Myocardial Apoptosis (myocardial + apoptosi)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


High-dose glucose-insulin-potassium treatment reduces myocardial apoptosis in patients with acute myocardial infarction

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION, Issue 3 2005
L. Zhang
Abstract Background, Several clinical trials have suggested that a metabolic cocktail of glucose-insulin-potassium (GIK) decreases mortality rates in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). It has also been reported that Fas-mediated apoptosis plays an important role in ischaemic/reperfusion injury in the rat model. This study was designed to evaluate the interaction of ischaemic/reperfusion and reperfusion therapy coadministered with high-dose GIK treatment on soluble Fas/APO-1 (sFas) and Fas ligand (sFasL) plasma concentration in patients with AMI. Materials and methods, Seventy-four patients presenting with AMI who underwent reperfusion therapy were randomized into a GIK group (n = 35) receiving high-dose GIK for 24 h or a vehicle group (n = 39). Thirty-four control subjects were also enrolled in the present study. Strepavidin-biotin ELISA was used to determine the soluble sFas and sFasL plasma concentration at baseline, 24 h (h), 3 day (d), 7 d and 14 d. Results, Soluble Fas and sFas-L serum concentrations ([sFas] and [sFas-L]) of patients with AMI were significantly elevated at baseline as compared with normal controls (NCs; P < 0·01 vs. NC). The sFas in the GIK and vehicle groups markedly decreased 24 h after the GIK infusion (10·7,5·9 ng mL,1 and 9·7,6·5 ng mL,1; P < 0·01 vs. baseline) and then increased during the 3,7-d period (5·9,12·1 ng mL,1 and 6·5,11·1 ng mL,1; P < 0·01 vs. 24 h). The GIK group demonstrated reduced sFas (12·1,5·9 ng mL,1) at 14 d (P < 0·01 vs. 7 d), with no concomitant changes in the vehicle group. The sFas-L in the GIK and vehicle groups was not significant different during the 14-d period. Conclusions, These results indicate that the sFas and sFasL in patients with AMI increased significantly compared with NC. Owing to the cardioprotective effects reported here and by others, a high-dose GIK infusion co-administered with the timely re-establishment of nutritive perfusion should be strongly considered as a treatment of choice for AMI. Additionally, sFas may be a valuable marker of the physiological response to ischaemic/reperfusion injury and reperfusion associated with high-dose GIK treatment. [source]


Pathophysiologic role of myocardial apoptosis in post-infarction left ventricular remodeling

JOURNAL OF CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 2 2002
Antonio Abbate
Left ventricular (LV) remodeling and heart failure (HF) complicate acute myocardial infarction (AMI) even weeks to months after the initial insult. Apoptosis may represent an important pathophysiologic mechanism causing progressive myocardiocyte loss and LV dilatation even late after AMI. This review will discuss the role of apoptosis according to findings in animal experimental data and observational studies in humans in order to assess clinical relevance, determinants, and mechanisms of myocardial apoptosis and potential therapeutic implications. More complete definition of the impact of myocardiocyte loss on prognosis and of the mechanisms involved may lead to improved understanding of cardiac remodeling and possibly improved patients' care. Mitochondrial damage and bcl-2 to bax balance play a central role in ischemia-dependent apoptosis while angiotensin II and ,1 -adrenergic-stimulation may be major causes of receptor-mediated apoptosis. Benefits due to treatment with ACE-inhibitors and ,-blockers appear to be in part due to reduced myocardial apoptosis. Moreover, infarct-related artery patency late after AMI may be a major determinant of myocardial apoptosis and clinical benefits deriving from an open artery late post AMI (the "open artery hypothesis") may be, at least in part, due to reduced myocardiocyte loss. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Bacopa monniera protects rat heart against ischaemia,reperfusion injury: role of key apoptotic regulatory proteins and enzymes

JOURNAL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACOLOGY: AN INTERNATI ONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCE, Issue 9 2010
Ipseeta Ray Mohanty
Abstract Objectives, Rat isolated hearts were perfused in a Langendorff model to study the cardioprotective effects of Bacopa monniera, a medicinal herb used in the Indian system of medicine, on cardiomyocyte apoptosis and antioxidant status following ischaemia,reperfusion (I-R) injury. Methods, Forty-eight rats were randomly divided into four groups (12 in each group): sham group (no ischaemia,reperfusion injury), B. monniera control group (orally fed B. monniera at a dose of 75 mg/kg, for three weeks); ischaemia,reperfusion control group(subjected to ischaemia,reperfusion-induced myocardial injury) and B. monniera -treated group (same protocol as ischaemia,reperfusion control group except that rats also fed B. monniera). Key findings, Post-ischaemic reperfusion injury resulted in significant cardiac necrosis, apoptosis, depression of heart rate, decline in antioxidant status and elevation in lipid peroxidation. Oral administration of B. monniera per se for three weeks to healthy rats caused augmentation of myocardial antioxidants, superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione, along with induction of heat shock protein 72 (HSP72). Ischaemia,reperfusion-induced biochemical and histopathological perturbations were significantly prevented by B. monniera (75 mg/kg) pre-treatment. Interestingly, B. monniera also restored the antioxidant network of the myocardium and reduced myocardial apoptosis, caspase 3 and Bax protein expression. Conclusions, Histopathological studies and myocardial creatine phosphokinase content further confirmed the cardioprotective effects of B. monniera (75 mg/kg) in the experimental model of ischaemia,reperfusion injury. The study provides scientific basis for the putative therapeutic effect of B. monniera in ischaemic heart disease. [source]


