Dynamic responses of single cardiomyocytes to graded ischemia studied by oxygen clamp in on-chip picochambers

The Lysosomal Membrane Protein Lamp2 Alleviates Lysosomal Cell Death by Promoting Autophagic Flux in Ischemic Cardiomyocytes

Lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP) has recently been recognized as an important cell death pathway in various cell types. However, studies regarding the correlation between LMP and cardiomyocyte death are scarce. Lysosomal membrane-associated protein 2 (Lamp2) is an important component of lysosomal membranes and is involved in both autophagy and LMP. In the present study, we found that the protein content of Lamp2 gradually decreased in response to oxygen, glucose and serum deprivation (OGD) treatment in vitro. To further elucidate its role in ischemic cardiomyocytes, particularly with respect to autophagy and LMP, we infected cardiomyocytes with adenovirus carrying full-length Lamp2 to restore its protein level in cells. We found that OGD treatment resulted in the occurrence of LMP and a decline in the viability of cardiomyocytes, which were remarkably reversed by Lamp2 restoration. Exogenous expression of Lamp2 also significantly alleviated the autophagic flux blockade induced by OGD treatment by promoting the trafficking of cathepsin B (Cat B) and cathepsin D (Cat D). Through drug intervention and gene regulation to alleviate and exacerbate autophagic flux blockade respectively, we found that impaired autophagic flux in response to ischemic injury contributed to the occurrence of LMP in cardiomyocytes. In conclusion, our present data suggest that Lamp2 overexpression can improve autophagic flux blockade probably by promoting the trafficking of cathepsins and consequently conferring cardiomyocyte resistance against lysosomal cell death (LCD) that is induced by ischemic injury. These results may indicate a new therapeutic target for ischemic heart damage.

Measuring and regulating oxygen levels in microphysiological systems: design, material, and sensor considerations

As microfabrication techniques and tissue engineering methods improve, microphysiological systems (MPS) are being engineered that recapitulate complex physiological and pathophysiological states to supplement and challenge traditional animal models. Although MPS provide unique microenvironments that transcend common 2D cell culture, without proper regulation of oxygen content, MPS often fail to provide the biomimetic environment necessary to activate and investigate fundamental pathways of cellular metabolism and sub-cellular level. Oxygen exists in the human body in various concentrations and partial pressures; moreover, it fluctuates dramatically depending on fasting, exercise, and sleep patterns. Regulating oxygen content inside MPS necessitates a sensitive biological sensor to quantify oxygen content in real-time. Measuring oxygen in a microdevice is a non-trivial requirement for studies focused on understanding how oxygen impacts cellular processes, including angiogenesis and tumorigenesis. Quantifying oxygen inside a microdevice can be achieved via an array of technologies, with each method having benefits and limitations in terms of sensitivity, limits of detection, and invasiveness that must be considered and optimized. This article will review oxygen physiology in organ systems and offer comparisons of organ-specific MPS that do and do not consider oxygen microenvironments. Materials used in microphysiological models will also be analyzed in terms of their ability to control oxygen. Finally, oxygen sensor technologies are critically compared and evaluated for use in MPS.

Recovery from hypoxia-induced internalization of cardiac Na+ /H + exchanger 1 requires an adequate intracellular store of antioxidants

The heart is highly active metabolically but relatively underperfused and, therefore, vulnerable to ischemia. In addition to acidosis, a key component of ischemia is hypoxia that can modulate gene expression and protein function as part of an adaptive or even maladaptive response. Here, using cardiac-derived HL-1 cells, we investigate the effect of various hypoxic stimuli on the expression and activity of Na⁺ /H ⁺ exchanger 1 (NHE1), a principal regulator of intracellular pH. Acute (10 min) anoxia produced a reversible decrease in the sarcolemmal NHE1 activity attributable to NHE1 internalization. Treatment with either 1% O ₂ or dimethyloxaloylglycine (DMOG; 1 mM) for 48-hr stabilized hypoxia-inducible factor 1 and reduced the sarcolemmal NHE1 activity by internalization, but without a change in total NHE1 immunoreactivity or message levels of the coding gene ( SLC9A1) determined in whole-cell lysates. Unlike the effect of DMOG, which was rapidly reversed on washout, reoxygenation after a prolonged period of hypoxia did not reverse the effects on NHE1, unless media were also supplemented with a membrane-permeant derivative of glutathione (GSH). Without a prior hypoxic episode, GSH supplementation had no effect on the NHE1 activity. Thus, posthypoxic NHE1 reinsertion can only take place if cells have a sufficient reservoir of a reducing agent. We propose that oxidative stress under prolonged hypoxia depletes intracellular GSH to an extent that curtails NHE1 reinsertion once the hypoxic stimulus is withdrawn. This effect may be cardioprotective, as rapid postischaemic restoration of the NHE1 activity is known to trigger reperfusion injury by producing an intracellular Na ⁺ -overload, which is proarrhythmogenic.

