bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cardiac adaptations to chronic exercise in mice
Authors: Kaplan M. L. , Cheslow Y. , Vikstrom K. , Malhotra A. , Geenen D. L. , Nakouzi A. , Leinwand L. A. , Buttrick P. M.
Published: December 2017

Transgenic mice can be created to serve as models of human cardiac disease. Despite the technology available to manipulate the cardiovascular system of the mouse, there is relatively little information available concerning the normal physiology of the mouse heart. Therefore, we have characterized the response of the adult mouse to chronic physical conditioning by swimming. Adult female C57/B16 mice were conditioned by swimming up to 90 min twice daily for 4 wk, resulting in a 10% increase in heart weight and a 16% increase in heart weight-to-body weight ratios compared with sedentary controls. The heart rate response to a submaximal work load decreased > 20% with this conditioning program. Succinate dehydrogenase activity increased markedly in the soleus muscles of the conditioned animals, from 28 +/- 3 to 44 +/- 3 nmol.mg-1.min-1. In contrast to these changes, which also characterize the exercise model in the rat, no increase in cardiac tissue norepinephrine content or in cardiac myosin or myofibrillar adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) activities was observed, and no change in the V1 predominant myosin isoform or alpha-myosin heavy chain mRNA profiles was seen in the hearts of the swimmers. This study establishes that mice are able to develop cardiac hypertrophy in response to chronic conditioning which is not associated with changes in the ATPase activities of cardiac muscle. These data should be of use to investigators using murine models to define the molecular basis of adaptive cardiac hypertrophy in vivo.
Heparin-released superoxide dismutase inhibits postischemic leukocyte adhesion to venular endothelium
Authors: Becker M. , Menger M. D. , Lehr H. A.
Published: December 2017

Superoxide radicals formed during reperfusion of ischemic tissues have been identified as a key mediator in the microvascular manifestations of postischemic tissue damage. This understanding is based on studies in laboratory animals in which high doses of superoxide dismutase (SOD; 2.0-25.0 mg/kg body wt iv) were found to inhibit postischemic leukocyte adhesion and the leakage of fluid and macromolecules. Using a dorsal skinfold chamber model in hamsters, we demonstrate now that protection from reperfusion-induced leukocyte adhesion to venular endothelium after 4 h of ischemia to striated muscle can be attained by pretreatment of the animals with a significantly lower dose of exogenous CuZn-SOD (0.25 mg/kg body wt) or with heparin (2,000 IU/kg body wt), which induces a comparable increase in SOD plasma activity through the release of endogenous extracellular SOD from endothelial cell binding sites. This protective effect was maintained until 24 h after reperfusion. In contrast, CuZn-SOD or heparin failed to attenuate the postischemic shutdown of nutritional capillary perfusion, a phenomenon that is due to ischemia-induced endothelial cell swelling, rather than due to reperfusion-associated events, and hence is not susceptible to strategies directed against oxygen radicals generated during the reperfusion phase. The results of this study 1) imply that postischemic leukocyte/endothelium interaction can be attenuated by a low and clinically more relevant dose of SOD, and 2) caveat the administration of heparin in laboratory animals (i.e., to keep catheters patent) in studies of experimental ischemia/reperfusion injury or other oxygen radical-dependent pathomechanisms.
Cooling and pH jump-induced calcium release from isolated cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum
Authors: Feher J. J. , Rebeyka I. M.
Published: December 2017

Rapid-cooling contracture in cardiac muscle preparations is thought to be caused by the release of Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), but the mechanism of this release is unknown. Cooling of isolated canine cardiac SR from 37 to 4 degrees C resulted in the net release of enough Ca2+ to account for rapid-cooling contracture. The release of Ca2+ on cooling appeared to be a relaxation between different steady-state levels of Ca2+ uptake. Cooling release of Ca2+ was also observed in the presence of ryanodine or ruthenium red to block the ryanodine-sensitive Ca2+ efflux pathway. In the presence of ryanodine, the extent and initial rate of rapid-cooling release were increased due to increased steady-state uptake of Ca2+ by the SR. The first-order rate constant of rapid-cooling Ca2+ release was unchanged by ryanodine or ruthenium red, suggesting that the rapid-cooling release does not occur through the ryanodine-sensitive pathway. The alkalinization on cooling was not the major cause of the Ca2+ release, as comparable Ca2+ release was observed with cooling and no alkalinization. However, alkalinization without cooling produced a rapid net Ca2+ release, which was also observed in the presence of ryanodine.
Regulation of Na-K-ATPase gene expression by angiotensin II in vascular smooth muscle cells
Authors: Ikeda U. , Takahashi M. , Okada K. , Saito T. , Shimada K.
Published: December 2017

Na-K-adenosinetriphosphatase (Na-K-ATPase) activity profoundly influences vascular cell excitability, contractility, and volume regulation. We investigated the effect of angiotensin II on Na-K-ATPase gene expression in cultured rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). Na-K-ATPase alpha 1- and beta 1-isoform mRNAs, but not alpha 2- and alpha 3-isoform mRNAs, were expressed in cultured rat VSMC. Angiotensin II (1 microgram/ml) caused a threefold increase in alpha 1-mRNA accumulation and a fourfold increase in beta 1-mRNA accumulation; the peak increases for both alpha 1- and beta 1-mRNA were observed at 6 h. Angiotensin II induced alpha 1- and beta 1-mRNA expression in a dose-dependent manner. Pretreatment of VSMC with cycloheximide (20 micrograms/ml) or actinomycin D (5 micrograms/ml) completely inhibited angiotensin II-induced alpha 1-mRNA accumulation. Even after protein kinase C (PKC) activity was functionally depleted by treating VSMC with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (10(-6) M) for 24 h, angiotensin II increased alpha 1-mRNA accumulation. The angiotensin II-induced increase in alpha 1-mRNA accumulation was associated with an increase in alpha 1-subunit protein accumulation. These results indicate that angiotensin II stimulates Na-K-ATPase alpha 1- and beta 1-isoform gene expression in VSMC and that the effect is mediated not via activation of PKC but needs synthesis of intermediate regulatory protein(s).
Role of Mac-1 and ICAM-1 in ischemia-reperfusion injury in a microcirculation model of BALB/C mice
Authors: Nolte D. , Hecht R. , Schmid P. , Botzlar A. , Menger M. D. , Neumueller C. , Sinowatz F. , Vestweber D. , Messmer K.
Published: December 2017

