Depressed Cardiac Contractile Function Research Articles

ALTERED CONTRACTILE FUNCTION IN DOGS AFTER CLINICAL DEATH FOLLOWING ACUTE MIOCARDIAL INFARCTION AND INTACT HEART

Aim. To assess myocardial contractile function in dogs after clinical death following acute myocardial infarction and to determine its role in the development of hemodynamic derangements after cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Methods. 180 dogs included in the experiment received pentobarbital anesthesia to assess contractile function and systemic hemodynamics after a 5-min clinical death caused by myocardial infarction. Results Dogs had phase changes in the myocardial contractile function with its initial increase, subsequent depression and normalization in the early postresuscitation period after myocardial infarction. Depressed cardiac contractile function was accompanied by a decrease in the myocardial functional reserve. A similar tendency was found in the restoration of systemic hemocirculation. Conclusion. Similar phase alterations in the myocardial contractile function and systemic hemodynamics developed in the postresuscitation period of acute myocardial infarction. Immediately after recovery, the parameters of systemic hemoperfusion increased due to the activation of the cardiac contractile function. The subsequent initial (3 – 60 min) decrease in the volumetric perfusion parameters was mainly caused by the depressed cardiac contractile function. Rhythm disturbances affected on-going circulatory insufficiency 4 - 5 hours after the recovery. The subsequent progressive decrease in the volumetric perfusion was caused by the extracardiac factors.

Murine Isolated Heart Model of Myocardial Stunning Associated with Cardioplegic Arrest.

The following protocol is of use to evaluate impaired cardiac function or myocardial stunning following moderate ischemic insults. The technique is useful for modeling ischemic injury associated with numerous clinically relevant phenomenon including cardiac surgery with cardioplegic arrest and cardiopulmonary bypass, off-pump CABG, transplant, angina, brief ischemia, etc. The protocol presents a general method to model hypothermic hyperkalemic cardioplegic arrest and reperfusion in rodent hearts focusing on measurement of myocardial contractile function. In brief, a mouse heart is perfused in langendorff mode, instrumented with an intraventricular balloon, and baseline cardiac functional parameters are recorded. Following stabilization, the heart is then subject to brief infusion of a cardioprotective hypothermic cardioplegia solution to initiate diastolic arrest. Cardioplegia is delivered intermittently over 2 hr. The heart is then reperfused and warmed to normothermic temperatures and recovery of myocardial function is monitored. Use of this protocol results in reliable depressed cardiac contractile function free from gross myocardial tissue damage in rodents.

American ginseng acutely regulates contractile function of rat heart

Chronic ginseng treatments have been purported to improve cardiac performance. However reports of acute administration of ginseng on cardiovascular function remain controversial and potential mechanisms are not clear. In this study, we examined the effects of acute North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) administration on rat cardiac contractile function by using electrocardiogram (ECG), non-invasive blood pressure (BP) measurement, and Langendorff isolated, spontaneously beating, perfused heart measurements (LP). Eight-week old male Sprague–Dawley rats (n = 8 per group) were gavaged with a single dose of water-soluble American ginseng at 300 mg/kg body weight. Heart rate (HR) and BP were measured prior to and at 1 and 24 h after gavaging (ECG and BP). Additional groups were used for each time point for Langendorff measurements. HR was significantly decreased (ECG: 1 h: 6 ± 0.2%, 24 h: 8 ± 0.3%; BP: 1 h: 8.8 ± 0.2%, 24 h: 13 ± 0.4% and LP: 1 h: 22 ± 0.4%, 24 h: 19 ± 0.4%) in rats treated with water-soluble ginseng compared with pre or control measures. An initial marked decrease in left ventricular developed pressure was observed in LP hearts but BP changes were not observed in BP group. A direct inhibitory effect of North American ginseng was observed on cardiac contractile function in LP rats and on fluorescence measurement of intracellular calcium transient in freshly isolated cardiac myocytes when exposed to ginseng (1 and 10 μg/ml). Collectively these data present evidence of depressed cardiac contractile function by acute administration of North American ginseng in rat. This acute reduction in cardiac contractile function appears to be intrinsic to the myocardium.

