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Paudel R, Jafri MS, Ullah A. Pacing Dynamics Determines the Arrhythmogenic Mechanism of the CPVT2-Causing CASQ2 G112+5X Mutation in a Guinea Pig Ventricular Myocyte Computational Model. Genes (Basel) 2022; 14:23. [PMID: 36672764 PMCID: PMC9858930 DOI: 10.3390/genes14010023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Calsequestrin Type 2 (CASQ2) is a high-capacity, low-affinity, Ca2+-binding protein expressed in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of the cardiac myocyte. Mutations in CASQ2 have been linked to the arrhythmia catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT2) that occurs with acute emotional stress or exercise can result in sudden cardiac death (SCD). CASQ2G112+5X is a 16 bp (339-354) deletion CASQ2 mutation that prevents the protein expression due to premature stop codon. Understanding the subcellular mechanisms of CPVT2 is experimentally challenging because the occurrence of arrhythmia is rare. To obtain an insight into the characteristics of this rare disease, simulation studies using a local control stochastic computational model of the Guinea pig ventricular myocyte investigated how the mutant CASQ2s may be responsible for the development of an arrhythmogenic episode under the condition of β-adrenergic stimulation or in the slowing of heart rate afterward once β-adrenergic stimulation ceases. Adjustment of the computational model parameters based upon recent experiments explore the functional changes caused by the CASQ2 mutation. In the simulation studies under rapid pacing (6 Hz), electromechanically concordant cellular alternans appeared under β-adrenergic stimulation in the CPVT mutant but not in the wild-type nor in the non-β-stimulated mutant. Similarly, the simulations of accelerating pacing from slow to rapid and back to the slow pacing did not display alternans but did generate early afterdepolarizations (EADs) during the period of second slow pacing subsequent acceleration of rapid pacing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roshan Paudel
- School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
- School of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 21251, USA
| | - Mohsin Saleet Jafri
- School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 20201, USA
| | - Aman Ullah
- School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
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2
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Tsumoto K, Kurata Y. Bifurcations and Proarrhythmic Behaviors in Cardiac Electrical Excitations. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12030459. [PMID: 35327651 PMCID: PMC8946197 DOI: 10.3390/biom12030459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The heart is a hierarchical dynamic system consisting of molecules, cells, and tissues, and acts as a pump for blood circulation. The pumping function depends critically on the preceding electrical activity, and disturbances in the pattern of excitation propagation lead to cardiac arrhythmia and pump failure. Excitation phenomena in cardiomyocytes have been modeled as a nonlinear dynamical system. Because of the nonlinearity of excitation phenomena, the system dynamics could be complex, and various analyses have been performed to understand the complex dynamics. Understanding the mechanisms underlying proarrhythmic responses in the heart is crucial for developing new ways to prevent and control cardiac arrhythmias and resulting contractile dysfunction. When the heart changes to a pathological state over time, the action potential (AP) in cardiomyocytes may also change to a different state in shape and duration, often undergoing a qualitative change in behavior. Such a dynamic change is called bifurcation. In this review, we first summarize the contribution of ion channels and transporters to AP formation and our knowledge of ion-transport molecules, then briefly describe bifurcation theory for nonlinear dynamical systems, and finally detail its recent progress, focusing on the research that attempts to understand the developing mechanisms of abnormal excitations in cardiomyocytes from the perspective of bifurcation phenomena.
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Wu X, Hoeker GS, Blair GA, King DR, Gourdie RG, Weinberg SH, Poelzing S. Hypernatremia and intercalated disc edema synergistically exacerbate long-QT syndrome type 3 phenotype. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2021; 321:H1042-H1055. [PMID: 34623182 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00366.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Cardiac voltage-gated sodium channel gain-of-function prolongs repolarization in the long-QT syndrome type 3 (LQT3). Previous studies suggest that narrowing the perinexus within the intercalated disc, leading to rapid sodium depletion, attenuates LQT3-associated action potential duration (APD) prolongation. However, it remains unknown whether extracellular sodium concentration modulates APD prolongation during sodium channel gain-of-function. We hypothesized that elevated extracellular sodium concentration and widened perinexus synergistically prolong APD in LQT3. LQT3 was induced with sea anemone toxin (ATXII) in Langendorff-perfused guinea pig hearts (n = 34). Sodium concentration was increased from 145 to 160 mM. Perinexal expansion was induced with mannitol or the sodium channel β1-subunit adhesion domain antagonist (βadp1). Epicardial ventricular action potentials were optically mapped. Individual and combined effects of varying clefts and sodium concentrations were simulated in a computational model. With ATXII, both mannitol and βadp1 significantly widened the perinexus and prolonged APD, respectively. The elevated sodium concentration alone significantly prolonged APD as well. Importantly, the combination of elevated sodium concentration and perinexal widening synergistically prolonged APD. Computational modeling results were consistent with animal experiments. Concurrently elevating extracellular sodium and increasing intercalated disc edema prolongs repolarization more than the individual interventions alone in LQT3. This synergistic effect suggests an important clinical implication that hypernatremia in the presence of cardiac edema can markedly increase LQT3-associated APD prolongation. Therefore, to our knowledge, this is the first study to provide evidence of a tractable and effective strategy to mitigate LQT3 phenotype by means of managing sodium levels and preventing cardiac edema in patients.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This is the first study to demonstrate that the long-QT syndrome type 3 (LQT3) phenotype can be exacerbated or concealed by regulating extracellular sodium concentrations and/or the intercalated disc separation. The animal experiments and computational modeling in the current study reveal a critically important clinical implication: sodium dysregulation in the presence of edema within the intercalated disc can markedly increase the risk of arrhythmia in LQT3. These findings strongly suggest that maintaining extracellular sodium within normal physiological limits may be an effective and inexpensive therapeutic option for patients with congenital or acquired sodium channel gain-of-function diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaobo Wu
- Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Roanoke, Virginia.,Center for Heart and Reparative Medicine Research, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, Virginia
| | - Gregory S Hoeker
- Center for Heart and Reparative Medicine Research, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, Virginia
| | - Grace A Blair
- Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Roanoke, Virginia.,Center for Heart and Reparative Medicine Research, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, Virginia
| | - D Ryan King
- Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Roanoke, Virginia.,Center for Heart and Reparative Medicine Research, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, Virginia
| | - Robert G Gourdie
- Center for Heart and Reparative Medicine Research, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, Virginia.,Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Seth H Weinberg
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Steven Poelzing
- Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Roanoke, Virginia.,Center for Heart and Reparative Medicine Research, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, Virginia.,Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
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4
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Nowak MB, Poelzing S, Weinberg SH. Mechanisms underlying age-associated manifestation of cardiac sodium channel gain-of-function. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2021; 153:60-71. [PMID: 33373643 PMCID: PMC8026540 DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2020.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2020] [Revised: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/06/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Cardiac action potentials are initiated by sodium ion (Na+) influx through voltage-gated Na+ channels. Na+ channel gain-of-function (GOF) can arise in inherited conditions due to mutations in the gene encoding the cardiac Na+ channel, such as Long QT syndrome type 3 (LQT3). LQT3 can be a "concealed" disease, as patients with LQT3-associated mutations can remain asymptomatic until later in life; however, arrhythmias can also arise early in life in LQT3 patients, demonstrating a complex age-associated manifestation. We and others recently demonstrated that cardiac Na+ channels preferentially localize at the intercalated disc (ID) in adult cardiac tissue, which facilitates ephaptic coupling and formation of intercellular Na+ nanodomains that regulate pro-arrhythmic early afterdepolarization (EAD) formation in tissue with Na+ channel GOF. Several properties related to ephaptic coupling vary with age, such as cell size and Na+ channel and gap junction (GJ) expression and distribution: neonatal cells have immature IDs, with Na+ channels and GJs primarily diffusively distributed, while adult myocytes have mature IDs with preferentially localized Na+ channels and GJs. Here, we perform an in silico study varying critical age-dependent parameters to investigate mechanisms underlying age-associated manifestation of Na+ channel GOF in a model of guinea pig cardiac tissue. Simulations predict that total Na+ current conductance is a critical factor in action potential duration (APD) prolongation. We find a complex cell size/ Na+ channel expression relationship: increases in cell size (without concurrent increases in Na+ channel expression) suppress EAD formation, while increases in Na+ channel expression (without concurrent increases in cell size) promotes EAD formation. Finally, simulations with neonatal and early age-associated parameters predict normal APD with minimal dependence on intercellular cleft width; however, variability in cellular properties can lead to EADs presenting in early developmental stages. In contrast, for adult-associated parameters, EAD formation is highly dependent on cleft width, consistent with a mechanism underlying the age-associated manifestation of the Na+ channel GOF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison B Nowak
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States of America
| | - Steven Poelzing
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America; Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Roanoke, VA, United States of America
| | - Seth H Weinberg
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States of America; Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, United States of America.
