Beta-adrenergic Receptor Blockade Effects on Cardio-pulmonary Exercise Testing

Background: Beta-blockers are increasingly prescribed while the effects of beta-adrenergic receptor blockade on cardio-pulmonary exercise test (CPET) derived parameters remain under-studied. Methods: 21 young healthy adults repeated 3 CPET at an interval of 7 days at the same time of the day. The tests were performed 3 hours after a random, double blind, cross-over single dose intake of placebo, 2.5 mg bisoprolol or 5 mg bisoprolol. Gaz exchange, heart rate and blood pressure were measured at rest and during cyclo-ergometric CPET.Results: Maximal workload and VO2max were unaffected by the treatment, with maximal respiratory exchange ratio > 1.15 in all tests. A beta-blocker dose-dependent effect reduced resting and maximal blood pressure and heart rate and the chronotropic response to exercise, evaluated by the heart rate/VO2 slope (placebo: 2,9 ± 0,4 beat/ml/kg; 2,5 mg bisoprolol: 2,4 ± 0,5 beat/ml/kg; 5 mg bisoprolol: 2,3 ± 0,4 beat/ml/kg, p<0.001). Ventilation efficiency measured by the VE/VCO2 slope and the ventilatory equivalent for CO2 at the ventilatory threshold were not affected by beta1-receptor blockade. Post-exercise chronotropic recovery measured after 1 min was enhanced under beta1-blocker (placebo: 26 ± 7 bpm; 2,5 mg bisoprolol: 32 ± 6 bpm; 5 mg bisoprolol: 33 ± 6 bpm, p<0.01).Conclusion: The present results suggest that a single dose of bisoprolol does not affect metabolism, respiratory response and exercise capacity. However, beta-adrenergic blockade dose-dependently reduced exercise hemodynamic response by lowering the pressure and chronotropic responses.

Striatum-projecting prefrontal cortex neurons support working memory maintenance

ABSTRACTThe medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the dorsomedial striatum (dmStr) are linked to working memory (WM) but how striatum-projecting mPFC neurons contribute to WM encoding, maintenance, or retrieval remains unclear. Here, we probed mPFC→dmStr pathway function in freely-moving mice during a T-maze alternation test of spatial WM. Fiber photometry of GCaMP6m-labeled mPFC→dmStr projection neurons revealed strongest activity during the delay period that requires WM maintenance. Demonstrating causality, optogenetic inhibition of mPFC→dmStr neurons only during the delay period impaired performance. Conversely, enhancing mPFC→dmStr pathway activity—via pharmacological suppression of HCN1 or by optogenetic activation during the delay— alleviated WM impairment induced by NMDA receptor blockade. Consistently, cellular-resolution miniscope imaging resolved preferred activation of >50% mPFC→dmStr neurons during WM maintenance. This subpopulation was distinct from neurons showing preference for encoding and retrieval. In all periods, including the delay, neuronal sequences were evident. Striatum-projecting mPFC neurons thus critically contribute to spatial WM maintenance.

The effect of spironolactone on cardiac and renal fibrosis following myocardial infarction in established hypertension in the transgenic Cyp1a1Ren2 rat

Aims The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axis plays a key role in mediating cardiac and kidney injury. Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonism has beneficial effects on cardiac dysfunction, but effects are less well quantified in the cardiorenal syndrome. This study investigated cardiac and kidney pathophysiology following permanent surgical ligation to induce myocardial infarction (MI) in hypertensive animals with or without mineralocorticoid receptor antagonism. Methods Hypertension was induced in adult male Cyp1a1Ren2 rats. Hypertensive animals underwent MI surgery (n = 6), and were then treated daily with spironolactone for 28 days with serial systolic blood pressure measurements, echocardiograms and collection of urine and serum biochemical data. They were compared to hypertensive animals (n = 4), hypertensive animals treated with spironolactone (n = 4), and hypertensive plus MI without spironolactone (n = 6). Cardiac and kidney tissue was examined for histological and immunohistochemical analysis. Results MI superimposed on hypertension resulted in an increase in interstitial cardiac fibrosis (p<0.001), renal cortical interstitial fibrosis (p<0.01) and glomerulosclerosis (p<0.01). Increased fibrosis was accompanied by myofibroblast and macrophage infiltration in the heart and the kidney. Spironolactone post-MI, diminished the progressive fibrosis (p<0.001) and inflammation (myofibroblasts (p<0.05); macrophages (p<0.01)) in both the heart and the kidney, despite persistently elevated SBP (182±19 mmHg). Despite the reduction in inflammation and fibrosis, spironolactone did not modify ejection fraction, proteinuria, or renal function when compared to untreated animals post MI. Conclusion This model of progressive cardiorenal dysfunction more closely replicates the clinical setting. Mineralocorticoid receptor blockade at a clinically relevant dose, blunted progression of cardiac and kidney fibrosis with reduction in cardiac and kidney inflammatory myofibroblast and macrophage infiltration. Further studies are underway to investigate the combined actions of angiotensin blockade with mineralocorticoid receptor blockade.