Isradipine prevents the development of spontaneously occurring cardiac necrosis in cardiomyopathic hamster.

Recent studies on the heart necrotizing process at the early stages of hamster polymyopathy have led us to believe that this hereditary disease derives from an anomalous transmembrane ion flux due to the presence of slow Na+ channels that contribute to intracellular Na+ accumulation which promote intracellular Ca2+ overload via the Ca2+ influx through the Na+-Ca2+ exchanger. In the present study, we investigated the potential beneficial effect of chronic treatment with a dual L-type Ca2+ and slow Na+ channel blockers isradipine, on the development of necrosis in myopathic hamster hearts. Young cardiomyopathic (CM) hamsters (CMH) were treated with isradipine (0.1 mg x kg(-1) x day(-1)) and nifedipine (1 mg x kg(-1) x day(-1)) for 4 consecutive weeks. Microscopic assessments were carried out in staged serial paraffin sections of heart ventricles from tissues freshly dissected at autopsy. In comparison with control nontreated hearts, which exhibited numerous necrotic calcific foci, myolytic lesions, and dilated right ventricle, isradipine treatment prevented, in a significant manner, all the above spontaneous pathological changes, while nifedipine had no effect. Our present observations provide evidence for the first time that in vivo treatment with a DHP Ca2+ channel blocker, isradipine, is cardioprotective against the development of necrosis in hereditary cardiomyopathy in the hamster. It is possible that the protective effect of isradipine in CMH could be largely due to the indirect blockade of Ca2+ influx through the Na+-Ca2+ exchanger as well as to possible direct blockade of Ca2+ influx through the T-type Ca2+ channel.

Effect of chronic treatment with bovine recombinant growth hormone on cardiac dysfunction and lesion progression in UM-X7.1 cardiomyopathic hamsters.

In view of the potentially beneficial effect of GH on ventricular function of humans suffering from idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, we undertook a study to evaluate the optimal time to initiate treatment with GH and its duration in UM-X7.1 cardiomyopathic hamsters (CMH). GH (1 mg/kg.d) therapy was initiated either in the early or late (30 and 160 d old, respectively) phases of the disease and continued until death at 240 d of age. Age- and sex-matched Golden Syrian hamsters (GSH) were used as controls. Basal IGF-1 levels in serum were reduced by nearly half in CMH compared with GSH but were increased within a physiological range in male hamsters. In contrast, female hamsters presented elevated basal serum IGF-1 levels that were not further elevated by GH administration, as reported in experimental models and humans. Accordingly, the present study will focus on the effects of GH therapy on cardiac performance in male hamsters. GH did not improve ventricular function when starting at a late stage of the disease compared with CMH controls. Maximum rate of left ventricular pressure development decreased by approximately 64% in CMH treated early with recombinant bovine GH. Ventricular dysfunction was associated with morphologic indices of hypertrophy, ventricular dilatation, and extensive fibrosis. Mortality was strikingly increased in GH-treated CMH for 210 d (four males and eight females), as opposed to four females (and no male) in the vehicle-treated group. These results suggest that chronic treatment with recombinant bovine GH in CMH, starting at an early stage of lesion development, is associated with a reduced cardiac performance at the terminal stage of the disease.

Role of nitric oxide synthase, cytochrome P-450, and cyclooxygenase in the inotropic and lusitropic cardiac response to increased coronary perfusion.

Although studies have reported that increase in coronary perfusion (CP) results in positive inotropic effects, the underlying mechanisms of these actions and possible alterations in myocardial diastolic function are not well defined. Hypothesis was that nitric oxide (NO) and derivatives of cytochrome (CYT) P-450 or cyclooxygenase (COX) might contribute to interplay between coronary and myocardial compartments in these conditions. Using isovolumically contracting, isolated perfused hamster heart model, coronary flow (CF) was increased mechanically, stepwise in the physiologic range (+2 to +10 ml/min), before and after inhibition of NO synthase by NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) (30 microM), CYT P-450 by SKF525A (1 microM), or COX by indomethacin (10 microM). CP pressure, left ventricular systolic pressure (VSP) and ventricular diastolic pressure (VDP), and heart rate (HR) were monitored continuously during the experiments. Mechanical increases in CF resulted in gradual change in CP pressure (+20% to +100%), left VSP (+5% to +40%) and VDP (+2% to +25%), whereas HR was not affected. In presence of l-NAME, the positive inotropic response and negative lusitropic effect of CF changes were similar. Exposure to SKF525A did not modify cardiac response to mechanical increases in CF. In presence of COX inhibitor indomethacin, left VSP rose to a level similar to that observed in control conditions, whereas VDP deteriorated further. These results suggest that mediators originating from NO synthase, CYT P-450, or COX do not contribute to positive inotropic response elicited by increased CP. However, COX derivatives seem to attenuate impairment of myocardial relaxation observed in these conditions. Such findings may have implications in development of therapeutics for patients with myocardial diastolic dysfunction.

Altered coronary and cardiac adrenergic response in the failing hamster heart: role of cyclooxygenase derivatives.

Although the influence of the adrenergic system has been studied in the presence of heart failure, controversies still exist. Since cyclooxygenase derivatives appear to modulate coronary and cardiac adaptation in the failing heart, we hypothesized that cyclooxygenase derivatives may participate in the altered adrenergic responses in this situation. Isolated hearts from cardiomyopathic (UM-X7.1 subline) and normal hamsters, aged > 240 days, were utilized. Coronary and cardiac response to alpha1-, beta1-, and beta2-adrenergic stimulations was observed before and after pretreatment with indomethacin, a cyclooxygenase inhibitor. Reduction of coronary flow elicited by alpha1-adrenergic stimulation was unchanged in the presence of heart failure, while beta1- and beta2-induced vasodilatations were reduced. Inotropic response to alpha1 and beta1 stimulations were also reduced in failing hearts, while beta2-adrenergic action was unchanged. Pretreatment with indomethacin exacerbated coronary flow reduction observed with alpha1 stimulation in failing hearts only. Beta2-induced coronary vasodilatation and inotropic response to alpha1 and beta2 stimulations were impaired similarly in the presence of indomethacin in normal and failing hearts. The results suggest a complex interaction between adrenergic and cyclooxygenase activation.