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Kumagai Y, Kemp MW, Usuda H, Takahashi T, Takahashi Y, Hamada H, Schmidt AF, Hanita T, Watanabe S, Sato S, Ikeda H, Fee EL, Furfaro L, Newnham JP, Jobe AH, Yaegashi N, Saito M. A Reduction in Antenatal Steroid Dose Was Associated with Reduced Cardiac Dysfunction in a Sheep Model of Pregnancy. Reprod Sci 2023; 30:3222-3234. [PMID: 37264260 PMCID: PMC10643432 DOI: 10.1007/s43032-023-01264-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Despite widespread use, dosing regimens for antenatal corticosteroid (ACS) therapy are poorly unoptimized. ACS therapy exerts a programming effect on fetal development, which may be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Having demonstrated that low-dose steroid therapy is an efficacious means of maturing the preterm lung, we hypothesized that a low-dose steroid exposure would exert fewer adverse functional and transcriptional changes on the fetal heart. We tested this hypothesis using low-dose steroid therapy (10 mg delivered to the ewe over 36 h via constant infusion) and compared cardiac effects with those of a higher dose treatment (30 mg delivered to the ewe over 24 h by intramuscular injection; simulating currently employed clinical ACS regimens). Fetal cardiac function was assessed by ultrasound on the day of ACS treatment initiation. Transcriptomic analyses were performed on fetal myocardial tissue. Relative to saline control, fetuses in the higher-dose clinical treatment group had significantly lower ratios between early diastolic ventricular filling and ventricular filling during atrial systole, and showed the differential expression of myocardial hypertrophy-associated transcripts including βMHC, GADD45γ, and PPARγ. The long-term implications of these changes remain unstudied. Irrespective, optimizing ACS dosing regimens to maximize respiratory benefit while minimizing adverse effects on key organ systems, such as the heart, offers a means of improving the acute and long-term outcomes associated with this important obstetric therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusaku Kumagai
- Centre for Perinatal and Neonatal Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
| | - Matthew W Kemp
- Centre for Perinatal and Neonatal Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
- College of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Haruo Usuda
- Centre for Perinatal and Neonatal Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Tsukasa Takahashi
- Centre for Perinatal and Neonatal Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Yuki Takahashi
- Centre for Perinatal and Neonatal Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Hirotaka Hamada
- Centre for Perinatal and Neonatal Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
| | | | - Takushi Hanita
- Centre for Perinatal and Neonatal Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
| | - Shimpei Watanabe
- Centre for Perinatal and Neonatal Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
| | - Shinichi Sato
- Centre for Perinatal and Neonatal Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
| | - Hideyuki Ikeda
- Centre for Perinatal and Neonatal Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
| | - Erin L Fee
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Lucy Furfaro
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - John P Newnham
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Alan H Jobe
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Centre, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Nobuo Yaegashi
- Centre for Perinatal and Neonatal Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
| | - Masatoshi Saito
- Centre for Perinatal and Neonatal Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
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Lu Z, Guo Y, Xu D, Xiao H, Dai Y, Liu K, Chen L, Wang H. Developmental toxicity and programming alterations of multiple organs in offspring induced by medication during pregnancy. Acta Pharm Sin B 2023; 13:460-477. [PMID: 36873163 PMCID: PMC9978644 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2022.05.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Medication during pregnancy is widespread, but there are few reports on its fetal safety. Recent studies suggest that medication during pregnancy can affect fetal morphological and functional development through multiple pathways, multiple organs, and multiple targets. Its mechanisms involve direct ways such as oxidative stress, epigenetic modification, and metabolic activation, and it may also be indirectly caused by placental dysfunction. Further studies have found that medication during pregnancy may also indirectly lead to multi-organ developmental programming, functional homeostasis changes, and susceptibility to related diseases in offspring by inducing fetal intrauterine exposure to too high or too low levels of maternal-derived glucocorticoids. The organ developmental toxicity and programming alterations caused by medication during pregnancy may also have gender differences and multi-generational genetic effects mediated by abnormal epigenetic modification. Combined with the latest research results of our laboratory, this paper reviews the latest research progress on the developmental toxicity and functional programming alterations of multiple organs in offspring induced by medication during pregnancy, which can provide a theoretical and experimental basis for rational medication during pregnancy and effective prevention and treatment of drug-related multiple fetal-originated diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengjie Lu
