Faculty Bibliography

L-Arginine, the sole substrate for the nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS) enzyme in producing NO, is also a substrate for arginase. We examined normal feline hearts and hearts with compensated left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy (LVH) produced by ascending aorta banding. Using Western blot analysis, we examined the abundance of arginase isozymes in crude homogenates and isolated cardiac myocytes obtained from the LVs of normal and LVH hearts. We examined the functional significance of myocyte arginase via measurement of shortening and intracellular calcium in isolated myocytes in the presence and absence of boronoethyl chloride (BEC), a specific pharmacological inhibitor of arginase. Both arginase I and II were detected in crude myocardial homogenates, but only arginase I was present in isolated cardiac myocytes. Arginase I was downregulated in LVH compared with normal. Inhibition of arginase with BEC reduced fractional shortening, maximal rate of shortening (+dL/dt) and relengthening (-dL/dt), and the peak of the free cytosolic calcium transient in normal myocytes but did not affect these parameters in LVH myocytes. These negative inotropic actions of arginase inhibition were associated with increases in cGMP generation. These studies indicate that only arginase I is present in cardiac myocytes where it tends to limit NO and cGMP production with the effect of supporting basal contractility. In experimental LVH induced by pressure overload, our studies demonstrate reduced arginase I expression and reduced functional significance, allowing greater arginine substrate availability for NO/cGMP signaling.

Whether myocardial contractile impairment contributes to orthostatic intolerance (OI) is controversial. Accordingly, we used transient bilateral carotid occlusion (TBCO) to compare the in vivo pressor, chronotropic, and inotropic responses (parts 1 and 2) to open-loop selective carotid baroreceptor unloading in anesthetized mice. In part 3, in vitro myocyte responses to isoproterenol in mice exposed to hindlimb unweighting (HLU) for approximately 2 wk were determined. Heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) responses to TBCO were measured. In control mice, TBCO increased HR (15 +/- 2 beats/min, P < 0.05) and MAP (17 +/- 2 mmHg, P < 0.05). These responses were markedly potentiated in denervated control (DC) mice, in which the aortic depressor nerve and sympathetic trunk were sectioned before measurement. Baroreflex responses to TBCO were eliminated by blockade with hexamethonium bromide (10 microg/kg). In HLU (denervated) mice, HR and MAP responses were reduced approximately 70% compared with DC mice. In part 2, myocardial contractile responses to TBCO were measured with a left ventricular micromanometer-conductance catheter. TBCO in DC mice increased the slope of the end-systolic pressure-volume relation (end-systolic elastance) by 86 +/- 13%. This inotropic response was attenuated (14 +/- 10%, P < 0.005) after HLU. In part 3, contractile responses to isoproterenol were impaired in myocytes isolated from HLU mice. In conclusion, selective carotid baroreceptor unloading stimulates HR, blood pressure, and myocardial contractility, and HLU attenuates each response. These findings have important implications for the management of OI in astronauts, the elderly, and individuals subjected to prolonged bed rest.

Historically, inhibitors of type III phosphodiesterases (PDE-III) have been effective inotropes in mammalian myocardium, but their clinical utility has been limited by adverse events, including arrhythmias that are considered to be due to Ca(2+) overload. ATI22-107 [2-(2-{2-[2-chloro-4-(6-oxo-1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-pyridazin-3-yl)-phenoxy]-acetylami no}-ethoxymethyl)-4-(2-chlorophenyl)-6-methyl-1,4-dihydro-pyridine-3,5-dicarboxyl ic acid dimethyl ester)], a novel, dual pharmacophore compound, was designed to simultaneously inhibit the cardiac phosphodiesterase (PDE-III) and produce inotropic effects, whereas inhibiting the L-type calcium channel (LTCC) was designed to minimize increases in diastolic Ca(2+). We compared the effects of ATI22-107 and enoximone, a pure PDE-III inhibitor, on the Fluo-3 calcium transient in normal feline ventricular myocytes and trabeculae. Enoximone-induced dose-dependent increases in peak [Ca(2+)](i), diastolic [Ca(2+)](i), T50, and T75. ATI22-107 demonstrated similar dose-dependent increases in peak [Ca(2+)](i) at 300 nM and 1.0 microM doses, with no further increases at higher doses. Throughout the dosing range, ATI22-107 induced much smaller, if any, increases in diastolic [Ca(2+)](i), T(25), and T(75). Current measurement of LTCC via patch-clamp techniques revealed dose-dependent decreases in LTCC current with an increasing dose of ATI22-107, thereby validating the dual functionality of the drug that has been proposed in this study. Studies in isolated trabeculae demonstrated that enoximone-induced a dose-dependent augmentation of the entire force-frequency relation in normal myocardium, whereas augmentation of contractility was only observed at lower stimulation frequencies with ATI22-107. These results demonstrate the effects of the LTCC-antagonizing moiety of ATI22-107 and suggest that the novel simultaneous combination of PDE-III and LTCC inhibition by one molecule may produce a favorable profile of limited inotropy without detrimental effects of increased diastolic [Ca(2+)](i).

The alpha-1 adrenergic receptors (alpha(1)ARs) are critical in sympathetically mediated vasoconstriction. The specific role of each alpha(1)AR subtype in regulating vasoconstriction remains highly controversial. Limited pharmacological studies suggest that differential alpha(1)AR responses may be the result of differential activation of junctional versus extrajunctional receptors. We tested the hypothesis that the alpha(1B)AR subtype is critical in mediating sympathetic junctional neurotransmission. We measured in vivo integrated cardiovascular responses to a hypotensive stimulus (induced via transient bilateral carotid occlusion [TBCO]) in alpha(1B)AR knockout (KO) mice and their wild-type (WT) littermates. In WT mice, after dissection of the carotid arteries and denervation of aortic baroreceptor buffering nerves, TBCO produced significant pressor and positive inotropic effects. Both responses were markedly attenuated in alpha(1B)AR KO mice (change systolic blood pressure 46+/-8 versus 11+/-2 mm Hg; percentage change in the end-systolic pressure-volume relationship [ESPVR] 36+/-7% versus 12+/-2%; WT versus KO; P<0.003). In vitro alpha(1)AR mesenteric microvascular contractile responses to endogenous norepinephrine (NE; elicited by electrical field stimulation 10 Hz) was markedly depressed in alpha(1B)AR KO mice compared with WT (12.4+/-1.7% versus 21.5+/-1.2%; P<0.001). In contrast, responses to exogenous NE were similar in alpha(1B)AR KO and WT mice (22.4+/-7.3% versus 33.4+/-4.3%; NS). Collectively, these results demonstrate a critical role for the alpha(1B)AR in baroreceptor-mediated adrenergic signaling at the vascular neuroeffector junction. Moreover, alpha(1B)ARs modulate inotropic responses to baroreceptor activation. The critical role for alpha(1B)AR in neuroeffector regulation of vascular tone and myocardial contractility has profound clinical implications for designing therapies for orthostatic intolerance.