Effect of cardiac A(1) adenosine receptor overexpression on sarcoplasmic reticulum function.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effect of A(1) adenosine receptor overexpression, which has been reported to increase myocardial tolerance to ischemia-reperfusion injury, on sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) handling. METHODS: Transgenic mouse hearts (approximately 300-fold A(1) adenosine receptor overexpression) and wild-type mouse hearts were perfused in the Langendorff mode and subjected either to 80 min of aerobic perfusion or to 30 min of aerobic perfusion, 20 min of global ischemia and 30 min of reperfusion. The hearts were then homogenized and used to assay SR oxalate-supported 45Ca(2+) uptake and [3H]-ryanodine binding. RESULTS: Transgenic hearts showed increased resistance to ischemia-reperfusion, as shown by lower diastolic tension (1.5 +/- 0.2 vs. 2.6 +/- 0.1 g, P<0.05) and higher recovery of developed tension (45 +/- 3 vs. 30 +/- 4% of the baseline, P<0.05) following ischemia-reperfusion. Under baseline conditions, oxalate-supported 45Ca(2+) uptake was lower in transgenic hearts, owing to reduced V(max) (10.6 +/- 2.0 vs. 17.8 +/- 2.7 nmol/min per mg of protein, P<0.05), and the difference was preserved after ischemia-reperfusion (10.0 +/- 1.0 vs. 15.7 +/- 2.5 nmol/min per mg of protein, P<0.05). No significant difference in [3H]-ryanodine binding was observed. CONCLUSIONS: A(1) adenosine receptor overexpression is associated with a decreased rate of active Ca(2+) transport into the SR. We hypothesize that changes in SR function may cause a depletion of the SR Ca(2+) pool, which might protect from ischemic injury by delaying the development of cytosolic Ca(2+) overload during ischemia.

Effects of A(3) adenosine receptor activation and gene knock-out in ischemic-reperfused mouse heart.

OBJECTIVES: To characterize effects of A(3) adenosine receptor (A(3)AR) activation and gene knock-out on responses to ischemia-reperfusion in mouse heart. METHODS: Perfused hearts from wild-type and A(3)AR gene knock-out (A(3)AR KO) mice were subjected to 20 min ischemia and 30 min reperfusion. Functional responses were assessed and changes in energy metabolism and cytosolic pH monitored via 31P-NMR spectroscopy. RESULTS: Selective A(3)AR agonism with 100 nM 2-chloro-N(6)-(3-iodobenzyl)-adenosine-5'-N-methyluronamide (chloro-IB-MECA) enhanced post-ischemic contractile recovery without altering contracture development in wild-type hearts, an effect unrelated to non-selective activation of A(1) or A(2) adenosine receptors. Chloro-IB-MECA also improved recovery in hearts overexpressing A(1)ARs. Paradoxically, post-ischemic recovery was enhanced by A(3)AR KO. Developed pressure, +dP/dt, and -dP/dt all recovered to higher levels in A(3)AR KO (70-80% of pre-ischemia) vs. wild-type hearts (45-50% of pre-ischemia) (P<0.05). Enhanced recovery was unrelated to recoveries of ATP, phosphocreatine (PCr), inorganic phosphate (P(i)), energy state ([ATP]/[ADP] x [P(i)], DeltaG(ATP)) or cytosolic pH. CONCLUSIONS: Selective A(3)AR activation is cardioprotective in wild-type hearts and hearts overexpressing A(1)ARs, yet A(3)AR gene deletion generates an ischemia-tolerant phenotype without altering energy metabolism or pH. This may be due to compensatory changes or undefined genotypic differences in A(3)AR KO vs. wild-type hearts.

Cardiac overexpression of A1-adenosine receptor protects intact mice against myocardial infarction.