- Department of Pharmacology, Wuhan University School of Basic Medical Science, Wuhan 430071, China.,Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Yu Guo
- Department of Pharmacology, Wuhan University School of Basic Medical Science, Wuhan 430071, China.,Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disorder, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Dan Xu
- Department of Pharmacology, Wuhan University School of Basic Medical Science, Wuhan 430071, China.,Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disorder, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Hao Xiao
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China.,Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disorder, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Yongguo Dai
- Department of Pharmacology, Wuhan University School of Basic Medical Science, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Kexin Liu
- Department of Pharmacology, Wuhan University School of Basic Medical Science, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Liaobin Chen
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China.,Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disorder, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, Wuhan University School of Basic Medical Science, Wuhan 430071, China.,Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disorder, Wuhan 430071, China
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3
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Mousa SA, Dehe L, Aboryag N, Shaqura M, Beyer A, Schäfer M, Treskatsch S. Identification of glucocorticoid receptors as potential modulators of parasympathetic and sympathetic neurons within rat intracardiac ganglia. Front Neuroanat 2022; 16:902738. [PMID: 36213610 PMCID: PMC9539283 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2022.902738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Emerging evidences indicate that glucocorticoid receptors (GR) play a regulatory role in cardiac function, particularly with regard to the autonomic nervous system. Therefore, this study aimed to demonstrate the expression and the precise anatomical location of GR in relation to the parasympathetic and sympathetic innervations of the heart. Methods The present study used tissue samples from rat heart atria to perform conventional reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blot, and double immunofluorescence confocal analysis of GR with the neuronal markers vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) as well as the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR). Results Double immunofluorescence labeling revealed that GRs were co-expressed with VAChT in parasympathetic principal neuronal somata and nerve terminals innervating atrium. Also, GR colocalized with the sympathetic neuronal marker TH in a cluster of small intensely fluorescent (SIF) cells, on intracardiac nerve terminals and in the atrial myocardium. GR immunoreactivity was scarcely identified on CGRP-immunoreactive sensory nerve terminals. Approximately 20% of GR immunoreactive neuronal somata co-localized with MR. Finally, conventional RT-PCR and Western blot confirmed the presence of GR and MR in rat heart atria. Conclusion This study provides evidence for the existence of GR predominantly on cardiac parasympathetic neurons and TH-immunoreactive SIF cells suggesting a functional role of cardiac GR on cardiovascular function by modulation of the cardiac autonomic nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaaban A. Mousa
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Charité – University Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
- *Correspondence: Shaaban A. Mousa,
| | - Lukas Dehe
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Charité – University Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Noureddin Aboryag
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Charité – University Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mohammed Shaqura
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Charité – University Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Antje Beyer
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Michael Schäfer
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Charité – University Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sascha Treskatsch
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Charité – University Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
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4
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Wang Y, Zhao M, Xu B, Bahriz SMF, Zhu C, Jovanovic A, Ni H, Jacobi A, Kaludercic N, Di Lisa F, Hell JW, Shih JC, Paolocci N, Xiang YK. Monoamine oxidase A and organic cation transporter 3 coordinate intracellular β 1AR signaling to calibrate cardiac contractile function. Basic Res Cardiol 2022; 117:37. [PMID: 35842861 PMCID: PMC9288959 DOI: 10.1007/s00395-022-00944-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
