Quantitative 3D electron microscopy characterization of mitochondrial structure, mitophagy, and organelle interactions in murine atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common clinical arrhythmia, however there is limited understanding of its pathophysiology including the cellular and ultrastructural changes rendered by the irregular rhythm, which limits pharmacological therapy development. Prior work has demonstrated the importance of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial dysfunction in the development of AF. Mitochondrial structure, interactions with other organelles such as sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and T-tubules (TT), and degradation of dysfunctional mitochondria via mitophagy are important processes to understand ultrastructural changes due to AF. However, most analysis of mitochondrial structure and interactome in AF has been limited to two-dimensional (2D) modalities such as transmission electron microscopy (EM), which does not fully visualize the morphological evolution of the mitochondria during mitophagy. Herein, we utilize focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) and perform reconstruction of three-dimensional (3D) EM from murine left atrial samples and measure the interactions of mitochondria with SR and TT. We developed a novel 3D quantitative analysis of FIB-SEM in a murine model of AF to quantify mitophagy stage, mitophagosome size in cardiomyocytes, and mitochondrial structural remodeling when compared with control mice. We show that in our murine model of spontaneous and continuous AF due to persistent late sodium current, left atrial cardiomyocytes have heterogenous mitochondria, with a significant number which are enlarged with increased elongation and structural complexity. Mitophagosomes in AF cardiomyocytes are located at Z-lines where they neighbor large, elongated mitochondria. Mitochondria in AF cardiomyocytes show increased organelle interaction, with 5X greater contact area with SR and are 4X as likely to interact with TT when compared to control. We show that mitophagy in AF cardiomyocytes involves 2.5X larger mitophagosomes that carry increased organelle contents. In conclusion, when oxidative stress overcomes compensatory mechanisms, mitophagy in AF faces a challenge of degrading bulky complex mitochondria, which may result in increased SR and TT contacts, perhaps allowing for mitochondrial Ca2+ maintenance and antioxidant production.

Boron improves cardiac contractility and fibrotic remodeling following myocardial infarction injury.

Myocardial fibrosis is a major determinant of clinical outcomes in heart failure (HF) patients. It is characterized by the emergence of myofibroblasts and early activation of pro-fibrotic signaling pathways before adverse ventricular remodeling and progression of HF. Boron has been reported in recent years to augment the innate immune system and cell proliferation, which play an important role in the repair and regeneration of the injured tissue. Currently, the effect of boron on cardiac contractility and remodeling is unknown. In this study, we investigated, for the first time, the effect of boron supplementation on cardiac function, myocardial fibrosis, apoptosis and regeneration in a rat model myocardial infarction (MI)-induced HF. MI was induced in animals and borax, a sodium salt of boron, was administered for 7 days, p.o., 21 days post-injury at a dose level of 4 mg/kg body weight. Transthoracic echocardiographic analysis showed a significant improvement in systolic and diastolic functions with boron treatment compared to saline control. In addition, boron administration showed a marked reduction in myocardial fibrosis and apoptosis in the injured hearts, highlighting a protective effect of boron in the ischemic heart. Interestingly, we observed a tenfold increase of nuclei in thin myocardial sections stained positive for the cell cycle marker Ki67 in the MI boron-treated rats compared to saline, indicative of increased cardiomyocyte cell cycle activity in MI hearts, highlighting its potential role in regeneration post-injury. We similarly observed increased Ki67 and BrdU staining in cultured fresh neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes. Collectively, the results show that boron positively impacted MI-induced HF and attenuated cardiac fibrosis and apoptosis, two prominent features of HF. Importantly, boron has the potential to induce cardiomyocyte cell cycle entry and potentially cardiac tissue regeneration after injury. Boron might be beneficial as a supplement in MI and may be a good candidate substance for anti-fibrosis approach.