The effects of transmural pressure on prostacyclin release from porcine endocardial endothelial cells--comparison with vascular endothelial cells

Angiotensin II induces apoptosis of human right and left ventricular endocardial endothelial cells by activating the AT2 receptor 1

Endocardial endothelial cells (EECs) form a monolayer lining the ventricular cavities. Studies from our laboratory and the literature have shown differences between EECs isolated from the right and left ventricles (EECRs and EECLs, respectively). Angiotensin II (Ang II) was shown to induce apoptosis of different cell types mainly via AT₁ receptor activation. In this study, we verified whether Ang II induces apoptosis of human EECRs and EECLs (hEECRs and hEECLs, respectively) and via which type of receptor. Using the annexin V labeling and in situ TUNEL assays, our results showed that Ang II induced apoptosis of both hEECRs and hEECLs in a concentration-dependent manner. Our results using specific AT₁ and AT₂ receptor antagonists showed that the Ang-II-induced apoptosis in both hEECRs and hEECLs is mediated mainly via the AT₂ receptor. However, AT₁ receptor blockade partially prevented Ang-II-induced apoptosis, particularly in hEECRs. Hence, our results suggest that mainly AT₂ receptors mediate Ang-II-induced apoptosis of hEECRs and hEECLs. The damage of EECs would affect their function as a physical barrier between the blood and cardiomyocytes, thus affecting cardiomyocyte functions.

The effects of asymmetric ventricular filling on left-right ventricular interaction in the normal rat heart

Heart failure is characterised by ventricular dysfunction and with the potential for changes to ventricular volumes constraining the mechanical performance of the heart. The contribution of this interaction from geometric changes rather than fibrosis or metabolic changes is unclear. Using the constant pressure Langendorff-perfused rat heart, the volume interaction between left ventricle (LV) and right ventricle (RV) was investigated. RV diastolic stiffness (P < 0.001) and developed pressure (P < 0.001) were significantly lower than LV. When the RV was fixed at the end-diastolic volume (EDV) or EDV + 50 %, both LV systolic and diastolic performance were unaffected with increasing LV balloon volume. However, at fixed LV volume, RV systolic performance was significantly decreased when LV volume increased to EDV + 50 % when RV volume was increased incrementally between 50 and 300 μl (P < 0.001). Systolic interaction in RV was noted as declining RV peak systolic load with increasing LV systolic pressure (P < 0.05) and diastolic interaction was noted for RV when LV volume was increased from EDV to EDV + 50 % (P < 0.05). RV diastolic wall stress was increased with increasing LV balloon volume (P < 0.05), but LV wall stress was unaltered at fixed RV balloon volume. Taken together, increasing LV volume above EDV decreased systolic performance and triggered ventricular constraint in the RV but the RV itself had no effect on the performance of the LV. These results are consistent with overload of the LV impairing pulmonary perfusion by direct ventricular interaction with potential alteration to ventilation-perfusion characteristics within the lung.

Endurance training increases exercise-induced prostacyclin release in young, healthy men--relationship with VO2max