Myocardial Infarction-induced N-terminal Fragment of Cardiac Myosin-binding Protein C (cMyBP-C) Impairs Myofilament Function in Human Myocardium

Myocardial infarction (MI) is associated with depressed cardiac contractile function and progression to heart failure. Cardiac myosin-binding protein C, a cardiac-specific myofilament protein, is proteolyzed post-MI in humans, which results in an N-terminal fragment, C0-C1f. The presence of C0-C1f in cultured cardiomyocytes results in decreased Ca(2+) transients and cell shortening, abnormalities sufficient for the induction of heart failure in a mouse model. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we investigate the association between C0-C1f and altered contractility in human cardiac myofilaments in vitro. To accomplish this, we generated recombinant human C0-C1f (hC0C1f) and incorporated it into permeabilized human left ventricular myocardium. Mechanical properties were studied at short (2 μm) and long (2.3 μm) sarcomere length (SL). Our data demonstrate that the presence of hC0C1f in the sarcomere had the greatest effect at short, but not long, SL, decreasing maximal force and myofilament Ca(2+) sensitivity. Moreover, hC0C1f led to increased cooperative activation, cross-bridge cycling kinetics, and tension cost, with greater effects at short SL. We further established that the effects of hC0C1f occur through direct interaction with actin and α-tropomyosin. Our data demonstrate that the presence of hC0C1f in the sarcomere is sufficient to induce depressed myofilament function and Ca(2+) sensitivity in otherwise healthy human donor myocardium. Decreased cardiac function post-MI may result, in part, from the ability of hC0C1f to bind actin and α-tropomyosin, suggesting that cleaved C0-C1f could act as a poison polypeptide and disrupt the interaction of native cardiac myosin-binding protein C with the thin filament.

Myocardial Infarction-Induced N-Terminal Fragment of Cmybp-C Impairs Myofilament Function in Human Left Ventricular Myofibrils

Rationale: Myocardial infarction (MI) is associated with depressed cardiac contractile function and progression to heart failure. Cardiac myosin binding protein-C (cMyBP-C), a cardiac-specific myofilament protein, is proteolyzed post-MI in humans and results in an N-terminal fragment, C0C1f. The presence of C0C1f in cultured adult cardiomyocytes results in decreased Ca2+ transients and cell shortening, in addition to the induction of heart failure in a mouse model. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.Objective: To determine how C0C1f causes altered contractility in human cardiac myofilaments in vitro.Methods and Results: We generated recombinant human C0C1f (hC0C1f) and incorporated it into skinned human left ventricular myocytes. Mechanical properties were then studied at sarcomere lengths of 2.0 and 2.3 µm. Our data demonstrate that the presence of hC0C1f in the sarcomere decreased maximal force myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity, increased cooperative activation at short lengths and enhanced length-dependent activation. Furthermore, hC0C1f led to increased cross-bridge cycling kinetics and tension cost at both short and long sarcomere lengths. We further established that the detrimental effects of hC0C1f occur through direct interaction with the thin filament proteins actin and α-tropomyosin (α-TM).Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that the presence of hC0C1f in the sarcomere is sufficient to induce depressed myofilament function and Ca2+ sensitivity in otherwise healthy human donor myofilament preparations. Decreased cardiac function post-MI may result, in part, from the ability of hC0C1f to bind actin and α-TM, suggesting that cleaved C0C1f could act as a poison peptide and disrupt the interaction of native cMyBP-C with the thin filament.Keywords: Cross-bridge cycling kinetics; length-dependent activation; cMyBP-C; C0C1f protein.

Adipocyte Fatty Acid–Binding Protein Suppresses Cardiomyocyte Contraction

Adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein (FABP4) is a member of the intracellular lipid-binding protein family and is predominantly expressed in adipose tissue. Emerging evidence suggests that FABP4 plays a role in some aspects of the metabolic syndrome including the development of type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis. We have recently reported that secretory products from human adipocytes directly and acutely depressed cardiac contractile function. The purpose of this study was to identify this adipocyte-derived cardiodepressant factor. Through mass spectrometry and immunoblotting, we have identified this cardiodepressant factor as FABP4. FABP4 represents 1.8% to 8.1% of total protein secreted by adipocytes in extracellular medium. FABP4 acutely depressed shortening amplitude as well as intracellular systolic peak Ca(2+) in a dose-dependent manner in isolated rat cardiomyocytes. Heart-specific FABP isoform (FABP3) revealed a similar cardiodepressant effect. The N-terminal amino acids 1 to 20 of FABP4 could be identified as the most effective cardiodepressive domain. We could exclude any effect of FABP4 on action potential duration and L-type Ca(2+) current, suggesting a reduced excitation-contraction gain caused by FABP4 as the main inhibitory mechanism. We conclude that the release of FABP4 from adipocytes may be involved in the development of cardiac contractile dysfunction of obese subjects.

