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Cross-talk between the calpain and caspase-3 proteolytic systems in the diaphragm during prolonged mechanical ventilation

2012; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Volume: 40; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1097/ccm.0b013e318246bb5d

1530-0293

W. Bradley Nelson, Ashley J. Smuder, Matthew B. Hudson, Erin E. Talbert, Scott K. Powers,

Respiratory Support and Mechanisms

Diaphragmatic weakness, due to both atrophy and contractile dysfunction, is a well-documented response following prolonged mechanical ventilation. Evidence indicates that activation of the proteases calpain and caspase-3 is essential for mechanical ventilation-induced diaphragmatic weakness to occur. We tested the hypothesis that a regulatory cross-talk exists between calpain and caspase-3 in the diaphragm during prolonged mechanical ventilation. To test this prediction, we determined whether selective pharmacological inhibition of calpain would prevent activation of caspase-3 and conversely whether selective inhibition of caspase-3 would abate calpain activation.Animal study.University Research Laboratory.Female Sprague-Dawley rats.Animals were randomly divided into control or one of three 12-hr mechanical ventilation groups that were treated with/without a selective pharmacological protease inhibitor: 1) control, 2) mechanical ventilation, 3) mechanical ventilation with a selective caspase-3 inhibitor, and 4) mechanical ventilation with a selective calpain inhibitor.Compared to control, mechanical ventilation resulted in calpain and caspase-3 activation in the diaphragm accompanied by atrophy of type I, type IIa, and type IIx/IIb fibers. Independent inhibition of either calpain or caspase-3 prevented this mechanical ventilation-induced atrophy. Pharmacological inhibition of calpain prevented mechanical ventilation-induced activation of diaphragmatic caspase-3 and inhibition of caspase-3 prevented activation of diaphragmatic calpain. Furthermore, calpain inhibition also prevented the activation of caspase-9 and caspase-12, along with the cleavage of Bid to tBid, all upstream signals for caspase-3 activation. Lastly, caspase-3 inhibition prevented the mechanical ventilation-induced degradation of the endogenous calpain inhibitor, calpastatin.Collectively, these results indicate that mechanical ventilation-induced diaphragmatic atrophy is dependent on the activation of both calpain and caspase-3. Importantly, these findings provide the first experimental evidence in diaphragm muscle that calpain inhibition prevents the activation of caspase-3 and vice versa and caspase-3 inhibition prevents the activation of calpain. These findings support our hypothesis that a regulatory calpain/caspase-3 cross-talk exists whereby calpain can promote caspase-3 activation and active caspase-3 can enhance calpain activity in diaphragm muscle during prolonged mechanical ventilation.