Effect of oriental herbal prescription Guan-Xin-Er-Hao on coronary flow in healthy volunteers and antiapoptosis on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion in rat models

PHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, Issue 10 2007
Jianlei Zhao
Abstract Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is the main cause of death and a major public health problem in the world. The traditional herbal medicinal formula Guan-Xin-Er-Hao (GXEH) has been used in China and East Asia for the treatment of coronary heart disease, however, the underlying cardioprotection mechanisms remain unclear. To make clear the antiischemic mechanism involved, GXEH was orally administered to 15 healthy volunteers. Heart rates (HR), blood pressure and coronary flow (CF) velocity before and 1 h after a single oral dose of GXEH were observed and compared. It was demonstrated that the oral administration of GXEH increased CF acutely in a dose-dependent manner without modification of systemic hemodynamic parameters. Moreover, the myocardial protection function of GXEH was also experimentally examined in ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) rat models. Apoptosis was measured quantitatively by the terminal transferase UTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) method and confirmed by caspase-3 activity. The infarct size and TUNEL-positive cells of GXEH-treated group (20 g/kg) were reduced significantly, which was consistent with the decreased caspase-3 activity. These suggest that GXEH protects hearts from ischemia injury by increasing CF and reduces infarct size by inhibiting myocardial apoptosis. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Apoptosis in the Myocardium of the Adult Dromedary Camel: Ultrastructural Characterization

ANATOMIA, HISTOLOGIA, EMBRYOLOGIA, Issue 1 2010
A.-H. K. Osman
Summary Apoptosis is a highly regulated mode of cell death that occurs in the absence of inflammation. Light microscopic (LM) examination of the myocardium of apparently healthy camel did not reveal evidence of apoptosis in any samples; however, evidence of apoptosis was apparent by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The most common apoptotic features observed by TEM included (1) an intact sarcolemma with some bleb formation; (2) nuclear chromatin condensation and margination with nucleolar disruption; (3) mitochondrial swelling and disorganization, accompanied by degeneration or hypercondensation of cristae; and (4) an intercalated disc region with a higher-than-normal mitochondrion/myofibril ratio, or surrounded from both sides by asymmetrically contracted sarcomeres. Apoptotic alterations were also noted among the endothelial cells lining the microvasculature of the myocardium. These alterations included (1) marked nuclear chromatin condensation and margination; (2) villous blebs on the adluminal plasmalemma, which projected into the lumen; (3) cytoplasmic vacuolation; (4) presence of intraluminal membrane-bounded vesicles; and (5) occasional pericapillary edema and accumulations of cellular debris. The results of this study indicate that myocardial apoptosis can occur in apparently healthy camels, in the absence of a clear-cut etiology. [source]


Anti-inflammatory actions of aprotinin provide dose-dependent cardioprotection from reperfusion injury

BRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 1 2008
J M Carter
Background and purpose: Myocardial injury following ischaemia and reperfusion has been attributed to activation and transmigration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) with release of mediators including oxygen-derived radicals and proteases causing damage. Experimental approach: We studied the serine protease inhibitor aprotinin in an in vivo rabbit model of 1 h of myocardial ischaemia followed by 3 h of reperfusion (MI+R). Aprotinin (10 000 Ukg,1) or its vehicle were injected 5 min prior to the start of reperfusion. Key results: Myocardial injury was significantly reduced with aprotinin treatment as indicated by a reduced necrotic area (11±2.7% necrosis as percentage of area at risk after aprotinin; 24±3.1% after vehicle; P<0.05) and plasma creatine kinase activity (12.2±1.5 and 17.3±2.3 IU g,1 protein in aprotinin and vehicle groups, respectively, P<0.05). PMN infiltration (assessed by myeloperoxidase activity) was significantly decreased in aprotinin-treated animals compared to vehicle (P<0.01). Histological analysis also revealed a substantial increase in PMN infiltration following MI+R and this was significantly reduced by aprotinin therapy (44±15 vs 102±2 PMN mm2 in aprotinin vs vehicle-treated animals, P<0.05). In parallel in vitro experiments, aprotinin inhibited neutrophil-endothelium interaction by reducing PMN adhesion on isolated, activated aortic endothelium. Finally, immunohistochemical analysis illustrated aprotinin significantly reduced myocardial apoptosis following MI+R. Conclusions and implications: Inhibition of serine proteases by aprotinin inhibits an inflammatory cascade initiated by MI+R. The cardioprotective effect appears to be at least partly due to reduced PMN adhesion and infiltration with subsequently reduced myocardial necrosis and apoptosis. British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 155, 93,102; doi:10.1038/bjp.2008.223; published online 9 June 2008 [source]


