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Yang CH, Qiu HQ, Wang C, Tang YT, Zhang CR, Fan YY, Jiao XY. Levosimendan Relaxes Thoracic Aortic Smooth Muscle in Mice by Inhibiting PKC and Activating Inwardly Rectifying Potassium Channels. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 2024; 83:474-481. [PMID: 38113918 DOI: 10.1097/fjc.0000000000001524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Studies have examined the therapeutic effect of levosimendan on cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure, perioperative cardiac surgery, and septic shock, but the specific mechanism in mice remains largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate the relaxation mechanism of levosimendan in the thoracic aorta smooth muscle of mice. Levosimendan-induced relaxation of isolated thoracic aortic rings that were precontracted with norepinephrine or KCl was recorded in an endothelium-independent manner. Vasodilatation by levosimendan was not associated with the production of the endothelial relaxation factors nitric oxide and prostaglandins. The voltage-dependent K + channel (K V ) blocker (4-aminopyridine) and selective K Ca blocker (tetraethylammonium) had no effect on thoracic aortas treated with levosimendan, indicating that K V and K Ca channels may not be involved in the levosimendan-induced relaxation mechanism. Although the inwardly rectifying K + channel (K ir ) blocker (barium chloride) and the K ATP channel blocker (glibenclamide) significantly inhibited levosimendan-induced vasodilation in the isolated thoracic aorta, barium chloride had a much stronger inhibitory effect on levosimendan-induced vasodilation than glibenclamide, suggesting that levosimendan-induced vasodilation may be mediated by K ir channels. The vasodilation effect and expression of K ir 2.1 induced by levosimendan were further enhanced by the PKC inhibitor staurosporine. Extracellular calcium influx was inhibited by levosimendan without affecting intracellular Ca 2+ levels in the isolated thoracic aorta. These results suggest that K ir channels play a more important role than K ATP channels in regulating vascular tone in larger arteries and that the activity of the K ir channel is enhanced by the PKC pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cai-Hong Yang
- Department of Pharmacology, Basic Medical Sciences Center, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China; and
| | - Hui-Qin Qiu
- Department of Pharmacology, Basic Medical Sciences Center, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China; and
| | - Chan Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, Basic Medical Sciences Center, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China; and
| | - Ya-Ting Tang
- Department of Pharmacology, Basic Medical Sciences Center, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China; and
| | - Cheng-Rui Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, Basic Medical Sciences Center, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China; and
| | - Yan-Ying Fan
- Department of Pharmacology, Basic Medical Sciences Center, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China; and
| | - Xiang-Ying Jiao
- Key Laboratory of Cellular Physiology, Ministry of Education, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
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Moreira-Costa L, Tavares-Silva M, Almeida-Coelho J, Gonçalves A, Trindade F, Vasques-Nóvoa F, Sousa-Mendes C, Leite S, Vitorino R, Falcão-Pires I, Leite-Moreira AF, Lourenço AP. Acute and chronic effects of levosimendan in the ZSF1 obese rat model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Eur J Pharmacol 2024; 966:176336. [PMID: 38272343 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2024.176336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a syndrome characterized by impaired cardiovascular reserve in which therapeutic options are scarce. Our aim was to evaluate the inodilator levosimendan in the ZSF1 obese rat model of HFpEF. Twenty-week-old male Wistar-Kyoto (WKY), ZSF1 lean (ZSF1 Ln) and ZSF1 obese rats chronically treated for 6-weeks with either levosimendan (1 mg/kg/day, ZSF1 Ob + Levo) or vehicle (ZSF1 Ob + Veh) underwent peak-effort testing, pressure-volume (PV) haemodynamic evaluation and echocardiography (n = 7 each). Samples were collected for histology and western blotting. In obese rats, skinned and intact left ventricular (LV) cardiomyocytes underwent in vitro functional evaluation. Seven additional ZSF1 obese rats underwent PV evaluation to assess acute levosimendan effects (10 μg/kg + 0.1 μg/kg/min). ZSF1 Ob + Veh presented all hallmarks of HFpEF, namely effort intolerance, elevated end-diastolic pressures and reduced diastolic compliance as well as increased LV mass and left atrial area, cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and increased interstitial fibrosis. Levosimendan decreased systemic arterial pressures, raised cardiac index, and enhanced LV relaxation and diastolic compliance in both acute and chronic experiments. ZSF1 Ob + Levo showed pronounced attenuation of hypertrophy and interstitial fibrosis alongside increased effort tolerance (endured workload raised 38 %) and maximum O2 consumption. Skinned cardiomyocytes from ZSF 1 Ob + Levo showed a downward shift in sarcomere length-passive tension relationship and intact cardiomyocytes showed decreased diastolic Ca2+ levels and enhanced Ca2+ sensitivity. On molecular grounds, levosimendan enhanced phosphorylation of phospholamban and mammalian target of rapamycin. The observed effects encourage future clinical trials with levosimendan in a broad population of HFpEF patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliana Moreira-Costa