In the present study, we evaluated the effect of 5 weeks of moderate-intensity endurance training on the basal and exercise-induced systemic release of prostacyclin (PGI(2)), as assessed by plasma 6-keto-PGF(1 alpha) concentration. Twelve physically active young men with the following characteristics participated in this study (the mean +/- SD): age, 22.7 +/- 2.0 years; body mass, 76.8 +/- 8.9 kg; BMI, 23.48 +/- 2.17 kg x m(-2); and maximal oxygen uptake (VO(2 max)), 46.1 +/- 4.0 ml x kg(-1) x min(-1). Plasma 6-keto-PGF(1 alpha) concentrations were measured in venous blood samples taken prior to the exercise and at exhaustion (at VO(2 max)) before and after completing the training protocol. On average, the training resulted in a significant increase in VO(2 max) (p = 0.03), power output at VO(2 max) (p = 0.001) and a significant increase (p = 0.05) in the net-exercise-induced increase in plasma 6-keto-PGF(1 alpha) concentration (Delta 6-keto-PGF(1 alpha) i.e., the difference between the end-exercise and pre-exercise 6-keto-PGF(1 alpha) concentrations). No effect of training on the basal PGI(2) concentration was found. Interestingly, within the study sample (n = 12), two subgroups could be defined with a differential pattern of response with respect to Delta 6-keto-PGF(1 alpha) concentrations. In one subgroup (n = 7), a significant increase in Delta 6-keto-PGF(1 alpha) concentration after training was found (p < 0.02) (responders). This enhancement in the exercise-induced PGI(2) release was accompanied by a significant (p < 0.05) increase in VO(2 max) after training. In contrast, in another subgroup (n = 5), there was no observed effect of training on the Delta 6-keto-PGF(1 alpha) concentration and the VO(2 max) after training (non-responders). In both of these subgroups, training did not influence the basal PGI(2) concentration. In conclusion, the endurance training resulted in the adaptive augmentation of the systemic release of PGI(2) in response to exercise, which plays a role in the training-induced increase in VO(2 max) in young, healthy men. The impairment of the training-induced augmentation of PGI(2) release in response to exercise demonstrated in the non-responders subgroup may predispose them to increased cardiovascular risk during vigorous exercise.

NPY regulates human endocardial endothelial cell function

Growing evidence suggests that endocardial endothelial cells (EECs) may play an important role in the regulation of cardiac function by releasing several cardioactive factors such as endothelin-1 (ET-1), Angiotensin II (Ang II) and nitric oxide (NO). In our laboratory, we demonstrated that similar to ET-1, EECs do possess different types of NPY receptors, specifically Y(1) and Y(2) receptors. Furthermore, activation of these receptors was found to increase the steady-state level of intracellular free Ca(2+) in EECs and the frequency of beating of cardiomyocytes. In addition, NPY was also found to be present in EECs, and an increase of steady-state intracellular free Ca(2+) induced the release of this peptide from these cells. Thus, similar to ET-1, NPY seems to be released from EECs and this peptide seems to regulate excitation-secretion of these cells as well as excitation-contraction coupling of ventricular cardiomyocytes.

The distribution and density of ET-1 and its receptors are different in human right and left ventricular endocardial endothelial cells

Evidence suggests that endocardial endothelial cells (EECs) may play a role in the regulation of cardiac function by releasing ET-1. Furthermore, reports in the literature suggested that differences may exist in peptide receptor distribution between the left and right EECs. In this study, we verified if the distribution and density of ET-1 and its receptors could be different in right as compared to left ventricular EECs, and whether this difference may affect ET-1-induced increase of intracellular calcium. Using immunofluorescence and 3D confocal microscopy, our results showed that in both cell types, the ET(A) receptor is present and is homogeneously distributed throughout the two cell types. The relative density of the ET(A) receptor is similar in both right and left ventricular EECs. The ET(B) receptor is also present in right and left ventricular EECs, however, the relative density of the ET(B) receptor is higher in the nucleus as compared to the cytosol. In addition, the ET(B) receptor density was found to be higher in left EECs as compared to right EECs. In addition, our results showed that ET-1 is present in the cytosol and the nucleus of both types of cells and that the relative density of ET-1 is higher in right as compared to left ventricular EECs. Moreover, using the Fura-2 calcium measurement technique, our results showed that in left ventricular EECs, both ET(A) and ET(B) receptor activation mediated the effect of ET-1 on intracellular calcium, whereas in right ventricular EECs, this effect was solely mediated by the ET(A) receptor. In conclusion, our results showed that ET-1 and its receptors are present in both right and left ventricular EECs. However, the distribution and relative density of ET-1 and its receptors seem to be different in right EECs as compared to left EECs.

