Heavy Ion Irradiation Reduces Vulnerability to Atrial Tachyarrhythmias　- Gap Junction and Sympathetic Neural Remodeling.

BACKGROUND: Low-invasive stereotactic body radiation therapy is a novel anti-arrhythmic strategy. The mechanisms underlying its effects against ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation (VT/VF) are gradually becoming clear, whereas those underlying atrial tachycardia/fibrillation (AT/AF) remain unknown. This study investigated the effects of carbon ion beam on gap junction expression and sympathetic innervation.Methods and Results: Atrial and ventricular tachyarrhythmia models was established in 26 hypercholesterolemic (HC) 3-year-old New Zealand white rabbits; 12 rabbits were irradiated with a single 15-Gy carbon ion beam (targeted heavy ion irradiation [THIR]) and 14 were not (HC group). Eight 3-month-old rabbits (Young) were used as a reference group. In vivo induction frequencies in the Young, HC, and HC+THIR groups were 0%, 9.9%, and 1.2%, respectively, for AT/AF and 0%, 7.8%, and 1.2%, respectively, for VT/VF (P<0.01). The conduction velocity of the atria and ventricles on optical mapping was significantly reduced in the HC group; this was reversed in the HC+THIR group. Connexin-40 immunolabelling in the atria was 66.1-78.7% lower in the HC than Young group; this downregulation was less pronounced in the HC+THIR group (by 23.1-44.4%; P<0.01). Similar results were obtained for ventricular connexin-43. Sympathetic nerve densities in the atria and ventricles increased by 41.9-65.3% in the HC vs. Young group; this increase was reversed in the HC+THIR group. CONCLUSIONS: Heavy ion radiation reduced vulnerability to AT/AF and VT/VF in HC elderly rabbits and improved cardiac conductivity. The results suggest involvement of connexin-40/43 upregulation and suppression of sympathetic nerve sprouting.

Myocardial cathepsin D is downregulated in sudden cardiac death.

Cathepsins are the major lysosomal proteases that maintain intracellular homeostasis. Herein, we investigated the alterations in myocardial cathepsin expression during aging, cardiac hypertrophy, and sudden cardiac death (SCD). Cardiac tissue and blood were sampled from autopsy cases. Subjects were classified into three groups: SCD with cardiac hypertrophy (SCH), compensated cardiac hypertrophy (CCH), and control. Immunoblotting was performed for the major cardiac cathepsins and their targets: cathepsin B, D, and L (CTSB/D/L), p62, ATP synthase subunit c (ATPSC), and α-synuclein (ASNC). Immunohistochemical analysis and ELISA using serum samples were performed for CTSD. Cardiac CTSB and CTSD were upregulated with age (r = 0.63 and 0.60, respectively), whereas the levels of CTSL, p62, ATPSC, and ASNC remained unchanged. In age-matched groups, cardiac CTSD was significantly downregulated in SCH (p = 0.006) and CTSL was moderately downregulated in CCH (p = 0.021); however, p62, ATPSC, and ASNC were not upregulated in cardiac hypertrophy. Immunohistochemistry also revealed decreased myocardial CTSD levels in SCH, and serum CTSD levels were relatively lower in SCH cases. Overall, these results suggest that upregulation of cardiac CTSB and CTSD with age may compensate for the elevated proteolytic demand, and that downregulation of CTSD is potentially linked to SCH.

Myocardial lipofuscin accumulation in ageing and sudden cardiac death.

Lipofuscin is an intracellular aggregate of highly oxidized proteins that cannot be digested in the ubiquitin-proteasome system and accumulate mainly in lysosomes, especially in aged cells and pathological conditions. However, no systematic study has evaluated the cardiac accumulation of lipofuscin during human ageing and sudden cardiac death (SCD). Age estimation in unidentified bodies and postmortem SCD diagnosis are important themes in forensics. Thus, we aimed to elucidate their correlations with myocardial lipofuscin accumulation. We collected 76 cardiac samples from autopsy patients aged 20-97 years. After histopathological examination, myocardial lipofuscin was measured using its autofluorescence. Lipofuscin accumulated mainly in the perinuclear zone, and its accumulation rate positively correlated with chronological ageing (r = 0.82). Meanwhile, no significant change in lipofuscin level was observed with different causes of death, including SCD. There was also no significant change in lipofuscin level in relation to body mass index, serum brain natriuretic peptide level, or heart weight. Moreover, we performed LC3 and p62 immunoblotting to evaluate autophagic activity, and no change was observed in ageing. Therefore, lipofuscin accumulation more directly reflects chronological ageing rather than human cardiac pathology. Our study reveals the stability and utility of cardiac lipofuscin measurement for age estimation during autopsy.