Microfabricated Physiological Models for In Vitro Drug Screening Applications

Microfluidics and microfabrication have recently been established as promising tools for developing a new generation of in vitro cell culture microdevices. The reduced amounts of reagents employed within cell culture microdevices make them particularly appealing to drug screening processes. In addition, latest advancements in recreating physiologically relevant cell culture conditions within microfabricated devices encourage the idea of using such advanced biological models in improving the screening of drug candidates prior to in vivo testing. In this review, we discuss microfluidics-based models employed for chemical/drug screening and the strategies to mimic various physiological conditions: fine control of 3D extra-cellular matrix environment, physical and chemical cues provided to cells and organization of co-cultures. We also envision future directions for achieving multi-organ microfluidic devices.

Exercise-induced protection against reperfusion arrhythmia involves stabilization of mitochondrial energetics

Mitochondria influence cardiac electrophysiology through energy- and redox-sensitive ion channels in the sarcolemma, with the collapse of energetics believed to be centrally involved in arrhythmogenesis. This study was conducted to determine if preservation of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) contributes to the antiarrhythmic effect of exercise. We utilized perfused hearts, isolated myocytes, and isolated mitochondria exposed to metabolic challenge to determine the effects of exercise on cardiac mitochondria. Hearts from sedentary (Sed) and exercised (Ex; 10 days of treadmill running) Sprague-Dawley rats were perfused on a two-photon microscope stage for simultaneous measurement of ΔΨm and ECG. After ischemia-reperfusion, the collapse of ΔΨm was commensurate with the onset of arrhythmia. Exercise preserved ΔΨm and decreased the incidence of fibrillation/tachycardia (P < 0.05). Our findings in intact hearts were corroborated in isolated myocytes exposed to in vitro hypoxia-reoxygenation, with Ex rats demonstrating enhanced redox control and sustained ΔΨm during reoxygenation. Finally, we induced anoxia-reoxygenation in isolated mitochondria using high-resolution respirometry with simultaneous measurement of respiration and H2O2 Mitochondria from Ex rats sustained respiration with lower rates of H2O2 emission than Sed rats. Exercise helps sustain postischemic mitochondrial bioenergetics and redox homeostasis, which is associated with preserved ΔΨm and protection against reperfusion arrhythmia. The reduction of fatal ventricular arrhythmias through exercise-induced mitochondrial adaptations indicates that mitochondrial therapeutics may be an effective target for the treatment of heart disease.

Structurally optimised BODIPY derivatives for imaging of mitochondrial dysfunction in cancer and heart cells

BODIPY based optical imaging agents with mitochondrial membrane potential dependent uptake are described.

Successes and future outlook for microfluidics-based cardiovascular drug discovery

INTRODUCTION

The greatest advantage of using microfluidics as a platform for the assessment of cardiovascular drug action is its ability to finely regulate fluid flow conditions, including flow rate, shear stress and pulsatile flow. At the same time, microfluidics provide means for modifying the vessel geometry (bifurcations, stenoses, complex networks), the type of surface of the vessel walls, and for patterning cells in 3D tissue-like architecture, including generation of lumen walls lined with cells and heart-on-a-chip structures for mimicking ventricular cardiomyocyte physiology. In addition, owing to the small volume of required specimens, microfluidics is ideally suited to clinical situations whereby monitoring of drug dosing or efficacy needs to be coupled with minimal phlebotomy-related drug loss.