Cardiac endothelial-myocardial signaling: its role in cardiac growth, contractile performance, and rhythmicity

Experimental work during the past 15 years has demonstrated that endothelial cells in the heart play an obligatory role in regulating and maintaining cardiac function, in particular, at the endocardium and in the myocardial capillaries where endothelial cells directly interact with adjacent cardiomyocytes. The emerging field of targeted gene manipulation has led to the contention that cardiac endothelial-cardiomyocytal interaction is a prerequisite for normal cardiac development and growth. Some of the molecular mechanisms and cellular signals governing this interaction, such as neuregulin, vascular endothelial growth factor, and angiopoietin, continue to maintain phenotype and survival of cardiomyocytes in the adult heart. Cardiac endothelial cells, like vascular endothelial cells, also express and release a variety of auto- and paracrine agents, such as nitric oxide, endothelin, prostaglandin I(2), and angiotensin II, which directly influence cardiac metabolism, growth, contractile performance, and rhythmicity of the adult heart. The synthesis, secretion, and, most importantly, the activities of these endothelium-derived substances in the heart are closely linked, interrelated, and interactive. It may therefore be simplistic to try and define their properties independently from one another. Moreover, in relation specifically to the endocardial endothelium, an active transendothelial physicochemical gradient for various ions, or blood-heart barrier, has been demonstrated. Linkage of this blood-heart barrier to the various other endothelium-mediated signaling pathways or to the putative vascular endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factors remains to be determined. At the early stages of cardiac failure, all major cardiovascular risk factors may cause cardiac endothelial activation as an adaptive response often followed by cardiac endothelial dysfunction. Because of the interdependency of all endothelial signaling pathways, activation or disturbance of any will necessarily affect the others leading to a disturbance of their normal balance, leading to further progression of cardiac failure.

Shear stress enhances prostacyclin release from endocardial endothelial cells

The effect of shear stress on the release of prostacyclin (PGI2) from cultured endocardial endothelial cells (EECs) was investigated. EECs were harvested from the right ventricle (RV) and the left ventricle (LV) of porcine heart. Confluent EECs were incubated under various degrees of shear stress (0.2, 1, 4 and 6 dyne/cm2) and PGI2 release from each cell was measured. PGI2 release from LV-EECs and RV-EECs was enhanced by the elevation of shear stress in a shear-dependent manner with a rapid increase at the onset of flow; however, there was no significant difference in PGI2 production between RV-EECs and LV-EECs. production of PGI2 was significantly inhibited from cells exposed to 8-(dimetilamino) octyl 3,4,5-trymethoxybenzoate hydrochloride (10 and 100 microM: an inhibitor of intracellular calcium mobilization) or cyclopiazonic acid (10 microM: an endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase inhibitor). These results indicate that shear stress enhances PGI2 release from cultured EECs and that mechanotransduction of shear stress depends on calcium mobilization in EECs.

Left atrial endocardium and prostacyclin

In patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis, intracardiac thrombi are found mostly, for reasons still unknown, in the left atrium. We compared the release of PGI2 from the endocardium of the left atrium with that of the right ventricle and from the endothelium of the pulmonary arteries. Endocardial endothelial cells (EECs) were isolated from right ventricles (RV) and left atrial appendages (LAA) of porcine hearts, and vascular endothelial cells (VECs) from pulmonary arteries (PA) were obtained from the same animals. Cultured EEC and PA-VEC monolayers were placed in a pressure loading apparatus and incubated for 30 min under various pressures. After incubation, the supernatants were sampled and the 6-keto-PGF1 alpha contents measured. PGI2 release from LAA-EEC was much less than from RV-EEC or from PA-VEC. Moreover, transmural pressure did not enhance PGI2 release from LAA-EEC, although it did from RV-EEC and PA-EEC in a pressure-dependent manner. These results may explain why the left atrium is a common site for intracardiac thrombus formation in patients with mitral valve disease.