We have recently identified a pool of intracellular β1 adrenergic receptors (β1ARs) at the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) crucial for cardiac function. Here, we aim to characterize the integrative control of intracellular catecholamine for subcellular β1AR signaling and cardiac function. Using anchored Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) biosensors and transgenic mice, we determined the regulation of compartmentalized β1AR-PKA signaling at the SR and plasma membrane (PM) microdomains by organic cation transporter 3 (OCT3) and monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A), two critical modulators of catecholamine uptake and homeostasis. Additionally, we examined local PKA substrate phosphorylation and excitation-contraction coupling in cardiomyocyte. Cardiac-specific deletion of MAO-A (MAO-A-CKO) elevates catecholamines and cAMP levels in the myocardium, baseline cardiac function, and adrenergic responses. Both MAO-A deletion and inhibitor (MAOi) selectively enhance the local β1AR-PKA activity at the SR but not PM, and augment phosphorylation of phospholamban, Ca2+ cycling, and myocyte contractile response. Overexpression of MAO-A suppresses the SR-β1AR-PKA activity and PKA phosphorylation. However, deletion or inhibition of OCT3 by corticosterone prevents the effects induced by MAOi and MAO-A deletion in cardiomyocytes. Deletion or inhibition of OCT3 also negates the effects of MAOi and MAO-A deficiency in cardiac function and adrenergic responses in vivo. Our data show that MAO-A and OCT3 act in concert to fine-tune the intracellular SR-β1AR-PKA signaling and cardiac fight-or-flight response. We reveal a drug contraindication between anti-inflammatory corticosterone and anti-depressant MAOi in modulating adrenergic regulation in the heart, providing novel perspectives of these drugs with cardiac implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Meimi Zhao
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Toxicology, China Medical University, Shenyang, 110122, China
| | - Bing Xu
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
- VA Northern California Health Care System, Mather, CA, USA
| | - Sherif M F Bahriz
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Chaoqun Zhu
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Aleksandra Jovanovic
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Haibo Ni
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Ariel Jacobi
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Nina Kaludercic
- Neuroscience Institute, National Research Council of Italy, Padua, Italy
- Institute for Pediatric Research Città Della Speranza, Padua, Italy
| | - Fabio Di Lisa
- Neuroscience Institute, National Research Council of Italy, Padua, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Johannes W Hell
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Jean C Shih
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nazareno Paolocci
- Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Yang K Xiang
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
- VA Northern California Health Care System, Mather, CA, USA.
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5
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Duncan PJ, McClafferty H, Nolan O, Ding Q, Homer NZM, Le Tissier P, Walker BR, Shipston MJ, Romanò N, Chambers TJG. Corticotroph isolation from Pomc-eGFP mice reveals sustained transcriptional dysregulation characterising a mouse model of glucocorticoid-induced suppression of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. J Neuroendocrinol 2022; 34:e13165. [PMID: 35833423 PMCID: PMC9539609 DOI: 10.1111/jne.13165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Revised: 04/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids (GC) are prescribed for periods > 3 months to 1%-3% of the UK population; 10%-50% of these patients develop hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis suppression, which may last over 6 months and is associated with morbidity and mortality. Recovery of the pituitary and hypothalamus is necessary for recovery of adrenal function. We developed a mouse model of dexamethasone (DEX)-induced HPA axis dysfunction aiming to further explore recovery in the pituitary. Adult male wild-type C57BL6/J or Pomc-eGFP transgenic mice were randomly assigned to receive DEX (approximately 0.4 mg kg-1 bodyweight day-1 ) or vehicle via drinking water for 4 weeks following which treatment was withdrawn and tissues were harvested after another 0, 1, and 4 weeks. Corticotrophs were isolated from Pomc-eGFP pituitaries using fluorescence-activated cell sorting, and RNA extracted for RNA-sequencing. DEX treatment suppressed corticosterone production, which remained partially suppressed at least 1 week following DEX withdrawal. In the adrenal, Hsd3b2, Cyp11a1, and Mc2r mRNA levels were significantly reduced at time 0, with Mc2r and Cyp11a1 remaining reduced 1 week following DEX withdrawal. The corticotroph transcriptome was modified by DEX treatment, with some differences between groups persisting 4 weeks following withdrawal. No genes supressed by DEX exhibited ongoing attenuation 1 and 4 weeks following withdrawal, whereas only two genes were upregulated and remained so following withdrawal. A pattern of rebound at 1 and 4 weeks was observed in 14 genes that increased following suppression, and in six genes that were reduced by DEX and then increased. Chronic GC treatment may induce persistent changes in the pituitary that may influence future response to GC treatment or stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J. Duncan
