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Zhang D, Tu H, Wang C, Cao L, Hu W, Hackfort BT, Muelleman RL, Wadman MC, Li YL. Inhibition of N-type calcium channels in cardiac sympathetic neurons attenuates ventricular arrhythmogenesis in heart failure. Cardiovasc Res 2021; 117:137-148. [PMID: 31995173 PMCID: PMC7797209 DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvaa018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Revised: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
AIMS Cardiac sympathetic overactivation is an important trigger of ventricular arrhythmias in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Our previous study demonstrated that N-type calcium (Cav2.2) currents in cardiac sympathetic post-ganglionic (CSP) neurons were increased in CHF. This study investigated the contribution of Cav2.2 channels in cardiac sympathetic overactivation and ventricular arrhythmogenesis in CHF. METHODS AND RESULTS Rat CHF was induced by surgical ligation of the left coronary artery. Lentiviral Cav2.2-α shRNA or scrambled shRNA was transfected in vivo into stellate ganglia (SG) in CHF rats. Final experiments were performed at 14 weeks after coronary artery ligation. Real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot data showed that in vivo transfection of Cav2.2-α shRNA reduced the expression of Cav2.2-α mRNA and protein in the SG in CHF rats. Cav2.2-α shRNA also reduced Cav2.2 currents and cell excitability of CSP neurons and attenuated cardiac sympathetic nerve activities (CSNA) in CHF rats. The power spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) further revealed that transfection of Cav2.2-α shRNA in the SG normalized CHF-caused cardiac sympathetic overactivation in conscious rats. Twenty-four-hour continuous telemetry electrocardiogram recording revealed that this Cav2.2-α shRNA not only decreased incidence and duration of ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation but also improved CHF-induced heterogeneity of ventricular electrical activity in conscious CHF rats. Cav2.2-α shRNA also decreased susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmias in anaesthetized CHF rats. However, Cav2.2-α shRNA failed to improve CHF-induced cardiac contractile dysfunction. Scrambled shRNA did not affect Cav2.2 currents and cell excitability of CSP neurons, CSNA, HRV, and ventricular arrhythmogenesis in CHF rats. CONCLUSIONS Overactivation of Cav2.2 channels in CSP neurons contributes to cardiac sympathetic hyperactivation and ventricular arrhythmogenesis in CHF. This suggests that discovering purely selective and potent small-molecule Cav2.2 channel blockers could be a potential therapeutic strategy to decrease fatal ventricular arrhythmias in CHF.
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MESH Headings
- Action Potentials
- Animals
- Calcium/metabolism
- Calcium Channels, N-Type/genetics
- Calcium Channels, N-Type/metabolism
- Calcium Signaling
- Cells, Cultured
- Disease Models, Animal
- Heart/innervation
- Heart Failure/genetics
- Heart Failure/metabolism
- Heart Failure/physiopathology
- Heart Rate
- Male
- RNA Interference
- RNA, Small Interfering/genetics
- RNA, Small Interfering/metabolism
- Rats, Sprague-Dawley
- Stellate Ganglion/metabolism
- Stellate Ganglion/physiopathology
- Sympathetic Fibers, Postganglionic/metabolism
- Sympathetic Fibers, Postganglionic/physiopathology
- Tachycardia, Ventricular/genetics
- Tachycardia, Ventricular/metabolism
- Tachycardia, Ventricular/physiopathology
- Tachycardia, Ventricular/prevention & control
- Ventricular Fibrillation/genetics
- Ventricular Fibrillation/metabolism
- Ventricular Fibrillation/physiopathology
- Ventricular Fibrillation/prevention & control
- Rats
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongze Zhang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 985850 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5850, USA
| | - Huiyin Tu
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 985850 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5850, USA
| | - Chaojun Wang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 985850 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5850, USA
- Department of Cardiovascular Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, 710061, China
| | - Liang Cao
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 985850 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5850, USA
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410011, China
| | - Wenfeng Hu
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 985850 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5850, USA
| | - Bryan T Hackfort
- Department of Cellular & Integrative Physiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Robert L Muelleman
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 985850 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5850, USA
| | - Michael C Wadman
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 985850 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5850, USA
| | - Yu-Long Li
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 985850 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5850, USA
- Department of Cellular & Integrative Physiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
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