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Bazmi M, Escobar AL. Excitation-Contraction Coupling in the Goldfish ( Carassius auratus) Intact Heart. Front Physiol 2020; 11:1103. [PMID: 33041845 PMCID: PMC7518121 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.01103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiac physiology of fish models is an emerging field given the ease of genome editing and the development of transgenic models. Several studies have described the cardiac properties of zebrafish (Denio rerio). The goldfish (Carassius auratus) belongs to the same family as the zebrafish and has emerged as an alternative model with which to study cardiac function. Here, we propose to acutely study electrophysiological and systolic Ca2+ signaling in intact goldfish hearts. We assessed the Ca2+ dynamics and the electrophysiological cardiac function of goldfish, zebrafish, and mice models, using pulsed local field fluorescence microscopy, intracellular microelectrodes, and flash photolysis in perfused hearts. We observed goldfish ventricular action potentials (APs) and Ca2+ transients to be significantly longer when compared to the zebrafish. The action potential half duration at 50% (APD50) of goldfish was 370.38 ± 8.8 ms long, and in the zebrafish they were observed to be only 83.9 ± 9.4 ms. Additionally, the half duration of the Ca2+ transients was also longer for goldfish (402.1 ± 4.4 ms) compared to the zebrafish (99.1 ± 2.7 ms). Also, blocking of the L-type Ca2+ channels with nifedipine revealed this current has a major role in defining the amplitude and the duration of goldfish Ca2+ transients. Interestingly, nifedipine flash photolysis experiments in the intact heart identified whether or not the decrease in the amplitude of Ca2+ transients was due to shorter APs. Moreover, an increase in temperature and heart rate had a strong shortening effect on the AP and Ca2+ transients of goldfish hearts. Furthermore, ryanodine (Ry) and thapsigargin (Tg) significantly reduced the amplitude of the Ca2+ transients, induced a prolongation in the APs, and altogether exhibited the degree to which the Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum contributed to the Ca2+ transients. We conclude that the electrophysiological properties and Ca2+ signaling in intact goldfish hearts strongly resembles the endocardial layer of larger mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maedeh Bazmi
- Quantitative Systems Biology Program, School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, United States
| | - Ariel L Escobar
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, United States
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6
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De Waard S, Montnach J, Ribeiro B, Nicolas S, Forest V, Charpentier F, Mangoni ME, Gaborit N, Ronjat M, Loussouarn G, Lemarchand P, De Waard M. Functional Impact of BeKm-1, a High-Affinity hERG Blocker, on Cardiomyocytes Derived from Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21197167. [PMID: 32998413 PMCID: PMC7582727 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21197167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
IKr current, a major component of cardiac repolarization, is mediated by human Ether-à-go-go-Related Gene (hERG, Kv11.1) potassium channels. The blockage of these channels by pharmacological compounds is associated to drug-induced long QT syndrome (LQTS), which is a life-threatening disorder characterized by ventricular arrhythmias and defects in cardiac repolarization that can be illustrated using cardiomyocytes derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPS-CMs). This study was meant to assess the modification in hiPS-CMs excitability and contractile properties by BeKm-1, a natural scorpion venom peptide that selectively interacts with the extracellular face of hERG, by opposition to reference compounds that act onto the intracellular face. Using an automated patch-clamp system, we compared the affinity of BeKm-1 for hERG channels with some reference compounds. We fully assessed its effects on the electrophysiological, calcium handling, and beating properties of hiPS-CMs. By delaying cardiomyocyte repolarization, the peptide induces early afterdepolarizations and reduces spontaneous action potentials, calcium transients, and contraction frequencies, therefore recapitulating several of the critical phenotype features associated with arrhythmic risk in drug-induced LQTS. BeKm-1 exemplifies an interesting reference compound in the integrated hiPS-CMs cell model for all drugs that may block the hERG channel from the outer face. Being a peptide that is easily modifiable, it will serve as an ideal molecular platform for the design of new hERG modulators displaying additional functionalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan De Waard
- L’institut du thorax, INSERM, CNRS, Université de Nantes, F-44007 Nantes, France; (S.D.W.); (J.M.); (B.R.); (S.N.); (V.F.); (F.C.); (N.G.); (M.R.); (G.L.); (P.L.)
- LabEx Ion Channels, Science & Therapeutics, F-06560 Valbonne, France;
| | - Jérôme Montnach
- L’institut du thorax, INSERM, CNRS, Université de Nantes, F-44007 Nantes, France; (S.D.W.); (J.M.); (B.R.); (S.N.); (V.F.); (F.C.); (N.G.); (M.R.); (G.L.); (P.L.)
| | - Barbara Ribeiro
- L’institut du thorax, INSERM, CNRS, Université de Nantes, F-44007 Nantes, France; (S.D.W.); (J.M.); (B.R.); (S.N.); (V.F.); (F.C.); (N.G.); (M.R.); (G.L.); (P.L.)
| | - Sébastien Nicolas
- L’institut du thorax, INSERM, CNRS, Université de Nantes, F-44007 Nantes, France; (S.D.W.); (J.M.); (B.R.); (S.N.); (V.F.); (F.C.); (N.G.); (M.R.); (G.L.); (P.L.)
| | - Virginie Forest
- L’institut du thorax, INSERM, CNRS, Université de Nantes, F-44007 Nantes, France; (S.D.W.); (J.M.); (B.R.); (S.N.); (V.F.); (F.C.); (N.G.); (M.R.); (G.L.); (P.L.)
| | - Flavien Charpentier
- L’institut du thorax, INSERM, CNRS, Université de Nantes, F-44007 Nantes, France; (S.D.W.); (J.M.); (B.R.); (S.N.); (V.F.); (F.C.); (N.G.); (M.R.); (G.L.); (P.L.)
| | - Matteo Elia Mangoni
- LabEx Ion Channels, Science & Therapeutics, F-06560 Valbonne, France;
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle, CNRS, INSERM, Université de Montpellier, F34094 Montpellier, France
| | - Nathalie Gaborit
- L’institut du thorax, INSERM, CNRS, Université de Nantes, F-44007 Nantes, France; (S.D.W.); (J.M.); (B.R.); (S.N.); (V.F.); (F.C.); (N.G.); (M.R.); (G.L.); (P.L.)
| | - Michel Ronjat
- L’institut du thorax, INSERM, CNRS, Université de Nantes, F-44007 Nantes, France; (S.D.W.); (J.M.); (B.R.); (S.N.); (V.F.); (F.C.); (N.G.); (M.R.); (G.L.); (P.L.)
- LabEx Ion Channels, Science & Therapeutics, F-06560 Valbonne, France;
| | - Gildas Loussouarn
- L’institut du thorax, INSERM, CNRS, Université de Nantes, F-44007 Nantes, France; (S.D.W.); (J.M.); (B.R.); (S.N.); (V.F.); (F.C.); (N.G.); (M.R.); (G.L.); (P.L.)
| | - Patricia Lemarchand
- L’institut du thorax, INSERM, CNRS, Université de Nantes, F-44007 Nantes, France; (S.D.W.); (J.M.); (B.R.); (S.N.); (V.F.); (F.C.); (N.G.); (M.R.); (G.L.); (P.L.)
| | - Michel De Waard
- L’institut du thorax, INSERM, CNRS, Université de Nantes, F-44007 Nantes, France; (S.D.W.); (J.M.); (B.R.); (S.N.); (V.F.); (F.C.); (N.G.); (M.R.); (G.L.); (P.L.)
- LabEx Ion Channels, Science & Therapeutics, F-06560 Valbonne, France;
- Smartox Biotechnology, 6 rue des Platanes, F-38120 Saint-Egrève, France
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +33-228-080-076
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Nowak MB, Greer-Short A, Wan X, Wu X, Deschênes I, Weinberg SH, Poelzing S. Intercellular Sodium Regulates Repolarization in Cardiac Tissue with Sodium Channel Gain of Function. Biophys J 2020; 118:2829-2843. [PMID: 32402243 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2020.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Revised: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In cardiac myocytes, action potentials are initiated by an influx of sodium (Na+) ions via voltage-gated Na+ channels. Na+ channel gain of function (GOF), arising in both inherited conditions associated with mutation in the gene encoding the Na+ channel and acquired conditions associated with heart failure, ischemia, and atrial fibrillation, enhance Na+ influx, generating a late Na+ current that prolongs action potential duration (APD) and triggering proarrhythmic early afterdepolarizations (EADs). Recent studies have shown that Na+ channels are highly clustered at the myocyte intercalated disk, facilitating formation of Na+ nanodomains in the intercellular cleft between cells. Simulations from our group have recently predicted that narrowing the width of the intercellular cleft can suppress APD prolongation and EADs in the presence of Na+ channel mutations because of increased intercellular cleft Na+ ion depletion. In this study, we investigate the effects of modulating multiple extracellular spaces, specifically the intercellular cleft and bulk interstitial space, in a novel computational model and experimentally via osmotic agents albumin, dextran 70, and mannitol. We perform optical mapping and transmission electron microscopy in a drug-induced (sea anemone toxin, ATXII) Na+ channel GOF isolated heart model and modulate extracellular spaces via osmotic agents. Single-cell patch-clamp experiments confirmed that the osmotic agents individually do not enhance late Na+ current. Both experiments and simulations are consistent with the conclusion that intercellular cleft narrowing or expansion regulates APD prolongation; in contrast, modulating the bulk interstitial space has negligible effects on repolarization. Thus, we predict that intercellular cleft Na+ nanodomain formation and collapse critically regulates cardiac repolarization in the setting of Na+ channel GOF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison B Nowak
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
| | - Amara Greer-Short
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Xiaoping Wan
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Xiaobo Wu
- Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia; Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Roanoke, Virginia
| | - Isabelle Deschênes
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Seth H Weinberg
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia.
| | - Steven Poelzing
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Roanoke, Virginia; Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia.
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Teplenin AS, Dierckx H, de Vries AAF, Pijnappels DA, Panfilov AV. Paradoxical Onset of Arrhythmic Waves from Depolarized Areas in Cardiac Tissue Due to Curvature-Dependent Instability. PHYSICAL REVIEW. X 2018; 8:021077. [PMID: 30210937 PMCID: PMC6130777 DOI: 10.1103/physrevx.8.021077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The generation of abnormal excitations in pathological regions of the heart is a main trigger for lethal cardiac arrhythmias. Such abnormal excitations, also called ectopic activity, often arise from areas with local tissue heterogeneity or damage accompanied by localized depolarization. Finding the conditions that lead to ectopy is important to understand the basic biophysical principles underlying arrhythmia initiation and might further refine clinical procedures. In this study, we are the first to address the question of how geometry of the abnormal region affects the onset of ectopy using a combination of experimental, in silico, and theoretical approaches. We paradoxically find that, for any studied geometry of the depolarized region in optogenetically modified monolayers of cardiac cells, primary ectopic excitation originates at areas of maximal curvature of the boundary, where the stimulating electrotonic currents are minimal. It contradicts the standard critical nucleation theory applied to nonlinear waves in reaction-diffusion systems, where a higher stimulus is expected to produce excitation more easily. Our in silico studies reveal that the nonconventional ectopic activity is caused by an oscillatory instability at the boundary of the damaged region, the occurrence of which depends on the curvature of that boundary. The onset of this instability is confirmed using the Schrödinger equation methodology proposed by Rinzel and Keener [SIAM J. Appl. Math. 43, 907 (1983)]. Overall, we show distinctively novel insight into how the geometry of a heterogeneous cardiac region determines ectopic activity, which can be used in the future to predict the conditions that can trigger cardiac arrhythmias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander S. Teplenin
- Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, Heart Lung Center Leiden, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Hans Dierckx
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Antoine A. F. de Vries
- Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, Heart Lung Center Leiden, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Daniël A. Pijnappels
- Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, Heart Lung Center Leiden, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Alexander V. Panfilov
- Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, Heart Lung Center Leiden, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russia
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Hysteretic Dynamics of Multi-Stable Early Afterdepolarisations with Repolarisation Reserve Attenuation: A Potential Dynamical Mechanism for Cardiac Arrhythmias. Sci Rep 2017; 7:10771. [PMID: 28883639 PMCID: PMC5589958 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-11355-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2017] [Accepted: 08/23/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Some cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular drugs frequently cause excessive prolongation of the cardiac action potential (AP) and lead to the development of early afterdepolarisations (EADs), which trigger lethal ventricular arrhythmias. Combining computer simulations in APs with numerical calculations based on dynamical system theory, we investigated stability changes of APs observed in a paced human ventricular myocyte model by decreasing and/or increasing the rapid (IKr) and slow (IKs) components of delayed rectifying K+ current. Upon reducing IKr, the APs without EADs (no-EAD response) showed gradual prolongation of AP duration (APD), and were annihilated without AP configuration changes due to the occurrence of saddle-node bifurcations. This annihilation caused a transition to an AP with EADs as a new stable steady state. Furthermore, reducing repolarisation currents (repolarisation reserve attenuation) evoked multi-stable states consisting of APs with different APDs, and caused multiple hysteretic dynamics. Depending on initial ion circumstances within ventricular myocytes, these multi-stable AP states might increase the local/global heterogeneity of AP repolarisations in the ventricle. Thus, the EAD-induced arrhythmias with repolarisation reserve attenuation might be attributed to the APD variability caused by multi-stability in cardiac AP dynamics.
