Renal atrial natriuretic factor receptors in hamster cardiomyopathy

Renal neurohormonal regulation in heart failure decompensation

Decompensation in heart failure occurs when the heart fails to balance venous return with cardiac output, leading to fluid congestion and contributing to mortality. Decompensated heart failure can cause acute kidney injury (AKI), which further increases mortality. Heart failure activates signaling systems that are deleterious to kidneys such as renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA), renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, and vasopressin secretion. All three reduce renal blood flow (RBF) and increase tubular sodium reabsorption, which may increase renal oxygen consumption causing AKI through renal tissue hypoxia. Vasopressin contributes to venous congestion through aquaporin-mediated water retention. Additional water retention may be mediated through vasopressin-induced medullary urea transport and hyaluronan but needs further study. In addition, there are several systems that could protect the kidneys and reduce fluid retention such as natriuretic peptides, prostaglandins, and nitric oxide. However, the effect of natriuretic peptides and nitric oxide are blunted in decompensation, partly due to oxidative stress. This review considers how neurohormonal signaling in heart failure drives fluid retention by the kidneys and thus exacerbates decompensation. It further identifies areas where there is limited data, such as signaling systems 20-HETE, purines, endothelin, the role of renal water retention mechanisms for congestion, and renal hypoxia in AKI during heart failure.

The cardiovascular and renal effects of a highly potent mu-opioid receptor agonist, cyclo[N epsilon,N beta-carbonyl-D-Lys2,Dap5]enkephalinamide

Investigation of the acute cardiovascular and renal effects of cyclo[Nepsilon,Nbeta-carbonyl-D-Lys2,Dap5]enkephalinamide (cUENK6), the most potent mu-opioid receptor agonist, revealed dose-related effects, but most pronounced during the first hour post i.v. injections. During first hour, cUENK6 (3 microg/rat) stimulated (P<0.001) excretion of urine (1.1+/-0.2 vs. 3.3+/-0.3 ml/h), sodium (60+/-10 vs. 124+/-12 microeq/h), potassium and cGMP (1.76+/-0.19 vs. 4.92+/-0.80 nmol/h). These effects were inhibited by naloxone (4 mg/kg i.v.), but not by naloxonazine (35 mg/kg s.c.), or 4 mg/kg i.v. naloxone methiodide. cUENK6 stimulated urinary atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP)-like activity (113+/-12 vs. 167+/-20 pg/h, P<0.02) and the effect was totally abolished by naloxone. cUENK6 also suppressed the transient stress-induced elevation in blood pressures and heart rate that occurred over the first 30-min post-injection, an effect attenuated by naloxone. Plasma ANP increased 2-h post-injection (123+/-11 vs. 192+/-21 pg/ml, P<0.005), and was associated with augmented ANP mRNA levels in right atria and left ventricles. Thus, cUENK6 evokes renal effects by enhancing activity of the renal natriuretic peptide system.

Imidazoline receptors in the heart: characterization, distribution, and regulation

Imidazoline receptors were identified in cardiac tissues of various species. Imidazoline receptors were immunolocalized in the rat heart. Membrane binding and autoradiography on frozen heart sections using 0.5 nM para-iodoclonidine (125I-PIC) revealed that binding was equally and concentration-dependently inhibited by epinephrine and imidazole-4-acetic acid (IAA), implying 125I-PIC binding to cardiac alpha2-adrenergic and I1-receptors, respectively. After irreversible blockade of alpha2-adrenergic receptors, binding was inhibited by the selective I1-agonist, moxonidine, and the I1-antagonist, efaroxan, in a concentration-dependent (10-12 to 10-5 M) manner. Calculation of kinetic parameters revealed that in canine left and right atria, I1-receptor Bmax was 13.4 +/- 1.7 and 20.1 +/- 3.0 fmol/mg protein, respectively. Compared to age-matched normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats, I1-receptors were increased in 12-week-old hypertensive rat (SHR) right (22.6 +/- 0.3 to 43.7 +/- 4.4 fmol/unit area, p < 0.01) and left atria (13.3 +/- 0.6 to 30.2 +/- 4.1 fmol/unit area, p < 0.01). Also, compared to corresponding normal controls, Bmax was increased in hearts of hamsters with advanced cardiomyopathy (13.9 +/- 0.4 to. 26.0 +/- 2.3 fmol/unit area, p < 0.01) and in human ventricles with heart failure (12.6 +/- 1.3 to 35.5 +/- 2.9 fmol/mg protein, p < 0.003). These studies demonstrate that the heart possesses imidazoline I1-receptors that are up-regulated in the presence of hypertension or heart failure, which would suggest their involvement in cardiovascular regulation.

Functional receptors in the avian kidney for C-type natriuretic peptide

Renal actions of avian-specific C-type natriuretic peptide (chCNP) were investigated in the conscious Pekin duck. Under conditions of steady-state renal water and salt elimination, systemic chCNP administration (6 and 30 pmol/min x kg BW for 20 min) dose dependently induced transient natriuresis and diuresis. Mean arterial pressure and heart rate remained constant throughout the experiment. Employing receptor autoradiography, binding sites specific for [125I]BH-chCNP could be localized at high density in glomeruli of both reptilian- and mammalian-type nephrons, and arterioles of the avian kidney. The distal tubular zone revealed [125I]BH-chCNP binding sites at medium, the medullary cone area at low density. Using an enriched kidney membrane fraction, competitive displacement studies with [125I]BH-chCNP as radioligand and various unlabeled peptide analogs (chANP, chCNP, rANP, rBNP, frANP, rANP(4-23)) allowed the discrimination of high-affinity (IC50 values 10(-10)-10(-9) M) and low-affinity (IC50 values 10(-8)-10(-7) M) binding sites different from typical mammalian receptor subtypes. Intracellular cyclic GMP formation could be demonstrated immunocytochemically for both types of glomeruli and cells of the distal tubular zone in fixed tissue sections after in vivo application of chCNP (0.8 nmol/min x kg BW; 5 min). The results obtained by combination of physiological in vivo studies and in vitro receptor analysis indicate an important role for chCNP in the modulation of avian kidney function.