- Cardiovascular R&D Centre - UnIC@RISE, Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Marta Tavares-Silva
- Cardiovascular R&D Centre - UnIC@RISE, Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Department of Cardiology, Centro Hospitalar Universitário São João, Porto, Portugal
| | - João Almeida-Coelho
- Cardiovascular R&D Centre - UnIC@RISE, Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Alexandre Gonçalves
- Cardiovascular R&D Centre - UnIC@RISE, Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Fábio Trindade
- Cardiovascular R&D Centre - UnIC@RISE, Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Francisco Vasques-Nóvoa
- Cardiovascular R&D Centre - UnIC@RISE, Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Department of Medicine, Centro Hospitalar Universitário São João, Porto, Portugal
| | - Cláudia Sousa-Mendes
- Cardiovascular R&D Centre - UnIC@RISE, Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sara Leite
- Cardiovascular R&D Centre - UnIC@RISE, Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Rui Vitorino
- Cardiovascular R&D Centre - UnIC@RISE, Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Department of Medical Sciences, Institute of Biomedicine (iBiMED), University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Inês Falcão-Pires
- Cardiovascular R&D Centre - UnIC@RISE, Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Adelino F Leite-Moreira
- Cardiovascular R&D Centre - UnIC@RISE, Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Centro Hospitalar Universitário São João, Porto, Portugal
| | - André P Lourenço
- Cardiovascular R&D Centre - UnIC@RISE, Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Department of Anaesthesiology, Centro Hospitalar Universitário São João, Porto, Portugal
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Gergs U, Jacob H, Braekow P, Hofmann B, Pockes S, Humphrys LJ, Kirchhefer U, Fehse C, Neumann J. Lysergic acid diethylamide stimulates cardiac human H 2 histamine and cardiac human 5-HT 4-serotonin receptors. NAUNYN-SCHMIEDEBERG'S ARCHIVES OF PHARMACOLOGY 2024; 397:221-236. [PMID: 37401967 PMCID: PMC10771359 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-023-02591-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is an artificial hallucinogenic drug. Thus, we hypothesized that LSD might act 5-HT4 serotonin receptors and/or H2 histamine receptors. We studied isolated electrically stimulated left atrial preparations, spontaneously beating right atrial preparations, and spontaneously beating Langendorff-perfused hearts from transgenic mice with cardiomyocyte-specific overexpression of the human 5-HT4 receptor (5-HT4-TG) or of the H2-histamine receptor (H2-TG). For comparison, we used wild type littermate mice (WT). Finally, we measured isometric force of contraction in isolated electrically stimulated muscle strips from the human right atrium obtained from patients during bypass surgery. LSD (up to 10 µM) concentration dependently increased force of contraction and beating rate in left or right atrial preparations from 5-HT4-TG (n = 6, p < 0.05) in 5-HT4-TG atrial preparations. The inotropic and chronotropic effects of LSD were antagonized by 10 µM tropisetron in 5-HT4-TG. In contrast, LSD (10 µM) increased force of contraction and beating rate in left or right atrial preparations, from H2-TG. After pre-stimulation with cilostamide (1 µM), LSD (10 µM) increased force of contraction in human atrial preparations (n = 6, p < 0.05). The contractile effects of LSD in human atrial preparations could be antagonized by 10 µM cimetidine and 1 µM GR 125487. LSD leads to H2-histamine receptor and 5-HT4-receptor mediated cardiac effects in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich Gergs
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical Faculty, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Magdeburger Straße 4, 06097, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Hannes Jacob
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical Faculty, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Magdeburger Straße 4, 06097, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Pauline Braekow
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical Faculty, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Magdeburger Straße 4, 06097, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Britt Hofmann
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Mid-German Heart Center, University Hospital Halle, Ernst Grube Straße 40, 06097, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Steffen Pockes
- Institute of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93040, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Laura J Humphrys
- Institute of Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93040, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Uwe Kirchhefer
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Hospital Münster, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Domagkstraße 12, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Charlotte Fehse
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical Faculty, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Magdeburger Straße 4, 06097, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Joachim Neumann
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical Faculty, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Magdeburger Straße 4, 06097, Halle (Saale), Germany.