The leukocyte beta 2-integrin Mac-1 (CD11b/CD18) and its endothelial ligand intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) are involved in leukocyte adhesion to and macromolecular leakage from postcapillary venules during inflammatory reactions. Both events are also encountered after ischemia-reperfusion of striated muscle, suggesting a central role of both adhesion proteins in reperfusion injury. Using intravital fluorescence microscopy and a microcirculation model in awake BALB/C mice, we investigated the effects of monoclonal antibodies (MAb) and Fab fragments to Mac-1 and MAb to ICAM-1 on leukocyte-endothelium interaction and macromolecular leakage of fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran (1.5 x 10(5) mol wt) in striated skin muscle after 3 h of ischemia followed by reperfusion. We demonstrated that administration of MAb and Fab to Mac-1 before reperfusion was as effective as administration of MAb to ICAM-1, which was found to be significantly upregulated in the postischemic tissue by immunohistochemical analysis, in preventing postischemic leukocyte adhesion to and macromolecular leakage from postcapillary venules, whereas postischemic leukocyte rolling was not affected after MAb administration. Postischemic capillary perfusion was efficiently preserved in animals treated with anti-Mac-1 and anti-ICAM-1 MAb compared with animals receiving the isotype-matched control antibodies.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Involvement of activation of ATP-dependent potassium channels in ischemic preconditioning in swine
Authors: Schulz R. , Rose J. , Heusch G.
Published: December 2017

This study evaluated the importance of ATP-dependent potassium channels (KATP) for ischemic preconditioning (IP) in swine. Swine were studied because due to the sparsity of their innate collateral circulation infarct size (IS) development closely resembles that observed in humans. Ninety minutes of ischemia at a blood flow reduction sufficient to reduce regional myocardial work by 90% caused 13.2 +/- 8.9% (SD) IS of the area at risk. A single cycle of 10-min preconditioning ischemia followed by 15-min reperfusion reduced IS after 90 min of ischemia to 2.8 +/- 2.7%. The epicardial monophasic action potential duration at 50% repolarization (MAP50) was decreased more markedly during the initial 10 min of the prolonged ischemia than during the first 10 min of the preconditioning ischemic period (84 +/- 4 vs. 89 +/- 2%). Transmural myocardial adenosine (ADO) uptake was reversed to net release during both ischemic periods and during the initial phase of reperfusion. Glibenclamide (0.5 mg/kg, followed by 50 micrograms/min i.v.) abolished the reduction in MAP50 without altering ADO release. Glibenclamide did not alter IS per se (13.0 +/- 7.6%) but abolished the beneficial effect of IP (IS: 13.6 +/- 6.2%). Thus blockade of KATP with glibenclamide abolishes the IS-reducing effect of IP in swine but does not reduce ADO release.
Cytochalasin inhibition of slow tension increase in rat aortic rings
Authors: Wright G. , Hurn E.
Published: December 2017

We separated the K(+)-induced contraction of rat aortic rings into its initial (fast) and secondary (slow) components. It was found that temperature sensitivity, K+ depolarization, and Ca2+ dependency could each be utilized to differentiate between these two components of the contractile response. Increasing the passive tension preload of the tissue increased the fast response but had no significant effect on the secondary slow rise in tension. Cytochalasins, which inhibit actin polymerization, reversibly inhibited tension development by rat aortic rings with the effect selectively confined to the slow component of the K(+)-induced contraction. In a similar fashion, cytochalasin was shown to attenuate the slow tension increase caused by phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate. Finally, it was found that low concentrations of the protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor staurosporine (8 x 10(-9) M) selectively attenuated the slow component of the K(+)-induced contraction. The results suggest that distinctly different mechanisms regulate the initial fast and secondary slow contractile responses induced by elevation of extracellular K+. Both mechanisms are voltage sensitive and use extracellular Ca2+. The fast but not the slow component was altered by changing the passive tension preload in a fashion consistent with a sliding filament mechanism of force development. The specific nature of the slow component is not certain but may involve low-level PKC activity and require the integrity and capability for remodeling of a specific portion of the actin-containing cytoskeleton.
Effect of Ado A1- and A2-receptor activation on ventricular fibrillation during hypoxia-reoxygenation
Authors: Chi L. , Friedrichs G. S. , Oh J. Y. , Green A. L. , Lucchesi B. R.
Published: December 2017

