Artigo Acesso aberto Produção Nacional Revisado por pares

Chronic Sympathetic Hyperactivity Triggers Electrophysiological Remodeling and Disrupts Excitation-Contraction Coupling in Heart

2020; Nature Portfolio; Volume: 10; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1038/s41598-020-64949-7

ISSN

2045-2322

Autores

Humberto C. Joca, Artur Santos‐Miranda, Julliane V. Joviano‐Santos, Rebeca Peres Moreno Maia-Joca, Patrı́cia C. Brum, George S.B. Williams, Jáder Santos Cruz,

Tópico(s)

Receptor Mechanisms and Signaling

Resumo

Abstract The sympathetic nervous system is essential for maintenance of cardiac function via activation of post-junctional adrenergic receptors. Prolonged adrenergic receptor activation, however, has deleterious long-term effects leading to hypertrophy and the development of heart failure. Here we investigate the effect of chronic adrenergic receptors activation on excitation-contraction coupling (ECC) in ventricular cardiomyocytes from a previously characterized mouse model of chronic sympathetic hyperactivity, which are genetically deficient in the adrenoceptor α2A and α2C genes (ARDKO). When compared to wild-type (WT) cardiomyocytes, ARDKO displayed reduced fractional shortening (~33%) and slower relaxation (~20%). Furthermore, ARDKO cells exhibited several electrophysiological changes such as action potential (AP) prolongation (~50%), reduced L-type calcium channel (LCC) current (~33%), reduced outward potassium (K + ) currents (~30%), and increased sodium/calcium exchanger (NCX) activity (~52%). Consistent with reduced contractility and calcium (Ca 2+ ) currents, the cytosolic Ca 2+ ([Ca 2+ ] i ) transient from ARDKO animals was smaller and decayed slower. Importantly, no changes were observed in membrane resting potential, AP amplitude, or the inward K + current. Finally, we modified our existing cardiac ECC computational model to account for changes in the ARDKO heart. Simulations suggest that cellular changes in the ARDKO heart resulted in variable and dyssynchronous Ca 2+ -induced Ca 2+ release therefore altering [Ca 2+ ] i transient dynamics and reducing force generation. In conclusion, chronic sympathetic hyperactivity impairs ECC by changing the density of several ionic currents (and thus AP repolarization) causing altered Ca 2+ dynamics and contractile activity. This demonstrates the important role of ECC remodeling in the cardiac dysfunction secondary to chronic sympathetic activity.

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