Previous studies have shown that high-level (300-fold normal) cardiac overexpression of A1-adenosine receptors (A1-ARs) in transgenic (TG) mice protects isolated hearts against ischemia-reperfusion injury. However, this high level of overexpression is associated with bradycardia and increased incidence of arrhythmia during ischemia in intact mice, which interfered with studies to determine whether this line of TG mice might also be protected against myocardial infarction (MI) in vivo. For these studies, we therefore selected a line of TG mice that overexpresses the A1-AR at more moderate levels (30-fold normal), which affords cardioprotection in the isolated heart while minimizing bradycardia and arrhythmia during ischemia in intact mice. Wild-type (WT; n = 10) and moderate-level A1-AR TG (n = 10) mice underwent 45 min of left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion, followed by 24-h reperfusion. Infarct size and region at risk were determined by triphenyltetrazolium chloride and phthalo blue staining, respectively. Infarct size (% region at risk) in WT mice was 52 +/- 3%, whereas overexpression of A1-ARs in the TG mice markedly reduced infarct size to 31 +/- 3% (P < 0.05). Furthermore, contractile function (left ventricular ejection fraction) as determined by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging 24 h after MI was better preserved in TG vs. WT mice. Cardiac overexpression of A1-ARs reduces infarct size by 40% and preserves cardiac function in intact mice after MI.

A1 adenosine receptor overexpression decreases stunning from anoxia-reoxygenation: role of the mitochondrial K(ATP) channel.

Myocardial A1 adenosine receptor (A1AR) overexpression protects hearts from ischemia-reperfusion injury; however, the effects during anoxia are unknown. We evaluated responses to anoxia-reoxygenation in wild-type (WT) and transgenic (Trans) hearts with approximately 200-fold overexpression of A1ARs. Langendorff perfused hearts underwent 20 min anoxia followed by 30 min reoxygenation. In WT hearts peak diastolic contracture during anoxia was 45+/-3 mmHg, diastolic pressure remained elevated at 18+/-3 mmHg after reoxygenation, and developed pressure recovered to 52+/-4% of pre-anoxia. A1AR overexpression reduced hypoxic contracture to 29+/-4 mmHg, and improved recovery of diastolic pressure to 8+/-1 mmHg and developed pressure to 76+/-3% of pre-anoxia. Mitochondrial K(ATP) blockade with 100 microM 5-hydroxydecanoate (5-HD) increased hypoxic contracture to 73+/-6 mmHg in WT hearts, reduced post-hypoxic recoveries of both diastolic (40+/-5 mmHg) and developed pressures (33+/-3 %). In contrast, 5-HD had no effect on hypoxic contracture (24+/-8 mmHg), or post-hypoxic diastolic (10+/-2 mmHg) and developed pressures (74+/-3%) in Trans hearts. In summary, (i) A1AR overexpression improves myocardial tolerance to anoxia-reoxygenation, (ii) intrinsic mitochondrial K(ATP) channel activation decreases hypoxic contracture and improves functional recovery in wild-type hearts, and (iii) mitochondrial K(ATP) channels do not appear to play a major role in the functional protection from anoxia afforded by A1AR overexpression.

A1 adenosine receptor overexpression attenuates ischemia-reperfusion-induced apoptosis and caspase 3 activity.

We tested the hypothesis that myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R)-induced apoptosis is attenuated in transgenic mice overexpressing cardiac A(1) adenosine receptors. Isolated hearts from transgenic (TG, n = 19) and wild-type (WT, n = 22) mice underwent 30 min of ischemia and 2 h of reperfusion, with evaluation of apoptosis, caspase 3 activity, function, and necrosis. I/R-induced apoptosis was attenuated in TG hearts. TG hearts had less I/R-induced apoptotic nuclei (0.88 +/- 0.10% vs. 4.22 +/- 0.24% terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling-positive cells in WT, P < 0.05), less DNA fragmentation (3.30 +/- 0.38-fold vs. 4.90 +/- 0.39-fold over control in WT, P < 0.05), and less I/R-induced caspase 3 activity (145 +/- 25% over nonischemic control vs. 234 +/- 31% in WT, P < 0.05). TG hearts also had improved recovery of function and less necrosis than WT hearts. In TG hearts pretreated with LY-294002 (3 microM) to evaluate the role of phosphosinositol-3-kinase in acute signaling, there was no change in the functional protection or apoptotic response to I/R. These data suggest that cardioprotection with transgenic overexpression of A(1) adenosine receptors involves attenuation of I/R-induced apoptosis that does not involve acute signaling through phosphoinositol-3-kinase.