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Habecker BA, Bers DM, Birren SJ, Chang R, Herring N, Kay MW, Li D, Mendelowitz D, Mongillo M, Montgomery JM, Ripplinger CM, Tampakakis E, Winbo A, Zaglia T, Zeltner N, Paterson DJ. Molecular and cellular neurocardiology in heart disease. J Physiol 2024. [PMID: 38778747 DOI: 10.1113/jp284739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
This paper updates and builds on a previous White Paper in this journal that some of us contributed to concerning the molecular and cellular basis of cardiac neurobiology of heart disease. Here we focus on recent findings that underpin cardiac autonomic development, novel intracellular pathways and neuroplasticity. Throughout we highlight unanswered questions and areas of controversy. Whilst some neurochemical pathways are already demonstrating prognostic viability in patients with heart failure, we also discuss the opportunity to better understand sympathetic impairment by using patient specific stem cells that provides pathophysiological contextualization to study 'disease in a dish'. Novel imaging techniques and spatial transcriptomics are also facilitating a road map for target discovery of molecular pathways that may form a therapeutic opportunity to treat cardiac dysautonomia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beth A Habecker
- Department of Chemical Physiology & Biochemistry, Department of Medicine Knight Cardiovascular Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Donald M Bers
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Susan J Birren
- Department of Biology, Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA
| | - Rui Chang
- Department of Neuroscience, Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Neil Herring
- Burdon Sanderson Cardiac Science Centre and BHF Centre of Research Excellence, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Matthew W Kay
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Dan Li
- Burdon Sanderson Cardiac Science Centre and BHF Centre of Research Excellence, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - David Mendelowitz
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Marco Mongillo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Johanna M Montgomery
- Department of Physiology and Manaaki Manawa Centre for Heart Research, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Crystal M Ripplinger
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Davis, CA, USA
| | | | - Annika Winbo
- Department of Physiology and Manaaki Manawa Centre for Heart Research, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Tania Zaglia
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Nadja Zeltner
- Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Center for Molecular Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - David J Paterson
- Burdon Sanderson Cardiac Science Centre and BHF Centre of Research Excellence, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Chen HS, Voortman LM, van Munsteren JC, Wisse LJ, deRuiter MC, Zeppenfeld K, Jongbloed MRM. Quantification of the intrinsic neural plexus of the heart - The missing link in histological tissue analysis. COMPUTER METHODS AND PROGRAMS IN BIOMEDICINE 2024; 244:107984. [PMID: 38181573 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2023.107984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The heart is under strict regulation of the autonomic nervous system, during which, in a healthy state, the effects of sympathetic and parasympathetic branches are balanced. In recent years, there has been increasing interest in pathological remodeling and outgrowth of cardiac autonomic nerves in relation to arrhythmogenesis. However, the small size of the cardiac nerves in relatively large tissues renders research using histological quantification of these nerves extremely challenging and usually relies on quantification of the nerve density in selected regions of interest only. Our aim was to develop a method to be able to quantify the histological nerve density in transmural tissue sections. METHODS Here we describe a novel workflow that enables visualization and quantification of variable innervation types and their heterogeneity within transmural myocardial tissue sections. A custom semiautomatic workflow for the quantification of cardiac nerves involving Python, MATLAB and ImageJ is provided and described in this protocol in a stepwise and detailed manner. REPRESENTATIVE RESULTS The results of two example tissue sections are represented in this paper. An example tissue section taken from the infarction core with a high heterogeneity value of 0.20, 63.3% normal innervation, 12.2% hyperinnervation, 3.6% hypoinnervation and 21.0% denervation. The second example tissue section taken from an area of the left ventricle remote from the infarction showed a low heterogeneity value of 0.02, 95.3% normal innervation, 3.8% hyperinnervation, 0.5% hypoinnervation and 0.5% denervation. CONCLUSIONS This approach has the potential to be broadly applied to any research involving high-resolution imaging of nerves in large tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Sophia Chen