AREAS COVERED

In this review, the authors highlight potential applications for the currently existing and emerging technologies and offer several suggestions on how to close the development cycle of microfluidic devices for cardiovascular drug discovery.

EXPERT OPINION

The ultimate goal in microfluidics research for drug discovery is to develop 'human-on-a-chip' systems, whereby several organ cultures, including the vasculature and the heart, can mimic complex interactions between the organs and body systems. This would provide in vivo-like pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics for drug ADMET assessment. At present, however, the great variety of available designs does not go hand in hand with their use by the pharmaceutical community.

Effect of global cardiac ischemia on human ventricular fibrillation: insights from a multi-scale mechanistic model of the human heart

Acute regional ischemia in the heart can lead to cardiac arrhythmias such as ventricular fibrillation (VF), which in turn compromise cardiac output and result in secondary global cardiac ischemia. The secondary ischemia may influence the underlying arrhythmia mechanism. A recent clinical study documents the effect of global cardiac ischaemia on the mechanisms of VF. During 150 seconds of global ischemia the dominant frequency of activation decreased, while after reperfusion it increased rapidly. At the same time the complexity of epicardial excitation, measured as the number of epicardical phase singularity points, remained approximately constant during ischemia. Here we perform numerical studies based on these clinical data and propose explanations for the observed dynamics of the period and complexity of activation patterns. In particular, we study the effects on ischemia in pseudo-1D and 2D cardiac tissue models as well as in an anatomically accurate model of human heart ventricles. We demonstrate that the fall of dominant frequency in VF during secondary ischemia can be explained by an increase in extracellular potassium, while the increase during reperfusion is consistent with washout of potassium and continued activation of the ATP-dependent potassium channels. We also suggest that memory effects are responsible for the observed complexity dynamics. In addition, we present unpublished clinical results of individual patient recordings and propose a way of estimating extracellular potassium and activation of ATP-dependent potassium channels from these measurements.

Verapamil reduces incidence of reentry during ventricular fibrillation in pigs

The characteristics of reentrant circuits during short duration ventricular fibrillation (SDVF; 20 s in duration) and the role of Ca(++) and rapid-activating delayed rectifier potassium currents during long duration ventricular fibrillation (LDVF; up to 10 min in duration) were investigated using verapamil and sotalol. Activation mapping of the LV epicardium with a 21 × 24 electrode plaque was performed in 12 open-chest pigs. Pigs were given either verapamil (0.136 mg/kg) or sotalol (1.5 mg/kg) and verapamil. Reentry patterns were quantified for SDVF, and, for LDVF, activation patterns were compared with our previously reported control LDVF data. Verapamil significantly increased conduction velocity around the reentrant core by 10% and reduced the reentrant cycle length by 15%, with a net reduction in reentry incidence of 70%. Sotolol had an opposite effect of decreasing the conduction velocity around the core by 6% but increasing the reentrant cycle length by 13%, with a net reduction of reentry incidence of 50%. After 200 s of VF, verapamil significantly slowed wavefront conduction velocity and activation rate compared with control data. Verapamil decreased the incidence of reentry in SDVF by accelerating conduction velocity to increase the likelihood of conduction block, possibly through increased sympathetic tone. The drug slowed activation rate and conduction velocity after 200 s of VF, suggesting that L-type Ca(++) channels remain active and may be important in the maintenance of LDVF. Sotalol in addition to verapamil caused no additional antiarrhythmic effect.

Redox-dependent increases in glutathione reductase and exercise preconditioning: role of NADPH oxidase and mitochondria