- Centre for Discovery Brain SciencesUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | | | - Oscar Nolan
- Centre for Discovery Brain SciencesUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Qinghui Ding
- Centre for Discovery Brain SciencesUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Natalie Z. M. Homer
- Centre for Cardiovascular ScienceUniversity of Edinburgh, Queen's Medical Research InstituteEdinburghUK
| | - Paul Le Tissier
- Centre for Discovery Brain SciencesUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Brian R. Walker
- Centre for Cardiovascular ScienceUniversity of Edinburgh, Queen's Medical Research InstituteEdinburghUK
- Translational & Clinical Research InstituteNewcastle UniversityNewcastle upon TyneUK
| | | | - Nicola Romanò
- Centre for Discovery Brain SciencesUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Thomas J. G. Chambers
- Centre for Discovery Brain SciencesUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
- Edinburgh Centre for Endocrinology and DiabetesNHS Lothian, Metabolic Unit, Western General HospitalEdinburghUK
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6
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Wang J, Chen F, Zhu S, Li X, Shi W, Dai Z, Hao L, Wang X. Adverse effects of prenatal dexamethasone exposure on fetal development. J Reprod Immunol 2022; 151:103619. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jri.2022.103619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Liu Y, Ding Q, Guo W. Life Course Impact of Glucocorticoids During Pregnancy on Muscle Development and Function. FRONTIERS IN ANIMAL SCIENCE 2021; 2. [PMID: 36325303 PMCID: PMC9624510 DOI: 10.3389/fanim.2021.788930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal stress, such as maternal obesity, can induce severe gestational disease and hormonal disorder which may disrupt fetal organ maturation and further cause endangered early or future health in offspring. During fetal development, glucocorticoids are essential for the maturation of organ systems. For instance, in clinical applications, glucocorticoids are commonly utilized to pregnant women with the risk of preterm delivery to reduce mortality of the newborns. However, exposure of excessive glucocorticoids at embryonic and fetal developmental stages can cause diseases such as cardiovascular disease and muscle atrophy in adulthood. Effects of excessive glucocorticoids on human health are well-recognized and extensively studied. Nonetheless, effects of these hormones on farm animal growth and development, particularly on prenatal muscle development, and postnatal growth, did not attract much attention until the last decade. Here, we provided a short review of the recent progress relating to the effect of glucocorticoids on prenatal skeletal muscle development and postnatal muscle growth as well as heart muscle development and cardiovascular disease during life course.
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8
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Ivy JR, Carter RN, Zhao JF, Buckley C, Urquijo H, Rog-Zielinska EA, Panting E, Hrabalkova L, Nicholson C, Agnew EJ, Kemp MW, Morton NM, Stock SJ, Wyrwoll C, Ganley IG, Chapman KE. Glucocorticoids regulate mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation in fetal cardiomyocytes. J Physiol 2021; 599:4901-4924. [PMID: 34505639 DOI: 10.1113/jp281860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The late gestational rise in glucocorticoids contributes to the structural and functional maturation of the perinatal heart. Here, we hypothesized that glucocorticoid action contributes to the metabolic switch in perinatal cardiomyocytes from carbohydrate to fatty acid oxidation. In primary mouse fetal cardiomyocytes, dexamethasone treatment induced expression of genes involved in fatty acid oxidation and increased mitochondrial oxidation of palmitate, dependent upon a glucocorticoid receptor (GR). Dexamethasone did not, however, induce mitophagy or alter the morphology of the mitochondrial network. In vivo, in neonatal mice, dexamethasone treatment induced cardiac expression of fatty acid oxidation genes. However, dexamethasone treatment of pregnant C57Bl/6 mice at embryonic day (E)13.5 or E16.5 failed to induce fatty acid oxidation genes in fetal hearts assessed 24 h later. Instead, at E17.5, fatty acid oxidation genes were downregulated by dexamethasone, as was GR itself. PGC-1α, required for glucocorticoid-induced maturation of primary mouse fetal cardiomyocytes in vitro, was also downregulated in fetal hearts at E17.5, 24 h after dexamethasone administration. Similarly, following a course of antenatal corticosteroids in a translational sheep model of preterm birth, both GR and PGC-1α were downregulated in heart. These data suggest that endogenous glucocorticoids support the perinatal switch to fatty acid oxidation in cardiomyocytes through changes in gene expression rather than gross changes in mitochondrial volume or mitochondrial turnover. Moreover, our data suggest that treatment with exogenous glucocorticoids may interfere with normal fetal heart maturation, possibly by downregulating GR. This has implications for clinical use of antenatal corticosteroids when preterm birth is considered a possibility. KEY POINTS: Glucocorticoids are steroid hormones that play a vital role in late pregnancy in maturing fetal organs, including the heart. In fetal cardiomyocytes in culture, glucocorticoids promote mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation, suggesting they facilitate the perinatal switch from carbohydrates to fatty acids as the predominant energy substrate. Administration of a synthetic glucocorticoid in late pregnancy in mice downregulates the glucocorticoid receptor and interferes with the normal increase in genes involved in fatty acid metabolism in the heart. In a sheep model of preterm birth, antenatal corticosteroids (synthetic glucocorticoid) downregulates the glucocorticoid receptor and the gene encoding PGC-1α, a master regulator of energy metabolism. These experiments suggest that administration of antenatal corticosteroids in anticipation of preterm delivery may interfere with fetal heart maturation by downregulating the ability to respond to glucocorticoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica R Ivy