Anti-apoptotic effect of benidipine, a long-lasting vasodilating calcium antagonist, in ischaemic/reperfused myocardial cells

BRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 4 2001
Feng Gao
Ischaemia/reperfusion causes intracellular calcium overloading in cardiac cells. Administration of calcium antagonists reduces myocardial infarct size. Recent in vitro studies have demonstrated that calcium plays a critical role in the signal transduction pathway leading to apoptosis. However, whether or not calcium antagonists may reduce myocardial apoptosis induced by ischaemia-reperfusion, and thus decrease myocardial infarction, has not been directly investigated. The present study investigated the effects of benidipine, an L-type calcium channel blocker, on myocardial infarct size, apoptosis, necrosis and cardiac functional recovery in rabbits subjected to myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion (MI/R, 45 min/240 min). Ten minutes prior to coronary occlusion, rabbits were treated with vehicle or benidipine (10 ,g kg,1 or 3 ,g kg,1, i.v.). In the vehicle-treated group, MI/R caused cardiomyocyte apoptosis as evidenced by DNA ladder formation and TUNEL positive nuclear staining (12.2±1.1%). Treatment with 10 ,g kg,1 benidipine lowered blood pressure, decreased myocardial apoptosis (6.2±0.8%, P<0.01 vs vehicle) and necrosis, reduced infarct size (20±2.3% vs 49±2.6%, P<0.01), and improved cardiac functional recovery after reperfusion. Administering benidipine at 3 ,g kg,1, a dose at which no haemodynamic effect was observed, also exerted significant anti-apoptosis effects, which were not significantly different from those observed with higher dose benidipine treatment. However, treatment with this low dose benidipine failed to reduce myocardial necrosis. These results demonstrate that benidipine, a calcium antagonist, exerts significant anti-apoptosis effects, which are independent of haemodynamic changes. Administration of benidipine at a higher dose produced favourable haemodynamic effects and provided additional protection against myocardial necrotic injury and further improved cardiac functional recovery. British Journal of Pharmacology (2001) 132, 869,878; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0703881 [source]


The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase,Akt pathway protects cardiomyocytes from ischaemic and hypoxic apoptosis via mitochondrial function

CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PHARMACOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 5-6 2010
Hua-Pei Song
Summary 1.,After a severe burn, a marked decrease in myocardial blood flow results in ischaemic and hypoxic injury, which subsequently leads to apoptosis or necrosis. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K)/Akt is an important intracellular signal transduction molecule that regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, glucose metabolism and migration. However, the function and mechanisms of the PI3-K,Akt pathway in cardiomyocyte apoptosis after a burn remain unclear. 2.,In the present study, an in vivo rat model of burn injury and an in vitro hypoxic model using rat cardiomyocytes were established. In burned rats, the expression of PI3-K and phosphorylated (p-) Akt expression increased, as did myocardial apoptosis. Inhibition of the PI3-K,Akt pathway with 1.4 mg/kg LY294002 caused a significant increase in the myocardial apoptotic index compared with hypoxia alone in the in vivo model. 3.,Cardiomyocytes cultured under hypoxic conditions exhibited increased apoptosis, decreased cell viability, enhanced caspase 3 activity, a decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, increased cytoplasmic calcium transients and increased p53 and Bax mRNA expression. Pretreatment with 50 ,mol/L LY294002 significantly enhanced all these negative indicators compared with hypoxia alone. In contrast, pretreatment of cells with 200 ng/mL insulin-like growth factor-1, an activator of PI3-K,Akt, significantly ameliorated the effects of hypoxia, although control levels were not reached. 4.,These findings indicate that activation of the PI3-K,Akt pathway induced by ischaemia and hypoxia after a severe burn can protect cardiomyocytes from apoptosis. This anti-apoptotic effect is most likely mediated via the mitochondria and changes in p53 and Bax gene expression, intracellular [Ca2+] and caspase 3 activity. [source]