Desensitization of myocardial beta-adrenergic receptors during cardiopulmonary bypass. Evidence for early uncoupling and late downregulation

Desensitization of myocardial beta-adrenergic receptors and deterioration of left ventricular function after brain death

Brain death often results in a series of hemodynamic alterations that complicate the treatment of potential organ donors before transplantation. The deterioration of myocardial performance after brain death has been described; however, the pathophysiologic process of the myocardial dysfunction that occurs after brain death has not been elucidated. This study was designed to analyze the function of the myocardial beta-adrenergic receptor and the development of left ventricular dysfunction in a porcine model of experimental brain death. Analysis of the beta-receptor included determination of receptor density and adenylate cyclase activity after stimulation independently at the receptor protein, the G protein, and the adenylate cyclase moiety. Myocardial beta-receptor density did not change after the induction of brain death. A decrease in stimulated adenylate cyclase activity was observed within the first hour after brain death at the level of the beta-receptor, the G protein, and the adenylate cyclase moiety, which suggests the occurrence of rapid desensitization of beta-receptor function. Significant deterioration of myocardial performance also occurred within the first hour after brain death, represented by a decrease in preload-recruitable stroke work compared with the baseline value. The deterioration of myocardial performance after brain death correlates temporally with desensitization of the myocardial beta-receptor signal transduction system. The mechanism of impairment appears to be localized to the adenylate cyclase moiety itself.

Pretreatment with 3,5,3'triiodo-L-thyronine (T3). Effects on myocyte contractile function after hypothermic cardioplegic arrest and rewarming

Circulating levels of 3,5,3'triiodo-L-thyronine are depressed after cardiopulmonary bypass and have been implicated to play a contributory role in the alterations in left ventricular function after hypothermic cardioplegic arrest and rewarming. The central hypothesis of the present study was that pretreatment of isolated myocytes with triiodothyronine will have a direct and beneficial effect on contractile performance after hypothermic cardioplegic arrest and rewarming. Contractile function in isolated pig left ventricular myocytes was examined by video microscopy after the following treatment protocols: (1) 37 degrees C incubation in medium (normothermia) for 2 hours with triiodothyronine followed by a 2-hour normothermic incubation with no triiodothyronine, (2) 4 hours of normothermic incubation with no triiodothyronine, (3) normothermic incubation for 2 hours with triiodothyronine followed by 2 hours of hyperkalemic, hypothermic cardioplegic arrest ([K+]:24 mmol/L; 4 degrees C) and subsequent rewarming, and (4) normothermic incubation for 2 hours with no triiodothyronine followed by 2 hours of hyperkalemic, hypothermic cardioplegic arrest and rewarming. Two hours of normothermia with triiodothyronine increased myocyte contractile function by 30% compared with values in untreated control myocytes, and this increase persisted after a subsequent 2-hour incubation under normothermic conditions with no triiodothyronine. For example, myocyte velocity of shortening in triiodothyronine-pretreated myocytes was 84 +/- 4.9 microns/sec compared with 62 +/- 2.8 microns/sec in control myocytes (p < 0.05). Cardioplegic arrest and subsequent rewarming caused a significant reduction in myocyte velocity of shortening from normothermic values (37 +/- 3.4 microns/sec, p < 0.05). However, in myocytes pretreated with triiodothyronine, myocyte contractile function was significantly higher after hypothermic cardioplegic arrest and rewarming (54 +/- 2.5 microns/sec, p < 0.05). In a second series of experiments, beta-adrenergic responsiveness was examined after pretreatment with triiodothyronine. In the presence of the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol (25 nmol/L), myocyte contractile function was increased by 26% in the triiodothyronine-treated myocytes compared with that in untreated control myocytes. This enhanced beta-adrenergic responsiveness with triiodothyronine pretreatment persisted with subsequent exposure to hypothermic cardioplegic arrest and rewarming. In summary, triiodothyronine pretreatment caused an increase in myocyte contractile function and beta-adrenergic responsiveness under normothermic conditions and after hypothermic cardioplegic arrest and rewarming. Thus the present study provides direct evidence to suggest that preemptive treatment with triiodothyronine may improve left ventricular contractile performance after hypothermic cardioplegic arrest and rewarming.