- University/BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Roderic N Carter
- University/BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jin-Feng Zhao
- Medical Research Council Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Charlotte Buckley
- University/BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Helena Urquijo
- University/BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Eva A Rog-Zielinska
- University/BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Emma Panting
- University/BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
| | - Lenka Hrabalkova
- The Centre for Reproductive Health, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Cara Nicholson
- The Centre for Reproductive Health, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Emma J Agnew
- University/BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Matthew W Kemp
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore.,Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.,Centre for Perinatal and Neonatal Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Japan
| | - Nicholas M Morton
- University/BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Sarah J Stock
- The Centre for Reproductive Health, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.,The Usher Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Caitlin Wyrwoll
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
| | - Ian G Ganley
- Medical Research Council Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Karen E Chapman
- University/BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
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9
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Chen YT, Hu Y, Yang QY, Son JS, Liu XD, de Avila JM, Zhu MJ, Du M. Excessive Glucocorticoids During Pregnancy Impair Fetal Brown Fat Development and Predispose Offspring to Metabolic Dysfunctions. Diabetes 2020; 69:1662-1674. [PMID: 32409491 PMCID: PMC7372078 DOI: 10.2337/db20-0009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Maternal stress during pregnancy exposes fetuses to hyperglucocorticoids, which increases the risk of metabolic dysfunctions in offspring. Despite being a key tissue for maintaining metabolic health, the impacts of maternal excessive glucocorticoids (GC) on fetal brown adipose tissue (BAT) development and its long-term thermogenesis and energy expenditure remain unexamined. For testing, pregnant mice were administered dexamethasone (DEX), a synthetic GC, in the last trimester of gestation, when BAT development is the most active. DEX offspring had glucose, insulin resistance, and adiposity and also displayed cold sensitivity following cold exposure. In BAT of DEX offspring, Ppargc1a expression was suppressed, together with reduced mitochondrial density, and the brown progenitor cells sorted from offspring BAT demonstrated attenuated brown adipogenic capacity. Increased DNA methylation in Ppargc1a promoter had a fetal origin; elevated DNA methylation was also detected in neonatal BAT and brown progenitors. Mechanistically, fetal GC exposure increased GC receptor/DNMT3b complex in binding to the Ppargc1a promoter, potentially driving its de novo DNA methylation and transcriptional silencing, which impaired fetal BAT development. In summary, maternal GC exposure during pregnancy increases DNA methylation in the Ppargc1a promoter, which epigenetically impairs BAT thermogenesis and energy expenditure, predisposing offspring to metabolic dysfunctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Ting Chen
- Nutrigenomics and Growth Biology Laboratory, Department of Animal Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
| | - Yun Hu
- Nutrigenomics and Growth Biology Laboratory, Department of Animal Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
| | - Qi-Yuan Yang
- Nutrigenomics and Growth Biology Laboratory, Department of Animal Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
| | - Jun Seok Son
- Nutrigenomics and Growth Biology Laboratory, Department of Animal Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
| | - Xiang-Dong Liu
- Nutrigenomics and Growth Biology Laboratory, Department of Animal Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
| | - Jeanene M de Avila
- Nutrigenomics and Growth Biology Laboratory, Department of Animal Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
| | - Mei-Jun Zhu
- School of Food Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
| | - Min Du
- Nutrigenomics and Growth Biology Laboratory, Department of Animal Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
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