AIMS

We have previously shown that exercise leads to sustainable cardioprotection through a mechanism involving improved glutathione replenishment. This study was conducted to determine if redox-dependent modifications in glutathione reductase (GR) were involved in exercise cardioprotection. Furthermore, we sought to determine if reactive oxygen species generated by NADPH oxidase and/or mitochondria during exercise were triggering events for GR modulations.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Rats were exercised for 10 consecutive days, after which isolated hearts were exposed to ischaemia/reperfusion (25 min/120 min). Exercise protected against infarction and arrhythmia, and preserved coronary flow. The GR inhibitor BCNU abolished the beneficial effects. GR activity was increased following exercise in a redox-dependent manner, with no change in GR protein levels. Because fluorescent labelling of GR protein thiols showed lower amounts of reduced thiols after exercise, we sought to determine the source of intracellular reactive oxygen species that may be activating GR. Subsets of animals were exercised immediately after treatment with either NADPH-oxidase inhibitors apocynin or Vas2870, or with mitoTEMPO or Bendavia, which reduce mitochondrial reactive oxygen species levels. The cardioprotective effects of exercise were abolished if animals exercised in the presence of NADPH oxidase inhibitors, in clear contrast to the mitochondrial reagents. These changes correlated with thiol-dependent modifications of GR.

CONCLUSION

Adaptive cardioprotective signalling is triggered by reactive oxygen species from NADPH oxidase, and leads to improved glutathione replenishment through redox-dependent modifications in GR.

hERG K+ Channels: Structure, Function, and Clinical Significance

The human ether-a-go-go related gene (hERG) encodes the pore-forming subunit of the rapid component of the delayed rectifier K+ channel, Kv11.1, which are expressed in the heart, various brain regions, smooth muscle cells, endocrine cells, and a wide range of tumor cell lines. However, it is the role that Kv11.1 channels play in the heart that has been best characterized, for two main reasons. First, it is the gene product involved in chromosome 7-associated long QT syndrome (LQTS), an inherited disorder associated with a markedly increased risk of ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Second, blockade of Kv11.1, by a wide range of prescription medications, causes drug-induced QT prolongation with an increase in risk of sudden cardiac arrest. In the first part of this review, the properties of Kv11.1 channels, including biogenesis, trafficking, gating, and pharmacology are discussed, while the second part focuses on the pathophysiology of Kv11.1 channels.

IKs protects from ventricular arrhythmia during cardiac ischemia and reperfusion in rabbits by preserving the repolarization reserve

Introduction

The function of the repolarization reserve in the prevention of ventricular arrhythmias during cardiac ischemia/reperfusion and the impact of ischemia on slowly activated delayed rectifier potassium current (I_Ks) channel subunit expression are not well understood.

Methods and Results

The responses of monophasic action potential duration (MAPD) prolongation and triangulation were investigated following an L-768,673-induced blockade of I_Ks with or without ischemia/reperfusion in a rabbit model of left circumflex coronary artery occlusion/reperfusion. Ischemia/reperfusion and I_Ks blockade were found to significantly induce MAPD90 prolongation and increase triangulation at the epicardial zone at 45 min, 60 min, and 75 min after reperfusion, accompanied with an increase in premature ventricular beats (PVBs) during the same period. Additionally, I_Ks channel subunit expression was examined following transient ischemia or permanent infarction and changes in monophasic action potential (MAP) waveforms challenged by β-adrenergic stimulation were evaluated using a rabbit model of transient or chronic cardiac ischemia. The epicardial MAP in the peri-infarct zone of hearts subjected to infarction for 2 days exhibited increased triangulation under adrenergic stimulation. KCNQ1 protein, the α subunit of the I_Ks channel, was downregulated in the same group. Both findings were consistent with an increased incidence of PVBs.

Conclusion

Blockade of I_Ks caused MAP triangulation, which precipitated ventricular arrhythmias. Chronic ischemia increased the incidence of ventricular arrhythmias under adrenergic stimulation and was associated with increased MAP triangulation of the peri-infarct zone. Downregulation of KCNQ1 protein may be the underlying cause of these changes.

Ensembles of engineered cardiac tissues for physiological and pharmacological study: heart on a chip

Traditionally, muscle physiology experiments require multiple tissue samples to obtain morphometric, electrophysiological, and contractility data. Furthermore, these experiments are commonly completed one at a time on cover slips of single cells, isotropic monolayers, or in isolated muscle strips. In all of these cases, variability of the samples hinders quantitative comparisons among experimental groups. Here, we report the design of a "heart on a chip" that exploits muscular thin film technology--biohybrid constructs of an engineered, anisotropic ventricular myocardium on an elastomeric thin film--to measure contractility, combined with a quantification of action potential propagation, and cytoskeletal architecture in multiple tissues in the same experiment. We report techniques for real-time data collection and analysis during pharmacological intervention. The chip is an efficient means of measuring structure-function relationships in constructs that replicate the hierarchical tissue architectures of laminar cardiac muscle.