- Department of Cardiology, Willem Einthoven Center for Cardiac Arrhythmia Research and Management, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands; Department of Anatomy & Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Lenard M Voortman
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - J Conny van Munsteren
- Department of Anatomy & Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Lambertus J Wisse
- Department of Anatomy & Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Marco C deRuiter
- Department of Anatomy & Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Katja Zeppenfeld
- Department of Cardiology, Willem Einthoven Center for Cardiac Arrhythmia Research and Management, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands; Department of Cardiology, Center for Congenital Heart Disease, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands; Department of Cardiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Monique R M Jongbloed
- Department of Anatomy & Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands; Department of Cardiology, Center for Congenital Heart Disease, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
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Barrett MS, Bauer TC, Li MH, Hegarty DM, Mota CMD, Amaefuna CJ, Ingram SL, Habecker BA, Aicher SA. Ischemia-reperfusion myocardial infarction induces remodeling of left cardiac-projecting stellate ganglia neurons. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2024; 326:H166-H179. [PMID: 37947434 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00582.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Neurons in the stellate ganglion (SG) provide sympathetic innervation to the heart, brown adipose tissue (BAT), and other organs. Sympathetic innervation to the heart becomes hyperactive following myocardial infarction (MI). The impact of MI on the morphology of cardiac sympathetic neurons is not known, but we hypothesized that MI would stimulate increased cell and dendritic tree size in cardiac neurons. In this study, we examined the effects of ischemia-reperfusion MI on sympathetic neurons using dual retrograde tracing methods to allow detailed characterization of cardiac- and BAT-projecting neurons. Different fluorescently conjugated cholera toxin subunit B (CTb) tracers were injected into the pericardium and the interscapular BAT pads, respectively. Experimental animals received a 45-min occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery and controls received sham surgery. One week later, hearts were collected for assessment of MI infarct and SGs were collected for morphological or electrophysiological analysis. Cardiac-projecting SG neurons from MI mice had smaller cell bodies and shorter dendritic trees compared with sham animals, specifically on the left side ipsilateral to the MI. BAT-projecting neurons were not altered by MI, demonstrating the subpopulation specificity of the response. The normal size and distribution differences between BAT- and cardiac-projecting stellate ganglion neurons were not altered by MI. Patch-clamp recordings from cardiac-projecting left SG neurons revealed increased spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents despite the decrease in cell and dendritic tree size. Thus, increased dendritic tree size does not contribute to the enhanced sympathetic neural activity seen after MI.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Myocardial infarction (MI) causes structural and functional changes specifically in stellate ganglion neurons that project to the heart, but not in cells that project to brown adipose fat tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine S Barrett
- Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States
| | - Temerity C Bauer
- Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States
| | - Ming-Hua Li
- Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States
| | - Deborah M Hegarty
- Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States
| | - Clarissa M D Mota
- Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States
| | - Chimezie J Amaefuna
- Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States
| | - Susan L Ingram
- Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States
| | - Beth A Habecker
- Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States
| | - Sue A Aicher
- Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States
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Nair SS, Govindankutty MM, Balakrishnan M, Prasad K, Sathyaprabha TN, Udupa K. Investigation of Autonomic Dysfunction in Alzheimer's Disease-A Computational Model-Based Approach. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1322. [PMID: 37759923 PMCID: PMC10526304 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13091322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
