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Lowe J, Kolkhof P, Haupt MJ, Peczkowski KK, Rastogi N, Hauck JS, Kadakia FK, Zins JG, Ciccone PC, Smart S, Sandner P, Raman SV, Janssen PML, Rafael-Fortney JA. Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonism by finerenone is sufficient to improve function in preclinical muscular dystrophy. ESC Heart Fail 2020; 7:3983-3995. [PMID: 32945624 PMCID: PMC7754779 DOI: 10.1002/ehf2.12996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Aims Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X‐linked inherited disease due to dystrophin deficiency causing skeletal and cardiac muscle dysfunction. Affected patients lose ambulation by age 12 and usually die in the second to third decades of life from cardiac and respiratory failure. Symptomatic treatment includes the use of anti‐inflammatory corticosteroids, which are associated with side effects including weight gain, osteoporosis, and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Novel treatment options include blockade of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system, because angiotensin as well as aldosterone contribute to persistent inflammation and fibrosis, and aldosterone blockade represents an efficacious anti‐fibrotic approach in cardiac failure. Recent preclinical findings enabled successful clinical testing of a combination of steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors in DMD boys. The efficacy of MRAs alone on dystrophic skeletal muscle and heart has not been investigated. Here, we tested efficacy of the novel non‐steroidal MRA finerenone as a monotherapy in a preclinical DMD model. Methods and results The dystrophin‐deficient, utrophin haploinsufficient mouse model of DMD was treated with finerenone and compared with untreated dystrophic and wild‐type controls. Grip strength, electrocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, muscle force measurements, histological quantification, and gene expression studies were performed. Finerenone treatment alone resulted in significant improvements in clinically relevant functional parameters in both skeletal muscle and heart. Normalized grip strength in rested dystrophic mice treated with finerenone (40.3 ± 1.0 mN/g) was significantly higher (P = 0.0182) compared with untreated dystrophic mice (35.2 ± 1.5 mN/g). Fatigued finerenone‐treated dystrophic mice showed an even greater relative improvement (P = 0.0003) in normalized grip strength (37.5 ± 1.1 mN/g) compared with untreated mice (29.7 ± 1.1 mN/g). Finerenone treatment also led to significantly lower (P = 0.0075) susceptibility to limb muscle damage characteristic of DMD measured during a contraction‐induced injury protocol. Normalized limb muscle force after five lengthening contractions resulted in retention of 71 ± 7% of baseline force in finerenone‐treated compared with only 51 ± 4% in untreated dystrophic mice. Finerenone treatment also prevented significant reductions in myocardial strain rate (P = 0.0409), the earliest sign of DMD cardiomyopathy. Moreover, treatment with finerenone led to very specific cardiac gene expression changes in clock genes that might modify cardiac pathophysiology in this DMD model. Conclusions Finerenone administered as a monotherapy is disease modifying for both skeletal muscle and heart in a preclinical DMD model. These findings support further evaluation of finerenone in DMD clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeovanna Lowe
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Peter Kolkhof
- R&D Preclinical Research Cardiovascular, Bayer AG, Wuppertal, Germany
| | - Michael J Haupt
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Kyra K Peczkowski
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Neha Rastogi
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - J Spencer Hauck
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Feni K Kadakia
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Jonathan G Zins
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Pierce C Ciccone
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Suzanne Smart
- Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Peter Sandner
- R&D Preclinical Research Cardiovascular, Bayer AG, Wuppertal, Germany.,Department of Pharmacology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Subha V Raman
- Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Paul M L Janssen
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Jill A Rafael-Fortney
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
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Hauck JS, Lowe J, Rastogi N, McElhanon KE, Petrosino JM, Peczkowski KK, Chadwick AN, Zins JG, Accornero F, Janssen PML, Weisleder NL, Rafael-Fortney JA. Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists improve membrane integrity independent of muscle force in muscular dystrophy. Hum Mol Genet 2020; 28:2030-2045. [PMID: 30759207 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddz039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Revised: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) drugs have been used clinically for decades to treat cardiovascular diseases. MR antagonists not only show preclinical efficacy for heart in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) models but also improve skeletal muscle force and muscle membrane integrity. The mechanisms of action of MR antagonists in skeletal muscles are entirely unknown. Since MR are present in many cell types in the muscle microenvironment, it is critical to define cell-intrinsic functions in each cell type to ultimately optimize antagonist efficacy for use in the widest variety of diseases. We generated a new conditional knockout of MR in myofibers and quantified cell-intrinsic mechanistic effects on functional and histological parameters in a DMD mouse model. Skeletal muscle MR deficiency led to improved respiratory muscle force generation and less deleterious fibrosis but did not reproduce MR antagonist efficacy on membrane susceptibility to induced damage. Surprisingly, acute application of MR antagonist to muscles led to improvements in membrane integrity after injury independent of myofiber MR. These data demonstrate that MR antagonists are efficacious to dystrophic skeletal muscles through both myofiber intrinsic effects on muscle force and downstream fibrosis and extrinsic functions on membrane stability. MR antagonists may therefore be applicable for treating more general muscle weakness and possibly other conditions that result from cell injuries.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Kevin E McElhanon
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology.,Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH USA
| | - Jennifer M Petrosino
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology.,Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH USA
| | | | | | | | - Federica Accornero
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology.,Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH USA
| | | | - Noah L Weisleder
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology.,Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH USA