Short-term exercise preserves myocardial glutathione and decreases arrhythmias after thiol oxidation and ischemia in isolated rat hearts

The purpose of this study was to determine if exercise (Ex) protects hearts from arrhythmias induced by glutathione oxidation or ischemia-reperfusion (I/R). Female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two experimental groups: sedentary controls (Sed) or short-term Ex (10 days of treadmill running). Twenty-four hours after the last session, hearts were excised and exposed to either perfusion with the thiol oxidant diamide (200 μM) or global I/R. Ex significantly delayed the time to the onset of ventricular arrhythmia after irreversible diamide perfusion. During a shorter diamide perfusion protocol with washout, Ex significantly decreased the incidence of arrhythmia, as evidenced by a delayed time to the first observed arrhythmia, lower arrhythmia scores, and lower incidence of ventricular fibrillation. Ex hearts exposed to I/R (30-min ischemia/30-min reperfusion) also showed lower arrhythmia scores and incidence of ventricular fibrillation compared with Sed counterparts. Our finding that Ex protected intact hearts from thiol oxidation was corroborated in isolated ventricular myocytes. In myocytes from Ex animals, both the increase in H2O2 fluorescence and incidence of cell death were delayed after diamide. Although there were no baseline differences in reduced-to-oxidized glutathione ratios (GSH/GSSG) between the Sed and Ex groups, GSH/GSSG was better preserved in Ex groups after diamide perfusion and I/R. Myocardial glutathione reductase activity was significantly enhanced after Ex, and this was preserved in the Ex group after diamide perfusion. Our results show that Ex protects the heart from arrhythmias after two different oxidative stressors and support the hypothesis that sustaining the GSH/GSSG pool stabilizes cardiac electrical function during conditions of oxidative stress.

Organotypic slice culture from human adult ventricular myocardium

AIMS

Cardiovascular research requires complex and functionally intact experimental models. Due to major differences in the cellular and subcellular composition of the myocardium between species, the use of human heart tissue is highly desirable. To enhance the experimental use of the human myocardium, we established methods for the preparation of vital tissue slices from the adult ventricular myocardium as well as conditions for their long-term preservation in organotypic culture.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Human ventricular heart samples were derived from surgical specimens excised during a therapeutic Morrow myectomy and cut into 300 μm thick slices. Slices were either characterized in acute experiments or cultured at a liquid-air interface. Viability and functionality were proven by viability staining, enzyme activity tests, intracellular potential recordings, and force measurements. Precision-cut slices showed high viability throughout 28 days in culture and displayed typical cardiomyocyte action potential characteristics, which enabled pharmacological safety testing on the rapid component of the delayed rectifier potassium current (I(Kr)) and ATP-dependent potassium channels throughout the whole culture period. Constant expression of major ion channels was confirmed by quantitative PCR. Acute slices developed excitation-dependent contractions with a clear preload dependency and a β-adrenergic response. Contractility and myosin light chain expression decreased during the first days in culture but reached a steady state with reactivity upon β-adrenergic stimulation being preserved.

CONCLUSION

Organotypic heart slices represent a multicellular model of the human myocardium and a novel platform for studies ranging from the investigation of molecular interactions to tissue engineering.

Metabolic stress, reactive oxygen species, and arrhythmia

Cardiac arrhythmias can cause sudden cardiac death (SCD) and add to the current heart failure (HF) health crisis. Nevertheless, the pathological processes underlying arrhythmias are unclear. Arrhythmic conditions are associated with systemic and cardiac oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS). In excitable cardiac cells, ROS regulate both cellular metabolism and ion homeostasis. Increasing evidence suggests that elevated cellular ROS can cause alterations of the cardiac sodium channel (Na(v)1.5), abnormal Ca(2+) handling, changes of mitochondrial function, and gap junction remodeling, leading to arrhythmogenesis. This review summarizes our knowledge of the mechanisms by which ROS may cause arrhythmias and discusses potential therapeutic strategies to prevent arrhythmias by targeting ROS and its consequences. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Local Signaling in Myocytes".

