thiourea and Cardiomegaly

In search of better antiarrhythmic therapy, targeting the Na/Ca exchanger is an option to be explored. The rationale is that increased activity of the Na/Ca exchanger has been implicated in arrhythmogenesis in a number of conditions. The evidence is strong for triggered arrhythmias related to Ca2+ overload, due to increased Na+ load or during adrenergic stimulation; the Na/Ca exchanger may be important in triggered arrhythmias in heart failure and in atrial fibrillation. There is also evidence for a less direct role of the Na/Ca exchanger in contributing to remodelling processes. In this chapter, we review this evidence and discuss the consequences of inhibition of Na/Ca exchange in the perspective of its physiological role in Ca2+ homeostasis. We summarize the current data on the use of available blockers of Na/Ca exchange and propose a framework for further study and development of such drugs. Very selective agents have great potential as tools for further study of the role the Na/Ca exchanger plays in arrhythmogenesis. For therapy, they may have their specific indications, but they carry the risk of increasing Ca2+ load of the cell. Agents with a broader action that includes Ca2+ channel block may have advantages in other conditions, e.g. with Ca2+ overload. Additional actions such as block of K+ channels, which may be unwanted in e.g. heart failure, may be used to advantage as well.

Topics: Action Potentials; Aniline Compounds; Animals; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; Arrhythmias, Cardiac; Calcium; Cardiomegaly; Heart; Heart Failure; Humans; Myocardium; Phenyl Ethers; Sodium-Calcium Exchanger; Thiourea

Pathological hypertrophy of the heart is closely associated with endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS), leading to maladaptations such as myocardial fibrosis, induction of apoptosis, and cardiac dysfunctions. Salubrinal is a known selective inhibitor of protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) complex involving dephosphorylation of phospho-eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 subunit (p-eIF2)-α, the key signaling process in the ERS pathway. In this study, the effects of salubrinal were examined on cardiac hypertrophy using the mouse model of transverse aortic constriction (TAC) and cell model of neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs). Treatment of TAC-induced mice with salubrinal (0.5 mg·kg

Topics: Animals; Cardiomegaly; Cinnamates; Disease Models, Animal; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Rats; Thiourea

Endothelin (ET-1) is a peptide hormone mediating a wide variety of biological processes and is associated with development of cardiac dysfunction. Generally, ET-1 is regarded as a molecular marker released only in correlation with the observation of a hypertrophic response or in conjunction with other hypertrophic stress. Although the cardiac hypertrophic effect of ET-1 is demonstrated, inotropic properties of cardiac muscle during chronic ET-1-induced hypertrophy remain largely unclear. Through the use of a novel in vitro multicellular culture system, changes in contractile force and kinetics of rabbit cardiac trabeculae in response to 1 nM ET-1 for 24 hours can be observed. Compared to the initial force at t = 0 hours, ET-1 treated muscles showed a ~2.5 fold increase in developed force after 24 hours without any effect on time to peak contraction or time to 90% relaxation. ET-1 increased muscle diameter by 12.5 ± 3.2% from the initial size, due to increased cell width compared to non-ET-1 treated muscles. Using specific signaling antagonists, inhibition of NCX, CaMKII, MAPKK, and IP3 could attenuate the effect of ET-1 on increased developed force. However, among these inhibitions only IP3 receptor blocker could not prevent the increase muscle size by ET-1. Interestingly, though calcineurin-NFAT inhibition could not suppress the effect of ET-1 on force development, it did prevent muscle hypertrophy. These findings suggest that ET-1 provokes both inotropic and hypertrophic activations on myocardium in which both activations share the same signaling pathway through MAPK and CaMKII in associated with NCX activity.

Topics: Analysis of Variance; Animals; Benzylamines; Boron Compounds; Calcineurin; Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2; Cardiomegaly; Cyclosporine; Endothelins; Immunoblotting; In Vitro Techniques; Indoles; Kinetics; Maleimides; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; Myocardial Contraction; NFATC Transcription Factors; Rabbits; Signal Transduction; Sulfonamides; Thiourea; Time Factors

