Karla Maria Pereira Pires

PGC-1β Deficiency Accelerates the Transition to Heart Failure in Pressure Overload Hypertrophy

Rationale: Pressure overload cardiac hypertrophy, a risk factor for heart failure, is associated with reduced mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation (FAO) and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) proteins that correlate in rodents with reduced PGC-1&agr; expression. Objective: To determine the role of PGC-1&bgr; in maintaining mitochondrial energy metabolism and contractile function in pressure overload hypertrophy. Methods and Results: PGC-1&bgr; deficient (KO) mice and wildtype (WT) controls were subjected to transverse aortic constriction (TAC). Although LV function was modestly reduced in young KO hearts, there was no further decline with age so that LV function was similar between KO and WT when TAC was performed. WT-TAC mice developed relatively compensated LVH, despite reduced mitochondrial function and repression of OXPHOS and FAO genes. In nonstressed KO hearts, OXPHOS gene expression and palmitoyl-carnitine-supported mitochondrial function were reduced to the same extent as banded WT, but FAO gene expression was normal. Following TAC, KO mice progressed more rapidly to heart failure and developed more severe mitochondrial dysfunction, despite a similar overall pattern of repression of OXPHOS and FAO genes as WT-TAC. However, in relation to WT-TAC, PGC-1&bgr; deficient mice exhibited greater degrees of oxidative stress, decreased cardiac efficiency, lower rates of glucose metabolism, and repression of hexokinase II protein. Conclusions: PGC-1&bgr; plays an important role in maintaining baseline mitochondrial function and cardiac contractile function following pressure overload hypertrophy by preserving glucose metabolism and preventing oxidative stress.

Insulin receptor substrate signaling suppresses neonatal autophagy in the heart

The induction of autophagy in the mammalian heart during the perinatal period is an essential adaptation required to survive early neonatal starvation; however, the mechanisms that mediate autophagy suppression once feeding is established are not known. Insulin signaling in the heart is transduced via insulin and IGF-1 receptors (IGF-1Rs). We disrupted insulin and IGF-1R signaling by generating mice with combined cardiomyocyte-specific deletion of Irs1 and Irs2. Here we show that loss of IRS signaling prevented the physiological suppression of autophagy that normally parallels the postnatal increase in circulating insulin. This resulted in unrestrained autophagy in cardiomyocytes, which contributed to myocyte loss, heart failure, and premature death. This process was ameliorated either by activation of mTOR with aa supplementation or by genetic suppression of autophagic activation. Loss of IRS1 and IRS2 signaling also increased apoptosis and precipitated mitochondrial dysfunction, which were not reduced when autophagic flux was normalized. Together, these data indicate that in addition to prosurvival signaling, insulin action in early life mediates the physiological postnatal suppression of autophagy, thereby linking nutrient sensing to postnatal cardiac development.

Effects of Euterpe oleracea Mart. (AÇAÍ) extract in acute lung inflammation induced by cigarette smoke in the mouse

Short term inhalation of cigarette smoke (CS) induces significant lung inflammation due to an imbalance of oxidant/antioxidant mechanisms. Açai fruit (Euterpe oleracea) has significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. The present study aimed to determine whether oral administration of an açai stone extract (ASE) could reduce lung inflammation induced by CS. Thirty C57BL/6 mice were assigned to three groups (n=10 each): the Control+A group was exposed to ambient air and treated orally with ASE 300 mg/kg/day; the CS group was exposed to smoke from 6 cigarettes per day for 5 days; and the CS+A group was exposed to smoke from 6 cigarettes per day for 5 days and treated orally with ASE (300 mg/kg/day). On day 6, all mice were sacrificed. After bronchoalveolar lavage, the lungs were removed for histological and biochemical analyses. The CS group exhibited increases in alveolar macrophage (AMs) and neutrophil numbers (PMNs), myeloperoxidase (MPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase activities (GPx), TNF-α expression, and nitrites levels in lung tissue when compared with the control ones (p<0.001 for all parameters). The AMs, PMNs, MPO, SOD, CAT, GPx and nitrite were significantly reduced by oral administration of ASE when compared with CS group (p<0.001 for all parameters, with exception of AMs p<0.01). The present results suggested that systemic administration of an ASE extract could reduce the inflammatory and oxidant actions of CS. Thus, the results of this study in mice should stimulate future studies on ASE as a potential agent to protect against CS-induced inflammation in humans.

Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin (Mtor) Is Essential for Murine Embryonic Heart Development and Growth

Mechanistic target of rapamycin (Mtor) is required for embryonic inner cell mass proliferation during early development. However, Mtor expression levels are very low in the mouse heart during embryogenesis. To determine if Mtor plays a role during mouse cardiac development, cardiomyocyte specific Mtor deletion was achieved using α myosin heavy chain (α-MHC) driven Cre recombinase. Initial mosaic expression of Cre between embryonic day (E) 10.5 and E11.5 eliminated a subset of cardiomyocytes with high Cre activity by apoptosis and reduced overall cardiac proliferative capacity. The remaining cardiomyocytes proliferated and expanded normally. However loss of 50% of cardiomyocytes defined a threshold that impairs the ability of the embryonic heart to sustain the embryos circulatory requirements. As a result 92% of embryos with cardiomyocyte Mtor deficiency died by the end of gestation. Thus Mtor is required for survival and proliferation of cardiomyocytes in the developing heart.

Oxidative stress and nitrosative stress are involved in different stages of proteolytic pulmonary emphysema

Our aim was to investigate the role of oxidative stress in elastase-induced pulmonary emphysema. C57BL/6 mice were subjected to pancreatic porcine elastase (PPE) instillation (0.05 or 0.5 U per mouse, i.t.) to induce pulmonary emphysema. Lungs were collected on days 7, 14, and 21 after PPE instillation. The control group was sham injected. Also, mice treated with 1% aminoguanidine (AMG) and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) knockout mice received 0.5 U PPE (i.t.), and lungs were analyzed 21 days after. We performed bronchoalveolar lavage, biochemical analyses of oxidative stress, and lung stereology and morphometry assays. Emphysema was observed histologically at 21 days after 0.5 U PPE treatment; tissues from these mice exhibited increased alveolar linear intercept and air-space volume density in comparison with the control group. TNF-α was elevated at 7 and 14 days after 0.5 U PPE treatment, concomitant with a reduction in the IL-10 levels at the same time points. Myeloperoxidase was elevated in all groups treated with 0.5 U PPE. Oxidative stress was observed during early stages of emphysema, with increased nitrite levels and malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase activity at 7 days after 0.5 U PPE treatment. Glutathione peroxidase activity was increased in all groups treated with 0.5 U PPE. The emphysema was attenuated when iNOS was inhibited using 1% AMG and in iNOS knockout mice. Furthermore, proteolytic stimulation by PPE enhanced the expression of nitrotyrosine and iNOS, whereas the PPE+AMG group showed low expression of iNOS and nitrotyrosine. PPE stimulus also induced endothelial (e) NOS expression, whereas AMG reduced eNOS. Our results suggest that the oxidative and nitrosative stress pathways are triggered by nitric oxide production via iNOS expression in pulmonary emphysema.

Effects of exercise on monocrotaline-induced changes in right heart function and pulmonary artery remodeling in rats.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) induced by monocrotaline (MCT) is an experimental protocol of right heart failure. We analyzed the role of exercise training on the right ventricle structure and function, pulmonary artery remodeling, and GSK-3β expression. Rats were divided among the following groups: sedentary control (SC), sedentary monocrotaline (SM), trained control (TC), and trained monocrotaline (TM). Rats underwent exercise training for a period of 5 weeks, with 3 weeks post-MCT injection. Rats in the SM and TM groups presented with an increase in right ventricle hypertrophy indexes and lung congestion. The right ventricular end diastolic pressure (RVEDP), right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP), and its minimum and maximal pressure derivates were increased in the SM and TM groups. The right ventricle interstitial volume pulmonary artery thickness and p-GSK-3β/GSK-3β were increased in the MCT groups as compared with the control groups. The TM group had a reduction in interstitial volume, p-GSK-3β/GSK-3β ratio, pulmonary artery thickness, RVEDP, and an increase in intramyocardial vessels volume as compared with the SM group. The overall results have shown that the exercise protocol used promoted positive changes in right ventricle and pulmonary artery remodeling. These observations also suggest that structural remodeling may be influenced by signaling proteins, such as GSK-3β.

