Troponina C na detecção imuno-histoquímica de alterações regressivas precoces no miocárdio de bovinos e ovinos intoxicados por monofluoroacetato de sódio / Troponin C in immunohistochemical detection of early regressive myocardial lesions in cattle and sheep poisoned with sodium monofluoroacetate

Ao que tudo indica, o monofluoroacetato de sódio (MF) é o princípio tóxico das numerosas plantas que causam "morte súbita" no Brasil. Eventualmente, observam-se, nos animais intoxicados por MF, grupos de cardiomiócitos com aumento da eosinofilia citoplasmática. Essas alterações cardíacas, no entanto, na maioria dos casos, ainda são incipientes, de difícil interpretação, não há reação inflamatória e devem ser diferenciadas de artefato. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo detectar a presença de alterações regressivas precoces no miocárdio de bovinos e ovinos intoxicados experimentalmente por MF, através da imuno-histoquímica com troponina C (cTnC). Fragmentos de coração de seis bovinos (três que receberam, por via oral, doses únicas de 0,5mg/kg e, os demais, 1,0mg/kg de MF) e cinco ovinos (um recebeu, por via oral, dose única de 0,5mg/kg, outros dois receberam doses de 1,0mg/kg; um ovino recebeu, por via oral, doses subletais repetidas diariamente de 0,1mg/kg/dia, por quatro dias, e outro, 0,2mg/kg/dia por seis dias) foram submetidos à técnica de imuno-histoquímica com anticorpo anti-cTnC. Nos cardiomiócitos dos bovinos e ovinos verificou-se redução dos níveis de expressão da cTnC no citoplasma de grupos de fibras musculares. Diminuição significativa na imunorreatividade ocorreu, sobretudo, em cardiomiócitos que apresentavam, no exame histopatológico, aumento da eosinofilia citoplasmática. A diminuição ou ausência da expressão da cTnC nos animais intoxicados por MF permitiu estabelecer a diferença entre necrose coagulativa de cardiomiócitos e artefato ocasionado pelo fixador. Isso indica que este método pode ser utilizado com segurança para identificação de lesões regressivas precoces, ou não, no miocárdio, independentemente da causa. Adicionalmente, é possível afirmar que, dependendo do tempo de evolução, a toxicose por MF, bem como por plantas causadoras de "morte súbita" em bovinos e ovinos, podem cursar com lesões necrotizantes no miocárdio.

Sodium monofluoroacetate (MF) is the toxic principle of several plants that cause "sudden death" of cattle in Brazil. Groups of cardiomyocites with high cytoplasmic eosinophilia are sometimes observed in animals poisoned by MF. However, this cardiac alteration is difficult to interpret, as there is no inflammatory reaction and it must be differentiated from artifacts. The present study had the objective to detect the presence of early regressive lesions in the myocardium of sheep and cattle experimentally poisoned by MF through immunohistochemistry with troponin C (cTnC). Fragments of the heart muscle from six cattle (three received, orally, single doses of 0.5mg/kg and the others, single doses of 1.0mg/kg) and five sheep (one received, orally, single dose of 0.5mg/kg, the other two received single doses of 1.0mg/kg, one received sublethal daily doses of 0.1mg/kg for four days, and another received daily sublethal doses of 0.2mg/kg for six days) were submitted to immunohistochemistry with antibody anti-cTnC. In the cardiomyocites of cattle and sheep, it was possible to observe reduction of the expression levels for cTnC in the cytoplasm of groups of cardiac muscle fibers. Significant reduction of immunoreactivity ocurred overall in cardiomyocites that presented high cytoplasmic eosinophilia. The decrease or absence of expression for cTnC in animals poisoned by MF allowed to estabilish the difference between coagulative necrosis of cardiomyocites and artifacts caused by fixation. This indicates that this method can be used safely to identify any lesions, early regressive or not, in the myocardium independently of the cause. It is also possible to affirm that poisoning by MF as well as the one caused by "sudden death" causing plants can progress with necrotizing myocardial lesions.

Troponina C na detecção imuno-histoquímica de alterações regressivas precoces no miocárdio de ovinos naturalmente intoxicados por Amaranthus spinosus (Amaranthaceae) / Troponin C in the immunohistochemistry detection of early regressive changes in sheep myocardium naturally poisoned by Amaranthus spinosus (Amaranthaceae)

Amaranthus spp. são plantas nefrotóxicas popularmente conhecidas como "caruru". Em casos de intoxicação por estas plantas, a principal alteração histopatológica está presente no rim, sob forma de nefrose tubular tóxica, porém em alguns casos pode haver alterações cardíacas. Alterações no eletrocardiograma, compatíveis com quadros de hipercalemia, foram descritas em suínos intoxicados por Amaranthus retroflexus e lesões como degeneração e necrose de miócitos cardíacos descritas em suínos intoxicados por A. caudatus e ovinos intoxicados por A. spinosus. Há dúvidas com relação às alterações cardíacas, que, na maioria dos casos, são incipientes, o que pode levar a erros de interpretação. Para a realização do trabalho foram utilizados blocos parafinados oriundos de um surto natural de intoxicação por A. spinosus no sudeste do Brasil. Esse estudo teve como objetivo detectar a presença de alterações regressivas incipientes no miocárdio de ovinos intoxicados por A. spinosus, através da utilização imuno-histoquímica do anticorpo anti-troponina C. Foram utilizados fragmentos de coração de 8 ovinos adultos e 2 fetos, intoxicados naturalmente por A. spinosus. Estes fragmentos foram submetidos à técnica de imuno-histoquímica com a utilização do anticorpo anti-troponina C. Pela avaliação imuno-histoquímica do coração dos oito ovinos adultos observaram-se diversos grupos de miócitos com diminuição significativa ou ausência de imunorreatividade para o anticorpo anti-troponina C; essas áreas correspondiam, em grande parte, aos mesmos grupos de miócitos que apresentavam, pela coloração de Hematoxilina e Eosina (H.E.) alterações que variavam de leve tumefação celular a aumento da eosinofilia, perda de estriação, lise celular e cariólise, ou mais raramente, acompanhadas de infiltrado inflamatório...

