Application of stereological analysis of cell volume to isolated myocytes in culture with and without adrenergic innervation

The Intrinsic Cardiac Nervous System and Its Role in Cardiac Pacemaking and Conduction

The cardiac autonomic nervous system (CANS) plays a key role for the regulation of cardiac activity with its dysregulation being involved in various heart diseases, such as cardiac arrhythmias. The CANS comprises the extrinsic and intrinsic innervation of the heart. The intrinsic cardiac nervous system (ICNS) includes the network of the intracardiac ganglia and interconnecting neurons. The cardiac ganglia contribute to the tight modulation of cardiac electrophysiology, working as a local hub integrating the inputs of the extrinsic innervation and the ICNS. A better understanding of the role of the ICNS for the modulation of the cardiac conduction system will be crucial for targeted therapies of various arrhythmias. We describe the embryonic development, anatomy, and physiology of the ICNS. By correlating the topography of the intracardiac neurons with what is known regarding their biophysical and neurochemical properties, we outline their physiological role in the control of pacemaker activity of the sinoatrial and atrioventricular nodes. We conclude by highlighting cardiac disorders with a putative involvement of the ICNS and outline open questions that need to be addressed in order to better understand the physiology and pathophysiology of the ICNS.

Do polyphenols enter the brain and does it matter? Some theoretical and practical considerations

Although several epidemiological and intervention studies suggest that polyphenols (PPs) and PP-rich foods may improve memory and cognition in animals and humans, PPs' mode of action is only poorly understood. To help distinguish between the different modes of action that have been proposed for PPs, it is obviously important to know how much PPs can accumulate in the brain, if any at all. However, reliable data on PP uptake into the brain of animals are limited as many studies failed to report important control procedures during data acquisition. In this paper, we summarize published data on the penetration of PPs into animal brain and review some hypotheses to explain the biological basis of potentially health-beneficial effects of PPs to the brain. Finally, we highlight promising new approaches, especially those of a hormetic dose-response and gut microbiota-brain interaction, which may allow a better understanding of PPs' mode of action in animals and humans.

Regulation of rat cardiac myocyte growth by a neuronal factor secreted by PC12 cells

Sympathetic innervation of cardiac myocytes in vitro induces growth independent of anatomic contact between the neurons and myocytes and is not mediated by alpha- or beta-adrenergic receptor stimulation. To establish a model system that will allow purification and identification of the neuronal factor(s) responsible for mediating this regulation, we have initiated studies utilizing conditioned medium from the PC12 cell line. PC12 cells acquire a cholinergic sympathetic neuronal phenotype when exposed to nerve growth factor. Culture medium conditioned by neuronal PC12 cells, but not nonneuronal PC12 cells, induces growth in newborn rat cardiac myocytes as measured by surface area and [35S]methionine incorporation into protein and increases expression of atrionatriuretic peptide, a marker for myocyte hypertrophy. The magnitude of the growth response is dose-dependent and mimics the response to sympathetic innervation. The myocyte response to conditioned medium is not detectable after 24 h of exposure; maximal rate of protein synthesis is obtained within 48 h. Neuronally differentiated PC12 cell-conditioned medium stimulation of growth could not be mimicked by alpha- or beta-adrenergic agonists or muscarinic agonists, nor inhibited by alpha- or beta-adrenergic antagonists, nor by muscarinic antagonists. Neuropeptide Y and somatostatin, peptides known to be present in PC12 cells and sympathetic neurons, were also ineffective at reproducing the effect of neuronally differentiated PC12 cell-conditioned medium. These data indicate that neuronal cells release a soluble factor, different from neurotransmitter, which stimulates myocyte growth. They further identify the PC12 cell line as providing a convenient and abundant supply of this molecule, thus facilitating its further characterization.

Nuclear and cellular size of myocytes in different segments of the developing rat heart

BACKGROUND

In the embryonic heart, the individual cardiac segments show different growth rates. For the analysis of changing form in relation with changing function, data on number and shape of cardiomyocytes are necessary. Such data will give insight into the process of hypertrophy and/or hyperplasia as they may take place in the myocardium in the embryonic period.

METHODS

We have measured the volumes of the nuclei and myocytes as well as the surface areas of the nuclear envelope and cellular membrane using stereological tools in rat embryos from 11 days postcoitum to 17 days postcoitum. From the data of the cellular volume of the myocytes and the myocardial volume of the individual segments, we have calculated the total number of myocytes during the developmental period.

RESULTS

It is shown that the sinus venosus, sinu-atrial junction, and atrium increase their cellular volume during development, whereas the other cardiac segments show no difference in cellular volume. Similarly, the surface area of the cell membrane of the sinus venosus and sinu-atrial junction had increased during development. The nuclear volume and the surface area of the nuclear envelope did not differ during the period studied. The total number of myocytes showed a conspicuously smaller increase in the atrio-ventricular canal and distal outlet segment than in the other segments.

CONCLUSIONS

The increase of the cellular volume in the segments sinus venosus and sinu-atrial junction seems to be due to a late differentiation process. In general, however, the increase of the myocardial volume in the individual cardiac segments is caused by hyperplasia of the cardiomyocytes in these segments and not by hypertrophy. The surface area of cells has a fixed relationship with cell volume, indicating that no important changes take place in the developmental period studied.

Role of calcium-activated neutral protease (calpain) in cell death in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes during metabolic inhibition

Calcium-activated neutral protease (CANP), also known as calpain, has been implicated in the development of cell death in ischemic hearts. CANP is thought to be activated by the calcium overload that develops during ischemia. We studied the involvement of CANP in cell death in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes during metabolic inhibition (5 mmol/L NaCN + 10 mmol/L 2-deoxyglucose). First, we isolated CANP using ion exchange and affinity chromatography. Then the efficacy of the CANP inhibitors calpain I inhibitor, leupeptin, and E64 to inhibit isolated CANP activity was tested with the use of fluorescently labeled beta-casein as a substrate. The IC50 for the inhibitors was between 2.1 and 56 mumol/L. Uptake of the inhibitors by intact cells was assessed with the use of 99mTc-radiolabeled inhibitors. The calculated intracellular inhibitor concentrations were sufficiently high to yield substantial inhibition of intracellular CANP activity. Intracellular CANP activity was measured directly with the use of the cell-permeant fluorogenic CANP-specific substrate N-succinyl-Leu-Leu-Val-Tyr-7-amido-4-methyl-coumarin. During metabolic inhibition, intracellular CANP activity was increased compared with control incubation. The time course of CANP activation was compatible with that of the rise in [Ca2+]i, as measured by fura 2 and digital imaging fluorescence microscopy. Calpain I inhibitor and leupeptin inhibited intracellular CANP activity both during metabolic inhibition and control incubation, whereas E64 did not. Despite their substantial inhibition of intracellular CANP activity, calpain I inhibitor and leupeptin did not attenuate cell death during metabolic inhibition.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)