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11
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Osadchii OE. Role of abnormal repolarization in the mechanism of cardiac arrhythmia. Acta Physiol (Oxf) 2017; 220 Suppl 712:1-71. [PMID: 28707396 DOI: 10.1111/apha.12902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
In cardiac patients, life-threatening tachyarrhythmia is often precipitated by abnormal changes in ventricular repolarization and refractoriness. Repolarization abnormalities typically evolve as a consequence of impaired function of outward K+ currents in cardiac myocytes, which may be caused by genetic defects or result from various acquired pathophysiological conditions, including electrical remodelling in cardiac disease, ion channel modulation by clinically used pharmacological agents, and systemic electrolyte disorders seen in heart failure, such as hypokalaemia. Cardiac electrical instability attributed to abnormal repolarization relies on the complex interplay between a provocative arrhythmic trigger and vulnerable arrhythmic substrate, with a central role played by the excessive prolongation of ventricular action potential duration, impaired intracellular Ca2+ handling, and slowed impulse conduction. This review outlines the electrical activity of ventricular myocytes in normal conditions and cardiac disease, describes classical electrophysiological mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmia, and provides an update on repolarization-related surrogates currently used to assess arrhythmic propensity, including spatial dispersion of repolarization, activation-repolarization coupling, electrical restitution, TRIaD (triangulation, reverse use dependence, instability, and dispersion), and the electromechanical window. This is followed by a discussion of the mechanisms that account for the dependence of arrhythmic vulnerability on the location of the ventricular pacing site. Finally, the review clarifies the electrophysiological basis for cardiac arrhythmia produced by hypokalaemia, and gives insight into the clinical importance and pathophysiology of drug-induced arrhythmia, with particular focus on class Ia (quinidine, procainamide) and Ic (flecainide) Na+ channel blockers, and class III antiarrhythmic agents that block the delayed rectifier K+ channel (dofetilide).
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Affiliation(s)
- O. E. Osadchii
- Department of Health Science and Technology; University of Aalborg; Aalborg Denmark
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Greer-Short A, George SA, Poelzing S, Weinberg SH. Revealing the Concealed Nature of Long-QT Type 3 Syndrome. Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol 2017; 10:e004400. [PMID: 28213505 DOI: 10.1161/circep.116.004400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2016] [Accepted: 12/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gain-of-function mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel (Nav1.5) are associated with the long-QT-3 (LQT3) syndrome. Nav1.5 is densely expressed at the intercalated disk, and narrow intercellular separation can modulate cell-to-cell coupling via extracellular electric fields and depletion of local sodium ion nanodomains. Models predict that significantly decreasing intercellular cleft widths slows conduction because of reduced sodium current driving force, termed "self-attenuation." We tested the novel hypothesis that self-attenuation can "mask" the LQT3 phenotype by reducing the driving force and late sodium current that produces early afterdepolarizations (EADs). METHODS AND RESULTS Acute interstitial edema was used to increase intercellular cleft width in isolated guinea pig heart experiments. In a drug-induced LQT3 model, acute interstitial edema exacerbated action potential duration prolongation and produced EADs, in particular, at slow pacing rates. In a computational cardiac tissue model incorporating extracellular electric field coupling, intercellular cleft sodium nanodomains, and LQT3-associated mutant channels, myocytes produced EADs for wide intercellular clefts, whereas for narrow clefts, EADs were suppressed. For both wide and narrow clefts, mutant channels were incompletely inactivated. However, for narrow clefts, late sodium current was reduced via self-attenuation, a protective negative feedback mechanism, masking EADs. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated a novel mechanism leading to the concealing and revealing of EADs in LQT3 models. Simulations predict that this mechanism may operate independent of the specific mutation, suggesting that future therapies could target intercellular cleft separation as a compliment or alternative to sodium channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amara Greer-Short
- From the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Roanoke (A.G.-S., S.A.G., S.P.); and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond (S.H.W.)
| | - Sharon A George
- From the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Roanoke (A.G.-S., S.A.G., S.P.); and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond (S.H.W.)
| | - Steven Poelzing
- From the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Roanoke (A.G.-S., S.A.G., S.P.); and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond (S.H.W.).
| | - Seth H Weinberg
- From the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Roanoke (A.G.-S., S.A.G., S.P.); and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond (S.H.W.).
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Song Z, Ko CY, Nivala M, Weiss JN, Qu Z. Calcium-voltage coupling in the genesis of early and delayed afterdepolarizations in cardiac myocytes. Biophys J 2016; 108:1908-21. [PMID: 25902431 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2015.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2014] [Revised: 03/04/2015] [Accepted: 03/10/2015] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Early afterdepolarizations (EADs) and delayed afterdepolarizations (DADs) are voltage oscillations known to cause cardiac arrhythmias. EADs are mainly driven by voltage oscillations in the repolarizing phase of the action potential (AP), while DADs are driven by spontaneous calcium (Ca) release during diastole. Because voltage and Ca are bidirectionally coupled, they modulate each other's behaviors, and new AP and Ca cycling dynamics can emerge from this coupling. In this study, we performed computer simulations using an AP model with detailed spatiotemporal Ca cycling incorporating stochastic openings of Ca channels and ryanodine receptors to investigate the effects of Ca-voltage coupling on EAD and DAD dynamics. Simulations were complemented by experiments in mouse ventricular myocytes. We show that: 1) alteration of the Ca transient due to increased ryanodine receptor leakiness and/or sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca ATPase activity can either promote or suppress EADs due to the complex effects of Ca on ionic current properties; 2) spontaneous Ca waves also exhibit complex effects on EADs, but cannot induce EADs of significant amplitude without the participation of ICa,L; 3) lengthening AP duration and the occurrence of EADs promote DADs by increasing intracellular Ca loading, and two mechanisms of DADs are identified, i.e., Ca-wave-dependent and Ca-wave-independent; and 4) Ca-voltage coupling promotes complex EAD patterns such as EAD alternans that are not observed for solely voltage-driven EADs. In conclusion, Ca-voltage coupling combined with the nonlinear dynamical behaviors of voltage and Ca cycling play a key role in generating complex EAD and DAD dynamics observed experimentally in cardiac myocytes, whose mechanisms are complex but analyzable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Song
- Cardiovascular Research Laboratory, University of California, Los Angeles, California; Department of Medicine (Cardiology), University of California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Christopher Y Ko
- Cardiovascular Research Laboratory, University of California, Los Angeles, California; Department of Medicine (Cardiology), University of California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Michael Nivala
- Cardiovascular Research Laboratory, University of California, Los Angeles, California; Department of Medicine (Cardiology), University of California, Los Angeles, California
| | - James N Weiss
- Cardiovascular Research Laboratory, University of California, Los Angeles, California; Department of Medicine (Cardiology), University of California, Los Angeles, California; Department of Physiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Zhilin Qu
- Cardiovascular Research Laboratory, University of California, Los Angeles, California; Department of Medicine (Cardiology), University of California, Los Angeles, California.
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Liu MB, de Lange E, Garfinkel A, Weiss JN, Qu Z. Delayed afterdepolarizations generate both triggers and a vulnerable substrate promoting reentry in cardiac tissue. Heart Rhythm 2015; 12:2115-24. [PMID: 26072025 PMCID: PMC4583816 DOI: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2015.06.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Delayed afterdepolarizations (DADs) have been well characterized as arrhythmia triggers, but their role in generating a tissue substrate vulnerable to reentry is not well understood. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that random DADs can self-organize to generate both an arrhythmia trigger and a vulnerable substrate simultaneously in cardiac tissue as a result of gap junction coupling. METHODS Computer simulations in 1-dimensional cable and 2-dimensional tissue models were performed. The cellular DAD amplitude was varied by changing the strength of sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium release. Random DAD latency and amplitude in different cells were simulated using gaussian distributions. RESULTS Depending on the strength of spontaneous sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium release and other conditions, random DADs in cardiac tissue resulted in the following behaviors: (1) triggered activity (TA); (2) a vulnerable tissue substrate causing unidirectional conduction block and reentry by inactivating sodium channels; (3) both triggers and a vulnerable substrate simultaneously by generating TA in regions next to regions with subthreshold DADs susceptible to unidirectional conduction block and reentry. The probability of the latter 2 behaviors was enhanced by reduced sodium channel availability, reduced gap junction coupling, increased tissue heterogeneity, and less synchronous DAD latency. CONCLUSION DADs can self-organize in tissue to generate arrhythmia triggers, a vulnerable tissue substrate, and both simultaneously. Reduced sodium channel availability and gap junction coupling potentiate this mechanism of arrhythmias, which are relevant to a variety of heart disease conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael B Liu
- UCLA Cardiovascular Research Laboratory; Department of Medicine (Cardiology), David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Enno de Lange
- UCLA Cardiovascular Research Laboratory; Department of Knowledge Engineering, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Alan Garfinkel
- UCLA Cardiovascular Research Laboratory; Department of Medicine (Cardiology), David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California; Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, California
| | - James N Weiss
- UCLA Cardiovascular Research Laboratory; Department of Medicine (Cardiology), David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California; Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, California; Department of Physiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Zhilin Qu
- UCLA Cardiovascular Research Laboratory; Department of Medicine (Cardiology), David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California.
