Alteration of 1,2-diacylglycerol content in ischemic and reperfused heart

Diagnostics and therapeutic interventions in myocardial interstitial disease, a previously neglected pathology

The emergence of cardiac fibrosis (the prototypal myocardial interstitial disease) as an important adverse predictor of risk in heart disease is not surprising given that it is largely responsible for cardiac stiffness, provides a substrate for rhythm disturbances and promotes tissue hypoxia and development of heart failure. Yet, this diagnosis remains difficult, treatment options remain limited and underlying mechanisms remain elusive. More recently, however, many notable advances in imaging techniques and biomarker discovery have been made to improve our understanding of remodelling changes that occur within the myocardial interstitium. Ground-breaking new evidence now suggests that fibrosis within the heart may not only be reversible but that it also may be amenable to pharmacological intervention. In this review, we discuss these recent advances and highlight the pressing urgency to better detect myocardial interstitial disease and to understand the underlying molecular biology that may enable discovery of more specific anti-remodelling therapies.

Measurements of 1,2-diacylglycerol and ceramide in hearts subjected to ischemic preconditioning

An accumulation of recent evidence suggests that the mechanism in ischemic preconditioning (IPC) may involve the activation of protein kinase C (PKC) regulatory pathway. In this study, we examined whether the content of 1,2-diacylglycerol (1,2-DAG) and ceramide, which are intracellular second messengers regulating PKC activity, change during IPC in isolated perfused rat hearts, and whether the observed change in 1,2-DAG is accompanied with alteration in its fatty acid composition. Hearts subjected to IPC, consisting of 5-min transient global ischemia followed by 5-min reperfusion, presented a significant functional recovery during subsequent 40-min reperfusion following 40-min global ischemia compared with non-preconditioned hearts. An increase in 1,2-DAG content was observed in hearts subjected to 5-min transient ischemia compared with non-ischemic control hearts, however this was not seen in hearts harvested after 5-min reperfusion following 5-min ischemia. While fatty acid composition in 1,2-DAG was virtually unchanged in hearts subjected to 5-min ischemia, saturated 1,2-DAG decreased and monounsaturated/polyunsaturated 1,2-DAG increased in hearts reperfused for 5-min following 5-min ischemia compared with the non-ischemic control hearts. Ceramide mass did not change significantly, suggesting that the contribution of ceramide may be small in IPC. These data are in concert with the hypothesis that 1,2-DAG is a second messenger in IPC and the changes in fatty acid composition of 1,2-DAG may add new insight concerning signal transduction pathway in IPC.

Suppression of ventricular arrhythmias during ischemia-reperfusion by agents inhibiting Ins(1,4,5)P3 release

BACKGROUND

Reperfusion following myocardial ischemia causes a rapid and transient release of inositol (1,4,5)triphosphate [Ins(1,4,5)P3]. The aim of this study was to test whether this increased Ins(1,4,5)P3 release was important for the development of ventricular arrhythmias and whether agents that inhibit this signal transduction pathway, such as aminoglycoside antibiotics, suppress arrhythmias.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In perfused rat hearts, ventricular tachycardia (VT), ventricular fibrillation (VF), and accumulation of Ins(1,4,5)P3 were measured during early reperfusion. A number of different compounds, including neomycin, gentamicin, streptomycin, spermine, reserpine, and prazosin, were effective in inhibiting the reperfusion-induced Ins(1,4,5)P3 release and the onset of VT and VF in parallel. A strong correlation existed between Ins(1,4,5)P3 content, measured at 2 minutes of reperfusion, and the incidence of reperfusion VT and VF. In addition, intravenous gentamicin suppressed the onset of arrhythmias under ischemic and reperfusion conditions in vivo.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results are consistent with the view that Ins(1,4,5)P3 release plays a pivotal role in mediating arrhythmias during early reperfusion. Agents inhibiting Ins(1,4,5)P3 release are antiarrhythmic and may have potential use clinically.

