

The aim of the present study was to determine whether U50,488H, a selective kappa-opioid receptor agonist, inhibits the remodeling of the pulmonary artery (PA). In addition, changes in the concentrations of nitric oxide (NO), endothelin (ET) and angiotensin II (AngII) in hypoxic pulmonary hypertensive (HPH) rats were investigated to explore the mechanisms underlying the effects of U50, 488H on HPH. We found that intraperitoneal administration of U50,488H (every other day) during hypoxia depressed mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) and attenuated right ventricular pressure (RVP) and right ventricular hypertrophy, at the same time it inhibited remodeling of the PA compared with hypoxia for 2 wk. Moreover, U50,488H also inhibited proliferation of the pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) induced by hypoxia for 48 h in a dose-dependent manner. Compared with the 2 wk hypoxia group, U50,488H increased the concentration of NO and decreased the production of ET and AngII (P<0.01). In addition, acute intravenous administration of U50,488H after hypoxia for 4 wk decreased mPAP. Our results suggest that effects of anti-remodeling of the PA and anti-proliferation of the PASMC, and regulation of the vasomotor factors in both blood and pulmonary tissues of HPH rats may be critical mechanisms underlying the preventive and therapeutic effects of U50,488H in HPH rats.

U50,488H depresses pulmonary pressure in rats subjected to chronic hypoxia.

In this study, we determined the effect of U50,488H (a selective κ-opioid receptor agonist) on pulmonary artery in rats and investigated its prevention and treatment effects on hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH). Isolated pulmonary arterial rings were superfused and the tension of the vessel was measured. The model of HPH was developed and indexes for hemodynamics and right ventricular hypertrophy were measured. We found that U50,488H relaxed the pulmonary artery rings in a dose-dependent manner and the effect was abolished by nor-binaltorphimine, a selective κ-opioid receptor antagonist. Intravenous administration of U50,488H significantly lowered mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) in normal rats and this effect was also abolished by nor-binaltorphimine. Hypoxia induced severe HPH in rats and intraperitoneal administration of U50,488H (every other day) during chronic hypoxia reduced mPAP and attenuated right ventricular hypertrophy compared with the control group. Moreover, acute intravenous administration of U50,488H after the rats subjected to chronic hypoxia for 4 weeks significantly lowered mPAP. Thus, U50,488H has significant vasorelaxant effect in rat pulmonary artery and has certain preventive and therapeutic application in HPH.

Antiarrhythmic effect mediated by κ-opioid receptor is associated with Cx43 stabilization.

Objective:Acute myocardial ischemia induces electrical and chemical uncoupling of gap junctions, which contributes to conduction abnormalities and re-entrant arrhythmias. We tested the hypothesis that structure and function of Connexin43 may vibrate during acute myocardial ischemia and reperfusion and &kgr;-opioid receptor stimulation may stabilize the alteration of Connexin43. Design:An animal intervention study was conducted with comparison to a control group. Setting:University preclinical research laboratory. Subjects:Age-, weight-, and sex-matched Sprague-Dawley rats. Interventions:Adult rat hearts were subjected to ischemia or ischemia/reperfusion, which was induced by temporary occlusion of the left main coronary artery. U50488H was given 10 mins before tissue specimens were taken or before ischemia (1.5 mg/kg, intravenous) and nor-BNI was given 15 mins before tissue specimens were taken or before ischemia (2 mg/kg, intravenous). Tissue samples came from left ventricular myocardium of the rat hearts. Measurements and Main Results:Electrocardiogram, immunohistochemistry, immunoblotting, and reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction were used to measure changes of arrhythmias, protein, and gene expression of Connexin43, respectively. &kgr;-opioid receptor activation with U50 decreased arrhythmia in a model of myocardial ischemia and reperfusion. In normal hearts, immunohistochemical data showed reduced amount and lateralization of Connexin43 induced by &kgr;-opioid receptor activation, whereas immunoblotting data demonstrated no significant changes between control and U50 group. During ischemia, however, Connexin43 protein underwent dephosphorylation and degradation, and Connexin43 mRNA was upregulated. These alterations were significantly attenuated on &kgr;-opioid receptor stimulation. During ischemia and reperfusion, Connexin43 protein underwent dephosphorylation and degradation and recovered slowly during reperfusion. Activation of &kgr;-opioid receptor accelerated recovery of phosphorylated and total Connexin43. Conclusions:In normal rat hearts, Connexin43 translocates from intercellular junctions to intracellular locations on &kgr;-opioid receptor activation. In rat hearts experiencing acute myocardial ischemia and reperfusion, protein and gene expression of Connexin43 undergo vibration. This phenomenon is stabilized when &kgr;-opioid receptor is activated and by the fact that &kgr;-opioid receptor produces antiarrhythmic effects.

Deletion of RBP-J in adult mice leads to the onset of aortic valve degenerative diseases

Transcription factor RBP-J-mediated Notch signaling has been implicated in several inherited cardiovascular diseases including aortic valve diseases (AVD). But whether Notch signal plays a role in AVD in adults has been unclear. This study aims to test whether the deletion of RBP-J in adult mice would lead to AVD and to investigate the underlying mechanisms. Cre-LoxP-mediated gene deletion was employed to disrupt Notch signal in adult mice. Immunofluorescence and electron microscope observations showed that deletion of RBP-J in adult mice led to early morphological changes of AVD. The size of aortic valve was enlarged. The endothelial homeostasis was perturbed, probably due to the up-regulation of VEGFR2. The endothelial cells exhibited increased proliferation and loose endothelial junctions. The valvular mesenchyme displayed significant fibrosis, consistent with the up-regulation of TGF-β1 and activation of endothelial-mesenchymal transition. We observed melanin-producing cells in aortic valves. The number of melanin-producing cells increased significantly, and their location changed from the mesenchyme to subendothelial layer of valve cusps in RBP-J deficient mice. These results suggest that RBP-J-mediated Notch signaling in aortic valves may be critically involved in valve homeostasis and valve diseases as well. These findings will be helpful for the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of AVD in adults.