Development of an in vitro model of myotube ischemia

Critical limb ischemia causes severe damage to the skeletal muscle. This study develops a reproducible model of myotube ischemia by simulating, in vitro, the critical parameters that occur in skeletal muscle ischemia. Monolayers of C2C12 myoblasts were differentiated into mature myotubes and exposed to nutrition depletion, hypoxia and hypercapnia for variable time periods. A range of culture media and gas mixture combinations were used to obtain an optimum ischemic environment. Nuclear staining, cleaved caspase-3 and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assay were used to assess apoptosis and myotube survival. HIF-1α concentration of cell lysates, pH of conditioned media as well as partial pressures of oxygen (PO₂) and carbon dioxide (PCO₂) in the media were used to confirm ischemic simulation. Culturing myotubes in depleted media, in a gas mixture containing 20% CO+80% N₂ for 6-12 h increased the PCO₂ and decreased the pH and PO₂ of culture media. This attempts to mimic the in vivo ischemic state of skeletal muscle. These conditions were used to study the potential tissue-protective effects of erythropoietin (EPO) in C2C12 myotubes exposed to ischemia. EPO (60 ng/ml) suppressed LDH release, decreased cleaved caspase-3 and reduced the number of apoptotic nuclei, suggesting significantly decreased ischemia-induced apoptosis in myotubes (P<0.01) and a potential role in tissue protection. Additional therapeutic agents designed for tissue protection can also be evaluated using this model.

Microfluidic cell arrays for metabolic monitoring of stimulated cardiomyocytes

An array of PDMS microchambers was aligned to an array of sensor electrodes and stimulating microelectrodes, which was used for the electrochemical monitoring of the metabolic activity of single isolated adult ventricular myocytes inside the chamber array, stimulated within a transient electric field. The effect of the accumulation of metabolic byproducts in the limited extracellular volume of the picolitre chambers was demonstrated by measuring single muscle cell contraction optically, while concomitant changes in intracellular calcium transients and pH were recorded independently using fluorescent indicator dyes. Both the amplitude of the cell shortening and the magnitude of the intracellular calcium transients decreased over time and both nearly ceased after 20 min of continuous stimulation in the limited extracellullar volume. The intracellular pH decreased gradually during 20 min of continuous stimulation after which a dramatic pH drop was observed, indicating the breakdown of the intracellular buffering capacity. After continuous stimulation, intracellular lactate was released into the microchamber through cell electroporation and was detected electrochemically at a lactate microbiosensor, within the chamber. A mitochondrial uncoupler was used to mimic ischaemia and thus to enhance the cellular content of lactate. Under these circumstances, intracellular lactate concentrations were found to have risen to approximately 15 mM. This array system has the potential of simultaneous electrochemical and optical monitoring of extracellular and intracellular metabolites from single beating heart cells at a controlled metabolic state.

Cardiac mitochondria and arrhythmias

Despite a high prevalence of sudden cardiac death throughout the world, the mechanisms that lead to ventricular arrhythmias are not fully understood. Over the last 20 years, a growing body of evidence indicates that cardiac mitochondria are involved in the genesis of arrhythmia. In this review, we have attempted to describe the role that mitochondria play in altering the heart's electrical function by introducing heterogeneity into the cardiac action potential. Specifically, we have focused on how the energetic status of the mitochondrial network can alter sarcolemmal potassium fluxes through ATP-sensitive potassium channels, creating a 'metabolic sink' for depolarizing wave-fronts and introducing conditions that favour catastrophic arrhythmia. Mechanisms by which mitochondria depolarize under conditions of oxidative stress are characterized, and the contributions of several mitochondrial ion channels to mitochondrial depolarization are presented. The inner membrane anion channel in particular opens upstream of other inner membrane channels during metabolic stress, and may be an effective target to prevent the metabolic oscillations that create action potential lability. Finally, we discuss therapeutic strategies that prevent arrhythmias by preserving mitochondrial membrane potential in the face of oxidative stress, supporting the notion that treatments aimed at cardiac mitochondria have significant potential in attenuating electrical dysfunction in the heart.

