α2-Adrenergic stimulation is protective against ischemia-reperfusion-induced ventricular arrhythmias in vivo

2002 ◽  
Vol 283 (6) ◽  
pp. H2606-H2611 ◽  
Author(s):  
John J. Cai ◽  
Donald A. Morgan ◽  
William G. Haynes ◽  
James B. Martins ◽  
Hon-Chi Lee

We previously reported that α2-adrenergic receptor (α2-AR) stimulation in Purkinje fibers in vitro prolongs action potential duration and suppresses β-adrenergic-induced delayed afterdepolarizations and sustained triggered activities. We examined the effects of α2-AR stimulation on reperfusion-induced ventricular arrhythmias [ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation (VT/VF)] in vivo. Arterial blood pressure, heart rate, surface electrocardiogram, and renal sympathetic nerve activities were recorded simultaneously in Sprague-Dawley rats. The incidence of VT/VF was 87.5% for controls, 50% for the β-blocker group, 72% for the α1-blocker group, and 12.5% for the α1 + β-blockers group (unopposed α2-adrenergic activation). Direct α2-AR stimulation with UK-14304 also prevented VT/VF. These effects were reversed by the α2-adrenergic antagonist yohimbine. Increases in renal sympathetic nerve activity were associated with left anterior descending coronary artery ligation and reperfusion (33 ± 1.5 and 62 ± 1.7% over baseline, respectively) in controls. Similar patterns were observed among all experimental groups irrespective of the incidence of VT/VF on reperfusion. We conclude that α2-AR stimulation has a potent antiarrhythmic effect on ischemia-reperfusion-induced VT/VF in vivo and that this effect is not centrally mediated.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongze Zhang ◽  
Huiyin Tu ◽  
Chaojun Wang ◽  
Liang Cao ◽  
Wenfeng Hu ◽  
...  

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.


1993 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 2099-2104 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. P. O'Hagan ◽  
L. B. Bell ◽  
S. W. Mittelstadt ◽  
P. S. Clifford

Renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) increases abruptly at the onset of treadmill exercise in conscious rabbits. This study investigated whether the rise in RSNA is related to the intensity of the exercise and whether an elevated level of RSNA is maintained during submaximal exercise. RSNA, arterial blood pressure (BP), and heart rate (HR) were recorded in 10 New Zealand White rabbits during two treadmill exercise protocols at 0% grade: 7 m/min for 5 min and 12 m/min for 2 min. Peak levels of RSNA were observed in the first 10 s of exercise at 7 and 12 m/min. Through 2 min of exercise, the rise in RSNA was greater (P < 0.05) at 12 m/min (delta 83 +/- 22%) compared with 7 m/min (delta 49 +/- 8%). At 7 m/min, HR and BP reached steady-state levels during the 2nd min of exercise. RSNA remained elevated at delta 43 +/- 10 to delta 54 +/- 13% over resting levels as exercise continued from the 2nd through the 5th min of exercise (P < 0.05). These data demonstrate that the RSNA response to exercise is intensity related and suggest that RSNA remains elevated and thus may contribute to the control of renal blood flow during submaximal dynamic exercise.


2000 ◽  
Vol 279 (4) ◽  
pp. H1804-H1812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max G. Sanderford ◽  
Vernon S. Bishop

Acutely increasing peripheral angiotensin II (ANG II) reduces the maximum renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) observed at low mean arterial blood pressures (MAPs). We postulated that this observation could be explained by the action of ANG II to acutely increase arterial blood pressure or increase circulating arginine vasopressin (AVP). Sustained increases in MAP and increases in circulating AVP have previously been shown to attenuate maximum RSNA at low MAP. In conscious rabbits pretreated with an AVP V1 receptor antagonist, we compared the effect of a 5-min intravenous infusion of ANG II (10 and 20 ng · kg−1 · min−1) on the relationship between MAP and RSNA when the acute pressor action of ANG II was left unopposed with that when the acute pressor action of ANG II was opposed by a simultaneous infusion of sodium nitroprusside (SNP). Intravenous infusion of ANG II resulted in a dose-related attenuation of the maximum RSNA observed at low MAP. When the acute pressor action of ANG II was prevented by SNP, maximum RSNA at low MAP was attenuated, similar to that observed when ANG II acutely increased MAP. In contrast, intravertebral infusion of ANG II attenuated maximum RSNA at low MAP significantly more than when administered intravenously. The results of this study suggest that ANG II may act within the central nervous system to acutely attenuate the maximum RSNA observed at low MAP.