(1) Background and Objective: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is commonly accompanied by autonomic dysfunction. Investigating autonomic dysfunction's occurrence patterns and severity may aid in making a distinction between different dementia subtypes, as cardiac autonomic dysfunction and AD severity are correlated. Heart rate variability (HRV) allows for a non-invasive assessment of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). AD is characterized by cholinergic depletion. A computational model of ANS based on the kinetics of acetylcholine and norepinephrine is used to simulate HRV for various autonomic states. The model has the flexibility to suitably modulate the concentration of acetylcholine corresponding to different autonomic states. (2) Methods: Twenty clinically plausible AD patients are compared to 20 age- and gender-matched healthy controls using HRV measures. Statistical analysis is performed to identify the HRV parameters that vary significantly in AD. By modulating the acetylcholine concentration in a controlled manner, different autonomic states of Alzheimer's disease are simulated using the ANS model. (3) Results: In patients with AD, there is a significant decrease in vagal activity, sympathovagal imbalance with a dominant sympathetic activity, and change in the time domain, frequency domain, and nonlinear HRV characteristics. Simulated HRV features corresponding to 10 progressive states of AD are presented. (4) Conclusions: There is a significant difference in the HRV features during AD. As cholinergic depletion and autonomic dysfunction have a common neurological basis, autonomic function assessment can help in diagnosis and assessment of AD. Quantitative models may help in better comprehending the pathophysiology of the disease and assessment of its progress.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Minimol Balakrishnan
- Model Engineering College, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi 682022, India
| | - Krishna Prasad
- Department of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru 560029, India
| | - Talakad N. Sathyaprabha
- Department of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru 560029, India
| | - Kaviraja Udupa
- Department of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru 560029, India
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5
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Pauziene N, Ranceviene D, Rysevaite-Kyguoliene K, Inokaitis H, Saburkina I, Plekhanova K, Sabeckiene D, Sabeckis I, Martinaityte R, Pilnikovaite E, Pauza DH. Comparative analysis of intracardiac neural structures in the aged rats with essential hypertension. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2023; 306:2313-2332. [PMID: 36342958 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Persistent arterial hypertension initiates cardiac autonomic imbalance and alters cardiac tissues. Previous studies have shown that neural component contributes to arterial hypertension etiology, maintenance, and progression and leads to brain damage, peripheral neuropathy, and remodeling of intrinsic cardiac neural plexus. Recently, significant structural changes of the intracardiac neural plexus were demonstrated in young prehypertensive and adult hypertensive spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), yet structural alterations of intracardiac neural plexus that occur in the aged SHR remain undetermined. Thus, we analyzed the impact of uncontrolled arterial hypertension in old (48-52 weeks) SHR and the age-matched Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). Intrinsic cardiac neural plexus was examined using a combination of immunofluorescence confocal microscopy and transmission electron microscopy in cardiac sections and whole-mount preparations. Our findings demonstrate that structural changes of intrinsic cardiac neural plexus caused by arterial hypertension are heterogeneous and may support recent physiological implications about cardiac denervation occurring together with the hyperinnervation of the SHR heart. We conclude that arterial hypertension leads to (i) the decrease of the neuronal body area, the thickness of atrial nerves, the number of myelinated nerve fibers, unmyelinated axon area and cumulative axon area in the nerve, and the density of myocardial nerve fibers, and (ii) the increase in myelinated nerve fiber area and density of neuronal bodies within epicardiac ganglia. Despite neuropathic alterations of myelinated fibers were exposed within intracardiac nerves of both groups, SHR and WKY, we consider that the determined significant changes in structure of intrinsic cardiac neural plexus were predisposed by arterial hypertension.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Inga Saburkina
- Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | | | | | - Ignas Sabeckis
- Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