Amaranthus spp. are nephrotoxic plants popularly known as "pigweed". In cases of poisoning by these plants, the main histopathological alteration is found in the kidneys as toxic tubular nephrosis; however, in some cases, there may be cardiac changes. ECG changes associated with hyperkalemia have been described in pigs poisoned by Amaranthus retroflexus. Degeneration and necrosis of myocytes have been described in pigs poisoned by A. caudatus and sheep poisoned by A. spinosus. There are doubts regarding cardiac changes, since in most cases they are incipient and don't exhibit inflammatory reaction, which can lead to misinterpretation. For this study, paraffin blocks with tissues from a poisoning outbreak by A. spinosus in southeastern Brazil were used. The objective of the study was to detect the presence of incipient regressive changes in the myocardium of sheep poisoned by A. spinosus using anti-troponin C antibody-based immunohistochemistry. Fragments of hearts from 8 adult sheep and 2 fetuses naturally poisoned by A. spinosus were used. In the immunohistochemistry evaluation of the 8 hearts from the adult sheep there were several groups of myocytes with significant decrease or absence of immunoreactivity for anti-troponin C antibody. In most cases, these same areas on Hematoxylin and Eosin (HE) staining exhibited changes that varied from mild cellular tumefaction to increased eosinophilia, as well as loss of striation, cell lysis and karyolysis, sometimes accompanied by inflammatory infiltrate...

Establishment of two cardiac-specific human cardiac troponin C mutation transgenic mice and comparative analysis / 中国比较医学杂志

Objective To established cardiac-specific transgenic mice of the cTnC D145E and cTnCG159D and compare the HCM and the DCM.Methods The cTnCD145E and cTnCG159D were generated by site-directed mutagenesis and the transgenic plasmids were constructed by insertion of the mutant genes under the control of α-MHC, which is a myocardium specific promoter.The transgenic mice were generated by microinjection and were all maintained on a C57BL/6J genetic backgroud .The cardiac structure and function of the transgenic mice were compared and analysized by echocardiographic and pathological observation at different ages .Results The cTnCD145E and cTnCG159D transgenic mice were established and developed to HCM and DCM, respectively, with aging.The left ventricular end-systolic volume (ESV) and left ventricular end-diastolic volume ( EDV) decreased and ejection fraction ( EF) and left ventricular end-systolic posterior wall thickness (ESPWT) increased in the cTnCD145E transgenic mice, while EDV and ESV increased and EF and ESPWT decreased in the cTnCG159D transgenic mice at 12 months of age.Conclusions Cardiac-specific human cTnCD145E transgenic mice showed HCM phenotypes , and cardiac-specific human cTnC G159D transgenic mice showed DCM phenotypes , which can be used as different models for comparative study of the pathogenesis of cardiomyopathy .

Usefulness of Immunohistochemistry in Various Types of Sudden Cardiac Death / 대한법의학회지

Postmortem diagnosis of early myocardial infarction is still a puzzling problem in forensic pathology practice, especially in sudden cardiac death. This study was undertaken to evaluate the distribution patterns of several immunohistochemical markers in various types of sudden cardiac death; 27 cases of obstructive coronary atherosclerosis (SCD-CAD) including 13 cases of critical coronary atherosclerosis, 6 cases of atherosclerotic heart disease and 8 cases of acute myocardial infarction, 26 cases of sudden cardiac death with obvious other causes (SCD-miscellaneous) including hypertensive heart disease, arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, etc. and 14 cases of sudden cardiac death without any myocardial changes and/or minimal coronary atherosclerosis(SCDunknown). 10 cases of unnatural death were included in control group. Imnunohistochemical reactivity and the severity of reactivity loss were evaluated. The immunoreactivity against myoglobin and troponin C were excellent, and their reactivity loss were statistically significant in SCD-CAD compared to control group, SCD-unknown and SCD-miscellaneous (p<0.05). There were increasing pattern of loss of immunoreactivity in SCD-unknown and SCD-miscellaneous compared to control group. The pattern of expression and the severity of reactivity loss against vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) were with no differences in experimental group and control group. Immunohistochemistry may be partially useful in determination of early myocyte necrosis in sudden cardiac death, and myoglobin and troponin C may be better. But, its practical application in forensic pathology may be still limited.

Molecular structure of troponin C from chicken skeletal muscle at 3Å resolution.

Troponin C is the Ca2+-binding subunit of the troponin complex and is involved in the calcium control of muscle contraction. The X-ray structure of chicken TnC has been determined at 3Å resolution using a single heavy atom derivative and application of a novel phase improvement and phase extension procedure. The protein has an unusual dumbbellshape with a length of about 70A. The N- and C-domains are connected by a single long α-helix of about 9 turns. Two metal binding sites (the Ca2+ -Mg2+ sites) in the C-domain are occupied by metal ions in the crystals and the helix-loop-helix Ca2+ -binding folds are very similar to those in other known Ca2+ -binding proteins. In contrast, the Ca2+ -specific sites in the N-domain appear unoccupied and the two putative Ca2+ -binding folds have a vastly different structural arrangement. The conformational rearrangements in the N-domain upon Ca2+ binding are believed to be the trigger for a cascade of protein-protein interaction alterations which lead to muscle contraction.