Phosphodiesterase inhibition promotes the transition from compensated hypertrophy to cardiac dilatation in rats

Parathyroid hormone accelerates decompensation following left ventricular hypertrophy

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) treatment was previously shown to improve cardiac function after myocardial infarction by enhancing neovascularization and cell survival. In this study, pressure overload-induced left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) was induced in mice by transverse aortic banding (TAB) for 2 weeks. We subsequently evaluated the effects of a 2-week treatment with PTH or saline on compensated LVH. After another 4 weeks, the hearts of the mice were analyzed by echocardiography, histology, and molecular biology. Echocardiography showed that hearts of the PTH-treated mice have more severe failing phenotypes than the saline-treated mice following TAB with a greater reduction in fractional shortening and left ventricular posterior wall thickness and with a greater increase in left ventricular internal dimension. Increases in the heart weight to body weight ratio and lung weight to body weight ratio following TAB were significantly exacerbated in PTH-treated mice compared to saline-treated mice. Molecular markers for heart failure, fibrosis, and angiogenesis were also altered in accordance with more severe heart failure in the PTH-treated mice compared to the saline-treated mice following TAB. In addition, the PTH-treated hearts were manifested with increased fibrosis accompanied by an enhanced SMAD2 phosphorylation. These data suggest that the PTH treatment may accelerate the process of decompensation of LV, leading to heart failure.

Coronary vasodilator activity of vulgarenol, a sesquiterpene isolated from Magnolia grandiflora, and its possible mechanism

The aim of this study was to investigate the biodynamic effects of vulgarenol, a sesquiterpene isolated from Magnolia grandiflora flower petals and its possible mechanism on the Langendorff isolated and perfused heart model. Vulgarenol (5 microm) caused a statistically significant decrease in coronary vascular resistance (15.21 +/- 6.00 dyn s cm(-5) vs 36.80 +/- 5.01 dyn s cm(-5), control group), increased nitric oxide release (223.01 +/- 8.76 pmol/mL vs 61.00 +/- 12.00 pmol/mL, control group) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate accumulation in left ventricular tissue samples (142.17 +/- 8.41 pmol/mg of tissue vs 43.94 +/- 5.00 pmol/mg of tissue, control group). Pre-treatment with 3 microm gadolinium chloride hexahydrate, 100 microm N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride, and 10 microm 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,2-a]quinoxalin-1-one significantly abolished the vulgarenol-induced coronary vascular resistance decrease, nitric oxide increased release and cGMP accumulation in left ventricular tissue samples. The results support the fact that nitric oxide and cyclic guanosine monophosphate are likely involved in the endothelium-dependent coronary vasodilation.

Modulation of actin isoform expression before the transition from experimental compensated pressure-overload cardiac hypertrophy to decompensation

In a rat model of long-lasting pressure-overload hypertrophy, we investigated whether changes in the relative expression of myocardial actin isoforms are among the early signs of ventricular mechanical dysfunction before the transition toward decompensation. Forty-four rats with infrarenal aortic banding (AC rats) were studied. Hemodynamic parameters were measured 1 mo (AC(1) group; n = 20) or 2 mo (AC(2); n = 24) after aortic ligature. Then subgroups of AC(1) and AC(2) left ventricles (LV) were used to evaluate 1) LV anatomy and fibrosis (morphometry), 2) expression levels (immunoblotting) and spatial distribution (immunohistochemistry) of alpha-skeletal actin (alpha-SKA), alpha-cardiac actin (alpha-CA), and alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA), and 3) cell mechanics and calcium transients in enzimatically isolated myocytes. Although the two AC groups exhibited a comparable degree of hypertrophy (+30% in LV mass; +20% in myocyte surface) and a similar increase in the amount of fibrosis compared with control animals (C group; n = 22), a worsening of LV mechanical performance was observed only in AC(2) rats at both organ and cellular levels. Conversely, AC(1) rats exhibited enhanced LV contractility and preserved cellular contractile behavior associated with increased calcium transients. Alpha-SKA expression was upregulated (+60%) in AC(1). In AC(2) ventricles, prolonged hypertension also induced a significant increase in alpha-SMA expression, mainly at the level of arterial vessels. No significant differences among groups were observed in alpha-CA expression. Our findings suggest that alpha-SKA expression regulation and wall remodeling of coronary arterioles participate in the development of impaired kinetics of contraction and relaxation in prolonged hypertension before the occurrence of marked histopathologic changes.

Effects of milrinone on contractility and cyclic adenosine monophosphate production induced by beta1- and beta2-adrenergic receptor activation in human myocardium

BACKGROUND

Because milrinone is a widely used phosphodiesterase-3 (PDE3) inhibitor, it would be of interest to know whether it interacts with beta1- and beta2-adrenergic receptor (AR) agonists in human myocardium.

OBJECTIVES

This in vitro study was conducted to test whether milrinone differentially regulates cyclic adenosine-3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) production and to examine the effect of milrinone on the positive inotropic responses and cAMP production induced by activation of the beta1-AR with norepinephrine (NE) and activation of the beta2-AR with epinephrine (EPI) in human atrial myocardium.

METHODS

Right atrial trabeculae were obtained from patients undergoing cardiac surgery for valve repair. Concentration-response curves for inotropic responses mediated through the beta1-AR (NE in the presence of the beta2-blocker ICI 118, 551) and the beta2-AR (EPI in the presence of the beta1-blocker CGP 20712A) were obtained in the absence and presence of milrinone 1 micromol/L. This concentration of milrinone was chosen because it corresponded to its 50% inhibitory concentration as a PDE3 inhibitor and its therapeutic plasma concentration. The production of cAMP induced by exposure to selective beta1- and beta2-AR stimulation was also measured in the absence and presence of milrinone.

RESULTS

Right atrial tissue samples were obtained from 12 white patients (7 women, 5 men; mean [SE] age, 64.6 [6.3] years) undergoing cardiac surgery for valve repair (8 mitral, 4 aortic). The presence of milrinone was associated with leftward shifts in the concentration-response curves for both NE and EPI. cAMP production in myocardial tissue samples in the presence of milrinone was increased only with NE induction (mean [SEM], 745.0 [136.7] pmol/g in the absence of milrinone vs 1620.5 [372.3] pmol/g in the presence of milrinone; P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

In this preliminary study in human atrial myocardium, milrinone potentiated the contractile responses to both NE and EPI. However, only the effect of NE on tissue levels of cAMP was increased in the presence of milrinone.