We examined the hypothesis that adenosine (Ado)-induced alterations in ventricular electrophysiology may contribute to arrhythmogenesis in a setting of myocardial hypoxia through activation of Ado A1 and A2 receptors in the rabbit isolated perfused heart. There was a 20% incidence of ventricular fibrillation (VF) in control hearts subjected to perfusion conditions of hypoxia and reoxygenation. The incidence of VF was increased to 50% in the presence of 1 microM Ado when hearts were exposed to hypoxia-reoxygenation. The incidence of VF was 20% when Ado was increased to 10 microM. Inhibition of the Ado A2 receptor with 3,7-dimethyl-l-propargylxanthine (DMPX; 10 microM) increased the incidence of VF to 100% when 10 microM Ado was added to the perfusion medium. The A1 antagonist, 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine (DPCPX, 1 microM), attenuated (from 100% to 20%) VF induced by Ado + DMPX (10 microM each). The ventricular refractory period and monophasic action potential duration were determined in a separate group of hearts. Our findings indicate that 1) Ado A1-receptor stimulation facilitates VF by decreasing action potential duration and refractoriness in hearts subjected to hypoxia and reoxygenation and 2) the arrhythmogenic potential of Ado A1-receptor stimulation is modulated by simultaneous activation of the ventricular A2 Ado receptor.
Cardiopulmonary and arterial baroreflex responses to acute volume expansion during fetal and postnatal development
Authors: Merrill D. C. , Segar J. L. , McWeeny O. J. , Smith B. A. , Robillard J. E.
Published: December 2017

Recent studies demonstrated that renal denervation had no effect on the natriuretic response to volume expansion (VE) in fetal sheep, suggesting that the sensitivity of the cardiopulmonary reflex in response to VE is impaired in the fetus. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) and heart rate (HR) responses to 20 and 50% intravascular VE in fetal (130-135 days gestation; term 145 days) (n = 7), newborn (n = 8), and 6- to 8-wk-old sheep (n = 9). Despite similar increases in right atrial pressure (RAP) in the three groups, 20% VE had no significant effect on RSNA and HR in fetal sheep but significantly decreased RSNA in newborn (-22.8 +/- 7.3%) and 6- to 8-wk-old sheep (-32.1 +/- 11.7%). Bradycardic responses to VE were also observed in both newborn (from 237 +/- 6 to 200 +/- 12 beats/min) and 6- to 8-wk-old sheep (from 170 +/- 9 to 140 +/- 9 beats/min). A 50% VE had no significant effect on fetal RSNA and HR, whereas it increased RAP by 6.8 +/- 0.9 mmHg. In addition, we tested the hypothesis that interactions between cardiopulmonary and arterial baroreflexes in response to VE change during development. We found that 20 and 50% VE shifted the RSNA and HR arterial baroreflex response curves to the right in the fetus but had no significant effects on the gain of the arterial baroreflex curves in either fetal, newborn, or 6- to 8-wk-old sheep.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Effects of TNF-alpha on hemodynamic changes and circulating endothelium-derived vasoactive factors in dogs
Authors: Mitaka C. , Hirata Y. , Ichikawa K. , Yokoyama K. , Emori T. , Kanno K. , Amaha K.
Published: December 2017

To elucidate the relation of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)-induced hemodynamic change to endothelium-derived vasoactive factors, we simultaneously measured hemodynamic parameters and circulating endothelin (ET)-1, ET-3, nitrite/nitrate (NOx), and 6-ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha (6-keto-PGF1 alpha) in anesthetized dogs following administration of TNF-alpha with or without NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA), a nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor, and indomethacin, a cyclooxygenase inhibitor. Natural human TNF-alpha (10 micrograms/kg, n = 5) with or without L-NNA (1 mg/kg, n = 5) or indomethacin (2 mg/kg, n = 5) was administered intravenously as a bolus, while administration of vehicle served as control (n = 5). After administration of TNF-alpha, mean arterial pressure and cardiac index significantly decreased, whereas systemic (SVRI) and pulmonary (PVRI) vascular resistance index increased. Plasma levels of ET-1, ET-3, NOx, and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha significantly (P < 0.01) increased at 1 h. L-NNA or indomethacin blocked TNF-alpha-induced hypotension and remarkably increased SVRI but did not affect decreased cardiac index. Our data suggest that endogenous ET-1 may partly contribute to TNF-alpha-induced increases in SVRI and PVRI, against which ET-3, NO, and prostacyclin may function as compensatory vasodilators.
Hypochlorous acid and chloramines increase endothelial permeability: possible involvement of cellular zinc
Authors: Tatsumi T. , Fliss H.
Published: December 2017

The migration of neutrophils through the endothelium at sites of inflammation may be facilitated by oxidant-mediated disruption of cellular junctions. The present study examined the effects of noncytotoxic concentrations of the membrane-penetrating neutrophil oxidants hypochlorous acid (HOCI) and monochloramine (NH2Cl), or the membrane-impermeant taurine chloramine (taurine NCl), on cultured bovine aorta endothelial monolayers. HOCl (25 microM) or NH2Cl (10 microM), but not taurine NCl (100 microM), caused a reversible shortening of the cytoskeletal actin microfilaments, cell retraction, and increased permeability within 2 min. These effects were accompanied by an increase in intracellular zinc concentration as well as the oxidation of intracellular glutathione and protein sulfhydryls. The zinc ionophore pyrithione also increased permeability. HOCl or NH2Cl, but not taurine NCl, also rapidly increased microvascular permeability in isolated perfused rat lungs. The data suggest that HOCl and NH2Cl can increase endothelial permeability by causing very rapid cytoskeletal shortening and cell retraction, possibly as a result of the oxidation of intracellular sulfhydryls and mobilization of zinc.
Restraining effects of captopril on sympathetic excitatory responses in dogs: a spectral analysis approach
Authors: Rimoldi O. , Pagani M. R. , Piazza S. , Pagani M. , Malliani A.
Published: December 2017