3,5,3' Triiodo-L-thyronine pretreatment with cardioplegic arrest and chronic left ventricular dysfunction

BACKGROUND

The active form of thyroid hormone, T3, may be an important determinant of left ventricular (LV) function after hypothermic cardioplegic arrest and rewarming, particularly in patients with preexisting LV dysfunction. Thus, the present project tested the hypothesis that T3 pretreatment will improve myocyte contractile performance after hypothermic cardioplegic arrest and rewarming in the setting of chronic LV dysfunction.

METHODS

Control LV porcine myocytes (n = 160) and cardiomyopathic LV (rapid pacing for 3 weeks at 240 beats/min) myocytes (n = 100) were treated with or without 80 pmol/L T3. Myocytes then were maintained in normothermic conditions (2 hours at 37 degrees C in media) or exposed to hypothermic cardioplegic arrest ([K+], 24 mmol/L; 2 hours at 4 degrees C) with subsequent rewarming.

RESULTS

After cardioplegic arrest and rewarming, T3 pretreatment increased myocyte velocity of shortening by 41% in control myocytes and by 35% in cardiomyopathic myocytes when compared to untreated myocytes. Furthermore, T3 pretreatment followed by beta-adrenergic receptor stimulation with isoproterenol (25 nmol/L) improved myocyte velocity of shortening by 24% in control myocytes and 90% in cardiomyopathic myocytes after hypothermic cardioplegic arrest and rewarming, as compared with untreated myocytes.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, this study provides evidence to suggest that preemptive treatment with T3 may improve LV pump function and beta-adrenergic responsiveness after hypothermic cardioplegic arrest and rewarming in patients with underlying LV dysfunction.

Acute regional myocardial ischemia and recovery after cardiopulmonary bypass: effects of intensity of antecedent ischemia

Aortic cross-clamping with inadequate myocardial preservation has been shown to cause postoperative decreases in myocardial performance following coronary artery bypass graft surgery. We have demonstrated a mild decrement in myocardial beta-receptor function associated with cold cardioplegia in a normal animal model; in normal human hearts, however, response to beta-adrenergic inotropic stimulation was diminished significantly. Beta-receptor dysfunction also is associated with chronic myocardial ischemia that is associated with severe ischemic heart disease. Although the change in beta-receptor function with acute regional myocardial ischemia associated with severe ischemic heart disease is not understood fully, we found that the intensity of regional ischemia significantly affects functional recovery after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Myocardial stunning does not appear to be significant in this dysfunction; however, alterations in beta-receptor density and function may play a critical role in post-CPB ventricular function.

Effect of triiodothyronine on postischemic myocardial function in the isolated heart

Thyroid dysfunction has been shown to have a significant impact on hemodynamic status and cardiac function. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of triiodothyronine (T3) on cardiac functional recovery after ischemia in a dose-dependent manner. Postischemic functional recovery was assessed in isolated rabbit hearts mounted in a modified Langendorff preparation. Left ventricular systolic, diastolic, and peak developed pressures were measured before and after ischemia, and calculated as a percentage of preischemic function. Two cohorts of hearts were studied: the first was exposed to warm ischemia until a myocardial contracture of 4 mmHg was produced; the second cohort was exposed to warm ischemia until a contracture of 15 mm Hg was observed. In each cohort, T3 was added to the perfusion solution after ischemia in a physiologic concentration (2.5 x 10(-9) g/mL; 1 x T3), as well as ten times (2.5 x 10(-8) g/mL; 10 x T3) and a hundred times (2.5 x 10(-7) g/mL; 100 x T3) the physiologic concentration. One group, given the carrier only but without T3, served as the control. Rabbit hearts exposed to a short period of ischemia (4-mmHg diastolic contracture) showed increased recovery with 1 x T3 and 10 x T3. 100 x T3 did not bring about improved left ventricular recovery versus that in the control group. Rabbit hearts in the 15 mm Hg-diastolic contracture cohort showed increased recovery with 10 x T3 but not with 1 x T3. 100 x T3 led to decreased recovery in this cohort versus that in the control group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Beta-adrenoceptors in cardiac disease