Cell volume control in phospholemman (PLM) knockout mice: do cardiac myocytes demonstrate a regulatory volume decrease and is this influenced by deletion of PLM?

In addition to modulatory actions on Na+-K+-ATPase, phospholemman (PLM) has been proposed to play a role in cell volume regulation. Overexpression of PLM induces ionic conductances, with 'PLM channels' exhibiting selectivity for taurine. Osmotic challenge of host cells overexpressing PLM increases taurine efflux and augments the cellular regulatory volume decrease (RVD) response, though a link between PLM and cell volume regulation has not been studied in the heart. We recently reported a depressed cardiac contractile function in PLM knockout mice in vivo, which was exacerbated in crystalloid-perfused isolated hearts, indicating that these hearts were osmotically challenged. To address this, the present study investigated the role of PLM in osmoregulation in the heart. Isolated PLM wild-type and knockout hearts were perfused with a crystalloid buffer supplemented with mannitol in a bid to prevent perfusate-induced cell swelling and maintain function. Accordingly, and in contrast to wild-type control hearts, contractile function was improved in PLM knockout hearts with 30 mM mannitol. To investigate further, isolated PLM wild-type and knockout cardiomyocytes were subjected to increasing hyposmotic challenges. Initial validation studies showed the IonOptix video edge-detection system to be a simple and accurate 'real-time' method for tracking cell width as a marker of cell size. Myocytes swelled equally in both genotypes, indicating that PLM, when expressed at physiological levels in cardiomyocytes, is not essential to limit water accumulation in response to a hyposmotic challenge. Interestingly, freshly isolated adult cardiomyocytes consistently failed to mount RVDs in response to cell swelling, adding to conflicting reports in the literature. A proposed perturbation of the RVD response as a result of the cell isolation process was not restored, however, with short-term culture in either adult or neonatal cardiomyocytes.

Impaired cardiac function in leptin-deficient mice

The obesity gene product leptin plays an important role in the physiologic regulation of appetite and energy balance. Plasma leptin levels correlate closely with body fat storage and may respond to changes in energy expenditure. Recent evidence has implicated a direct cardiac regulatory action of leptin in addition to its well-established metabolic properties. Compelling evidence has indicated a link between abnormal leptin levels (hyper- or hypoleptinemia) and cardiac dysfunction. The leptin-deficient ob/ob mice have been used as a model for insulin resistance, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Leptin replenishment has been shown to restore the depressed cardiac contractile function in ob/ob mice, indicating a permissive role of leptin in cardiac function. The precise role of leptin or leptin deficiency on cardiac health has not been fully elucidated. This article briefly reviews leptin's physiologic role in cardiomyocyte structure and function and how leptin deficiency or disrupted signaling may trigger cardiac functional and morphologic abnormalities.

Characterization of the phospholemman knockout mouse heart: depressed left ventricular function with increased Na-K-ATPase activity

Phospholemman (PLM, FXYD1), abundantly expressed in the heart, is the primary cardiac sarcolemmal substrate for PKA and PKC. Evidence supports the hypothesis that PLM is part of the cardiac Na-K pump complex and provides the link between kinase activity and pump modulation. PLM has also been proposed to modulate Na/Ca exchanger activity and may be involved in cell volume regulation. This study characterized the phenotype of the PLM knockout (KO) mouse heart to further our understanding of PLM function in the heart. PLM KO mice were bred on a congenic C57/BL6 background. In vivo conductance catheter measurements exhibited a mildly depressed cardiac contractile function in PLM KO mice, which was exacerbated when hearts were isolated and Langendorff perfused. There were no significant differences in action potential morphology in paced Langendorff-perfused hearts. Depressed contractile function was associated with a mild cardiac hypertrophy in PLM KO mice. Biochemical analysis of crude ventricular homogenates showed a significant increase in Na-K-ATPase activity in PLM KO hearts compared with wild-type controls. SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis of ventricular homogenates revealed small, nonsignificant changes in Na- K-ATPase subunit expression, with two-dimensional gel (isoelectric focusing, SDS-PAGE) analysis revealing minimal changes in ventricular protein expression, indicating that deletion of PLM was the primary reason for the observed PLM KO phenotype. These studies demonstrate that PLM plays an important role in the contractile function of the normoxic mouse heart. Data are consistent with the hypothesis that PLM modulates Na-K-ATPase activity, indirectly affecting intracellular Ca and hence contractile function.