This study was planned to clarify the effects of captopril administration on the autonomic control of the circulation in conscious dogs and in dynamic conditions using spectral analysis of R-R interval and systolic arterial pressure (SAP) variabilities. Changes in sympathovagal balance modulating the sinoatrial (SA) node were inferred, respectively, from the low (LFR-R)- and high-frequency (HFR-R) components of R-R variability; LFSAP furnished a marker of sympathetic vasomotor control. Increases in sympathetic activity were induced by three different experimental maneuvers [bilateral carotid occlusion (BCO), coronary artery occlusion (CAO), and dynamic exercise] capable of increasing sympathetic outflow to the SA node and to the vessels. Studies were performed both before and after intravenous captopril administration. During BCO, only LFSAP increased from 4.3 +/- 1.5 to 19.7 +/- 4.1 mmHg2; during CAO, both LFR-R and LFSAP increased, respectively, from 3 +/- 1 to 21 +/- 2 normalized units (nu) and from 4.1 +/- 1.3 to 7.2 +/- 1.5 mmHg2. Dynamic exercise at 2 and 4 km/h progressively raised LFR-R from 8 +/- 2 to 58 +/- 7 and 75 +/- 5 nu, respectively; LFSAP showed a parallel trend increasing from 2.5 +/- 0.7 to 8.04 +/- 1.9 and 12.7 +/- 2.2 mmHg2. In all experimental conditions, captopril significantly (P < 0.05) blunted the increase of LFSAP. A restraining effect on LFR-R was apparent only with CAO. Spectral analysis of cardiovascular variabilities indicates that, in the conscious dog, acute captopril administration has an important inhibitory effect on cardiac sympathetic excitatory mechanisms as well as on sympathetic vasomotor control.
Energetic effects of caffeine in face of retarded Na+/Ca2+ exchange in isolated, arrested guinea pig hearts
Authors: Hanley P. J. , Cooper P. J. , Loiselle D. S.
Published: December 2017

The effects of caffeine, a widely used pharmacological tool for releasing Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), on the resting rate of oxygen consumption and left ventricular diastolic pressure development of isolated, KCl-arrested, guinea pig hearts was examined. Caffeine (10 mmol/l) had no effect on either the rate of oxygen consumption or left ventricular pressure development. However, when Ca2+ extrusion via the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger was retarded, whether by reducing the external Na+ concentration ([Na+]o) from 143 to 57 mmol/l or through further depolarizing the membrane by increasing external K+ concentration ([K+]o) from 20 to 40 mmol/l, the subsequent introduction of caffeine evoked a pronounced increase in the rate of oxygen consumption. This was accompanied by a small contracture in the low [Na+]o condition only. In the absence of external Ca2+ the stimulatory effects of caffeine on cardiac energetics in either the low [Na+]o or 40 mmol/l [K+]o condition was totally prevented. It is concluded that Na+/Ca2+ exchange plays a major role in dictating the energetic response of the cardiac cell to pharmacological activation of the SR Ca2+ release channel by caffeine.
IL-1 inhibits beta-adrenergic control of cardiac calcium current: role of L-arginine/nitric oxide pathway
Authors: Rozanski G. J. , Witt R. C.
Published: December 2017

Modulation of the beta-adrenergic control of cardiac L-type Ca2+ current (Ica) by human recombinant interleukin-1 beta (IL-1) was examined in adult guinea pig ventricular myocytes using the whole cell voltage-clamp technique. ICa was elicited in Cs(+)-loaded myocytes by depolarizing pulses from a holding potential of -40 mV. Isoproterenol (0.01 and 1 microM) exposed to myocytes pretreated with 1 ng/ml IL-1 evoked a significantly smaller increase in ICa density compared with control cells. This IL-1-mediated decrease in beta-responsiveness was usually observed with pretreatment periods of > 1 h and varied as a function of the L-arginine concentration of the pretreatment medium. In addition, it was prevented by 1) IL-1 receptor antagonist, 2) substituting D-arginine for L-arginine, or 3) incubating cells with the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG-monomethyl-L-arginine. Thus the present data illustrate that IL-1 significantly alters the beta-adrenergic control of cardiac Ca2+ channels by cellular mechanisms that involve the activation of nitric oxide synthase. These mechanisms may play a role in altering ventricular function during cytokine-mediated inflammatory processes affecting the heart.
Effect of hyperthermia on glutamate release in ischemic penumbra after middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats
Authors: Takagi K. , Ginsberg M. D. , Globus M. Y. , Martinez E. , Busto R.
Published: December 2017

Using microdialysis, we investigated the effect of hyperthermia on glutamate release in penumbral cortex of rats with 2 h of either normothermic (37 degrees C) or hyperthermic (39 degrees C) middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion. Penumbral blood flow (CBF) was measured by laser-Doppler flowmetry. CBF values (expressed as % preischemic values) in normothermic and hyperthermic groups were 24 +/- 11 (SD) and 24 +/- 16%, respectively, during ischemia and 102 +/- 81 and 147 +/- 79% during recirculation. Average extracellular glutamate in the hyperthermic group increased from a baseline of 7 +/- 2 microM to a peak of 217 +/- 184 microM at 10-20 min after onset of ischemia but returned to near baseline after 60 min. Glutamate in the normothermic group increased from 4 +/- 2 microM to a peak of 26 +/- 17 microM at 10-20 min after MCA occlusion but fell to near-baseline before recirculation. Thus reuptake systems appeared to remain functional in ischemic penumbra, even during hyperthermia. Ischemic glutamate release was significantly higher in hyperthermic than in normothermic rats: average values of individual rats' peak levels were 251 +/- 221 microM and 37 +/- 34 microM, respectively. The ischemic CBF threshold value for glutamate release was 33% of control in the normothermic group but 61% in the hyperthermic group.
Renal function contributes to antihypertensive effect of vasopressin in DOCA-salt but not spontaneous hypertension
Authors: Wang H. , McNeill J. R.
Published: December 2017