The human heart contains both beta 1 and beta 2-adrenoceptors; both mediate positive inotropic and chronotropic effects. In chronic heart failure, beta-adrenoceptor number is reduced, presumably, by down-regulation by endogenous noradrenaline which is elevated due to increased sympathetic activity. Since the human heart contains only a few spare receptors for beta-adrenoceptor-mediated positive inotropic effects and the amount of spare receptors declines in chronic heart failure, it is not surprising that the reduced beta-adrenoceptor number is accompanied by decreased contractile responses to beta-adrenoceptor agonists (including endogenous catecholamines), and the extent of decrease in maximal inotropic response is more pronounced as the disease becomes more advanced. Moreover, in chronic heart failure myocardial G(i)-protein, which inhibits cAMP formation, is increased, which might further contribute to the reduction in beta-adrenoceptor-mediated effects. It appears that, at present, the best therapy for severe heart failure is a successful heart transplant, since in the transplanted heart beta-adrenoceptor number and function seems to be normalized. Moreover, the data currently available do not suggest any development of super- or subsensitivity of postsynaptic cardiac beta-adrenoceptors in the transplanted human heart.

Amrinone in cardiac surgical patients with left-ventricular dysfunction. A prospective, randomized placebo-controlled trial

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy of amrinone for facilitating weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).

DESIGN

Prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with epinephrine as "rescue" therapy.

SETTING

Operating room of a large, metropolitan tertiary-care center.

PATIENTS

Thirty-nine patients with preoperative left ventricular dysfunction undergoing cardiac surgery. Thirty-three patients underwent aortocoronary bypass grafting; six patients underwent valve replacement for severe mitral or aortic regurgitation.

INTERVENTIONS

Patients received either amrinone (1.5 mg/kg loading dose plus 10 micrograms/kg/min maintenance infusion; n = 20) or placebo (n = 19) in a randomized double-blind fashion shortly (median, 10.5 min; range, 2 to 24 min) before separation from CPB. Inotropic drugs (other than the study drug) were withheld prior to separation from CPB unless safety considerations demanded that the protocol be broken. Patients who could not be weaned from CPB, as well as those with a cardiac index of 2.2 L/min/m2 or less after weaning from CPB, received epinephrine (60 to 120 ng/kg/min) by infusion.

MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS

Fourteen of 19 patients receiving placebo but only 1 of the 20 patients receiving amrinone (p = 0.00001) required epinephrine infusion to separate from bypass. The cardiac index of 4 patients receiving placebo (but no patients with amrinone) failed to exceed 2.2 L/min/m2 despite epinephrine infusion, requiring the protocol to be broken (p < 0.08). Blood concentrations of amrinone determined (only in the amrinone group) after separation from CPB confirmed that the dosage of amrinone produced an effective blood concentration. Fourteen of 19 patients receiving placebo and 17 of 20 patients receiving amrinone required an infusion of phenylephrine titrated to maintain systolic blood pressure less than 90 mm Hg. Seven patients (four with amrinone and three with placebo) required antiarrhythmic drug therapy. The outcome at 3 months was similar in the 2 groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Amrinone by itself is an effective agent to facilitate weaning from CPB, and therapy with amrinone reduced the need for individualized titration of epinephrine. Amrinone is as effective as individualized titration of epinephrine (after CPB) to improve cardiac function. Patients in the group receiving amrinone had no greater need for vasoconstricting agents than did patients in the group receiving placebo; however, proactive administration of amrinone before separation from CPB appears to offer no greater benefit to high-risk patients than selective administration of drugs (epinephrine) only to those patients who demonstrate the need for drug support at the time of weaning.

Support of the perioperative failing heart with preexisting ventricular dysfunction: currently available options

Perioperative support of the patient with preexisting biventricular failure requires simultaneous optimal manipulation of heart rate and rhythm, loading conditions, and contractility. Patients with preexisting ventricular dysfunction will have alterations in beta-adrenergic receptors, resulting in decreased responsiveness to catecholamines. Even patients with previously normal ventricular function can develop ventricular dysfunction caused by reperfusion injury and other potentially damaging effects of extracorporeal circulation. The mainstay of therapeutic agents used to allow separation from cardiopulmonary bypass are catecholamines, which stimulate alpha- and beta-adrenergic receptors. Submaximal responses to beta 1-adrenergic stimulation can occur in the down-regulated heart. The phosphodiesterase inhibitors provide both inotropic support and vasodilatation, which improves both systolic and diastolic function and bypasses beta-adrenergic receptors. When administered in combination, catecholamine and cyclic-AMP-specific phosphodiesterase inhibitors can have additive effects to restore beta 1-adrenergic responsiveness. Combination therapy provides an important therapeutic option to facilitate separation from cardiopulmonary bypass. Pharmacologic intervention for right ventricular dysfunction focuses on reversal of pulmonary vasoconstriction with nitrates, beta 2-adrenergic agents, phosphodiesterase inhibitors and prostaglandin E1.