1989 ◽  
Vol 257 (5) ◽  
pp. R1034-R1039 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Matsukawa ◽  
T. Honda ◽  
I. Ninomiya

We measured renal sympathetic nerve activity (RNA) and arterial plasma concentration of norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (EPI) before, during, and after eating in six conscious cats. Eating continued for a period of 5 min. RNA, heart rate (HR), and arterial blood pressure (AP) increased almost simultaneously with the onset of eating and reached a maximum value of 192%, 221 beats/min, and 121 mmHg at 2.5-5 min after the onset of eating, respectively. The plasma NE level increased significantly (P less than 0.05) during eating from the control value of 0.56 ng/ml and reached a maximum value of 1.33 ng/ml at 4.5-5 min, whereas the plasma EPI level did not change significantly from the control value of 0.12 ng/ml. The plasma levels of NE and EPI were unaffected by the blood samplings. The relationship between the changes in RNA and the plasma NE level during eating had a significant (P less than 0.05) positive correlation (r = 0.52). The result suggests that plasma NE concentration tends to increase with the rise in RNA during eating.


Circulation ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 116 (suppl_16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang Yin ◽  
Fadi N Salloum ◽  
Rakesh C Kukreja

BACKGROUND: Due to its short length (~24 nt) and non-coding nature, microRNA (miRNA) used to be regarded as “evolutionary transcriptional debris”. Recent evidence suggests that miRNA is a novel regulator for transcription and translation. It is known that brief episodes of ischemia during ischemic preconditioning (IPC) trigger complex genetic pro-survival program that results in modulation of several key proteins involved in protection against I/R injury. We hypothesized that miRNA synthesized during IPC is the potential mediator of such protection. METHODS / RESULTS : Hearts were isolated from 3 groups (n = 6/group) of adult ICR mice and subjected to the following treatments in Langendorff mode: 120 min of perfusion with Krebs-Henseleit buffer (control); 30 min global ischemia followed by 1 hr reperfusion (I/R); 2 cycles of 30 sec ischemia and 90 sec reperfusion followed by 30 min ischemia and 1 hr reperfusion (IPC). Infarct size (IS) was measured by triphenyl tetrazolium staining. IPC in the Langendorff model reduced IS from 29.7 ± 2.1% in the I/R hearts to 9.1 ± 1.8 % in the IPC group. This protection was associated with a significant induction of miRNA-1 (162 ± 13%), miRNA-21 (118 ± 6%), and miRNA-24 (46 ± 12%). To test its protective role, miRNA was extracted from 6 hearts following the IPC protocol; and then injected in vivo into the left ventricle wall in another group of 6 mice. Forty-eight hrs later, these mice were subjected to I/R injury in vivo by left coronary artery ligation for 30 min followed by reperfusion for 24 hr. In addition, a subset of mice was treated with miRNA inhibitors (methylated antisense miRNA) in conjunction with miRNA from IPC hearts. The results show that miRNA extracted from the IPC hearts reproduced a protective phenotype with significantly lower infarction (18.8 ± 2.5 %) in vivo as compared to saline-treated control (37.5 ± 2.2%). This protective effect was totally abolished by specific inhibitors of miRNA-1 and miRNA-21 (IS: 43.7 ± 2.1%). CONCLUSION : miRNA extracted from preconditioned hearts shows a protective role against I/R injury. The detection of miRNA in preconditioned hearts offers a novel strategy in cardioprotection. Further studies are needed to identify the gene targets by which miRNA generate protective phenotype.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chung-Chuan Chou ◽  
Hui-Ling Lee ◽  
Po-Cheng Chang ◽  
Hung-Ta Wo ◽  
Ming-Shien Wen ◽  
...  

Dantrolene was reported to suppress ventricular fibrillation (VF) in failing hearts with acute myocardial infarction, but its antiarrhythmic efficacy in regional ischemia-reperfusion (IR) hearts remains debatable. Heart failure (HF) was induced by right ventricular pacing. The IR rabbit model was created by coronary artery ligation for 30 min, followed by reperfusion for 15 min in vivo in both HF and non-HF groups (n= 9 in each group). Simultaneous voltage and intracellular Ca2+(Cai) optical mapping was then performed in isolated Langendorff-perfused hearts. Electrophysiological studies were conducted and VF inducibility was evaluated by dynamic pacing. Dantrolene (10 μM) was administered after baseline studies. The HF group had a higher VF inducibility than the control group. Dantrolene had both antiarrhythmic (prolonged action potential duration (APD) and effective refractory period) and proarrhythmic effects (slowed conduction velocity, steepened APD restitution slope, and enhanced arrhythmogenic alternans induction) but had no significant effects on ventricular premature beat (VPB) suppression and VF inducibility in both groups. A higher VF conversion rate in the non-HF group was likely due to greater APD prolonging effects in smaller hearts compared to the HF group. The lack of significant effects on VPB suppression by dantrolene suggests that triggered activity might not be the dominant mechanism responsible for VPB induction in the IR model.