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Lowe J, Kadakia FK, Zins JG, Haupt M, Peczkowski KK, Rastogi N, Floyd KT, Gomez-Sanchez EP, Gomez-Sanchez CE, Elnakish MT, Rafael-Fortney JA, Janssen PML. Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists in Muscular Dystrophy Mice During Aging and Exercise. J Neuromuscul Dis 2018; 5:295-306. [PMID: 30010143 DOI: 10.3233/jnd-180323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists added to angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors have shown preclinical efficacy for both skeletal and cardiac muscle outcomes in young sedentary dystrophin-deficient mdx mice also haploinsufficient for utrophin, a Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) model. The mdx genotypic DMD model has mild pathology, making non-curative therapeutic effects difficult to distinguish at baseline. Since the cardiac benefit of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists has been translated to DMD patients, it is important to optimize potential advantages for skeletal muscle by further defining efficacy parameters. OBJECTIVE We aimed to test whether therapeutic effects of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists added to angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors are detectable using three different reported methods of exacerbating the mdx phenotype. METHODS We tested treatment with lisinopril and the mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist spironolactone in: 10 week-old exercised, 1 year-old sedentary, and 5 month-old isoproterenol treated mdx mice and performed comprehensive functional and histological measurements. RESULTS None of the protocols to exacerbate mdx phenotypes resulted in dramatically enhanced pathology and no significant benefit was observed with treatment. CONCLUSIONS Since endogenous mineralocorticoid aldosterone production from immune cells in dystrophic muscle may explain antagonist efficacy, it is likely that these drugs work optimally during the narrow window of peak inflammation in mdx mice. Exercised and aged mdx mice do not display prolific damage and inflammation, likely explaining the absence of continued efficacy of these drugs. Since inflammation is more prevalent in DMD patients, the therapeutic window for mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists in patients may be longer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeovanna Lowe
- Department of Physiology & Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Feni K Kadakia
- Department of Physiology & Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Jonathan G Zins
- Department of Physiology & Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Michael Haupt
- Department of Physiology & Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Kyra K Peczkowski
- Department of Physiology & Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Neha Rastogi
- Department of Physiology & Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Kyle T Floyd
- Department of Physiology & Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Elise P Gomez-Sanchez
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA
| | - Celso E Gomez-Sanchez
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA
| | - Mohammad T Elnakish
- Department of Physiology & Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.,Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Jill A Rafael-Fortney
- Department of Physiology & Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Paul M L Janssen
- Department of Physiology & Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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Lowe J, Floyd KT, Rastogi N, Schultz EJ, Chadwick JA, Swager SA, Zins JG, Kadakia FK, Smart S, Gomez-Sanchez EP, Gomez-Sanchez CE, Raman SV, Janssen PML, Rafael-Fortney JA. Similar efficacy from specific and non-specific mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist treatment of muscular dystrophy mice. J Neuromuscul Dis 2018; 3:395-404. [PMID: 27822449 DOI: 10.3233/jnd-160173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Combined treatment with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and a mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonist improved cardiac and skeletal muscle function and pathology in a mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. MR is present in limb and respiratory skeletal muscles and functions as a steroid hormone receptor. OBJECTIVE The goals of the current study were to compare the efficacy of the specific MR antagonist eplerenone with the non-specific MR antagonist spironolactone, both in combination with the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor lisinopril. METHODS Three groups of n=18 dystrophin-deficient, utrophin-haploinsufficient male mice were given chow containing: lisinopril plus spironolactone, lisinopril plus eplerenone, or no drug, from four to 20 weeks-of-age. Eighteen C57BL/10 male mice were used as wild-type controls. In vivo measurements included cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, conscious electrocardiography, and grip strength. From each mouse in the study, diaphragm, extensor digitorum longus, and cardiac papillary muscle force was measured ex vivo, followed by histological quantification of muscle damage in heart, diaphragm, quadriceps, and abdominal muscles. MR protein levels were also verified in treated muscles. RESULTS Treatment with specific and non-specific MR antagonists did not result in any adverse effects to dystrophic skeletal muscles or heart. Both treatments resulted in similar functional and pathological improvements across a wide array of parameters. MR protein levels were not reduced by treatment. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that spironolactone and eplerenone show similar effects in dystrophic mice and support the clinical development of MR antagonists for treating skeletal muscles in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeovanna Lowe
- Department of Physiology & Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Kyle T Floyd
- Department of Physiology & Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Neha Rastogi
- Department of Physiology & Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Eric J Schultz
- Department of Physiology & Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Jessica A Chadwick
- Department of Physiology & Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Sarah A Swager
- Department of Physiology & Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Jonathan G Zins
- Department of Physiology & Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Feni K Kadakia
- Department of Physiology & Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Suzanne Smart
- Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Elise P Gomez-Sanchez
- Dept. of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS 39216, USA
| | - Celso E Gomez-Sanchez
- Dept. of Internal Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS 39216, USA
| | - Subha V Raman
- Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Paul M L Janssen
- Department of Physiology & Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Jill A Rafael-Fortney
- Department of Physiology & Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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