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15
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Abstract
Despite improvements in the therapy of underlying heart disease, sudden cardiac death is a major cause of death worldwide. Disturbed Na and Ca handling is known to be a major predisposing factor for life-threatening tachyarrhythmias. In cardiomyocytes, many ion channels and transporters, including voltage-gated Na and Ca channels, cardiac ryanodine receptors, Na/Ca-exchanger, and SR Ca-ATPase are involved in this regulation. We have learned a lot about the pathophysiological relevance of disturbed ion channel function from monogenetic disorders. Changes in the gating of a single ion channel and the activity of an ion pump suffice to dramatically increase the propensity for arrhythmias even in structurally normal hearts. Nevertheless, patients with heart failure with acquired dysfunction in many ion channels and transporters exhibit profound dysregulation of Na and Ca handling and Ca/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase and are especially prone to arrhythmias. A deeper understanding of the underlying arrhythmic principles is mandatory if we are to improve their outcome. This review addresses basic tachyarrhythmic mechanisms, the underlying ionic mechanisms and the consequences for ion homeostasis, and the situation in complex diseases like heart failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Wagner
- From the Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany (S.W., L.S.M.); and Department of Pharmacology, University of California, Davis, CA (D.M.B.)
| | - Lars S Maier
- From the Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany (S.W., L.S.M.); and Department of Pharmacology, University of California, Davis, CA (D.M.B.).
| | - Donald M Bers
- From the Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany (S.W., L.S.M.); and Department of Pharmacology, University of California, Davis, CA (D.M.B.)
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Champeroux P, Thireau J, Judé S, Laigot-Barbé C, Maurin A, Sola ML, Fowler JSL, Richard S, Le Guennec JY. Short-term variability in QT interval and ventricular arrhythmias induced by dofetilide are dependent on high-frequency autonomic oscillations. Br J Pharmacol 2015; 172:2878-91. [PMID: 25625756 PMCID: PMC4439882 DOI: 10.1111/bph.13093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2014] [Revised: 01/15/2015] [Accepted: 01/20/2015] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Background and Purpose The present study was undertaken to investigate an effect of dofetilide, a potent arrhythmic blocker of the voltage-gated K+ channel, hERG, on cardiac autonomic control. Combined with effects on ardiomyocytes, these properties could influence its arrhythmic potency. Experimental Approach The short-term variability of beat-to-beat QT interval (STVQT), induced by dofetilide is a strong surrogate of Torsades de pointes liability. Involvement of autonomic modulation in STVQT was investigated in healthy cynomolgus monkeys and beagle dogs by power spectral analysis under conditions of autonomic blockade with hexamethonium. Key Results Increase in STVQT induced by dofetilide in monkeys and dogs was closely associated with an enhancement of endogenous heart rate and QT interval high-frequency (HF) oscillations. These effects were fully suppressed under conditions of autonomic blockade with hexamethonium. Ventricular arrhythmias, including Torsades de pointes in monkeys, were prevented in both species when HF oscillations were suppressed by autonomic blockade. Similar enhancements of heart rate HF oscillations were found in dogs with other hERG blockers described as causing Torsades de pointes in humans. Conclusions and Implications These results demonstrate for the first time that beat-to-beat ventricular repolarization variability and ventricular arrhythmias induced by dofetilide are dependent on endogenous HF autonomic oscillations in heart rate. When combined with evidence of hERG-blocking properties, enhancement of endogenous HF oscillations in heart rate could constitute an earlier and more sensitive biomarker than STVQT for Torsades de pointes liability, applicable to preclinical regulatory studies conducted in healthy animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Champeroux
- Centre de Recherches Biologiques, CERB, Baugy, France
| | - J Thireau
- Centre de Recherches Biologiques, CERB, Baugy, France
| | - S Judé
- Centre de Recherches Biologiques, CERB, Baugy, France
| | | | - A Maurin
- Centre de Recherches Biologiques, CERB, Baugy, France
| | - M L Sola
- Centre de Recherches Biologiques, CERB, Baugy, France
| | - J S L Fowler
- Centre de Recherches Biologiques, CERB, Baugy, France
| | - S Richard
- Centre de Recherches Biologiques, CERB, Baugy, France
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17
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Kim TY, Kunitomo Y, Pfeiffer Z, Patel D, Hwang J, Harrison K, Patel B, Jeng P, Ziv O, Lu Y, Peng X, Qu Z, Koren G, Choi BR. Complex excitation dynamics underlie polymorphic ventricular tachycardia in a transgenic rabbit model of long QT syndrome type 1. Heart Rhythm 2015; 12:220-8. [PMID: 25285647 PMCID: PMC4277941 DOI: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2014.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Long QT syndrome type 1 (LQT1) is a congenital disease arising from a loss of function in the slowly activating delayed potassium current IKs, which causes early afterdepolarizations (EADs) and polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (pVT). OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanisms underlying pVT using a transgenic rabbit model of LQT1. METHODS Hearts were perfused retrogradely, and action potentials were recorded using a voltage-sensitive dye and CMOS cameras. RESULTS Bolus injection of isoproterenol (140 nM) induced pVT initiated by focal excitations from the right ventricle (RV; n = 16 of 18 pVTs). After the pVT was initiated, complex focal excitations occurred in both the RV and the left ventricle, which caused oscillations of the QRS complexes on ECG, consistent with the recent proposal of multiple shifting foci caused by EAD chaos. Moreover, the action potential upstroke in pVT showed a bimodal distribution, demonstrating the coexistence of 2 types of excitation that interacted to produce complex pVT: Na(+) current (INa)-mediated fast conduction and L-type Ca(2+) current (ICa)-mediated slow conduction coexist, manifesting as pVT. Addition of 2 μM tetrodotoxin to reduce INa converted pVT into monomorphic VT. Reducing late INa in computer simulation converted pVT into a single dominant reentry, agreeing with experimental results. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrates that pVT in LQT1 rabbits is initiated by focal excitations from the RV and is maintained by multiple shifting foci in both ventricles. Moreover, wave conduction in pVT exhibits bi-excitability, that is, fast wavefronts driven by INa and slow wavefronts driven by ICa co-exist during pVT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tae Yun Kim
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Division of Cardiology, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Yukiko Kunitomo
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Division of Cardiology, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Zachary Pfeiffer
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Division of Cardiology, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Divyang Patel
- Cardiovascular Institutes, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Jungmin Hwang
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Division of Cardiology, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island; Department of Pharmacology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island
| | - Kathryn Harrison
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Division of Cardiology, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Brijesh Patel
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Division of Cardiology, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Paul Jeng
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Division of Cardiology, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Ohad Ziv
- Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Yichun Lu
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Division of Cardiology, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Xuwen Peng
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania
| | - Zhilin Qu
- Department of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Gideon Koren
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Division of Cardiology, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Bum-Rak Choi
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Division of Cardiology, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
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Orchard CH, Bryant SM, James AF. Do t-tubules play a role in arrhythmogenesis in cardiac ventricular myocytes? J Physiol 2013; 591:4141-7. [PMID: 23652596 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2013.254540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The transverse (t-) tubules of mammalian ventricular myocytes are invaginations of the surface membrane. The function of many of the key proteins involved in excitation-contraction coupling is located predominantly at the t-tubules, which thus form a Ca(2+)-handling micro-environment that is central to the normal rapid activation and relaxation of the ventricular myocyte. Although cellular arrhythmogenesis shares many ion flux pathways with normal excitation-contraction coupling, the role of the t-tubules in such arrhythmogenesis has not previously been considered. In this brief review we consider how the location and co-location of proteins at the t-tubules may contribute to the generation of arrhythmogenic delayed and early afterdepolarisations, and how the loss of t-tubules that occurs during heart failure may alter the generation of such arrhythmias, as well as contributing to other types of arrhythmia as a result of changes of electrical heterogeneity within the whole heart.
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Affiliation(s)
- C H Orchard
- C. H. Orchard: University of Bristol, School of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK.
