Ischemic preconditioning (IP) protects the heart against subsequent prolonged ischemia. Whether the β-adrenoceptor/adenylate cyclase pathway contributes to this cardioprotection is not yet fully known. Using enzyme catalytic cytochemistry we studied the adenylate cyclase activity and its distribution in the preconditioned rat heart. Adenylate cyclase activity was examined in Langendorff-perfused rat hearts subjected to the following conditions: control perfusion; 30 min regional ischemia; 5 min occlusion and 10 min reperfusion (IP); IP followed by ischemia. Ischemia-induced arrhythmias and the effect of ischemic preconditioning on the incidence of arrhythmias were analyzed. At the end of experiment the heart was shortly prefixed with glutaraldehyde. Tissue samples from the left ventricle were incubated in a medium containing the specific substate AMP-PNP for adenylate cyclase and then routinely processed for electron microscopy. Adenylate cyclase activity was cytochemically demonstrated in the sarcolemma and the junctional sarcoplasmic reliculum (JSR) in control hearts, while it was absent after test ischemia. The highest activity of the precipitate was observed after ischemic preconditioning. In the preconditioned hearts followed by test ischemia, adenylate cyclase activity in the precipitate was preserved in sarcolemma and even more in JSR. Protective effect of ischemic preconditioning was manifested by the suppression of severe arrhythmias. These rresults indicate the involvement of the adenylate cyclase system in mechanisms underlying ischemic preconditioning., Ľ. Okruhlicová, T. Ravingerová, D. Pancza, N. Tribulová, J. Styk, R. Štetka., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Although both lipophilic and more hydrophilic statins share the same pathway of the inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase, their pleiotropic cardioprotective effects associated with the ability to cross cellular membranes, including membranes of heart cells, may differ. To test this hypothesis, isolated rat hearts were Langendorff-perfused either with simvastatin (S, 10 μ mol/l) or pravastatin (P, 30 μ mol/l), 15 min prior to ischemia. Control untreated hearts (C) were perfused with perfusion medium only. Postischemic contractile dysfunction, reperfusion-induced ventricular arrhythmias and infarct size were investigated after exposure of the hearts to 30- min global isch emia and 2-h reperfusion. Both lipophilic S and hydrophilic P reduced the severity of ventricular arrhythmias (arrhythmia score) from 4.3±0.2 in C to 3.0±0 and 2.7±0.2 in S and P, respectively, (both P<0.05), decreased the duration of ventricular tachycardia and suppressed ventricular fibrillation. Likewise, the extent of lethal injury (infarct size) determined by tetrazolium staining and expressed in percentage of risk area, was significantly lower in both treated groups, moreover, the effect of P was more pronounced (27±2 % and 10±2 % in S and P groups, respectively, vs. 42±1 % in C; P<0.05). In contrast, only S, but not P, was able to improve postischemic recovery of left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP; 48±12 % of preischemic values vs. 25±4 % in C and 21± 7 % in P groups; P<0.05). Our results suggest that differences in water solubility of statins indicating a different ability to cross cardiac membranes may underlie their distinct cardioprot ective effects on myocardial stunning and lethal injury induced by ischemia/reperfusion., S. Čarnická ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
a1_Reduced tolerance to ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury has been shown in elder human and animal hearts, however, the onset of this unfavorable phenotype and cellular mechanisms behind remain unknown. Moreover, aging may interfere with the mechanisms of innate cardioprotection (preconditioning, PC) and cause defects in protective cell signaling. We studied the changes in myocardial function and response to ischemia, as well as selected proteins involved in “pro-survival” pathways in the hearts from juvenile (1.5 months), younger adult (3 months) and mature adult (6 months) male Wistar rats. In Langendorffperfused hearts exposed to 30-min ischemia/2-h reperfusion with or without prior PC (one cycle of 5-min ischemia/5-min reperfusion), we measured occurrence of reperfusion-induced arrhythmias, recovery of contractile function (left ventricular developed pressure, LVDP, in % of pre-ischemic values), and size of infarction (IS, in % of area at risk size, TTC staining and computerized planimetry). In parallel groups, LV tissue was sampled for the detection of protein levels (WB) of Akt kinase (an effector of PI3-kinase), phosphorylated (activated) Akt (p-Akt), its target endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) and protein kinase Cε (PKCε) as components of “pro-survival” cascades. Maturation did not affect heart function, however, it impaired cardiac response to lethal IR injury (increased IS) and promoted arrhythmogenesis. PC reduced the occurrence of malignant arrhythmias, IS and improved LVDP recovery in the younger animals, while its efficacy was attenuated in the mature adults. Loss of PC protection was associated with age-dependent reduced Akt phosphorylation and levels of eNOS and PKCε in the hearts of mature animals compared with the younger ones, as well as with a failure of PC to upregulate these proteins., a2_Agingrelated alterations in myocardial response to ischemia may be caused by dysfunction of proteins involved in protective cell signaling that may occur