Genetic loss of insulin receptors worsens cardiac efficiency in diabetes

AIMS To determine the contribution of insulin signaling versus systemic metabolism to metabolic and mitochondrial alterations in type 1 diabetic hearts and test the hypothesis that antecedent mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to impaired cardiac efficiency (CE) in diabetes. METHODS AND RESULTS Control mice (WT) and mice with cardiomyocyte-restricted deletion of insulin receptors (CIRKO) were rendered diabetic with streptozotocin (WT-STZ and CIRKO-STZ, respectively), non-diabetic controls received vehicle (citrate buffer). Cardiac function was determined by echocardiography; myocardial metabolism, oxygen consumption (MVO(2)) and CE were determined in isolated perfused hearts; mitochondrial function was determined in permeabilized cardiac fibers and mitochondrial proteomics by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Pyruvate supported respiration and ATP synthesis were equivalently reduced by diabetes and genotype, with synergistic impairment in ATP synthesis in CIRKO-STZ. In contrast, fatty acid delivery and utilization was increased by diabetes irrespective of genotype, but not in non-diabetic CIRKO. Diabetes and genotype synergistically increased MVO(2) in CIRKO-STZ, leading to reduced CE. Irrespective of diabetes, genotype impaired ATP/O ratios in mitochondria exposed to palmitoyl carnitine, consistent with mitochondrial uncoupling. Proteomics revealed reduced content of fatty acid oxidation proteins in CIRKO mitochondria, which were induced by diabetes, whereas tricarboxylic acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation proteins were reduced both in CIRKO mitochondria and by diabetes. CONCLUSIONS Deficient insulin signaling and diabetes mediate distinct effects on cardiac mitochondria. Antecedent loss of insulin signaling markedly impairs CE when diabetes is induced, via mechanisms that may be secondary to mitochondrial uncoupling and increased FA utilization.

Long-term exposure to cigarette smoke impairs lung function and increases HMGB-1 expression in mice.

Cigarette smoke (CS)-induced emphysema is caused by a continuous inflammatory response in the lower respiratory tract. The development of the condition is believed to be mediated by oxidant-antioxidant imbalance. This paper describes the effects of long-term CS exposure on alveolar cell recruitment, antioxidant defense systems, activity of extracellular matrix metalloelastases, expression of metalloelastase MMP-12, and high mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB-1). Ten C57Bl/6 mice were exposed to 12 cigarettes-a-day for 60 consecutive days, while 10 control animals were exposed to ambient air. After sacrifice, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was removed, and lung tissue underwent biochemical and histological analyses. In CS-exposed animals influx of alveolar macrophages and neutrophils into BALF, lung static elastance, and expression of MMP-12 and HMGB-1 were significantly increased while the activity of antioxidant enzyme was significantly reduced in comparison with control group. Thus, we demonstrated for the first time that long-term CS exposure decreased antioxidant defenses concomitantly with impaired lung function, which was associated with HMGB-1 expression.

Addition of açaí (Euterpe oleracea) to cigarettes has a protective effect against emphysema in mice

Chronic inhalation of cigarette smoke (CS) induces emphysema by the damage contributed by oxidative stress during inhalation of CS. Ingestion of açai fruits (Euterpe oleracea) in animals has both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. This study compared lung damage in mice induced by chronic (60-day) inhalation of regular CS and smoke from cigarettes containing 100mg of hydroalcoholic extract of açai berry stone (CS + A). Sham smoke-exposed mice served as the control group. Mice were sacrificed on day 60, bronchoalveolar lavage was performed, and the lungs were removed for histological and biochemical analyses. Histopathological investigation showed enlargement of alveolar space in CS mice compared to CS + A and control mice. The increase in leukocytes in the CS group was higher than the increase observed in the CS + A group. Oxidative stress, as evaluated by antioxidant enzyme activities, mieloperoxidase, glutathione, and 4-hydroxynonenal, was reduced in mice exposed to CS+A versus CS. Macrophage and neutrophil elastase levels were reduced in mice exposed to CS + A versus CS. Thus, the presence of açai extract in cigarettes had a protective effect against emphysema in mice, probably by reducing oxidative and inflammatory reactions. These results raise the possibility that addition of açaí extract to normal cigarettes could reduce their harmful effects.

Treatment with a SOD mimetic reduces visceral adiposity, adipocyte death, and adipose tissue inflammation in high fat‐fed mice

Obesity is associated with enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in adipose tissue. However, a causal role for ROS in adipose tissue expansion after high fat feeding is not established. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the cell permeable superoxide dismutase mimetic and peroxynitrite scavenger Mn(III)tetrakis(4‐benzoic acid)porphyrin chloride (MnTBAP) on adipose tissue expansion and remodeling in response to high fat diet (HFD) in mice.