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19
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Lou Q, Janks DL, Holzem KM, Lang D, Onal B, Ambrosi CM, Fedorov VV, Wang IW, Efimov IR. Right ventricular arrhythmogenesis in failing human heart: the role of conduction and repolarization remodeling. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2012; 303:H1426-34. [PMID: 23042951 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00457.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Increased dispersion of repolarization has been suggested to underlie increased arrhythmogenesis in human heart failure (HF). However, no detailed repolarization mapping data were available to support the presence of increased dispersion of repolarization in failing human heart. In the present study, we aimed to determine the existence of enhanced repolarization dispersion in the right ventricular (RV) endocardium from failing human heart and examine its association with arrhythmia inducibility. RV free wall preparations were dissected from five failing and five nonfailing human hearts, cannulated and coronary perfused. RV endocardium was optically mapped from an ∼6.3 × 6.3 cm(2) field of view. Action potential duration (APD), dispersion of APD, and conduction velocity (CV) were quantified for basic cycle lengths (BCL) ranging from 2,000 ms to the functional refractory period. We found that RV APD was significantly prolonged within the failing group compared with the nonfailing group (560 ± 44 vs. 448 ± 39 ms, at BCL = 2,000 ms, P < 0.05). Dispersion of APD was increased in three failing hearts (161 ± 5 vs. 86 ± 19 ms, at BCL = 2,000 ms). APD alternans were induced by rapid pacing in these same three failing hearts. CV was significantly reduced in the failing group compared with the nonfailing group (81 ± 11 vs. 98 ± 8 cm/s, at BCL = 2,000 ms). Arrhythmias could be induced in two failing hearts exhibiting an abnormally steep CV restitution and increased dispersion of repolarization due to APD alternans. Dispersion of repolarization is enhanced across the RV endocardium in the failing human heart. This dispersion, together with APD alternans and abnormal CV restitution, could be responsible for the arrhythmia susceptibility in human HF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Lou
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri 63130-4899, USA
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20
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Arrhythmogenic mechano-electric heterogeneity in the long-QT syndrome. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2012; 110:347-58. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2012.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2012] [Accepted: 07/16/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Adler A, van der Werf C, Postema PG, Rosso R, Bhuiyan ZA, Kalman JM, Vohra JK, Guevara-Valdivia ME, Marquez MF, Halkin A, Benhorin J, Antzelevitch C, Wilde AAM, Viskin S. The phenomenon of "QT stunning": the abnormal QT prolongation provoked by standing persists even as the heart rate returns to normal in patients with long QT syndrome. Heart Rhythm 2012; 9:901-8. [PMID: 22300664 DOI: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2012.01.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2011] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with long QT syndrome (LQTS) have inadequate shortening of the QT interval in response to the sudden heart rate accelerations provoked by standing-a phenomenon of diagnostic value. We now validate our original observations in a cohort twice as large. We also describe that this abnormal QT-interval response persists as the heart rate acceleration returns to baseline. OBJECTIVES To describe a novel observation, termed "QT stunning" and to validate previous observations regarding the "QT-stretching" phenomenon in patients with LQTS by using our recently described "standing test." METHODS The electrocardiograms of 108 patients with LQTS and 112 healthy subjects were recorded in the supine position. Subjects were then instructed to stand up quickly and remain standing for 5 minutes during continuous electrocardiographic recording. The corrected QT interval was measured at baseline (QTc(base)), when heart rate acceleration without appropriate QT-interval shortening leads to maximal QT stretching (QTc(stretch)) and upon return of heart rate to baseline (QTc(return)). RESULTS QTc(stretch) lengthened significantly more in patients with LQTS (103 ± 80 ms vs 66 ± 40 ms in controls; P <.001) and so did QTc(return) (28 ± 48 ms for patients with LQTS vs -3 ± 32 ms for controls; P <.001). Using a sensitivity cutoff of 90%, the specificity for diagnosing LQTS was 74% for QTc(base), 84% for QTc(return), and 87% for QTc(stretch). CONCLUSIONS The present study extends our previous findings on the abnormal response of the QT interval in response to standing in patients with LQTS. Our study also shows that this abnormal response persists even after the heart rate slows back to baseline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnon Adler
- Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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Burashnikov A, Antzelevitch C. Novel pharmacological targets for the rhythm control management of atrial fibrillation. Pharmacol Ther 2011; 132:300-13. [PMID: 21867730 PMCID: PMC3205214 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2011.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2011] [Accepted: 08/05/2011] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a growing clinical problem associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Development of safe and effective pharmacological treatments for AF is one of the greatest unmet medical needs facing our society. In spite of significant progress in non-pharmacological AF treatments (largely due to the use of catheter ablation techniques), anti-arrhythmic agents (AADs) remain first line therapy for rhythm control management of AF for most AF patients. When considering efficacy, safety and tolerability, currently available AADs for rhythm control of AF are less than optimal. Ion channel inhibition remains the principal strategy for termination of AF and prevention of its recurrence. Practical clinical experience indicates that multi-ion channel blockers are generally more optimal for rhythm control of AF compared to ion channel-selective blockers. Recent studies suggest that atrial-selective sodium channel block can lead to safe and effective suppression of AF and that concurrent inhibition of potassium ion channels may potentiate this effect. An important limitation of the ion channel block approach for AF treatment is that non-electrical factors (largely structural remodeling) may importantly determine the generation of AF, so that "upstream therapy", aimed at preventing or reversing structural remodeling, may be required for effective rhythm control management. This review focuses on novel pharmacological targets for the rhythm control management of AF.
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Jonsson MKB, Wang QD, Becker B. Impedance-based detection of beating rhythm and proarrhythmic effects of compounds on stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. Assay Drug Dev Technol 2011; 9:589-99. [PMID: 22085047 DOI: 10.1089/adt.2011.0396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The xCELLigence real time cell analyzer Cardio system offers a new system for real-time cell analysis that measures impedance-based signals in a label-free noninvasive manner. The aim of this study was to test whether impedance readings are a useful tool to detect compound effects on beating frequency (beats per minute, bpm) and arrhythmias of human induced pluripotent stem cell- and a mouse embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte line (hiPSC-CM and mESC-CM, respectively). Baseline values for control wells were 45±3 and 179±6 bpm, respectively (n=6). Correspondingly, isoproterenol increased beating frequency by 77% and 71%, whereas carbachol decreased frequency by 11% and 100% (stopped in 5/6 mESC-CM wells). E-4031 decreased beating rate and caused arrhythmias in both cell types, however, more pronounced in the human iPSC-CMs. Amlodipine inhibited contractions in both models, and T-type calcium channel block strongly reduced beating rate and eventually stopped beating in mESC-CM but caused a smaller effect in hiPSC-CM. The results of this initial study show that, under the right conditions, the beating frequency of a monolayer of cells can be stably recorded over several days. Additionally, the system detects changes in beating frequency and amplitude caused by added reference compounds. This assay system has the potential to enable medium-throughput screening, but for implementation into routine daily work, extended validation, testing of additional batches of cardiomyocytes, and further assay optimization (e.g., frequency of media exchange, growth matrix, seeding density, age of cells after plating, and temperature control) will be needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malin K B Jonsson
- Department of Medical Physiology, Heart & Lungs Division, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Postpacing abnormal repolarization in catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia associated with a mutation in the cardiac ryanodine receptor gene. Heart Rhythm 2011; 8:1546-52. [PMID: 21699856 DOI: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2011.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2011] [Accepted: 05/17/2011] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is an arrhythmogenic disease for which electrophysiological studies (EPS) have shown to be of limited value. OBJECTIVE This study presents a CPVT family in which marked postpacing repolarization abnormalities during EPS were the only consistent phenotypic manifestation of ryanodine receptor (RyR2) mutation carriers. METHODS The study was prompted by the observation of transient marked QT prolongation preceding initiation of ventricular fibrillation during atrial fibrillation in a boy with a family history of sudden cardiac death (SCD). Family members underwent exercise and pharmacologic electrocardiographic testing with epinephrine, adenosine, and flecainide. Noninvasive clinical test results were normal in 10 patients evaluated, except for both epinephrine- and exercise-induced ventricular arrhythmias in 1. EPS included bursts of ventricular pacing and programmed ventricular extrastimulation reproducing short-long sequences. Genetic screening involved direct sequencing of genes involved in long QT syndrome as well as RyR2. RESULTS Six patients demonstrated a marked increase in QT interval only in the first beat after cessation of ventricular pacing and/or extrastimulation. All 6 patients were found to have a heterozygous missense mutation (M4109R) in RyR2. Two of them, presenting with aborted SCD, also had a second missense mutation (I406T- RyR2). Four family members without RyR2 mutations did not display prominent postpacing QT changes. CONCLUSION M4109R- RyR2 is associated with a high incidence of SCD. The contribution of I406T to the clinical phenotype is unclear. In contrast to exercise testing, marked postpacing repolarization changes in a single beat accurately predicted carriers of M4109R- RyR2 in this family.