Acute cellular actions of thyroid hormone and myocardial function

The mechanisms of actions of thyroid hormone in various tissues are largely viewed as cell nucleus-mediated. However, several actions of this hormone are definitively extranuclear, and these include effects on the activities of Ca(2+)-adenosine triphosphatases (ATPases) of myocardial sarcolemma and, apparently, sarcoplasmic reticulum in animal models. Both effects would serve to reduce cytoplasmic (sarcoplasmic) [Ca2+]. Sarcoplasmic reticulum uptake of Ca2+ from sarcoplasm is mediated by Ca(2+)-ATPase and is deficient in end-stage heart failure; thyroid hormone can enhance sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase activity acutely via an extranuclear mechanism or indirectly via the myosin-associated Ca(2+)-ATPase gene. Such actions would serve to improve myocardial relaxation, thus improvement in diastolic dysfunction, and may be cardioprotective if excessive levels of sarcoplasmic [Ca2+] develop during reperfusion of previously ischemic tissue. Action of thyroid hormone on sarcolemmal Ca(2+)-ATPase activity will enhance Ca2+ efflux, and a recently described effect of the hormone on myocardial Na+ inactivation current may serve to increase or reduce sarcoplasmic [Ca2+], depending upon the vector of Na+/Ca2+ exchange. This article reviews acute effects of thyroid hormone on the heart that are extranuclear in mechanism.

Pharmacologic and mechanical methods of discontinuing extracorporeal circulation in patients with heart failure

Separation from EC requires simultaneous optimal manipulation of heart rate and rhythm, loading conditions, afterload, and contractility. Patients with preexisting ventricular dysfunction will have alterations in beta-adrenergic receptors and responsiveness to catecholamines, but patients with previously normal ventricular function can also develop ventricular dysfunction. Catecholamines, by stimulating beta-adrenergic receptors, decrease systolic function to allow separation from EC. The phosphodiesterase inhibitors provide both inotropic support and vasodilation, to improve both systolic and diastolic function. When administered in combination, catecholamines and cyclic-AMP-specific phosphodiesterase inhibitors can have additive effects to restore beta 1-adrenergic responsiveness. Combination therapy provides an important support during biventricular dysfunction and facilitates separation from EC. Finally, mechanical support provides a therapeutic option when pharmacologic therapy is ineffective.

Is post cardiopulmonary bypass dysfunction a special form of stunning?

It has been suggested that cardioplegic arrest during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) produces global myocardial ischemia with a risk of myocardial stunning. It has also been postulated that anesthetic technique may affect the course of post-CPB myocardial stunning via exaggerated myocardial depression. However, we have previously found that global ventricular and regional myocardial responses to halothane do not differ in post-CPB and pre-CPB dogs. Our examination of the effects of CPB on the beta-adrenergic function revealed that beta-adrenergic receptor function is only slightly decreased immediately following (i.e., 1 min) and 30 minutes post-CPB. A dose-response relationship was established for dobutamine, with decreased responsiveness noted at both times. Since other data show normal inotropic stimulation of stunned myocardium, decreases in dobutamine responsiveness cannot be explained by beta-receptor desensitization. Overall, these data indicate that CPB does not result in myocardial stunning. The differences between these data and others showing myocardial stunning following CPB may be due to several factors, such as anesthetic regimen, lack of coronary blood flow abnormalities, and a reduction in sarcoplasmic reticular damage due to the hypothermic conditions used.

Triiodothyronine (T3) and cardiovascular therapeutics: a review

Hypothyroidism is associated with an abnormal hemodynamic state characterized by decreased heart rate, stroke volume, output, and contractility, and increased systemic vascular resistance. Since cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and surgical stress can induce profound decreases in triiodothyronine (T3) levels, the hemodynamic consequences of "stress-induced" hypothyroidism and T3 repletion are of increasing clinical interest. Available data generally support the likelihood of a beneficial effect associated with T3 replacement in brain-dead organ donors and in cases of low cardiac output following CPB. Although hypotheses have been advanced to account for these salutary effects, the mechanism by which T3 may augment hemodynamic performance has not been precisely defined, particularly in the acute setting. Although additional research is needed to clarify these and other issues, preliminary findings with T3 replacement indicate that such investigation is warranted.