Fitness or Fatness - the Debate Continues for the Role of Leptin in Obesity-Associated Heart Dysfunction

Obesity is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. As the first obese gene product identified, leptin participates in many physiological processes. Besides its well known effects on food intake and energy metabolism, leptin has been shown to regulate cardiovascular function, glucose and lipid metabolism. Although the precise role of leptin on cardiac health is still at large, the peptide may initiate both hypertrophic and anti-hypertrophic effects on hearts. Circulating leptin levels are believed to correlate closely with body mass index (BMI) and total amount of body fat, and predict change of heart morphology and function. This is evidenced by that fact that compromised cardiac function is present in both hyperleptinemic (db/db) and hypoleptinemic (ob/ob) mouse models. Leptin replenishment may reconcile depressed cardiac contractile function in ob/ob mice, indicating the permissive effect of leptin on cardiac function. Multiple signal pathways including NO, Jak/STAT, p38 MAP kinase, ET-1 and NADPH oxidase have been implicated to participate in the cardiac regulatory response of leptin. In addition, elevated plasma leptin levels are speculated to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and myocardial infarction. The current dogma indicates that physiological range of leptin may be essential for normal cardiomyocyte structure and function whereas disrupted leptin signaling due to too much or too little leptin may trigger functional and morphological alterations leading to cardiac dysfunction.

Ischemic protection and myofibrillar cardiomyopathy: dose-dependent effects of in vivo deltaPKC inhibition.

To delineate the in vivo cardiac functions requiring normal delta protein kinase C (PKC) activity, we pursued loss-of-function through transgenic expression of a deltaPKC-specific translocation inhibitor protein fragment, deltaV1, in mouse hearts. Initial results using the mouse alpha-myosin heavy chain (alphaMHC) promoter resulted in a lethal heart failure phenotype. Viable deltaV1 mice were therefore obtained using novel attenuated mutant alphaMHC promoters lacking one or the other thyroid response element (TRE-1 and -2). In transgenic mouse hearts, deltaV1 decorated cytoskeletal elements and inhibited ischemia-induced deltaPKC translocation. At high levels, deltaV1 expression was uniformly lethal, with depressed cardiac contractile function, increased expression of fetal cardiac genes, and formation of intracardiomyocyte protein aggregates. Ultrastructural and immunoconfocal analyses of these aggregates revealed focal cytoskeletal disruptions and localized concentrations of desmin and alphaB-crystallin. In individual cardiomyocytes, cytoskeletal abnormalities correlated with impaired contractile function. Whereas desmin and alphaB-crystallin protein were increased approximately 4-fold in deltaV1 hearts, combined overexpression of these proteins at these levels was not sufficient to cause any detectable cardiac pathology. At low levels, deltaV1 expression conferred striking resistance to postischemic dysfunction, with no measurable effects on basal cardiac structure, function, or gene expression. Intermediate expression of deltaV1 conferred modest basal contractile depression with less ischemic protection, associated with abnormal cardiac gene expression, and a histological picture of infrequent cardiomyocyte cytoskeletal deformities. These results validate an approach of deltaPKC inhibition to protect against myocardial ischemia, but indicate that there is a threshold level of deltaPKC activation that is necessary to maintain normal cardiomyocyte cytoskeletal integrity.

Isolated ventricular myocytes from copper-deficient rat hearts exhibit enhanced contractile function.

Dietary copper deficiency leads to cardiac hypertrophy, cardiac fibrosis, derangement of myofibrils, and impaired cardiac contractile and electrophysiological function. The purpose of this study was to determine whether impaired cardiac function from copper deficiency is due to depressed contractile function at the single myocyte level. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diets that were either copper adequate (5.59-6.05 microg copper/g body wt; n = 11) or copper deficient (0.29-0.34 microg copper/g body wt; n = 11) for 5 wk. Ventricular myocytes were dispersed and mechanical properties were evaluated using the SoftEdge video-based edge-detection system. Intracellular Ca2+ transients were examined using fura 2-acetoxymethyl ester. Myocytes were electrically stimulated to contract at 0.5 Hz. Properties evaluated included peak shortening (PS), time to peak shortening (TPS), time to 90% relengthening (TR90), and maximal velocities of shortening and relengthening (+/-dL/dt). Myocytes from the copper-deficient rat hearts exhibited significantly enhanced PS values associated with shortened TR90 measurements compared with those from copper-adequate rat hearts. The +/-dL/dt values were enhanced and the intracellular Ca2+ transient decay rate was depressed in myocytes from copper-deficient rats. These data indicate that impaired cardiac contractile function that is seen in copper-deficient whole hearts might not be due to depressed cardiac contractile function at the single cell level but rather to other mechanisms such as cardiac fibrosis.