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Abstract
The drug-induced long QT syndrome is a distinct clinical entity that has evolved from an electrophysiologic curiosity to a centerpiece in drug regulation and development. This evolution reflects an increasing recognition that a rare adverse drug effect can profoundly upset the balance between benefit and risk that goes into the prescription of a drug by an individual practitioner as well as the approval of a new drug entity by a regulatory agency. This review will outline how defining the central mechanism, block of the cardiac delayed-rectifier potassium current I(Kr), has contributed to defining risk in patients and in populations. Models for studying risk, and understanding the way in which clinical risk factors modulate cardiac repolarization at the molecular level are discussed. Finally, the role of genetic variants in modulating risk is described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prince Kannankeril
- Oates Institute for Experimental Therapeutics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232-0575, USA
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Antzelevitch C, Burashnikov A. Overview of Basic Mechanisms of Cardiac Arrhythmia. Card Electrophysiol Clin 2011; 3:23-45. [PMID: 21892379 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccep.2010.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 198] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Antzelevitch C, Dumaine R. Electrical Heterogeneity in the Heart: Physiological, Pharmacological and Clinical Implications. Compr Physiol 2011. [DOI: 10.1002/cphy.cp020117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Oros A, Houtman MJ, Neco P, Gomez AM, Rajamani S, Oosterhoff P, Attevelt NJ, Beekman JD, van der Heyden MAG, Ver Donck L, Belardinelli L, Richard S, Antoons G, Vos MA. Robust anti-arrhythmic efficacy of verapamil and flunarizine against dofetilide-induced TdP arrhythmias is based upon a shared and a different mode of action. Br J Pharmacol 2010; 161:162-75. [PMID: 20718748 DOI: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2010.00883.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The high predisposition to Torsade de Pointes (TdP) in dogs with chronic AV-block (CAVB) is well documented. The anti-arrhythmic efficacy and mode of action of Ca(2+) channel antagonists, flunarizine and verapamil against TdP were investigated. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Mongrel dogs with CAVB were selected based on the inducibility of TdP with dofetilide. The effects of flunarizine and verapamil were assessed after TdP and in different experiments to prevent dofetilide-induced TdP. Electrocardiogram and ventricular monophasic action potentials were recorded. Electrophysiological parameters and short-term variability of repolarization (STV) were determined. In vitro, flunarizine and verapamil were added to determine their effect on (i) dofetilide-induced early after depolarizations (EADs) in canine ventricular myocytes (VM); (ii) diastolic Ca(2+) sparks in RyR2(R4496+/+) mouse myocytes; and (iii) peak and late I(Na) in SCN5A-HEK 293 cells. KEY RESULTS Dofetilide increased STV prior to TdP and in VM prior to EADs. Both flunarizine and verapamil completely suppressed TdP and reversed STV to baseline values. Complete prevention of TdP was achieved with both drugs, accompanied by the prevention of an increase in STV. Suppression of EADs was confirmed after flunarizine. Only flunarizine blocked late I(Na). Ca(2+) sparks were reduced with verapamil. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Robust anti-arrhythmic efficacy was seen with both Ca(2+) channel antagonists. Their divergent electrophysiological actions may be related to different additional effects of the two drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Oros
- Department of Medical Physiology, Division Heart & Lungs, UMC Utrecht, the Netherlands
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Abstract
T-wave alternans, a manifestation of repolarization alternans at the cellular level, is associated with lethal cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. At the cellular level, several mechanisms can produce repolarization alternans, including: (1) electrical restitution resulting from collective ion channel recovery, which usually occurs at fast heart rates but can also occur at normal heart rates when action potential is prolonged resulting in a short diastolic interval; (2) the transient outward current, which tends to occur at normal or slow heart rates; (3) the dynamics of early after depolarizations, which tends to occur during bradycardia; and (4) intracellular calcium cycling alternans through its interaction with membrane voltage. In this review, we summarize the cellular mechanisms of alternans arising from these different mechanisms, and discuss their roles in arrhythmogenesis in the setting of cardiac disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhilin Qu
- Department of Medicine (Cardiology), David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
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Maruyama M, Lin SF, Xie Y, Chua SK, Joung B, Han S, Shinohara T, Shen MJ, Qu Z, Weiss JN, Chen PS. Genesis of phase 3 early afterdepolarizations and triggered activity in acquired long-QT syndrome. Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol 2010; 4:103-11. [PMID: 21078812 DOI: 10.1161/circep.110.959064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Both phase 2 and phase 3 early afterdepolarizations (EADs) occur in long-QT syndromes, but their respective roles in generating arrhythmias in intact cardiac tissue are incompletely understood. METHODS AND RESULTS Intracellular Ca (Ca(i)) and membrane voltage (V(m)) were optically mapped in a quasi 2-dimensional model of cryoablated Langendorff-perfused rabbit ventricles (n=16). E-4031 (an I(Kr) blocker) combined with reduced extracellular K ([K(+)](o)) and Mg ([Mg(2+)](o)) prolonged action potential duration heterogeneously and induced phase 2 and phase 3 EADs. Whereas phase 2 EADs were Ca(i)-dependent, phase 3 EADs were not. The origins of 47 triggered activity episodes were attributed to phase 2 EADs in 12 episodes (26%) and phase 3 EADs in 35 episodes (74%). When phase 2 EADs accompanied phase 3 EADs, they accentuated action potential duration heterogeneity, creating a large V(m) gradient across the boundary between long and short action potential duration regions from which triggered activity emerged. The amplitude of phase 3 EADs correlated with the V(m) gradient (r=0.898, P<0.001). Computer simulation studies showed that coupling of cells with heterogeneous repolarization could extrinsically generate phase 3 EADs via electrotonic current flow. Alternatively, reduced I(K1) caused by low [K(+)](o) could generate intrinsic phase 3 EADs capable of inducing triggered activity at the boundary zone. CONCLUSIONS Phase 3 EADs can be extrinsic as the result of electrotonic current across steep repolarization gradients or intrinsic as the result of low I(K1) and do not require spontaneous sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca release. Reduction of I(K1) by low [K(+)](o) strongly promotes ventricular arrhythmias mediated by phase 3 EADs in acquired long-QT syndrome caused by I(Kr) blockade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitsunori Maruyama
- Krannert Institute of Cardiology and the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
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Grunnet M. Repolarization of the cardiac action potential. Does an increase in repolarization capacity constitute a new anti-arrhythmic principle? Acta Physiol (Oxf) 2010; 198 Suppl 676:1-48. [PMID: 20132149 DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.2009.02072.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The cardiac action potential can be divided into five distinct phases designated phases 0-4. The exact shape of the action potential comes about primarily as an orchestrated function of ion channels. The present review will give an overview of ion channels involved in generating the cardiac action potential with special emphasis on potassium channels involved in phase 3 repolarization. In humans, these channels are primarily K(v)11.1 (hERG1), K(v)7.1 (KCNQ1) and K(ir)2.1 (KCNJ2) being the responsible alpha-subunits for conducting I(Kr), I(Ks) and I(K1). An account will be given about molecular components, biophysical properties, regulation, interaction with other proteins and involvement in diseases. Both loss and gain of function of these currents are associated with different arrhythmogenic diseases. The second part of this review will therefore elucidate arrhythmias and subsequently focus on newly developed chemical entities having the ability to increase the activity of I(Kr), I(Ks) and I(K1). An evaluation will be given addressing the possibility that this novel class of compounds have the ability to constitute a new anti-arrhythmic principle. Experimental evidence from in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo settings will be included. Furthermore, conceptual differences between the short QT syndrome and I(Kr) activation will be accounted for.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Grunnet
- NeuroSearch A/S, Ballerup, and Danish National Research Foundation Centre for Cardiac Arrhythmia, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Viskin S, Postema PG, Bhuiyan ZA, Rosso R, Kalman JM, Vohra JK, Guevara-Valdivia ME, Marquez MF, Kogan E, Belhassen B, Glikson M, Strasberg B, Antzelevitch C, Wilde AAM. The response of the QT interval to the brief tachycardia provoked by standing: a bedside test for diagnosing long QT syndrome. J Am Coll Cardiol 2010; 55:1955-61. [PMID: 20116193 DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2009.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 156] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2009] [Revised: 12/07/2009] [Accepted: 12/21/2009] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study was undertaken to determine whether the short-lived sinus tachycardia that occurs during standing will expose changes in the QT interval that are of diagnostic value. BACKGROUND The QT interval shortens during heart rate acceleration, but this response is not instantaneous. We tested whether the transient, sudden sinus tachycardia that occurs during standing would expose abnormal QT interval prolongation in patients with long QT syndrome (LQTS). METHODS Patients (68 with LQTS [LQT1 46%, LQT2 41%, LQT3 4%, not genotyped 9%] and 82 control subjects) underwent a baseline electrocardiogram (ECG) while resting in the supine position and were then asked to get up quickly and stand still during continuous ECG recording. The QT interval was studied at baseline and during maximal sinus tachycardia, maximal QT interval prolongation, and maximal QT interval stretching. RESULTS In response to brisk standing, patients and control subjects responded with similar heart rate acceleration of 28 +/- 10 beats/min (p = 0.261). However, the response of the QT interval to this tachycardia differed: on average, the QT interval of controls shortened by 21 +/- 19 ms whereas the QT interval of LQTS patients increased by 4 +/- 34 ms (p < 0.001). Since the RR interval shortened more than the QT interval, during maximal tachycardia the corrected QT interval increased by 50 +/- 30 ms in the control group and by 89 +/- 47 ms in the LQTS group (p < 0.001). Receiver-operating characteristic curves showed that the test adds diagnostic value. The response of the QT interval to brisk standing was particularly impaired in patients with LQT2. CONCLUSIONS Evaluation of the response of the QT interval to the brisk tachycardia induced by standing provides important information that aids in the diagnosis of LQTS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sami Viskin
- Department of Cardiology, Tel-Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
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Burashnikov A, Shimizu W, Antzelevitch C. Fever accentuates transmural dispersion of repolarization and facilitates development of early afterdepolarizations and torsade de pointes under long-QT Conditions. Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol 2009; 1:202-8. [PMID: 19649147 DOI: 10.1161/circep.107.691931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The arrhythmogenic effects of hyperthermia have been highlighted in the Brugada syndrome but remain largely unexplored in other arrhythmic syndromes. The present study examines the effect of hyperthermia on transmural dispersion of action potential duration (TD-APD), early afterdepolarization (EAD) activity, and torsade de pointes (TdP) under long-QT conditions. METHODS AND RESULTS Standard and floating glass microelectrodes were used to record action potentials from epicardial, M cell, and endocardial regions of the arterially perfused left ventricle wedge, from tissue slices isolated from these regions, and from isolated Purkinje fibers. A transmural ECG was simultaneously recorded across the wedge. Under baseline conditions and in the presence of I(Ks) block (chromanol 293B), hyperthermia (39 degrees C to 40 degrees C) abbreviated APD in tissue slices from all 3 regions. In the presence of I(Kr) block (E-4031), hyperthermia prolonged APD and induced or augmented EADs in M cell and Purkinje preparations at pacing cycle lengths > or = 800 ms but abbreviated APD in epicardium and endocardium, resulting in a marked accentuation of TD-APD. Ryanodine prevented the hyperthermia- induced EAD. In perfused wedge preparations, hyperthermia abbreviated APD throughout both in the absence or presence of I(Kr) or I(Ks) block and did not induce EADs or TdP. Combined I(Kr) and I(Ks) block increased TD-APD and induced EADs (4/12) and spontaneous TdP (3/12) at 36 degrees C to 37 degrees C; hyperthermia (39 degrees C to 40 degrees C) further accentuated TD-APD and facilitated the development of EAD activity (9/12) and TdP (6/12). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that hyperthermia can be associated with an increased arrhythmic risk when the repolarization reserve of the myocardium is compromised.
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Farkas AS, Makra P, Csík N, Orosz S, Shattock MJ, Fülöp F, Forster T, Csanády M, Papp JG, Varró A, Farkas A. The role of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger, I(Na) and I(CaL) in the genesis of dofetilide-induced torsades de pointes in isolated, AV-blocked rabbit hearts. Br J Pharmacol 2009; 156:920-32. [PMID: 19222480 DOI: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2008.00096.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) may contribute to triggered activity and transmural dispersion of repolarization, which are substrates of torsades de pointes (TdP) type arrhythmias. This study examined the effects of selective inhibition of the NCX by SEA0400 on the occurrence of dofetilide-induced TdP. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Effects of SEA0400 (1 micromol x L(-1)) on dofetilide-induced TdP was studied in isolated, Langendorff-perfused, atrioventricular (AV)-blocked rabbit hearts. To verify the relevance of the model, lidocaine (30 micromol x L(-1)) and verapamil (750 nmol x L(-1)) were also tested against dofetilide-induced TdP. KEY RESULTS Acute AV block caused a chaotic idioventricular rhythm and strikingly increased beat-to-beat variability of the RR and QT intervals. SEA0400 exaggerated the dofetilide-induced increase in the heart rate-corrected QT interval (QTc) and did not reduce the incidence of dofetilide-induced TdP [100% in the SEA0400 + dofetilide group vs. 75% in the dofetilide (100 nmol x L(-1)) control]. In the second set of experiments, verapamil further increased the dofetilide-induced QTc prolongation and neither verapamil nor lidocaine reduced the dofetilide-induced increase in the beat-to-beat variability of the QT interval. However, lidocaine decreased and verapamil prevented the development of dofetilide-induced TdP as compared with the dofetilide control (TdP incidence: 13%, 0% and 88% respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Na+/Ca2+ exchanger does not contribute to dofetilide-induced TdP, whereas Na+ and Ca2+ channel activity is involved in TdP genesis in isolated, AV-blocked rabbit hearts. Neither QTc prolongation nor an increase in the beat-to-beat variability of the QT interval is a sufficient prerequisite of TdP genesis in rabbit hearts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Attila S Farkas
- 2nd Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology Centre, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.