already during the process of maturation., L. Griecsová, V. Farkašová, I. Gáblovský, V. K. M. Khandelwal, I. Bernátová, Z. Tatarková, P. Kaplan, T. Ravingerová., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of simulated acute hyperglycemia (HG) on PI3K/Akt signaling in preconditioned and non -preconditioned isolated rat hearts perfused with Krebs -Henseleit solution containing normal (11 mmol/l) or elevated (22 mmol/l) glucose subjected to ischemia -reperfusion. Ischemic preconditioning (IP) was induced by two 5 -min cycle s of coronary occlusion followed by 5 -min reperfusion. Protein levels of Akt, phosphorylated (activated) Akt (P-Akt), as well as contents of BAX protein were assayed (Western blotting) in cytosolic fraction of myocardial tissue samples taken prior to and a fter 30 -min global ischemia and 40- min reperfusion. In “normoglycemic ” conditions (NG), IP significantly increased P -Akt at the end of long -term ischemia, while reperfusion led to its decrease together with the decline of BAX levels as compared to non- pre conditioned hearts. On the contrary, under HG conditions, P -Akt tended to decline in IP - hearts after long -term ischemia, and it was significantly higher after reperfusion than in non -preconditioned controls . No significant influence of IP on BAX levels at the end of I/R was observed under HG conditions . It seems that high glucose may influence IP -induced activation of Akt and its downstream targets, as well as maintain persistent Akt activity that may be detrimental for the heart under above conditions., M. Zálešák, P. Blažíček, I. Gablovský, V. Ledvényiová, M. Barteková, A. Ziegelhöffer, T. Ravingerová., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Membrane fluidity is a widely recognized biophysical variable that provides information about structural organization of the subcellular membranes exhibiting physical characteristics of liquid crystals. The term “fluidity” reflects in this case the tightness in packing of acyl parts of the membrane phospholipid molecules, a feature that may influence considerably the molecular mobility and via that also the sensitivity and reactivity of membranebound transporters, receptors and enzyme systems. Data presented in this review are aimed to demonstrate the substantial role of changes in membrane fluidity occurring in the processes associated with endogenous protection observed in cardiac sarcolemma and mitochondria in diverse pathologies, particularly in diabetes and hypertension., A. Ziegelhöffer, ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Several pre-clinical and clinical studies have demonstrated zoledronic acid (Zol), which regulates the mevalonate pathway, has efficient anti-cancer effects. Zol can also induce autophagy. The aim of this study is to add new understanding to the mechanism of autophagy induction by Zol. LC3B-II, the marker for autophagy was increased by Zol treatment in breast cancer cells. Autophagosomes induced by Zol were visualized and quantified in both transient (pDendra2-hLC3) and stable MCF-7- GFP-LC3 cell lines. Acidic vesicular organelles were quantified using acridine orange. Zol induced a dose and time dependent autophagy. Treatment of Zol increased oxidative stress in MCF-7 cells, which was reversed by GGOH or anti-oxidants. On the other hand, treatment with GGOH or anti-oxidants resulted in decreased levels of LC3B-II. Further, the induced autophagy was irreversible, as the washout of Zol after 2 h or 24 h resulted in similar levels of autophagy, as induced by continuous treatment after 72 h. Thus, it can be summarized that Zol can induce a dose dependent but irreversible autophagy, by its effect on the mevalonate pathway and oxidative stress. This study adds to the understanding of the mechanism of action of Zol, and that it can induce autophagy at clinically relevant shorter exposure times in cancer cells., V. K. M. Khandelwal, L. M. Mitrofan, J. M. T. Hyttinen, K. R. Chaudhari, R. Buccione, K. Kaarniranta, T. Ravingerová, J. Mönkkönen., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Acute streptozotocin diabetes mellitus (DM) as well as remote ischemic preconditioning (RPC) has shown a favorable effect on the postischemic-reperfusion function of the myocardium. Cardioprotective mechanisms offered by these experimental models involve the mitochondria with the changes in functional properties of membrane as the end-effector. The aim was to find out whether separate effects of RPC and DM would stimulate the mechanisms of cardioprotection to a maximal level or whether RPC and DM conditions would cooperate in stimulation of cardioprotection. Experiments were performed on male Wistar rats divided into groups: control, DM, RPC and DM treated by RPC (RPC+DM). RPC protocol of 3 cycles of 5-min hind limb ischemia followed by 5-min reperfusion was used. Ischemicreperfusion injury was induced by 30-min ischemia followed by 40-min reperfusion of the hearts in Langendorff mode. Mitochondria were isolated by differential centrifugation, infarct size assessed by staining with 1 % 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride, mitochondrial membrane fluidity with a fluorescent probe DPH, CoQ9 and CoQ10 with HPLC. Results revealed that RPC as well as DM decreased the infarct size and preserved mitochondrial function by increasing the mitochondrial membrane fluidity. Both used models separately offered a sufficient protection against ischemic-reperfusion injury without an additive effect of their