The contribution of sodium losses to the dramatic fall in blood pressure that follows cessation of a 3-h intravenous infusion of vasopressin (20 ng.kg-1.min-1) in hypertensive rats was investigated. Cessation of the vasopressin infusion was associated with a large fall in pressure below preinfusion basal levels (30-50 mmHg) in both spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt-hypertensive rats. In contrast, pressure returned to control levels in normotensive rats. Sodium excretion rates increased markedly during the infusions of vasopressin in both SHR and DOCA-salt-hypertensive rats but also in their appropriate normotensive controls. An equinatriuretic dose of furosemide failed to induce any change in pressure in SHR or normotensive controls. In contrast, furosemide decreased pressure in the DOCA-salt-hypertensive group, although the decrease was not as large as with vasopressin. Replacement of the sodium losses that occurred during the vasopressin infusion failed to return pressure toward control levels in SHR but did increase pressure in the DOCA-salt-hypertensive group. The results indicate a major difference between the SHR and DOCA-salt-hypertensive models. In SHR, sodium losses do not contribute to the antihypertensive effect of vasopressin, but in contrast these losses do contribute significantly to this antihypertensive effect in the DOCA-salt-hypertensive model.
Fetal responses to acute fetal cocaine injection in sheep
Authors: Iida H. , Gleason C. A. , O'Brien T. P. , Traystman R. J.
Published: December 2017

Maternal cocaine injection causes fetal hypoxemia, hypertension, and increased cerebral blood flow (CBF) in sheep. To test the hypothesis that increased fetal CBF is not due solely to fetal hypoxemia, we injected cocaine directly into a fetal vein. A single dose of cocaine [1 (group 1; n = 7) or 2 (group 2; n = 8) mg/kg i.v.] was administered to chronically catheterized, unanesthetized, near-term fetal sheep. Fetal CBF (microspheres), arterial blood pressure (BP), O2 content, and cerebral O2 consumption (CMRo2) were measured at baseline, 30 s, and 2, 5, and 15 min after fetal cocaine injection. Fetal CBF increased 27 +/- 9% (SE) at 5 min in group 1 and returned to baseline by 15 min, whereas fetal CBF increased 57 +/- 8% at 5 min and remained elevated at 15 min in group 2. Fetal BP increased at 30 min in both groups and remained increased at 2 min in group 1 and at 5 min in group 2. Cerebrovascular resistance increased at 30 s in both groups and then decreased at 5 min only in group 2. Fetal hypoxemia was observed in group 2 5 min after cocaine injection (arterial PO2 decreased 24 +/- 5%), whereas no hypoxemia was noted in group 1. CMRO2 was unchanged in group 1 but increased in group 2 at 5 min (41 +/- 10%) and was associated with an increase in cerebral O2 extraction. Increases in myocardial and adrenal blood flows and reductions in both small and large intestinal blood flows were noted at 5 min in both groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Increased SMC proliferation after endothelial injury in hyperinsulinemic obese Zucker rats
Authors: Ridray S. , Heudes D. , Michel O. , Penicaud L. , Ktorza A.
Published: December 2017

The long-term effect of long-lasting hyperinsulinemia on aortic smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation after endothelial injury was investigated using the obese Zucker rat model, which is characterized especially by early spontaneous development of hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance. SMC proliferation was provoked by the passage of an embolectomy catheter with a tightly inflated balloon and was assessed by measuring the incorporation of [3H]thymidine in the DNA of intima-media layers. Compared with controls, the SMC mitotic activity was not significantly increased from day 2 to day 7 after injury, but from day 14 to day 30 after endothelial denudation, SMC proliferation was significantly less decreased in obese than in lean rats [on day 14, DNA synthesis = 107 +/- 18 counts.min-1.micrograms DNA-1 in lean and 345 +/- 44 counts.min-1.micrograms DNA-1 in obese rats (P = 0.003); and on day 30, DNA synthesis = 74 +/- 18 counts.min-1.micrograms DNA-1 in lean and 133 +/- 19 counts.min-1.micrograms DNA-1 in obese rats (P = 0.0055)]. As a result, the intima-media DNA content was higher in obese than in lean rats on day 14 and even more so on day 30, suggesting a higher amount of SMCs in the intima-media. Moreover, on day 30, the aortic thickening, as measured by a histomorphometric technique, was much higher in obese than in lean rats. This difference was entirely due to an increase in SMC content of the intima, mainly resulting from a dramatic increment in the number of nuclei and nuclear number density.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Effect of postischemic hypoperfusion on vasodilatory mechanisms in cats
Authors: Clavier N. , Kirsch J. R. , Hurn P. D. , Traystman R. J.
Published: December 2017

We addressed the mechanism for reduced pial vascular reactivity to muscarinic stimulation by evaluating pial vessel responses to receptor-dependent [10(-5) M acetylcholine (ACh)] and independent (10(-5) M A-23187) agonists and the endothelium-independent nitric oxide (NO) donor [10(-5) M nitroprusside (NP)]. Cerebral blood flow (CBF, microspheres) and pial arteriolar diameters (intravital microscopy) were measured in halothane-anesthetized cats. Cats (n = 13) were treated with 12 min of near-complete global cerebral ischemia, whereas control animals (n = 9) were identically instrumented but were not submitted to ischemia. Postischemic hypoperfusion was evident in most animals at 60 min of reperfusion, accompanied by attenuated pial arterial dilation to topical ACh (baseline dilation 23 +/- 4% vs. postischemia 11 +/- 3%) and A-23187 (16 +/- 4 vs. 0 +/- 3% dilation). Dilation to NP was unaffected. CBF response to intravenous administration of the muscarinic receptor agonist oxotremorine was also decreased throughout the forebrain (162 +/- 12 vs. 116 +/- 6% increase in flow) in these cats. These data suggest that endothelium-dependent vasodilation with topical muscarinic agonists is impaired during hypoperfusion, but vascular smooth muscle responsivity to NO remains intact. We conclude that the defect in the signal transduction pathway is not limited to the receptor and may involve an abnormality with NO synthesis or its destruction within endothelium.
Ventricular pacing attenuates but does not reverse cardiac atrophy and an isomyosin shift in the rat heart
Authors: Geenen D. L. , Malhotra A. , Buttrick P. M. , Scheuer J.
Published: December 2017