Synchrotron radiation microtomography of brain hemisphere and spinal cord of a mouse model of multiple sclerosis revealed a correlation between capillary dilation and clinical score.

Multiple sclerosis is a neurological disorder in which the myelin sheaths of axons are damaged by the immune response. We report here a three-dimensional structural analysis of brain and spinal cord tissues of a mouse model of multiple sclerosis, known as experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). EAE-induced mice were raised with or without administration of fingolimod, which is used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. Brains and spinal cords dissected from the EAE mice were lyophilized so as to reconstitute the intrinsic contrast of tissue elements, such as axons, in X-ray images. Three-dimensional structures of the brain hemispheres and spinal cords of the EAE mice were visualized with synchrotron radiation microtomography. Microtomographic cross sections reconstructed from the X-ray images revealed dilation of capillary vessels and vacuolation in the spinal cord of the EAE mice. Vacuolation was also observed in the cerebellum, suggesting that the neuroinflammatory response progressed in the brain. The vessel networks and vacuolation lesions in the spinal cords were modelled by automatically tracing the three-dimensional image in order to analyze the tissue structures quantitatively. The results of the analysis indicated that the distribution of vacuolations was not uniform but three-dimensionally localized. The mean vessel diameter showed a linear correlation with the clinical score, indicating that vasodilation is relevant to paralysis severity in the disease model. We suggest that vasodilation and vacuolation are related with neurological symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

Normal 123 I-MIBG uptake areas may be associated with hyperinnervation and arrhythmia risk in phenol model rabbit hearts.

BACKGROUND: Iodine-123 metaiodobenzylguanidine (123 I-MIBG) is useful for detecting sympathetic innervation in the heart, and has been closely associated with fatal arrhythmias. However, such imaging is typically calibrated to the area of highest uptake and thus is unable to identify areas of hyperinnervation. We hypothesized that normal 123 I-MIBG uptake regions in the denervated heart would demonstrate nerve sprouting and correlate with the potential for arrhythmogenesis. METHODS: Twenty New Zealand white rabbits treated with phenol or sham were prepared under anesthesia. Sympathetic innervation was quantified using autoradiography and immunostaining 4 weeks after phenol application, and electrophysiological study was performed. RESULTS: 123 I-MIBG revealed maximal local differences in isotope uptake in the border zone between areas with attenuated and abundant MIBG compared with that seen between adjacent regions within the lowest uptake areas. On immunostaining, heterogeneous and decreased expressions of growth-associated protein 43 signal were observed in the MIBG-attenuated areas; however, abundant signals were recognized in the MIBG-abundant areas. Upregulation of the tyrosine hydroxylase signal was observed at the part of the MIBG-abundant area. In electrophysiological study, the dispersion of activation recovery interval (ARI) was increased in the phenol-applied areas by norepinephrine infusion. Stellate stimulation exacerbated the ARI dispersion in both the phenol-applied and nonapplied areas, and was associated with increased inducibility of ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of hyperinnervation in the nondenervated regions of denervated rabbit hearts suggests that heterogeneous neural remodeling occurs in regions with seemingly normal 123 I-MIBG uptake and contributes to electrical instability.

