PROMOTION OF HEART FAILURE RECOVERY BY APPLICATION OF ELECTRICAL MICROCURRENT. FIRST EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS OF A NOVEL METHOD

Abstract

The myocardial extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a significant role in the irreversibility of heart failure. Unloading of the heart by VADs shows reverse remodelling of various degrees. We recently reported on application of electrical microcurrent (MC) which influences collagen in ECM. We investigated the effect of MC (90 h) on healthy and diseased cardiac tissue. Cardiomyocytes from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were compared to tissue samples from Wistar Kyoto rats (WT) before and after application of low and high (50 vs 100 μA) MC. Tissue from SHR rats without any MC application served as reference. Tissue samples from WT rats were not exposed to MC. Changes in collagen I, III; in MMP 2, 3, 8, 9, 13, 14, 16; TIMP 1–4 and connexin 40, 43, 45 were qualified and quantified. PCR-Analysis showed characteristic expression patterns for healthy and diseased cardiac tissue. Most differences were shown in collagen I synthesis (+ 45% in diseased tissue) as well as in MMP 9, 13, 14 (+ 87, + 75, + 81 % in diseased tissue) and TIMP 2 (- 54% in diseased tissue). Application of low MC normalized the collagen and the MMP degradation processes and resulted in expression patterns which are all about the same to those of healthy cardiac tissue. Several other MMPs, TIMPs and the connexins were not influenced by MC. MC influences the composition of cardiac ECM by normalizing collagen and degradation processes. This method built a basis for clinical application and can be envisioned to provide assistance in improvement of cardiac function in humans.