The heterotopically transplanted rat heart (TH) undergoes rapid muscle atrophy and a concurrent shift from alpha- to beta-myosin heavy chain (MHC) by 1 wk after surgery. In the current experiments, TH were continuously paced (420 beats/min) for 1 wk beginning 24 h after surgery or for 1 wk beginning 14 days after surgery to determine the role of increased heart rate in preventing or reversing cardiac atrophy. Left ventricular (LV) wet weight (283 vs. 256 mg paced vs. nonpaced) and protein content (32 vs. 23 mg paced vs. nonpaced, P < 0.05) were significantly elevated in TH paced 1 wk after surgery but were unchanged (211 vs. 198 mg and 24 vs. 23 mg LV wet wt and protein content, respectively) in TH paced 2 wk after surgery. Total cardiac protein synthesis in the TH paced immediately after surgery was increased compared with the corresponding nonpaced hearts (5.6 vs. 4.0 mg.mg LV wet wt-1.day-1, P < 0.05), while in the TH, where pacing was initiated 2 wk after surgery, it was unchanged (3.6 vs. 3.7 mg.mg LV wet wt-1.day-1). Fractional synthesis rate was elevated in TH and was not altered by pacing. Pacing the TH also attenuated the shift in alpha-MHC in the first 7 days after surgery but did not reverse the shift 2 wk later. The increase in protein synthesis combined with an unchanged fractional synthesis rate suggests that pacing attenuates cardiac mass by decreasing protein degradation and that once the atrophic process is established, neither synthesis rate nor isomyosin shift can be altered by continuous pacing.
Skeletal muscle phosphate metabolism abnormalities in volume-overload experimental heart failure
Authors: Chati Z. , Zannad F. , Michel C. , Lherbier B. , Mertes P. M. , Escanye J. M. , Ribout C. , Robert J. , Villemot J. P. , Aliot E.
Published: December 2017

We studied skeletal muscle phosphate metabolism abnormalities to examine their contribution at an early stage of congestive heart failure (CHF) in rats with aortocaval fistula (ACF) 4 wk after the procedure. In a group of 26 rats (13 with ACF and 13 sham operated), we assessed the degree of CHF. The ACF produced a significant rise in heart weight and plasma atrial natriuretic peptide. In a second group of 26 rats (13 ACF and 13 sham operated), we performed 31P-magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the gastrocnemius muscle during motor activity produced by electrical stimulation. The rate of phosphocreatine depletion, expressed by its initial slope, was higher in the ACF rats compared with controls (0.078 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.041 +/- 0.007; P < 0.03). pH and ATP decreased and phosphodiesters increased in all rats during electrical stimulation, with no difference between ACF rats and controls. The kinetics of phosphocreatine recovery were not different between ACF rats and controls. Together with previous studies, our present results suggest that muscle metabolism abnormalities in CHF may vary according to the experimental model and may be observed early in the course of the disease.
Systemic filling pressure in intact circulation determined on basis of aortic vs. central venous pressure relationships
Authors: Den Hartog E. A. , Versprille A. , Jansen J. R.
Published: December 2017

In the intact circulation, mean systemic filling pressure (Psf) is determined by applying a series of inspiratory pause procedures (IPPs) and using Guyton's equation of venous return (Qv) and central venous pressure (Pcv): Qv = a - b x Pcv. During an IPP series, different tidal volumes are applied to set Pcv at different values. From the linear regression between Qv and Pcv, Psf can be calculated as Psf = a/b. Guyton's equation can also be written as Qv = (Psf - Pcv)/Rsd, where Rsd is the flow resistance downstream of the places where blood pressure is equal to Psf. During an IPP, a steady state is observed. Therefore, we can also formulate the following equation for flow: Qs = (Pao - Psf)/Rsu, where Qs is systemic flow, Rsu is the systemic flow resistance upstream to Psf, and Pao is aortic pressure. Because both flows (Qs and Qv) are equal, it follows that Pao = Psf(1 + Rsu/Rsd) - Rsu/Rsd x Pcv. This equation implies a method to determine mean systemic filling pressure on the basis of Pao measurements instead of flow determinations. Using 22 IPPs in 10 piglets, we determined the mean systemic filling pressure, and we compared the values obtained from the flow curves with those obtained from the aortic pressure curves. The mean difference between the two methods was 0.03 +/- 1.16 mmHg. With the use of Pao measurements, the Psf can be estimated as accurately as in using flow determinations. The advantage of the new method is that estimation of cardiac output is not required.
Eicosanoid production by human aortic endothelial cells in response to endothelin
Authors: Hollenberg S. M. , Tong W. , Shelhamer J. H. , Lawrence M. , Cunnion R. E.
Published: December 2017