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Rayo-Abella LM, Grundig P, Bernhardt MN, Hofmann B, Neumann J, Gergs U. OR-1896 increases force of contraction in the isolated human atrium. NAUNYN-SCHMIEDEBERG'S ARCHIVES OF PHARMACOLOGY 2023; 396:3823-3833. [PMID: 37354216 PMCID: PMC10643428 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-023-02592-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
OR-1896 ((R)-N-(4-(4-methyl-6-oxo-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyridazin-3-yl)phenyl)acetamide) is the main active metabolite of levosimendan. However, nobody has reported a positive inotropic effect of OR-1896 in isolated human cardiac preparations. The mechanism of action of OR-1896 remains controversial. Hence, we wanted to know whether OR-1896 exerts a positive inotropic effect in humans and what might be the underlying mechanism. Therefore, we measured the contractile effects of OR-1896 (0.01-10 µM cumulatively applied) in isolated electrically stimulated (1 Hz) human right atrial preparations (HAP) obtained during cardiac surgery. OR-1896, given alone, exerted time- and concentration-dependent positive inotropic effects; 1-µM OR-1896 increased force by 72 ± 14.7% (p < 0.05, n = 6) and shortened the time of relaxation by 10.6 ± 3.6% (p < 0.05, n = 11) in HAP started at 0.1 µM, plateaued at 1-µM OR-1896, and was antagonized by 1-µM propranolol. The maximum positive inotropic effect of OR-1896 in human right atrial preparations was less than that of 10-µM isoprenaline. EMD 57033 (10 µM), a calcium sensitizer, enhanced the force of contraction further in the additional presence of 1-µM OR-1896 by 109 ± 19% (p < 0.05, n = 4). Cilostamide (10 µM), an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase III given before OR-1896 (1 µM), blocked the positive inotropic effect of OR-1896 in HAP. Our data suggest that OR-1896 is, indeed, a positive inotropic agent in the human heart. OR-1896 acts as a PDE III inhibitor. OR-1896 is unlikely to act as a calcium sensitizer in the human heart.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lina M Rayo-Abella
- Institut für Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, Medizinische Fakultät, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Magdeburger Straße 4, 06097, Halle, Germany
| | - Peter Grundig
- Institut für Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, Medizinische Fakultät, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Magdeburger Straße 4, 06097, Halle, Germany
| | - Max N Bernhardt
- Institut für Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, Medizinische Fakultät, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Magdeburger Straße 4, 06097, Halle, Germany
| | - Britt Hofmann
- Herzchirurgie, Medizinische Fakultät, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Ernst Grube Straße 40, 06097, Halle, Germany
| | - Joachim Neumann
- Institut für Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, Medizinische Fakultät, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Magdeburger Straße 4, 06097, Halle, Germany.
| | - Ulrich Gergs
- Institut für Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, Medizinische Fakultät, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Magdeburger Straße 4, 06097, Halle, Germany
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