The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Ligand FICZ Improves Left Ventricular Remodeling and Cardiac Function at the Onset of Pressure Overload-Induced Heart Failure in Mice.

Adverse ventricular remodeling is the heart's response to damaging stimuli and is linked to heart failure and poor prognosis. Formyl-indolo [3,2-b] carbazole (FICZ) is an endogenous ligand for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), through which it exerts pleiotropic effects including protection against inflammation, fibrosis, and oxidative stress. We evaluated the effect of AhR activation by FICZ on the adverse ventricular remodeling that occurs in the early phase of pressure overload in the murine heart induced by transverse aortic constriction (TAC). Cardiac structure and function were evaluated by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) before and 3 days after Sham or TAC surgery in mice treated with FICZ or with vehicle, and cardiac tissue was used for biochemical studies. CMRI analysis revealed that FICZ improved cardiac function and attenuated cardiac hypertrophy. These beneficial effects involved the inhibition of the hypertrophic calcineurin/NFAT pathway, transcriptional reduction in pro-fibrotic genes, and antioxidant effects mediated by the NRF2/NQO1 pathway. Overall, our findings provide new insight into the role of cardiac AhR signaling in the injured heart.

Genetic Deletion of NOD1 Prevents Cardiac Ca2+ Mishandling Induced by Experimental Chronic Kidney Disease.

Risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) increases considerably as renal function declines in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 1 (NOD1) has emerged as a novel innate immune receptor involved in both CVD and CKD. Following activation, NOD1 undergoes a conformational change that allows the activation of the receptor-interacting serine/threonine protein kinase 2 (RIP2), promoting an inflammatory response. We evaluated whether the genetic deficiency of Nod1 or Rip2 in mice could prevent cardiac Ca2+ mishandling induced by sixth nephrectomy (Nx), a model of CKD. We examined intracellular Ca2+ dynamics in cardiomyocytes from Wild-type (Wt), Nod1-/- and Rip2-/- sham-operated or nephrectomized mice. Compared with Wt cardiomyocytes, Wt-Nx cells showed an impairment in the properties and kinetics of the intracellular Ca2+ transients, a reduction in both cell shortening and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ load, together with an increase in diastolic Ca2+ leak. Cardiomyocytes from Nod1-/--Nx and Rip2-/--Nx mice showed a significant amelioration in Ca2+ mishandling without modifying the kidney impairment induced by Nx. In conclusion, Nod1 and Rip2 deficiency prevents the intracellular Ca2+ mishandling induced by experimental CKD, unveiling new innate immune targets for the development of innovative therapeutic strategies to reduce cardiac complications in patients with CKD.

Specialized Proresolving Mediators Protect Against Experimental Autoimmune Myocarditis by Modulating Ca2+ Handling and NRF2 Activation.

Specialized proresolving mediators and, in particular, 5(S), (6)R, 7-trihydroxyheptanoic acid methyl ester (BML-111) emerge as new therapeutic tools to prevent cardiac dysfunction and deleterious cardiac damage associated with myocarditis progression. The cardioprotective role of BML-111 is mainly caused by the prevention of increased oxidative stress and nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like 2 (NRF2) down-regulation induced by myocarditis. At the molecular level, BML-111 activates NRF2 signaling, which prevents sarcoplasmic reticulum-adenosine triphosphatase 2A down-regulation and Ca2+ mishandling, and attenuates the cardiac dysfunction and tissue damage induced by myocarditis.

Ca2+ mishandling in heart failure: Potential targets.

Ca2+ mishandling is a common feature in several cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure (HF). In many cases, impairment of key players in intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis has been identified as the underlying mechanism of cardiac dysfunction and cardiac arrhythmias associated with HF. In this review, we summarize primary novel findings related to Ca2+ mishandling in HF progression. HF research has increasingly focused on the identification of new targets and the contribution of their role in Ca2+ handling to the progression of the disease. Recent research studies have identified potential targets in three major emerging areas implicated in regulation of Ca2+ handling: the innate immune system, bone metabolism factors and post-translational modification of key proteins involved in regulation of Ca2+ handling. Here, we describe their possible contributions to the progression of HF.

Innate Immune Receptors, Key Actors in Cardiovascular Diseases.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death in the industrialized world. Most CVDs are associated with increased inflammation that arises mainly from innate immune system activation related to cardiac damage. Sustained activation of the innate immune system frequently results in maladaptive inflammatory responses that promote cardiovascular dysfunction and remodeling. Much research has focused on determining whether some mediators of the innate immune system are potential targets for CVD therapy. The innate immune system has specific receptors-termed pattern recognition receptors (PRRs)-that not only recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns, but also sense danger-associated molecular signals. Activation of PRRs triggers the inflammatory response in different physiological systems, including the cardiovascular system. The classic PRRs, toll-like receptors (TLRs), and the more recently discovered nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptors (NLRs), have been recently proposed as key partners in the progression of several CVDs (e.g., atherosclerosis and heart failure). The present review discusses the key findings related to the involvement of TLRs and NLRs in the progression of several vascular and cardiac diseases, with a focus on whether some NLR subtypes (nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain, leucine rich repeat and pyrin domain-containing receptor 3 and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 1) can be candidates for the development of new therapeutic strategies for several CVDs.

Deficiency of NOD1 Improves the ß-Adrenergic Modulation of Ca2+ Handling in a Mouse Model of Heart Failure.

Heart failure (HF) is a complex syndrome characterized by cardiac dysfunction, Ca2+ mishandling, and chronic activation of the innate immune system. Reduced cardiac output in HF leads to compensatory mechanisms via activation of the adrenergic nervous system. In turn, chronic adrenergic overstimulation induces pro-arrhythmic events, increasing the rate of sudden death in failing patients. Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 1 (NOD1) is an innate immune modulator that plays a key role in HF progression. NOD1 deficiency in mice prevents Ca2+ mishandling in HF under basal conditions, but its role during ß-adrenergic stimulation remains unknown. Here, we evaluated whether NOD1 regulates the ß-adrenergic modulation of Ca2+ signaling in HF. Ca2+ dynamics were examined before and after isoproterenol perfusion in cardiomyocytes isolated from healthy and from post-myocardial infarction (PMI) wild-type (WT) and Nod1-/- mice. Isoproterenol administration induced similar effects on intracellular [Ca2+]i transients, cell contraction, and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR)-Ca2+ load in healthy WT and Nod1-/- cells. However, compared with WT-PMI cells, isoproterenol exposure induced a significant increase in the [Ca2+]i transients and cell contraction parameters in Nod1-/--PMI cells, which mainly due to an increase in SR-Ca2+ load. NOD1 deficiency also prevented the increase in diastolic Ca2+ leak (Ca2+ waves) induced by isoproterenol in PMI cells. mRNA levels of ß1 and ß2 adrenergic receptors were significantly higher in Nod1-/--PMI hearts vs WT-PMI hearts. Healthy cardiomyocytes pre-treated with the selective agonist of NOD1, iE-DAP, and perfused with isoproterenol showed diminished [Ca2+]i transients amplitude, cell contraction, and SR-Ca2+ load compared with vehicle-treated cells. iE-DAP-treated cells also presented increased diastolic Ca2+ leak under ß-adrenergic stimulation. The selectivity of iE-DAP on Ca2+ handling was validated by pre-treatment with the inactive analog of NOD1, iE-Lys. Overall, our data establish that NOD1 deficiency improves the ß-adrenergic modulation of Ca2+ handling in failing hearts.