Endothelial cells actively regulate their environment by secreting humoral substances, including endothelin-1 and a variety of eicosanoids, that have local actions. To elucidate interactions among these local mediators, we measured release of cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase pathway products of arachidonate metabolism by human aortic endothelial cells after incubation with endothelin-1. Supernatants were collected, extracted, and fractionated using high-performance liquid chromatography. Radioimmunoassays for eicosanoids were performed on the appropriate fractions. After endothelin stimulation, production of the prostacyclin metabolite 6-ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha (6-keto-PGF1 alpha), the thromboxane (Tx) metabolite TxB2, and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were increased (307 +/- 48, 320 +/- 91, and 315 +/- 74% of control, P < 0.05). Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) release was modestly increased (195 +/- 19% of control, P < 0.05). The release of 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE) was increased (300 +/- 57% of control, P < 0.05); production of 12-HETE and 15-HETE was unchanged. Production of eicosanoids peaked between 30 and 120 min. Preincubation with pertussis toxin prevented increased production of PGE2, LTB4, and 5-HETE after endothelin-1 stimulation; pretreatment with sphingosine had no effect. Interactions between endothelin and eicosanoids may be important components of the complex network that regulates vascular tone, coagulation, and inflammation at the local level.
Metabolism of exogenously applied fructose 1,6-bisphosphate in hypoxic vascular smooth muscle
Authors: Hardin C. D. , Roberts T. M.
Published: December 2017

Exogenously administered fructose 1,6-bisphosphate reportedly protects ischemic or hypoxic tissue and facilitates metabolic recovery. The mechanism of action of exogenous fructose 1,6-bisphosphate has been an issue of considerable debate, since there is a lack of direct evidence that fructose 1,6-bisphosphate can cross the cell membrane and act as an intermediate in glycolysis. We synthesized [1,6-13C]fructose 1,6-bisphosphate and directly examined its cellular metabolism in hog carotid artery segments using 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. [1,6-13C]fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (2.1 mM) was metabolized by hog carotid artery during normoxia and hypoxia with a major metabolic product being [3-13C]lactate. The production of [3-13C]lactate was greater during hypoxia than during normoxia, indicating that fructose 1,6-bisphosphate metabolism responded to the energetic state of the tissue. We found that exogenously added fructose 1,6-bisphosphate at 2.1 mM did not significantly improve the ability of hypoxic hog carotid artery to maintain isometric force, whereas 20 mM fructose 1,6-bisphosphate did significantly, although modestly, improve isometric force maintenance. These results indicate that exogenously added fructose 1,6-bisphosphate is capable of entering cells and serving as a glycolytic intermediate.
Evidence for functionally distinct dual atrial inputs to the human AV node
Authors: Stein K. M. , Lerman B. B.
Published: December 2017

Although conventional models of the human atrioventricular (AV) node assume a single upper common pathway, animal studies demonstrate dual atrial inputs: an anterior input from the interatrial septum and a posterior input from the crista terminalis (running near the os of the coronary sinus in the posteroseptal region). We hypothesized that functionally distinct dual atrial inputs to the AV node also exist in humans and that the anterior input has a lower safety factor for impulse propagation. To evaluate this hypothesis, we examined 20 patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation of the slow AV nodal pathway for AV nodal reentrant tachycardia who underwent subsequent follow-up testing. After ablation near the os of the coronary sinus (and posterior to the compact AV node), 11 patients had no residual slow pathway conduction [SP(-)], whereas 9 did [SP(+)]. The effective refractory period of the fast AV nodal pathway (FP-ERP) and anterograde AV nodal Wenckebach (AVN-W) cycle length were significantly increased at follow-up in the SP(-) patients (FP-ERP = 336 +/- 71 vs. 387 +/- 103 ms, P = 0.02; AVN-W cycle length = 356 +/- 74 vs. 442 +/- 118 ms, P = 0.03) but not in SP(+) patients. Similarly among 10 patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation of a right posteroseptal accessory pathway (near the os of the coronary sinus), 5 developed impaired AV conduction: abnormal anterograde pacing-induced AVN-W cycle length in 4 patients and 2:1 AV nodal block in 1 patient.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Monocyte adhesion to cerebromicrovascular endothelial cells derived from hypertensive and normotensive rats
Authors: McCarron R. M. , Wang L. , Siren A. L. , Spatz M. , Hallenbeck J. M.
Published: December 2017

The stroke risk factor hypertension may function as a predisposing agent by increasing the vulnerability of blood vessels to thrombosis or hemorrhage. The research here demonstrates that cerebrovascular endothelial cells (EC) from spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto normotensive (WKY) rats exhibit similar levels of adhesiveness for syngeneic peripheral blood monocytes (e.g., 22.53 +/- 1.32 and 24.35 +/- 1.16%, respectively). Monocyte adhesion to SHR EC was dramatically increased by treatment of EC with lipopolysaccharide, interferon-gamma, or interleukin-1 beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (e.g., 106, 68, and 171%, respectively). Identical treatment of WKY EC also increased adhesion albeit at significantly lower levels than observed on concomitantly tested SHR EC (e.g., 47.8, 12.7, and 60.7%, respectively). Allogeneic combinations of monocytes and EC again demonstrated significantly more upregulation of adhesion by treatment of SHR EC than WKY EC. Characterization of these adhesive interactions revealed the interplay of adhesion pathways, which include lymphocyte functional antigen-1/intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), Mac-1/ICAM-1, and very late activation antigen-4/vascular adhesion molecule-1 as well as other undetermined mechanisms. In summary, these findings indicate hypertension may enhance responsiveness of endothelium to factors that promote monocyte adhesion.
Intraretinal oxygen distribution in rats as a function of systemic blood pressure
Authors: Yu D. Y. , Cringle S. J. , Alder V. A. , Su E. N.
Published: December 2017