Inducibility of Ventricular Arrhythmia 1 Year Following Treatment with Heavy Ion Irradiation in Dogs with Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: Targeted external heavy ion irradiation (THIR) of rabbit hearts 2 weeks after myocardial infarction (MI) reduced the vulnerability of fatal ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VT/VF) in association with the increased connexin43 (Cx43). Increased Cx43 was maintained for at least 1 year in normal rabbits, but the long-term antiarrhythmic effects in the MI model are unknown. We investigated the propensity for late potentials and VT/VF inducibility. METHODS: Intracoronary injection of microspheres was performed to induce nontransmural MI in anesthetized eight beagles. Four beagles were treated with THIR (12 C6+ , 15 Gy) 2 weeks later (MI + THIR group), and four without THIR served as controls (MI group). Signal-averaged electrocardiography, programmed electrical stimulation, immunohistochemical analysis, and echocardiograms were performed at 1 year. RESULTS: Filtered QRS duration was exacerbated after MI and remained unchanged for 1 year in the MI group (118 ± 1.4 ms), but significantly returned toward baseline in the MI + THIR group (109 ± 6.9 ms). Similarly, root mean square voltage of the last 40 ms was exacerbated after MI, but recovered after THIR. VT/VF inducibility decreased to 25% in the MI + THIR group compared with 100% in the MI group. Immunostaining Cx43 expression in cardiac tissues significantly increased by 24-45% in the MI + THIR group. Left ventricular ejection fractions remained within the normal range in both groups. CONCLUSION: A single exposure of the dog heart to 12 C irradiation attenuated vulnerability to ventricular arrhythmia after the induction of MI for at least 1 year through the modulation of Cx43 expression.

Endogenous reactive oxygen species cause astrocyte defects and neuronal dysfunctions in the hippocampus: a new model for aging brain.

The etiology of astrocyte dysfunction is not well understood even though neuronal defects have been extensively studied in a variety of neuronal degenerative diseases. Astrocyte defects could be triggered by the oxidative stress that occurs during physiological aging. Here, we provide evidence that intracellular or mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) at physiological levels can cause hippocampal (neuronal) dysfunctions. Specifically, we demonstrate that astrocyte defects occur in the hippocampal area of middle-aged Tet-mev-1 mice with the SDHCV69E mutation. These mice are characterized by chronic oxidative stress. Even though both young adult and middle-aged Tet-mev-1 mice overproduced MitoSOX Red-detectable mitochondrial ROS compared to age-matched wild-type C57BL/6J mice, only young adult Tet-mev-1 mice upregulated manganese and copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (Mn- and Cu/Zn-SODs) activities to eliminate the MitoSOX Red-detectable mitochondrial ROS. In contrast, middle-aged Tet-mev-1 mice accumulated both MitoSOX Red-detectable mitochondrial ROS and CM-H2 DCFDA-detectable intracellular ROS. These ROS levels appeared to be in the physiological range as shown by normal thiol and glutathione disulfide/glutathione concentrations in both young adult and middle-aged Tet-mev-1 mice relative to age-matched wild-type C57BL/6J mice. Furthermore, only middle-aged Tet-mev-1 mice showed JNK/SAPK activation and Ca2+ overload, particularly in astrocytes. This led to decreasing levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein and S100ß in the hippocampal area. Significantly, there were no pathological features such as apoptosis, amyloidosis, and lactic acidosis in neurons and astrocytes. Our findings suggest that the age-dependent physiologically relevant chronic oxidative stress caused astrocyte defects in mice with impaired mitochondrial electron transport chain functionality.

Altered blood flow in cerebral perforating arteries of rat models of diabetes: A synchrotron radiation microangiographic study toward clinical evaluation of white matter hyperintensities.

AIM: As altered blood flow in the cerebral perforating arteries (PA) might be related to development of cerebral white matter hyperintensities, we examined whether the hemodynamic relationship of the PA and middle cerebral artery (MCA) is altered in rat models of diabetes, compared with normal rats and a rat model of sinoatrial denervation (blood pressure fluctuation model). METHODS: We used microangiography with monochromatic synchrotron radiation to measure the diameters of the PA and MCA at 4.5 µm resolution in five groups of rats: (i) Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO); (ii) Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (a model of type 2 diabetes with obesity); (iii) LETO with sinoaortic denervation (LETO + SAD); (iv) F344; and (v) F344 + streptozotocin (a model of type 1 diabetes). RESULTS: Compared with LETO, Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty rats showed a significant reduction in the diameter of both PA and MCA, though the PA/MCA diameter ratio was unchanged. In contrast, compared with LETO, LETO + SAD rats showed an increased MCA diameter, and the PA/MCA diameter ratio was decreased. Compared with F344 rats, the MCA diameter was increased in F344 + streptozotocin rats, and the PA/MCA diameter ratio was decreased. Scatter diagrams showed that the diameters of the PA and MCA were essentially independent of each other in the two types of diabetic models. CONCLUSION: PA were consistently visualized at high resolution by means of microangiography using synchrotron radiation. The present results show that rat diabetic models exhibit changes in PA diameter and PA/MCA diameter ratio, which might be related to the development of diabetes-associated cerebral white matter hyperintensities.