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Yang PC, Rose A, DeMarco KR, Dawson JRD, Han Y, Jeng MT, Harvey RD, Santana LF, Ripplinger CM, Vorobyov I, Lewis TJ, Clancy CE. A multiscale predictive digital twin for neurocardiac modulation. J Physiol 2023; 601:3789-3812. [PMID: 37528537 PMCID: PMC10528740 DOI: 10.1113/jp284391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiac function is tightly regulated by the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Activation of the sympathetic nervous system increases cardiac output by increasing heart rate and stroke volume, while parasympathetic nerve stimulation instantly slows heart rate. Importantly, imbalance in autonomic control of the heart has been implicated in the development of arrhythmias and heart failure. Understanding of the mechanisms and effects of autonomic stimulation is a major challenge because synapses in different regions of the heart result in multiple changes to heart function. For example, nerve synapses on the sinoatrial node (SAN) impact pacemaking, while synapses on contractile cells alter contraction and arrhythmia vulnerability. Here, we present a multiscale neurocardiac modelling and simulator tool that predicts the effect of efferent stimulation of the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the ANS on the cardiac SAN and ventricular myocardium. The model includes a layered representation of the ANS and reproduces firing properties measured experimentally. Model parameters are derived from experiments and atomistic simulations. The model is a first prototype of a digital twin that is applied to make predictions across all system scales, from subcellular signalling to pacemaker frequency to tissue level responses. We predict conditions under which autonomic imbalance induces proarrhythmia and can be modified to prevent or inhibit arrhythmia. In summary, the multiscale model constitutes a predictive digital twin framework to test and guide high-throughput prediction of novel neuromodulatory therapy. KEY POINTS: A multi-layered model representation of the autonomic nervous system that includes sympathetic and parasympathetic branches, each with sparse random intralayer connectivity, synaptic dynamics and conductance based integrate-and-fire neurons generates firing patterns in close agreement with experiment. A key feature of the neurocardiac computational model is the connection between the autonomic nervous system and both pacemaker and contractile cells, where modification to pacemaker frequency drives initiation of electrical signals in the contractile cells. We utilized atomic-scale molecular dynamics simulations to predict the association and dissociation rates of noradrenaline with the β-adrenergic receptor. Multiscale predictions demonstrate how autonomic imbalance may increase proclivity to arrhythmias or be used to terminate arrhythmias. The model serves as a first step towards a digital twin for predicting neuromodulation to prevent or reduce disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei-Chi Yang
- Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA
| | - Adam Rose
- Department of Mathematics, University of California Davis, Davis, CA
| | - Kevin R. DeMarco
- Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA
| | - John R. D. Dawson
- Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA
| | - Yanxiao Han
- Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA
| | - Mao-Tsuen Jeng
- Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA
| | | | - L. Fernando Santana
- Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA
| | | | - Igor Vorobyov
- Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA
| | - Timothy J. Lewis
- Department of Mathematics, University of California Davis, Davis, CA
| | - Colleen E. Clancy
- Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA
- Center for Precision Medicine and Data Science, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA
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Magtibay K, Massé S, Nanthakumar K, Umapathy K. Pro-arrhythmic role of adrenergic spatial densities in the human atria: An in-silico study. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0290676. [PMID: 37624832 PMCID: PMC10456151 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic stress among young patients (≤ 45 years old) could result in autonomic dysfunction. Autonomic dysfunction could be exhibited via sympathetic hyperactivity, sympathetic nerve sprouting, and diffuse adrenergic stimulation in the atria. Adrenergic spatial densities could alter atrial electrophysiology and increase arrhythmic susceptibility. Therefore, we examined the role of adrenergic spatial densities in creating arrhythmogenic substrates in silico. We simulated three 25 cm2 atrial sheets with varying adrenergic spatial densities (ASD), activation rates, and external transmembrane currents. We measured their effects on spatial and temporal heterogeneity of action potential durations (APD) at 50% and 20%. Increasing ASD shortens overall APD, and maximum spatial heterogeneity (31%) is achieved at 15% ASD. The addition of a few (5% to 10%) adrenergic elements decreases the excitation threshold, below 18 μA/cm2, while ASDs greater than 10% increase their excitation threshold up to 22 μA/cm2. Increase in ASD during rapid activation increases APD50 and APD20 by 21% and 41%, respectively. Activation times of captured beats during rapid activation could change by as much as 120 ms from the baseline cycle length. Rapidly activated atrial sheets with high ASDs significantly increase temporal heterogeneity of APD50 and APD20. Rapidly activated atrial sheets with 10% ASD have a high likelihood (0.7 ± 0.06) of fragmenting otherwise uniform wavefronts due to the transient inexcitability of adrenergically stimulated elements, producing an effective functional block. The likelihood of wave fragmentation due to ASD highly correlates with the spatial variations of APD20 (ρ = 0.90, p = 0.04). Our simulations provide a novel insight into the contributions of ASD to spatial and temporal heterogeneities of APDs, changes in excitation thresholds, and a potential explanation for wave fragmentation in the human atria due to sympathetic hyperactivity. Our work may aid in elucidating an electrophysiological link to arrhythmia initiation due to chronic stress among young patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl Magtibay