Differential responses to induced changes in systemic blood pressure (BP) at different layers of both the retinal and choroidal vasculature were observed, by monitoring localized PO2 as a function of depth, in the retina and choroid of the rat eye using oxygen-sensitive recessed microelectrodes. Visual and electrophysiological localization of the microelectrode tip allowed the oxygen distribution to be related to the positions of the vascular beds of the retina and choroid. Highly reproducible intraretinal PO2 profiles were achieved. The relationship between PO2 and systemic BP was linear in the deep capillary layer of the retina (PO2 = 0.17 x BP - 2.63) and in the choriocapillaris (PO2 = 0.21 x BP + 2.95), whereas it was nonlinear in the superficial retinal capillary layer [PO2 = 40.01/[1 + (BP/66.22)-1.22]] and deep choroid [PO2 = 83.82/[1 + (BP/124.61)-0.87]]. The minimum PO2 occurred between the two retinal capillary beds, and a PO2 gradient was evident in the choroid. The contrasting responses of different layers of the two circulations reflect different blood flow control mechanisms not evident when studying the circulations as a whole.
Permeability of cat skeletal muscle capillaries to small solutes
Authors: Watson P. D.
Published: December 2017

Permeability-surface area products (PS) for 51Cr-EDTA, [3H]mannitol, [14C]urea, and 22Na were measured in isolated, perfused, lower hindlimb muscles of anesthetized cats. The tracers were added stepwise to the arterial inflow, and Evans blue-labeled albumin was the reference indicator. At flow rates > 70 ml.min-1.100 g-1, the PS values (+/- SE) were 5.0 +/- 0.5, 7.6 +/- 1.2, 17.8 +/- 1.4, and 21.0 +/- 1.4 (n = 7, 4, 5, and 3 animals, respectively). The ratio of simultaneous PS measurements of mannitol and urea was 0.42 +/- 0.02 (n = 9), significantly less than the free diffusion coefficient ratio (0.49), indicating the presence of restricted diffusion. PS measurements were also made during osmotic flow (4.2 +/- 0.6 ml.min-1.100 g-1) induced by 20% NaCl. The data clearly showed that osmotic transients did not alter small solute permeability. Pore models were used to show that the PS data and previously reported reflection coefficient data were consistent with a single description of the capillary wall. This model contained a water-only pathway containing 60% of the hydraulic capacity and an extracellular route modeled by pores of 4 nm radius having 21,000 cm of area per unit membrane thickness (A/delta x).
Reductant substrate for glutathione peroxidase modulates oxidant inhibition of Ca2+ signaling in endothelial cells
Authors: Elliott S. J. , Doan T. N. , Henschke P. N.
Published: December 2017

Oxidant stress mediated by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BOOH) inhibits agonist-stimulated Ca2+ entry and internal store Ca2+ release in cultured endothelial cells. The role of intracellular glutathione in modulating the effects of oxidant stress on Ca2+ signaling was determined in cells preincubated with buthionine-[S,R]-sulfoximine (BSO), an inhibitor of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase, or 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB), a cosubstrate for glutathione-S-transferase. BSO and CDNB decreased endothelial cell glutathione content by 85 and 97%, respectively (control glutathione, 21.5 +/- 2.3 nmol/mg protein). Each agent accelerated the time-dependent effects of t-BOOH on Ca2+ signaling in fura 2-loaded cells and potentiated the inhibition of bradykinin-stimulated 45Ca2+ efflux induced by t-BOOH. These results indicate that decreased availability of reduced glutathione, the primary cosubstrate for glutathione peroxidase, potentiates the effect of hydroperoxide oxidant stress on receptor-operated Ca2+ entry across the plasmalemma and Ca2+ release from internal stores. The present findings suggest that intracellular glutathione availability and/or glutathione redox cycle activity are critically important modulators of oxidant inhibition of Ca(2+)-dependent signal transduction.
Contribution of nitric oxide to coronary vasodilation during hypercapnic acidosis
Authors: Gurevicius J. , Salem M. R. , Metwally A. A. , Silver J. M. , Crystal G. J.
Published: December 2017

The present study was performed to evaluate the role of nitric oxide (NO) in coronary vasodilation during hypercapnic acidosis (HC). The left anterior descending coronary arteries of 17 anesthetized, open-chest dogs were perfused with normal arterial blood or with arterial blood equilibrated in an extracorporeal circuit with 90% O2-10% CO2 [arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2) 72 +/- 3 mmHg, arterial pH 7.16 +/- 0.02]. Coronary perfusion pressure (CPP) was initially set at 100 mmHg. Coronary blood flow (CBF) was measured with a Doppler transducer. Studies were conducted under constant-pressure (variable CBF; n = 13) and constant-flow (variable CPP) conditions (n = 4). Steady-state changes in CBF (or CPP) during HC and during intracoronary infusions of acetylcholine (ACh, 20 micrograms/min), an endothelium-dependent vasodilator, and sodium nitroprusside (SNP, 80 micrograms/min), an endothelium-independent vasodilator, were compared before and after intracoronary infusion of a NO synthase inhibitor, either NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 4.5 mg) or NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA, 30 mg). Under constant pressure, L-NAME blunted increases in CBF by HC (274 +/- 32 vs. 113 +/- 24%) and ACh (400 +/- 43 vs. 68 +/- 17%), whereas increases in CBF by SNP were not significantly affected (207 +/- 34 vs. 186 +/- 18%). Results with L-NMMA were similar. Under constant flow, L-NAME attenuated decreases in CPP by HC and ACh, whereas it had no significant effect on decreases in CPP by SNP. In conclusion, HC elicits release of NO from coronary vascular endothelium via a direct effect rather than secondary to an increased flow rate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)