Endogenous κ-Opioid Peptide Mediates the Cardioprotection Induced by Ischemic Postconditioning

The aim of this study was to investigate the underlying mechanism that dynorphin, an endogenous kappa opioid receptor (κ-OR) agonist, triggers antiapoptotic effect of postconditioning (Postcon). In addition to vehicle treatment, Sprague Dawley rats (n = 6) underwent a 30-minute left anterior descending occlusion followed by 2 hours of reperfusion with or without a Postcon stimulus. The selective κ-OR antagonist nor-binaltorphimine (Nor-BNI) was administered intravenously 5 minutes before reperfusion. Infarct size was determined by using 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. Blood plasma concentrations of creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and myocardial caspase-3 activity were analyzed spectrophotometrically. Myocardial apoptosis was analyzed by the detection of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate (dUTP) nick-end labeling. Immunoreactive dynorphin in blood serum and myocardium was measured by means of an antigen-competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Infarction size, caspase-3 activity, apoptotic index, and CK and LDH levels were significantly higher in the ischemic/reperfusion group than in the vehicle group (P < 0.01). Postcon significantly reduced infarction size, caspase-3 activity, apoptotic index, CK and LDH levels (P < 0.01 vs. ischemic/reperfusion). Dynorphin content significantly increased after Postcon (P < 0.01). All the effects described above were abolished by Nor-BNI, with the exception of dynorphin content. We found that cardiac protection and antiapoptotic effect of Postcon is mediated by the activation of κ-OR. Effect of Postcon is mediated, at least partially, by enhanced dynorphin expression.

Modulation of intracellular calcium transient in response to β-adrenoceptor stimulation in the hearts of 4-wk-old rats during simulated weightlessness

Modulation of intracellular calcium ([Ca(2+)](i)) transient in response to beta-adrenoceptor stimulation in the hearts of hindlimb unweighted (HLU) rats during simulated weightlessness has not been reported. In the present study, we adopted the rat tail suspension for 4 wk to simulate weightlessness. Effects of simulated microgravity on beta-adrenoceptor responsiveness were then studied. Mean arterial blood pressure, left ventricular pressure (LVP), systolic function [maximum positive change in pressure over time (+dP/dt(max))], and diastolic function [maximum negative change in pressure over time (-dP/dt(max))] were monitored during the in vivo experiment. beta-Adrenoceptor density was quantitated by radioactive ligand binding. Single rat ventricular myocyte was obtained by enzymatic dissociation method. +/-dP/dt(max), myocyte contraction, intracellular [Ca(2+)](i) transient, and L-type calcium current in response to beta-adrenoceptor stimulation with isoproterenol were measured. Compared with the control group, no significant changes were found in heart weight, body weight, and mean arterial blood pressure, whereas LVP and +/-dP/dt(max) were significantly reduced. LVP and +/-dP/dt(max) were significantly attenuated in the HLU group in response to isoproterenol administration. In the in vitro study, the beta-adrenoceptor density was unchanged. Effects of isoproterenol on electrically induced single-cell contraction and [Ca(2+)](i) transient in myocytes of ventricles in HLU rats were significantly attenuated. The enhanced L-type Ca(2+) current elicited by isoproterenol in cardiomyocytes was significantly decreased in the HLU group. The above results indicate that impaired function of L-type Ca(2+) current and decreased [Ca(2+)](i) transient cause the depressed responsiveness of the beta-adrenoceptor stimulation, which may be partially responsible for the depression of cardiac function.

Modulation of β-adrenoceptor signaling in the hearts of 4-wk simulated weightlessness rats

The modulation of beta-adrenoceptor signaling in the hearts of hindlimb unweighting (HU) simulated weightlessness rats has not been reported. In the present study, we adopted the rat tail suspension for 4 wk to simulate weightlessness; then the effects of simulated microgravity on beta-adrenoceptor signaling were studied. Mean arterial blood pressure (ABP), left ventricular pressure (LVP), systolic function (+dP/dtmax), and diastolic function (-dP/dtmax) were monitored in the course of the in vivo experiment. Single rat ventricular myocyte was obtained by the enzymatic dissociation method. Hemodynamics, myocyte contraction, and cAMP production in response to beta-adrenoceptor stimulation with isoproterenol or adenylyl cyclase stimulation with forskolin were measured, and Gs protein was also determined. Compared with the control group, no significant changes were found in heart weight, body weight and ABP, while LVP and +/-dP/dtmax were significantly reduced. The ABP decrease, LVP increase, and +/-dP/dtmax in response to isoproterenol administration were significantly attenuated in the HU group. The effects of isoproterenol on electrically induced single-cell contraction and cAMP production in myocytes of ventricles in the HU rats were significantly attenuated. The biologically active isoform, Gsalpha (45 kDa) in the heart, was unchanged. Both the increased electrically induced contraction and cAMP production in response to forskolin were also significantly attenuated in the simulated weightlessness rats. Above results indicated that impaired function of adenylyl cyclase causes beta-adrenoceptor desensitization, which may be partly responsible for the depression of cardiac function.