1993 ◽  
Vol 265 (4) ◽  
pp. R792-R797 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Matsukawa ◽  
I. Ninomiya ◽  
N. Nishiura

The effects of pentobarbital and chloralose on cardiac sympathetic nerve activity (CSNA), renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA), arterial pressure (AP), and heart rate (HR) were examined using conscious cats. Arterial blood was sampled intermittently to measure plasma epinephrine. Pentobarbital (25-30 mg/kg iv) decreased CSNA, RSNA, AP, and HR. The reduction of CSNA (71 +/- 7%) was larger and lasted longer than that of RSNA (33 +/- 12%). Chloralose (40-50 mg/kg iv) decreased CSNA 66 +/- 9% and HR, increased RSNA 127 +/- 122%, and did not affect AP. The baroreflex relationship between AP and CSNA was examined by increasing AP to 145 mmHg and decreasing AP to 55 mmHg. Both pentobarbital and chloralose shifted the AP-CSNA relationship curve downward and blunted the slope of the curve, indicating that both drugs attenuate tonic and baroreflex cardiac sympathetic outflow. Pentobarbital and chloralose reduced plasma epinephrine, suggesting a decrease in adrenal sympathetic nerve activity. It is concluded that pentobarbital or chloralose affects differentially sympathetic outflows to different organs such as the heart, kidney, and adrenal gland.


2002 ◽  
Vol 282 (1) ◽  
pp. R122-R130 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Dean ◽  
M. Bago

The role of 5-hydroxytryptamine type 1A (5-HT1A) receptors in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) in the mediation of the sympathoinhibitory and hypotensive responses to severe hemorrhage was examined in pentobarbital sodium-anesthetized rats. The control response to hemorrhage (1 ml/min to 50 mmHg) consisted of a fall in arterial blood pressure and an initial baroreflex increase in renal sympathetic nerve activity followed after 2 min by a rapid decline in blood pressure accompanied by a decrease in renal sympathetic nerve activity. In response to hemorrhage in animals in which the specific 5-HT1A receptor antagonist WAY-100635 was microinjected into the pressor area of the RVLM, the fall in blood pressure was delayed and attenuated while renal sympathetic nerve activity was increased and maintained above baseline. In barodenervated animals with blockade of RVLM 5-HT1A receptors, there was no change in renal sympathetic nerve activity in response to hemorrhage. These data suggest that renal sympathoinhibition elicited in response to severe hemorrhage is mediated by 5-HT1A receptors in the RVLM.


2005 ◽  
Vol 289 (5) ◽  
pp. R1477-R1481 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Dean

Activation of neurons in the ventrolateral region of the periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) can elicit a decrease in renal sympathetic nerve activity and blood pressure. The present study investigated whether the vlPAG-evoked sympathoinhibitory response depends on neurons in the caudal midline medulla (CMM). In pentobarbital-anesthetized rats, activation of neurons in the vlPAG evoked a decrease in renal sympathetic nerve activity to 29.4 ± 4.8% below baseline levels and arterial blood pressure fell 8.9 ± 1.6 mmHg ( n = 20). Microinjection of the GABA agonist muscimol into sympathoinhibitory regions of the CMM significantly attenuated the vlPAG-evoked sympathoinhibition to 17.9 ± 4.1% below baseline and the depressor response to 4.3 ± 1.2 mmHg. At 65% (13/20) of the sites examined, the vlPAG-evoked sympathoinhibition was responsive to CMM muscimol microinjection and attenuated from 34.2% to 11.5%, with the depressor response reduced from 14.8 to 3 mmHg. Microinjection of muscimol at the remaining 35% of the CMM sympathoinhibitory sites was ineffective on the vlPAG-evoked sympathoinhibition and depressor response. These data indicate that sympathoinhibitory and hypotensive responses elicited by activation of neurons in the vlPAG can be mediated by neurons in the sympathoinhibitory region of the CMM. The finding that the vlPAG-evoked response is not affected by muscimol at all CMM sympathoinhibitory sites also suggests that sympathoinhibitory sites in the CMM are not homogeneous and can mediate functionally different responses.


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