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Antzelevitch C. Ionic, molecular, and cellular bases of QT-interval prolongation and torsade de pointes. Europace 2008; 9 Suppl 4:iv4-15. [PMID: 17766323 PMCID: PMC2365914 DOI: 10.1093/europace/eum166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Torsade de pointes (TdP) is a life-threatening arrhythmia that develops as a consequence of a reduction in the repolarization reserve of cardiac cells leading to amplification of electrical heterogeneities in the ventricular myocardium as well as to the development of early after depolarization-induced triggered activity. Electrical heterogeneities within the ventricles are due to differences in the time course of repolarization of the three predominant cell types that make up the ventricular myocardium, giving rise to transmural voltage gradients and a dispersion of repolarization that contributes to the inscription of the electrocardiographic T wave. A number of non-antiarrhythmic drugs and antiarrhythmic agents with class III actions and/or the various mutations and cardiomyopathies associated with the long QT syndrome reduce net repolarizing current and amplify spatial dispersion of repolarization, thus creating the substrate for re-entry. This results in a prolongation of the QT interval, abnormal T waves, and development of TdP. Agents that prolong the QT interval but do not cause an increase in transmural dispersion of repolarization (TDR) do not induce TdP, suggesting that QT prolongation is not the sole or optimal determinant for arrhythmogenesis. This article reviews recent advances in our understanding of these mechanisms, particularly the role of TDR in the genesis of drug-induced TdP, and examines how these may guide us towards development of safer drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Antzelevitch
- Masonic Medical Research Laboratory, 2150 Bleecker Street, Utica, NY 13501, USA.
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Antzelevitch C. Role of spatial dispersion of repolarization in inherited and acquired sudden cardiac death syndromes. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2007; 293:H2024-38. [PMID: 17586620 PMCID: PMC2085107 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00355.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 183] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
This review examines the role of spatial electrical heterogeneity within the ventricular myocardium on the function of the heart in health and disease. The cellular basis for transmural dispersion of repolarization (TDR) is reviewed, and the hypothesis that amplification of spatial dispersion of repolarization underlies the development of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias associated with inherited ion channelopathies is evaluated. The role of TDR in long QT, short QT, and Brugada syndromes, as well as catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT), is critically examined. In long QT syndrome, amplification of TDR is often secondary to preferential prolongation of the action potential duration (APD) of M cells; in Brugada syndrome, however, it is thought to be due to selective abbreviation of the APD of the right ventricular epicardium. Preferential abbreviation of APD of the endocardium or epicardium appears to be responsible for the amplification of TDR in short QT syndrome. In catecholaminergic polymorphic VT, reversal of the direction of activation of the ventricular wall is responsible for the increase in TDR. In conclusion, long QT, short QT, Brugada, and catecholaminergic polymorphic VT syndromes are pathologies with very different phenotypes and etiologies, but they share a common final pathway in causing sudden cardiac death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Antzelevitch
- Masonic Medical Research Laboratory, 2150 Bleecker St., Utica, NY 13501-1787, USA.
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Saikawa T, Nakagawa M, Takahashi N. QT Interval Revisited-Not Just the Matter of "Interval," but "Dynamics, Variability and Morphology" Matter!-. J Arrhythm 2007. [DOI: 10.4020/jhrs.23.210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
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Saikawa T, Nakagawa M, Takahashi N. QT Interval Revisited —Not Just the Matter of “Interval,” but “Dynamics, Variability and Morphology” Matter!—. J Arrhythm 2007. [DOI: 10.1016/s1880-4276(07)80002-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
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Kondratyev AA, Ponard JGC, Munteanu A, Rohr S, Kucera JP. Dynamic changes of cardiac conduction during rapid pacing. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2006; 292:H1796-811. [PMID: 17142344 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00784.2006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Slow conduction and unidirectional conduction block (UCB) are key mechanisms of reentry. Following abrupt changes in heart rate, dynamic changes of conduction velocity (CV) and structurally determined UCB may critically influence arrhythmogenesis. Using patterned cultures of neonatal rat ventricular myocytes grown on microelectrode arrays, we investigated the dynamics of CV in linear strands and the behavior of UCB in tissue expansions following an abrupt decrease in pacing cycle length (CL). Ionic mechanisms underlying rate-dependent conduction changes were investigated using the Pandit-Clark-Giles-Demir model. In linear strands, CV gradually decreased upon a reduction of CL from 500 ms to 230-300 ms. In contrast, at very short CLs (110-220 ms), CV first decreased before increasing again. The simulations suggested that the initial conduction slowing resulted from gradually increasing action potential duration (APD), decreasing diastolic intervals, and increasing postrepolarization refractoriness, which impaired Na(+) current (I(Na)) recovery. Only at very short CLs did APD subsequently shorten again due to increasing Na(+)/K(+) pump current secondary to intracellular Na(+) accumulation, which caused recovery of CV. Across tissue expansions, the degree of UCB gradually increased at CLs of 250-390 ms, whereas at CLs of 180-240 ms, it first increased and subsequently decreased. In the simulations, reduction of inward currents caused by increasing intracellular Na(+) and Ca(2+) concentrations contributed to UCB progression, which was reversed by increasing Na(+)/K(+) pump activity. In conclusion, CV and UCB follow intricate dynamics upon an abrupt decrease in CL that are determined by the interplay among I(Na) recovery, postrepolarization refractoriness, APD changes, ion accumulation, and Na(+)/K(+) pump function.
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Tan HL, Bardai A, Shimizu W, Moss AJ, Schulze-Bahr E, Noda T, Wilde AAM. Genotype-specific onset of arrhythmias in congenital long-QT syndrome: possible therapy implications. Circulation 2006; 114:2096-103. [PMID: 17088455 DOI: 10.1161/circulationaha.106.642694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The identification of the molecular-genetic substrate underlying the various forms of the congenital long-QT syndrome (LQTS) has sparked studies into possible genotype-phenotype correlations with the aim of developing genotype-tailored therapy. The onset of torsade de pointes (TdP) may differ among LQTS patients, being pause dependent in some but not all. This disparity may point to different arrhythmia mechanisms and may affect therapy strategies. We studied whether the proportion of pause-dependent TdP onset varies among LQTS genotypes. METHODS AND RESULTS We studied all LQT1 (n=10), LQT2 (n=34), and LQT3 (n=6) patients from 4 centers for whom ECGs of TdP onset were available and analyzed whether pauses preceded TdP onset (first available ECG per patient). Pauses preceded TdP significantly more often in LQT2 (68%) than in LQT1 (0%), and the interval immediately before TdP (pause interval) was significantly longer in LQT2 than in LQT1. The proportion of pause dependence in LQT3 (33%) appeared intermediate, but this group was too small for statistical analysis. CONCLUSIONS Pause dependence of TdP onset is predominant in LQT2 but absent or rare in LQT1. It is suggested that disparities in pause dependence of TdP onset may reflect different arrhythmia mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanno L Tan
- Department of Cardiology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Burashnikov A, Antzelevitch C. Late-phase 3 EAD. A unique mechanism contributing to initiation of atrial fibrillation. PACING AND CLINICAL ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY: PACE 2006; 29:290-5. [PMID: 16606397 PMCID: PMC1474077 DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-8159.2006.00336.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Early (EAD) and delayed (DAD) afterdepolarizations-induced triggered activity is capable of initiating and maintaining cardiac arrhythmias. EAD-induced triggered responses are traditionally thought to be involved in the generation of ventricular arrhythmias under long QT conditions and are precipitated by bradycardia or long pauses. In contrast, DAD-induced triggered activity commonly underlies arrhythmias precipitated by tachycardia. Spontaneous release of calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) secondary to cellular calcium overload induces DADs and some forms of EADs. Recent studies from our laboratory have uncovered a novel mechanism giving rise to triggered activity, termed "late-phase 3 EAD," which combines properties of both EAD and DAD, but has its own unique character. Late-phase 3 EAD-induced triggered extrasystoles represent a new concept of arrhythmogenesis in which abbreviated repolarization permits "normal SR calcium release" to induce an EAD-mediated closely coupled triggered response, particularly under conditions permitting intracellular calcium loading. This review briefly describes the mechanisms and properties of late-phase 3 EADs, how they differ from conventional EADs and DADs, as well as their role in the initiation of cardiac arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation.