Inositol phosphate release and metabolism during myocardial ischemia and reperfusion in rat heart

A detailed study of the effects of global myocardial ischemia and reperfusion on inositol phosphate release and metabolism has been undertaken by using isolated perfused rat hearts. Ischemia for longer than 5 minutes caused a cessation of inositol phosphate production, with inositol phosphates initially present accumulating as isomers of inositol monophosphate. This inhibition was independent of norepinephrine. In contrast, 2-minute reperfusion following 20-minute ischemia produced a rapid and transient release of inositol phosphates that was dependent on the release of norepinephrine and mediated by alpha 1-adrenergic receptors. By a number of criteria, this reperfusion response was different from the norepinephrine response in normoxic tissue. First, total release of inositol phosphates was greater (466 +/- 37 compared with 345 +/- 29 cpm/mg protein, P < .05). Second, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate was released with postischemic reperfusion (103 +/- 18 to 207 +/- 11 pmol/mg protein), whereas release was not detected in normoxic myocardium. In agreement with this, neomycin (0.5 and 5 mmol/L) inhibited inositol phosphate release only under reperfusion conditions. Third, the reperfusion response, unlike the response in nonischemic tissue, required extracellular Ca2+. Longer periods of reperfusion resulted in a return to a pattern of inositol phosphate release that was not different from that seen in normoxic tissue. The rapid and transient release of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate at 2-minute postischemic reperfusion provides an explanation for the enhanced role of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors under these conditions and suggests an important role for this compound in initiating reperfusion-induced pathological events.

Changes in phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C and phospholipase A2 activity in ischemic and reperfused rat heart

Phospholipid metabolism is altered during ischemia and post-ischemic reperfusion. Past studies demonstrating elevated myocardial free fatty acid and lysophospholipid content infer accelerated phospholipid degradation involving phospholipase A activity. Recently, ischemic and post-ischemic reperfusion (reperfusion) have been shown to affect levels of phosphoinositide (PPI) degradation products. Considering the role of PPI turnover in regulation of cellular calcium homeostasis, our laboratory and others have suggested that alteration in the metabolism of the inositol phospholipids could play a role in the development of ischemia-induced calcium overload injury. Using an isolated rat heart model (Langendorff perfusion), this study examines the effect of global ischemia and reperfusion on ventricular phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PLC) activity and PLA2 activity. The primary purpose was to determine if ischemia and reperfusion-induced changes in PLC activity could explain previously observed changes in PPI degradation products, and whether PLC and PLA2 activities were similarly or differentially altered by ischemia and reperfusion. PLC and PLA2 activities were measured in cytosolic and total membrane fractions from control (perfused), ischemic (5, 10, 30, and 60 min), and post-ischemic reperfused ventricular tissue. Phospholipase activity was determined under optimal in vitro conditions using exogenous radiolabeled substrates. Alterations in membrane-associated PPI-PLC activity correlated with reported ischemia and reperfusion-induced changes in ventricular content of PPI metabolites. Membrane PLC activity increased slightly at 5 min of ischemia, decreased significantly at 10 min of ischemia, and continued to decrease with longer duration of ischemia (73% of control after 60 min). Cytosolic PPI-PLC activity was decreased at 5 min, and then significantly increased by longer durations of ischemia, while cytosolic PLA2 activity was reduced at all time points. Pretreatment with muscarinic, alpha 1-adrenergic, beta-adrenergic, and adenosine receptor blockers did not alter ischemia-elicited changes in PLC activity. Reperfusion caused a 140% to 200% rise in the activities of all phospholipases in all fractions after 40 min of ischemia, but not after 10 min of ischemia. Results suggest 1) ischemia and reperfusion-elicited alterations in membrane-associated PPI-PLC activity can explain previously observed changes in phosphoinositide turnover metabolites, 2) cytosolic and membrane-associated PPI-PLC and PLA2 activities are not uniformly affected by ischemia, 3) reperfusion following ischemia of sufficient duration initiates uniform activation of PIP2-PLC and PLA2, and 4) because ischemia and reperfusion-induced changes in phospholipase activity can be detected under optimal in vitro assay conditions (removed from the in vivo ischemic microenvironment), it is likely that the enzymes themselves have been altered.