Loss of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan sulfation allows delayed sympathetic reinnervation after cardiac ischemia-reperfusion.

Sympathetic nerve loss in the heart predicts the risk of ventricular arrhythmias after myocardial infarction (MI) in patients. Sympathetic denervation after cardiac ischemia-reperfusion is sustained by matrix components chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) in the cardiac scar. We showed that 4,6-sulfation of CSPGs was critical for preventing nerve growth into the scar. Promoting early reinnervation with therapeutics reduces arrhythmias during the first 2 weeks after MI, but the longer-term consequences of restoring innervation are unknown. Therefore, we asked if the beneficial effects of early reinnervation were sustained. We compared cardiac function and arrhythmia susceptibility 40 days after MI in mice treated on Days 3-10 with vehicle or with intracellular sigma peptide to restore innervation. Surprisingly, both groups had normal innervation density in the cardiac scar 40 days after MI, indicating delayed reinnervation of the infarct in vehicle-treated mice. That coincided with similar cardiac function and arrhythmia susceptibility in the two groups. We investigated the mechanism allowing delayed reinnervation of the cardiac scar. We found that CSPG 4,6-sulfation, which is elevated early after ischemia-reperfusion, was reduced to control levels allowing reinnervation of the infarct. Thus, remodeling of extracellular matrix weeks after injury leads to remodeling of sympathetic neurons in the heart.

Therapeutics That Promote Sympathetic Reinnervation Modulate the Inflammatory Response After Myocardial Infarction.

Myocardial infarction (MI) triggers an inflammatory response that transitions from pro-inflammatory to reparative over time. Restoring sympathetic nerves in the heart after MI prevents arrhythmias. This study investigated if reinnervation altered the immune response after MI. This study used quantitative multiplex immunohistochemistry to identify the immune cells present in the heart 2 weeks after ischemia-reperfusion. Two therapeutics stimulated reinnervation, preventing arrhythmias and shifting the immune response from inflammatory to reparative, with fewer pro-inflammatory macrophages and more regulatory T cells and reparative macrophages. Treatments did not alter macrophage phenotype in vitro, which suggested reinnervation contributed to the altered immune response.

Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 4,6 sulfation regulates sympathetic nerve regeneration after myocardial infarction.

Sympathetic denervation of the heart following ischemia/reperfusion induced myocardial infarction (MI) is sustained by chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) in the cardiac scar. Denervation predicts risk of sudden cardiac death in humans. Blocking CSPG signaling restores sympathetic axon outgrowth into the cardiac scar, decreasing arrhythmia susceptibility. Axon growth inhibition by CSPGs can depend on the sulfation status of the glycosaminoglycan (CS-GAG) side chains. Tandem sulfation of CS-GAGs at the 4th (4S) and 6th (6S) positions of n-acetyl-galactosamine inhibits outgrowth in several types of central neurons, but we don't know if sulfation is similarly critical during peripheral nerve regeneration. We asked if CSPG sulfation prevented sympathetic axon outgrowth after MI. Reducing 4S with the 4-sulfatase enzyme Arylsulfatase-B (ARSB) enhanced outgrowth of dissociated rat sympathetic neurons over CSPGs. Likewise, reducing 4S with ARSB restored axon outgrowth from mouse sympathetic ganglia co-cultured with cardiac scar tissue. We quantified enzymes responsible for adding and removing sulfation, and found that CHST15 (4S dependent 6-sulfotransferase) was upregulated, and ARSB was downregulated after MI. This suggests a mechanism for production and maintenance of sulfated CSPGs in the cardiac scar. We decreased 4S,6S CS-GAGs in vivo by transient siRNA knockdown of Chst15 after MI, and found that reducing 4S,6S restored tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) positive sympathetic nerve fibers in the cardiac scar. Reinnervation reduced isoproterenol induced arrhythmias. Our results suggest that modulating CSPG-sulfation after MI may be a therapeutic target to promote sympathetic nerve regeneration in the cardiac scar and reduce post-MI cardiac arrhythmias.

Small Molecules Targeting PTPσ-Trk Interactions Promote Sympathetic Nerve Regeneration.

Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) prevent sympathetic nerve regeneration in the heart after myocardial infarction and prevent central nerve regrowth after traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury. Currently, there are no small-molecule therapeutics to promote nerve regeneration through CSPG-containing scars. CSPGs bind to monomers of receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase sigma (PTPσ) on the surface of neurons, enhancing the ability of PTPσ to bind and dephosphorylate tropomyosin receptor kinases (Trks), inhibiting their activity and preventing axon outgrowth. Targeting PTPσ-Trk interactions is thus a potential therapeutic target. Here, we describe the development and synthesis of small molecules (HJ-01 and HJ-02) that disrupt PTPσ interactions with Trks, enhance Trk signaling, and promote sympathetic nerve regeneration over CSPGs.