Leptin, a product of the obesity gene, has been shown to produce cardiac hypertrophy. Although leptin's mechanism of action is poorly understood activation of the RhoA/ROCK pathway has been proposed as a contributing mechanism. The Ca(2+)-dependent phosphatase calcineurin plays a critical role in the hypertrophic program although it is not known whether leptin can activate this signaling pathway or whether there is a relationship between RhoA activation and calcineurin. Accordingly, we determined the effect of leptin on calcineurin activation and assessed the possible role of RhoA. Experiments were performed using cultured neonatal rat ventricular myocytes exposed to 50 ng/ml leptin for 24h which resulted in a robust hypertrophic response. Moreover, leptin significantly increased intracellular Ca(2+) and Na(+) concentrations which was associated with significantly reduced activity of the 3Na(+)-2K(+)ATPase. The hypertrophic response to leptin were completely abrogated by both C3 exoenzyme (C3), a RhoA inhibitor as well as the reverse mode 3Na(+)-1Ca(2+) exchange inhibitor KB-R7943 ((2-[2-[4-(4-nitrobenzyloxy)phenyl] ethyl]isothiourea methanesulfonate), however only the effect of the latter was associated with attenuation of intracellular Ca(2+) concentrations whereas Ca(2+) concentrations were unaffected by C3. Similarly, C3 and KB-R7943 significantly attenuated early leptin-induced increase in calcineurin activity as well as the increase in nuclear translocation of the transcriptional factor nuclear factor of activated T cells. The hypertrophic response to leptin was also associated with increased p38 and ERK1/2 MAPK phosphorylation and increased p38, but not ERK1/2, translocation into nuclei. Both p38 responses as well as hypertrophy were abrogated by KB-R7943 as well as the calcineurin inhibitor FK-506 although ERK1/2 phosphorylation was unaffected. Our study therefore demonstrates a critical role for the calcineurin pathway in mediating leptin-induced hypertrophy. Moreover, we report a novel RhoA-dependent leptin-induced calcineurin activation which acts independently of changes in intracellular Ca(2+) concentrations.

Topics: Animals; Calcineurin; Calcineurin Inhibitors; Calcium; Cardiomegaly; Cell Nucleus; Cells, Cultured; Leptin; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; Myocytes, Cardiac; NFATC Transcription Factors; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; Phosphorylation; Rats; rhoA GTP-Binding Protein; Signal Transduction; Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase; Tacrolimus; Thiourea; Translocation, Genetic

Ischemia, followed by reperfusion and restoration of oxygen to tissues, generates hydrogen peroxide which in turn generates injurious free radicals, particularly hydroxyl. Chronic hypoxia may also result in liberation of free radicals. In rats, chronic hypoxia causes pulmonary hypertension, associated with structural remodelling of pulmonary arteries, polycythemia, and vasoconstriction. We studied in rats the effects of dimethylthiourea (DMTU), a hydroxyl and hydrogen peroxide scavenger, on acute hypoxic vasoconstriction, and on the arterial structure and development of polycythemia after chronic hypoxia (FIO2 0.10 for 10 days, daily DMTU). DMTU did not affect acute vasoconstriction nor polycythemia. It significantly reduced muscularization of alveolar wall and alveolar duct arteries, medial thickening of alveolar wall and preacinar arteries, and right ventricular hypertrophy, suggesting reduction of pulmonary hypertension. However, DMTU caused marked growth retardation in both control and hypoxic rats, an effect not previously described. In other rats a similar degree of growth retardation due to reduced food intake failed to prevent the effects of hypoxia, suggesting that DMTU's effect is not through this mechanism. The results of this study support but do not confirm the hypothesis that free radicals may have a role in the pathogenesis of the arterial structural changes in the microcirculation contributing to chronic hypoxic pulmonary hypertension. However, in view of DMTU's effects on growth, definitive testing of the hypothesis will not be possible until other, less toxic, chronic hydroxyl scavengers become available.

Topics: Animals; Cardiomegaly; Chronic Disease; Free Radical Scavengers; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Hypoxia; Male; Polycythemia; Pulmonary Artery; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Thiourea; Vasoconstriction; Weight Gain

Acute lung injury due to alpha-naphthylthiourea (ANTU) is associated with increased permeability edema, transient pulmonary hypertension, and increased vascular reactivity. We sought to determine whether repeated administration of ANTU caused right ventricular hypertrophy. Rats were injected weekly for 4 wk with ANTU or an equivalent volume of the vehicle Tween 80. Rats injected repeatedly with ANTU in doses of 5-10 mg/kg body wt had increased ratios of right ventricular to left ventricular plus septal weights. The right ventricular hypertrophy in ANTU-treated rats was associated with right ventricular systolic hypertension. Repeated injections of ANTU also caused transient pulmonary edema after each dose, as evidenced by increased wet-to-dry lung weight ratios after 4 h, which returned to normal by 24 h. Lungs isolated from ANTU-injected rats had greater pressor responses to hypoxia and to angiotensin II than lungs from Tween 80-injected rats. Pressure-flow curves of isolated lungs, arterial blood gases, and hematocrits were similar in rats treated repetitively with ANTU or Tween alone. Lung histology was also similar in ANTU and control lungs, as were measurements of arterial medial thickness and ratios of numbers of arteries/100 alveoli, indicating that substantial vascular remodeling had not occurred. Thus, four weekly ANTU injections in rats caused right ventricular hypertrophy, probably due to pulmonary hypertension. We speculate that the pulmonary hypertension was due, at least in part, to sustained vasoconstriction, which somehow resulted from repeated acute lung injury.

Topics: Animals; Blood Pressure; Body Weight; Cardiomegaly; Heart Ventricles; Lung; Lung Injury; Male; Organ Size; Polysorbates; Pulmonary Artery; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Thiourea