combination., M. Ferko, I. Kancirová, M. Jašová, I. Waczulíková, S. Čarnická, J. Kucharská, O. Uličná, O. Vančová, M. Muráriková, T. Ravingerová, A. Ziegelhöffer., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Although statins exert non-lipid cardioprotective effects, their influence on cell death is not fully elucidated. For this purpose, we investigated whether simvastatin treatment (S, 10 mg/kg, 5 days) is capable of mitigating ischemia/reperfusion-induced (IR) apoptosis in the isolated rat hearts, which was examined using immunoblotting analysis. In addition, the content of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and its active form, phosphorylated STAT3 (pSTAT3-Thr705), was analyzed. Simvastatin induced neither variations in the plasma lipid levels nor alterations in the baseline content of analysed proteins with the exception of upregulation of cytochrome C. Furthermore, simvastatin significantly increased the baseline levels of pSTAT3 in contrast to the control group. In the IR hearts, simvastatin reduced the expression of Bax and non-cleaved caspase-3. In these hearts, phosphorylation of STAT3 did not differ in comparison to the non-treated IR group, however total STAT3 content was slightly increased. The improved recovery of left ventricular developed pressure co-existed with the increased Bcl- 2/Bax ratio. In conclusion, pleiotropic action of statins may ameliorate viability of cardiomyocytes by favouring the expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and downregulating the proapoptotic markers; however STAT3 does not seem to be a dominant regulator of this anti-apoptotic action of simvastatin., T. Rajtík, ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
a1_A new concept of cardioprotection based on the exploitation of endogenous mechanisms is known as ischemic preconditioning (IPC). It has been hypothesized that substances released during brief ischemic stress (e.g. catecholamines) stimulate the receptors and trigger multiple cell signaling cascades. Opening of ATP-sensitive K+ channels [K(ATP)] has been suggested as a possible final step in the mechanisms of protection. In this study, the role of adrenergic activation was tested in Langendorff-perfused rat hearts subjected to test ischemia (TI; 30 min occlusion of LAD coronary artery) by: 1) mimicking IPC (5 min ischemia, 10 min reperfusion) with short-term (5 min) administration of norepinephrine (NE, 1 µM), 15 min prior to TI; 2) blockade with b- or a1-receptor antagonists, propranolol (10 µM) and prazosin (2 µM), respectively, applied 15 min prior to TI during IPC. The role of K(ATP) opening was examined by perfusion with a K(ATP) blocker glibenclamide (10 mM) during IPC. Both IPC and NE-induced PC effectively reduced the incidence of ventricular tachycardia (VT) to 33 % and 37 %, respectively, vs 100 % in the non-PC controls, whereby ventricular fibrillation (VF) was totally abolished by IPC and markedly suppressed by PC with NE (0 % and 10 %, respectively, vs 70 % in the non-PC hearts; P<0.05). The severity of arrhythmias (arrhythmia score, AS) was also markedly attenuated by both interventions (IPC: AS 1.7±0.4; NE-PC: AS 1.8±0.3 vs AS 4.1±0.2 in the controls; P<0.05). Protection was not suppressed by propranolol (VT 28 %; VF 14 %; AS 2.2±0.6), whereas prazosin reversed the protective effect of PC (VT 83 %; VF 67 %; AS 4.0±0.8). Antiarrhythmic protection afforded by NE-PC was abolished by pretreatment of rats with pertussis toxin (25 mg/kg, i.p.) given 48 h prior to the experiments., a2_Glibenclamide did not suppress the IPC-induced protection. In conclusion, the sensitivity of the rat heart to ischemic arrhythmias can be modulated by IPC. Protection is mediated via stimulation of a1-adrenergic receptors coupled with Gi-proteins but glibenclamide-sensitive K(ATP) channels do not appear to be involved in the mechanisms of antiarrhythmic protection in this model., T. Ravingerová, D. Pancza, A. Ziegelhoffer, J. Styk., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Excessive production of oxygen free radicals has been regarded as a causative common denominator of many pathological processes in the animal kingdom. Hydroxyl and nitrosyl radicals represent the major cause of the destruction of biomolecules either by a direct reaction or by triggering a chain reaction of free radicals. Scavenging of free radicals may act preventively or therapeutically. A number of substances that preferentially react with free radicals can serve as scavengers, thus increasing the internal capacity/activity of endogenous antioxidants and protecting cells and tissues against oxidative damage. Molecular hydrogen (H2) reacts with strong oxidants, such as hydroxyl and nitrosyl radicals, in the cells, that enables utilization of its potential for preventive and therapeutic applications. H2 rapidly diffuses into tissues and cells without affecting metabolic redox reactions and signaling reactive species. H2 reduces oxidative stress also by regulating gene expression, and functions as an anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic agent. There is a growing body of evidence based on the results of animal experiments and clinical observations that H2 may represent an effective antioxidant for the prevention of oxidative stress-related diseases. Application of molecular hydrogen in situations with excessive production of free radicals, in particular, hydroxyl and nitrosyl radicals is relatively simple and effective, therefore, it deserves special attention., J. Slezák, B. Kura, K. Frimmel, M. Zálešák, T. Ravingerová, C. Viczenczová, Ľ. Okruhlicová, N. Tribulová., and Obsahuje bibliografii