Glycolytic oscillations in single ischemic cardiomyocytes at near anoxia

Previous studies have shown that oscillations of the metabolism can occur in cardiomyocytes under conditions simulating ischemia/reperfusion. It is not known whether they can also occur during real ischemia with near-anoxic oxygen tension. Here, using oxygen clamp in on-chip picochambers, we exposed single resting cardiomyocytes to near anoxia (pO₂ < 0.1 mm Hg). We show that at near anoxia, the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ) was kept by the F₁F₀-ATPase reversal, using glycolytic adenosine triphosphate (ATP). In many cells, activation of current through sarcolemmal K_ATP channels (I_KATP) started after a delay with one or several oscillations (frequency of 0.044 ± 0.002 Hz). These oscillations were time correlated with oscillations of ΔΨ. Metabolic oscillations at near anoxia are driven by glycolysis because (a) they were inhibited when glycolysis was blocked, (b) they persisted in cells treated with cytoplasmic reactive oxygen species scavengers, and (c) the highest rate of ATP synthesis during an oscillation cycle was associated with the generation of reducing equivalents. Glycolytic oscillations could be initiated upon rapid, but not slow, transition to near anoxia, indicating that the speed of ATP/ADP ratio drop is a determinant of their occurrence. At enhanced oxidative stress, the rate of ATP consumption was increased as indicated by rapid I_KATP activation with large-scale oscillations. These results show that metabolic oscillations occur in cardiomyocytes at near anoxia and are driven by glycolysis and modulated by mitochondria through the rate of ATP hydrolysis, which, in turn, can be accelerated by oxidative stress.

Cardiac arrhythmias induced by glutathione oxidation can be inhibited by preventing mitochondrial depolarization

We have previously proposed that the heterogeneous collapse of mitochondrial inner membrane potential (DeltaPsi(m)) during ischemia and reperfusion contributes to arrhythmogenesis through the formation of metabolic sinks in the myocardium, wherein clusters of myocytes with uncoupled mitochondria and high K(ATP) current levels alter electrical propagation to promote reentry. Single myocyte studies have also shown that cell-wide DeltaPsi(m) depolarization, through a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced ROS release mechanism, can be triggered by global depletion of the antioxidant pool with diamide, a glutathione oxidant. Here we examine whether diamide causes mitochondrial depolarization and promotes arrhythmias in normoxic isolated perfused guinea pig hearts. We also investigate whether stabilization of DeltaPsi(m) with a ligand of the mitochondrial benzodiazepine receptor (4'-chlorodiazepam; 4-ClDzp) prevents the formation of metabolic sinks and, consequently, precludes arrhythmias. Oxidation of the GSH pool was initiated by treatment with 200 microM diamide for 35 min, followed by washout. This treatment increased GSSG and decreased both total GSH and the GSH/GSSG ratio. All hearts receiving diamide transitioned from sinus rhythm into ventricular tachycardia and/or ventricular fibrillation during the diamide exposure: arrhythmia scores were 5.5+/-0.5; n=6 hearts. These arrhythmias and impaired LV function were significantly inhibited by co-administration of 4-ClDzp (64 microM): arrhythmia scores with diamide+4-ClDzp were 0.4+/-0.2 (n=5; P<0.05 vs. diamide alone). Imaging DeltaPsi(m) in intact hearts revealed the heterogeneous collapse of DeltaPsi(m) beginning 20 min into diamide, paralleling the timeframe for the onset of arrhythmias. Loss of DeltaPsi(m) was prevented by 4-ClDzp treatment, as was the increase in myocardial GSSG. These findings show that oxidative stress induced by oxidation of GSH with diamide can cause electromechanical dysfunction under normoxic conditions. Analogous to ischemia-reperfusion injury, the dysfunction depends on the mitochondrial energy state. Targeting the mitochondrial benzodiazepine receptor can prevent electrical and mechanical dysfunction in both models of oxidative stress.