Recessive inheritance of population-specific intronic LINE-1 insertion causes a rotor syndrome phenotype.

Sequences of long-interspersed elements (LINE-1, L1) make up ∼17% of the human genome. De novo insertions of retrotransposition-active L1s can result in genetic diseases. It has been recently shown that the homozygous inactivation of two adjacent genes SLCO1B1 and SLCO1B3 encoding organic anion transporting polypeptides OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 causes a benign recessive disease presenting with conjugated hyperbilirubinemia, Rotor syndrome. Here, we examined SLCO1B1 and SLCO1B3 genes in six Japanese diagnosed with Rotor syndrome on the basis of laboratory data and laparoscopy. All six Japanese patients were homozygous for the c.1738C>T nonsense mutation in SLCO1B1 and homozygous for the insertion of a ∼6.1-kbp L1 retrotransposon in intron 5 of SLCO1B3, which altogether make up a Japanese-specific haplotype. RNA analysis revealed that the L1 insertion induced deleterious splicing resulting in SLCO1B3 transcripts lacking exon 5 or exons 5-7 and containing premature stop codons. The expression of OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 proteins was not detected in liver tissues. This is the first documented case of a population-specific polymorphic intronic L1 transposon insertion contributing to molecular etiology of recessive genetic disease. Since L1 activity in human genomes is currently seen as a major source of individual genetic variation, further investigations are warranted to determine whether this phenomenon results in other autosomal-recessive diseases.

Genetically induced oxidative stress in mice causes thrombocytosis, splenomegaly and placental angiodysplasia that leads to recurrent abortion.

Historical data in the 1950s suggests that 7%, 11%, 33%, and 87% of couples were infertile by ages 30, 35, 40 and 45, respectively. Up to 22.3% of infertile couples have unexplained infertility. Oxidative stress is associated with male and female infertility. However, there is insufficient evidence relating to the influence of oxidative stress on the maintenance of a viable pregnancy, including pregnancy complications and fetal development. Recently, we have established Tet-mev-1 conditional transgenic mice, which can express the doxycycline-induced mutant SDHC(V69E) transgene and experience mitochondrial respiratory chain dysfunction leading to intracellular oxidative stress. In this report, we demonstrate that this kind of abnormal mitochondrial respiratory chain-induced chronic oxidative stress affects fertility, pregnancy and delivery rates as well as causes recurrent abortions, occasionally resulting in maternal death. Despite this, spermatogenesis and early embryogenesis are completely normal, indicating the mutation's effects to be rather subtle. Female Tet-mev-1 mice exhibit thrombocytosis and splenomegaly in both non-pregnant and pregnant mice as well as placental angiodysplasia with reduced Flt-1 protein leading to hypoxic conditions, which could contribute to placental inflammation and fetal abnormal angiogenesis. Collectively these data strongly suggest that chronic oxidative stress caused by mitochondrial mutations provokes spontaneous abortions and recurrent miscarriage resulting in age-related female infertility.

Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species generation by the SDHC V69E mutation causes low birth weight and neonatal growth retardation.

We have previously demonstrated that excessive mitochondrial reactive oxygen species caused by mutations in the SDHC subunit of Complex II resulted in premature death in C. elegans and Drosophila, tumors in mouse cells and infertility in transgenic mice. We now report the generation and initial characterization of conditional transgenic mice (Tet-mev-1) using our uniquely developed Tet-On/Off system, which equilibrates transgene expression to endogenous levels. The mice experienced mitochondrial respiratory chain dysfunction that induced reactive oxygen species overproduction. The mitochondrial oxidative stress resulted in excessive apoptosis leading to low birth weight and growth retardation in the neonatal developmental phase in Tet-mev-1 mice.