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Picard S, Goineau S, Rouet R. The Action Potential of the Purkinje Fiber: An In Vitro Model for Evaluation of the Proarrhythmic Potential of Cardiac and Noncardiac Drugs. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006; Chapter 11:Unit11.3. [PMID: 22294170 DOI: 10.1002/0471141755.ph1103s33] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Picard
- Porsolt and Partners Pharmacology Boulogne‐Billancourt France
| | - Sonia Goineau
- Porsolt and Partners Pharmacology Boulogne‐Billancourt France
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Zheng X, Walcott GP, Smith WM, Ideker RE. Reply to the Editor:. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2006. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-8167.2006.444_2.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Tsuboi M, Antzelevitch C. Cellular basis for electrocardiographic and arrhythmic manifestations of Andersen-Tawil syndrome (LQT7). Heart Rhythm 2006; 3:328-35. [PMID: 16500306 PMCID: PMC1474110 DOI: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2005.11.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2005] [Accepted: 11/23/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Andersen-Tawil syndrome, a skeletal muscle syndrome associated with periodic paralysis and long QT intervals on the ECG, has been linked to defects in KCNJ2, the gene encoding for the inward rectifier potassium channel (I(K1).) OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to examine the cellular mechanisms underlying the ECG and arrhythmic manifestations of Andersen-Tawil syndrome. METHODS To investigate the effects of KCNJ2 loss-of-function mutations responsible for Andersen-Tawil syndrome, we used barium chloride (BaCl(2)) to inhibit I(K1) in arterially perfused wedge preparation. Transmembrane action potentials (APs) were simultaneously recorded from endocardial, midmyocardial, and epicardial cells, together with a transmural ECG. RESULTS BaCl(2) (1 to 30 microM) produced a concentration-dependent prolongation of the QT interval, secondary to a homogeneous prolongation of AP duration of the three cell types. QT interval was prolonged without an increase in transmural dispersion of repolarization (TDR). Low extracellular potassium (2.0 mM), isoproterenol (20-50 nM), and an abrupt increase in temperature (36 degrees C-39 degrees C) in the presence of 10 microM BaCl(2) did not significantly increase TDR but increased ectopic extrasystolic activity. Early afterdepolarizations were not observed under any condition. Spontaneous torsades de pointes arrhythmias were never observed, nor could they be induced with programmed electrical stimulation under any of the conditions studied. CONCLUSION Our results provide an understanding of why QT prolongation associated with Andersen-Tawil syndrome is relatively benign in the clinic and provide further support for the hypothesis that the increase in TDR, rather than QT interval, is responsible for development of torsades de pointes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masato Tsuboi
- Masonic Medical Research Laboratory, 2150 Bleecker Street, Utica, NY 13501-1787, USA
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Abstract
The concept that antiarrhythmic drugs can exacerbate the cardiac rhythm disturbance being treated, or generate entirely new clinical arrhythmia syndromes, is not new. Abnormal cardiac rhythms due to digitalis or quinidine have been recognized for decades. This phenomenon, termed "proarrhythmia," was generally viewed as a clinical curiosity, since it was thought to be rare and unpredictable. However, the past 20 years have seen the recognition that proarrhythmia is more common than previously appreciated in certain populations, and can in fact lead to substantially increased mortality during long-term antiarrhythmic therapy. These findings, in turn, have moved proarrhythmia from a clinical curiosity to the centerpiece of antiarrhythmic drug pharmacology in at least two important respects. First, clinicians now select antiarrhythmic drug therapy in a particular patient not simply to maximize efficacy, but very frequently to minimize the likelihood of proarrhythmia. Second, avoiding proarrhythmia has become a key element of contemporary new antiarrhythmic drug development. Further, recognition of the magnitude of the problem has led to important advances in understanding basic mechanisms. While the phenomenon of proarrhythmia remains unpredictable in an individual patient, it can no longer be viewed as "idiosyncratic." Rather, gradations of risk can be assigned based on the current understanding of mechanisms, and these will doubtless improve with ongoing research at the genetic, molecular, cellular, whole heart, and clinical levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- D M Roden
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 532 Medical Research Building I, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
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Viitasalo M, Oikarinen L, Swan H, Glatter KA, Väänänen H, Fodstad H, Chiamvimonvat N, Kontula K, Toivonen L, Scheinman MM. Ratio of late to early T-wave peak amplitude in 24-h electrocardiographic recordings as indicator of symptom history in patients with long-QT Syndrome types 1 and 2. J Am Coll Cardiol 2005; 47:112-20. [PMID: 16386673 DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2005.07.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2005] [Revised: 07/14/2005] [Accepted: 07/25/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED We reviewed 24-h electrocardiographic recordings from 214 genotyped subjects--97 with long-QT syndrome type 1 (LQT1), 62 with LQT2, and 55 unaffected--to record maximal diurnal amplitude ratios between late and early T-wave peaks. Maximal amplitude ratios between late and early T-wave peaks were higher in symptomatic than in asymptomatic patients both in LQT1 (3.2 +/- 1.0 vs. 2.3 +/- 0.8; p < 0.001) and in LQT2 patients (2.6 +/- 1.0 vs. 1.7 +/- 0.5; p < 0.001). The maximal amplitude ratio between late and early T-wave peaks was independently associated with symptom history in both LQT1 and LQT2 patients. OBJECTIVES We tested the hypothesis that in long-QT syndrome types 1 (LQT1) and 2 (LQT2), the diurnal maximal ratio between late and early T-wave peak amplitudes correlates with a history of symptoms better than QT interval durations. BACKGROUND Genotype and phenotype studies have delineated clinical profiles of the most prevalent LQT1 and LQT2 subtypes of inherited LQT, but prediction of arrhythmia risk remains uncertain, the baseline QTc interval being the best predictor. In experimental long-QT syndrome models, the ratio between late and early T-wave peak amplitude predicts onset of torsade de pointes. METHODS We reviewed 24-h electrocardiographic recordings from 214 genotyped subjects--97 with LQT1, 62 with LQT2, and 55 unaffected-to record maximal amplitude ratios between late and early T-wave peaks by use of a computer-assisted program. RESULTS Maximal amplitude ratios between late and early T-wave peaks were higher in symptomatic than in asymptomatic patients both in LQT1 (3.2 +/- 1.0 vs. 2.3 +/- 0.8; p < 0.001) and LQT2 patients (2.6 +/- 1.0 vs. 1.7 +/- 0.5; p < 0.001). Although the QTc interval also was longer in symptomatic patients, only the maximal amplitude ratio between late and early T-wave peaks was independently associated with symptoms in both LQT1 and LQT2 patients. CONCLUSIONS Maximal diurnal ratio between late and early T-wave peak amplitude improves noninvasive risk assessment both in LQT1 and LQT2 syndromes. We propose this new indicator in clinical evaluation of arrhythmia risk in LQT1 and LQT2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matti Viitasalo
- Department of Cardiology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION Torsade de pointes (TdP), is often preceded by a short-long cycle length sequence. However, the causal relationship between the pause associated with a short-long cycle length sequence and TdP is not completely understood. This study tests the hypothesis that a pause enhances both dispersion of repolarization and EAD formation; however, EADs that form where APD is longest will be less likely to initiate TdP. METHODS AND RESULTS We used optical mapping to measure transmural action potentials from the canine left ventricular wedge preparation. D-sotalol and ATX-II were used to mimic LQT2 and LQT3, respectively. The pause significantly enhanced mean APD (from 356 +/- 20 to 381 +/- 25 msec in LQT2, P < 0.05; from 609 +/- 92 to 675 +/- 98 msec in LQT3, P < 0.05) and transmural dispersion (from 35 +/- 9 to 46 +/- 11 msec in LQT2, P < 0.05; from 121 +/- 85 to 171 +/- 98 msec in LQT3, P < 0.05) compared to steady state pacing. Under LQT3 condition EADs, EAD-induced triggered activity, and TdP were more likely to occur following a pause. Interestingly, the triggered beat following a pause always broke through at the region of maximum local repolarization gradient. CONCLUSION These data suggest that a pause accentuates transmural repolarization gradients and facilitates the formation of EADs and EAD-induced triggered activity. In contrast to our hypothesis, the findings of this study support the concept that M-cells (where APD is longest) can play an important role in both the origination of EAD-induced triggered activity and unidirectional block associated with TdP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinqiu Liu
- The Heart and Vascular Research Center, MetroHealth Campus of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44109-1998, USA
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Hansen RS, Diness TG, Christ T, Demnitz J, Ravens U, Olesen SP, Grunnet M. Activation of Human ether-a-go-go-Related Gene Potassium Channels by the Diphenylurea 1,3-Bis-(2-hydroxy-5-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-urea (NS1643). Mol Pharmacol 2005; 69:266-77. [PMID: 16219910 DOI: 10.1124/mol.105.015859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The cardiac action potential is generated by a concerted action of different ion channels and transporters. Dysfunction of any of these membrane proteins can give rise to cardiac arrhythmias, which is particularly true for the repolarizing potassium channels. We suggest that an increased repolarization current could be a new antiarrhythmic principle, because it possibly would attenuate afterdepolarizations, ischemic leak currents, and reentry phenomena. Repolarization of the cardiac myocytes is crucially dependent on the late rapid delayed rectifier current (I(Kr)) conducted by ether-a-go-go-related gene (ERG) potassium channels. We have developed the diphenylurea compound 1,3-bis-(2-hydroxy-5-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-urea (NS1643) and tested whether this small organic molecule could increase the activity of human ERG (HERG) channels expressed heterologously. In Xenopus laevis oocytes, NS1643 increased both steady-state and tail current at all voltages tested. The EC(50) value for HERG channel activation was 10.5 microM. These results were reproduced on HERG channels expressed in mammalian human embryonic kidney 293 cells. In guinea pig cardiomyocytes, studied by patch clamp, application of 10 microM NS1643 activated I(Kr) and significantly decreased the action potential duration to 65% of the control values. The effect could be reverted by application of the specific HERG channel inhibitor 4'-[[1-[2-(6-methyl-2-pyridyl)ethyl]-4-piperidinyl]carbonyl]-methanesulfonanilide (E-4031) at 100 nM. Application of NS1643 also resulted in a prolonged postrepolarization refractory time. Finally, cardiomyocytes exposed to NS1643 resisted reactivation by small depolarizing currents mimicking early afterdepolarizations. In conclusion, HERG channel activation by small molecules such as NS1643 increases the repolarization reserve and presents an interesting new antiarrhythmic approach.
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Abstract
The QT interval is the electrocardiographic manifestation of ventricular repolarization, is variable under physiologic conditions, and is measurably prolonged by many drugs. Rarely, however, individuals with normal base-line intervals may display exaggerated QT interval prolongation, and the potentially fatal polymorphic ventricular tachycardia torsade de pointes, with drugs or other environmental stressors such as heart block or heart failure. This review summarizes the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying this acquired or drug-induced form of long QT syndrome, describes approaches to the analysis of a role for DNA variants in the mediation of individual susceptibility, and proposes that these concepts may be generalizable to common acquired arrhythmias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan M Roden
- Department of Medicine, Oates Institute for Experimental Therapeutics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA.
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