On-chip acidification rate measurements from single cardiac cells confined in sub-nanoliter volumes

The metabolic activity of cells can be monitored by measuring the pH in the extracellular environment. Microfabrication and microfluidic technologies allow the sensor size and the extracellular volumes to be comparable to single cells. A glass substrate with thin film pH sensitive IrO( x ) electrodes was sealed to a replica-molded polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic network with integrated valves. The device, termed NanoPhysiometer, allows the trapping of single cardiac myocytes and the measurement of the pH in a detection volume of 0.36 nL. For wild-type (WT) single cardiac myocytes an acidification rate of 6.45 +/- 0.38 mpH/min was measured in comparison to 19.5 +/- 0.38 mpH/min for very long chain Acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD) deficient mice in 0.8 mM of Ca(2+). VLCAD deficiency is a fatty acid oxidation disease leading to cardiomyopathy and arrhythmias. The acidification rate increased to 11.96 +/- 1.33 mpH/min for WT and to 32.0 +/- 4.64 mpH/min for VLCAD -/- in 1.8 mM of Ca(2+). The NanoPhysiometer concept can be extended to study ischemia/reperfusion injury or disorders of other biological systems to identify strategies for treatment and possible pharmacological targets.

Evidence for the regulation of L-type Ca2+ channels in the heart by reactive oxygen species: mechanism for mediating pathology

1. It is well recognized that reactive oxygen species (ROS) can activate transduction pathways to mediate pathophysiology. An increase in ROS has been implicated in a number of cardiovascular disorders. Reactive oxygen species regulate cell function through redox modification of target proteins. One of these target proteins is the L-type Ca(2+) channel. 2. There is good evidence that thiol reducing and oxidizing compounds, including hydrogen peroxide, can influence calcium channel function. The evidence for regulation of the channel protein and regulatory proteins by thiol-specific modifying agents and relevance to hypoxia and oxidative stress is presented. 3. Clinical studies suggest that calcium channel antagonists may be beneficial in reducing myocardial injury associated with oxidative stress. The identification of cysteines as possible targets for intervention during hypoxic trigger of arrhythmia or chronic pathological remodelling is discussed.

Redox control of calcium channels: from mechanisms to therapeutic opportunities

Calcium plays an integral role in cellular function. It is a well-recognized second messenger necessary for signaling cellular responses, but in excessive amounts can be deleterious to function, causing cell death. The main route by which calcium enters the cytoplasm is either from the extracellular compartment or internal addistores via calcium channels. There is good evidence that calcium channels can respond to pharmacological compounds that reduce or oxidize thiol groups on the channel protein. In addition, reactive oxygen species such as hydrogen peroxide and superoxide that can mediate oxidative pathology also mediate changes in channel function via alterations of thiol groups. This review looks at the structure and function of calcium channels, the evidence that changes in cellular redox state mediate changes in channel function, and the role of redox modification of channels in disease processes. Understanding how redox modification of the channel protein alters channel structure and function is providing leads for the design of therapeutic interventions that target oxidative stress responses.

Experimental strategies to improve in vitro models of renal ischemia

Ischemia has elicited a great deal of interest among the scientific community due to its role in life-threatening pathologies such as cancer, stroke, acute renal failure, and myocardial infarction. Oxygen deprivation (hypoxia) associated with ischemia has recently become a subject of intense scrutiny. New investigators may find it challenging to induce hypoxic injury in vitro. Researchers may not always be aware of the experimental barriers that contribute to this phenomenon. Furthermore, ischemia is associated with other major insults, such as excess carbon dioxide (hypercapnia), nutrient deprivation, and accumulation of cellular wastes. Ideally, these conditions should also be incorporated into in vitro models. Therefore, the motivation behind this review is to: i. delineate major in vivo ischemic insults; ii. identify and explain critical in vitro parameters that need to be considered when simulating ischemic pathologies; iii. provide recommendations to improve experiments; and as a result, iv. enhance the validity of in vitro results for understanding clinical ischemic pathologies. Undoubtedly, it is not possible to completely replicate the in vivo environment in an ex vivo model system. In fact, the primary goal of many in vitro studies is to elucidate the role of specific stimuli during in vivo pathological events. This review will present methodologies that may be implemented to improve the applicability of in vitro models for understanding the complex pathological mechanisms of ischemia. Finally, although these topics will be discussed within the context of renal ischemia, many are pertinent for cellular models of other organ systems and pathologies.