- Biomedical Signal and Image Processing Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Stéphane Massé
- Toby Hull Cardiac Fibrillation Management Laboratory, Department of Medicine/Cardiology, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kumaraswamy Nanthakumar
- Toby Hull Cardiac Fibrillation Management Laboratory, Department of Medicine/Cardiology, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Karthikeyan Umapathy
- Biomedical Signal and Image Processing Laboratory, Department of Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Beccacece L, Abondio P, Giorgetti A, Bini C, Pelletti G, Luiselli D, Pelotti S. A Genome-Wide Analysis of a Sudden Cardiac Death Cohort: Identifying Novel Target Variants in the Era of Molecular Autopsy. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1265. [PMID: 37372445 DOI: 10.3390/genes14061265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is an unexpected natural death due to cardiac causes, usually happening within one hour of symptom manifestation or in individuals in good health up to 24 h before the event. Genomic screening has been increasingly applied as a useful approach to detecting the genetic variants that potentially contribute to SCD and helping the evaluation of SCD cases in the post-mortem setting. Our aim was to identify the genetic markers associated with SCD, which might enable its target screening and prevention. In this scope, a case-control analysis through the post-mortem genome-wide screening of 30 autopsy cases was performed. We identified a high number of novel genetic variants associated with SCD, of which 25 polymorphisms were consistent with a previous link to cardiovascular diseases. We ascertained that many genes have been already linked to cardiovascular system functioning and diseases and that the metabolisms most implicated in SCD are the lipid, cholesterol, arachidonic acid, and drug metabolisms, suggesting their roles as potential risk factors. Overall, the genetic variants pinpointed herein might be useful markers of SCD, but the novelty of these results requires further investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Livia Beccacece
- Computational Genomics Lab, Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Paolo Abondio
- aDNA Lab, Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Ravenna Campus, 48121 Ravenna, Italy
| | - Arianna Giorgetti
- Unit of Legal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Carla Bini
- Unit of Legal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Guido Pelletti
- Unit of Legal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Donata Luiselli
- aDNA Lab, Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Ravenna Campus, 48121 Ravenna, Italy
| | - Susi Pelotti
- Unit of Legal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
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9
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Clyburn C, Li MH, Ingram SL, Andresen MC, Habecker BA. Cholinergic collaterals arising from noradrenergic sympathetic neurons in mice. J Physiol 2023; 601:1247-1264. [PMID: 36797985 PMCID: PMC10065914 DOI: 10.1113/jp284059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The sympathetic nervous system vitally regulates autonomic functions, including cardiac activity. Postganglionic neurons of the sympathetic chain ganglia relay signals from the central nervous system to autonomic peripheral targets. Disrupting this flow of information often dysregulates organ function and leads to poor health outcomes. Despite the importance of these sympathetic neurons, fundamental aspects of the neurocircuitry within peripheral ganglia remain poorly understood. Conventionally, simple monosynaptic cholinergic pathways from preganglionic neurons are thought to activate postganglionic sympathetic neurons. However, early studies suggested more complex neurocircuits may be present within sympathetic ganglia. The present study recorded synaptic responses in sympathetic stellate ganglia neurons following electrical activation of the pre- and postganglionic nerve trunks and used genetic strategies to assess the presence of collateral projections between postganglionic neurons of the stellate ganglia. Orthograde activation of the preganglionic nerve trunk, T-2, uncovered high jitter synaptic latencies consistent with polysynaptic connections. Pharmacological inhibition of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors with hexamethonium blocked all synaptic events. To confirm that high jitter, polysynaptic events were due to the presence of cholinergic collaterals from postganglionic neurons within the stellate ganglion, we knocked out choline acetyltransferase in adult noradrenergic neurons. This genetic knockout eliminated orthograde high jitter synaptic events and EPSCs evoked by retrograde activation. These findings suggest that cholinergic collateral projections arise from noradrenergic neurons within sympathetic ganglia. Identifying the contributions of collateral excitation to normal physiology and pathophysiology is an important area of future study and may offer novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of autonomic imbalance. KEY POINTS: Electrical stimulation of a preganglionic nerve trunk evoked fast synaptic transmission in stellate ganglion neurons with low and high jitter latencies. Retrograde stimulation of a postganglionic nerve trunk evoked direct, all-or-none action currents and delayed nicotinic EPSCs indistinguishable from orthogradely-evoked EPSCs in stellate neurons. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor blockade prevented all spontaneous and evoked synaptic activity. Knockout of acetylcholine production in noradrenergic neurons eliminated all retrogradely-evoked EPSCs but did not change retrograde action currents, indicating that noradrenergic neurons have cholinergic collaterals connecting neurons within the stellate ganglion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney Clyburn
- Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Ming-Hua Li
- Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Susan L Ingram
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Michael C Andresen
- Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Beth A Habecker
- Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
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Li YL. Stellate Ganglia and Cardiac Sympathetic Overactivation in Heart Failure. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232113311. [PMID: 36362099 PMCID: PMC9653702 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232113311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Heart failure (HF) is a major public health problem worldwide, especially coronary heart disease (myocardial infarction)-induced HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), which accounts for over 50% of all HF cases. An estimated 6 million American adults have HF. As a major feature of HF, cardiac sympathetic overactivation triggers arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death, which accounts for nearly 50–60% of mortality in HF patients. Regulation of cardiac sympathetic activation is highly integrated by the regulatory circuitry at multiple levels, including afferent, central, and efferent components of the sympathetic nervous system. Much evidence, from other investigators and us, has confirmed the afferent and central neural mechanisms causing sympathoexcitation in HF. The stellate ganglion is a peripheral sympathetic ganglion formed by the fusion of the 7th cervical and 1st thoracic sympathetic ganglion. As the efferent component of the sympathetic nervous system, cardiac postganglionic sympathetic neurons located in stellate ganglia provide local neural coordination independent of higher brain centers. Structural and functional impairments of cardiac postganglionic sympathetic neurons can be involved in cardiac sympathetic overactivation in HF because normally, many effects of the cardiac sympathetic nervous system on cardiac function are mediated via neurotransmitters (e.g., norepinephrine) released from cardiac postganglionic sympathetic neurons innervating the heart. This review provides an overview of cardiac sympathetic remodeling in stellate ganglia and potential mechanisms and the role of cardiac sympathetic remodeling in cardiac sympathetic overactivation and arrhythmias in HF. Targeting cardiac sympathetic remodeling in stellate ganglia could be a therapeutic strategy against malignant cardiac arrhythmias in HF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Long Li
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA; ; Tel.: +1-402-559-3016; Fax: +1-402-559-9659
- Department of Cellular & Integrative Physiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
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Moro N, Dokshokova L, Perumal Vanaja I, Prando V, Cnudde SJA, Di Bona A, Bariani R, Schirone L, Bauce B, Angelini A, Sciarretta S, Ghigo A, Mongillo M, Zaglia T. Neurotoxic Effect of Doxorubicin Treatment on Cardiac Sympathetic Neurons. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231911098. [PMID: 36232393 PMCID: PMC9569551 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Doxorubicin (DOXO) remains amongst the most commonly used anti-cancer agents for the treatment of solid tumors, lymphomas, and leukemias. However, its clinical use is hampered by cardiotoxicity, characterized by heart failure and arrhythmias, which may require chemotherapy interruption, with devastating consequences on patient survival and quality of life. Although the adverse cardiac effects of DOXO are consolidated, the underlying mechanisms are still incompletely understood. It was previously shown that DOXO leads to proteotoxic cardiomyocyte (CM) death and myocardial fibrosis, both mechanisms leading to mechanical and electrical dysfunction. While several works focused on CMs as the culprits of DOXO-induced arrhythmias and heart failure, recent studies suggest that DOXO may also affect cardiac sympathetic neurons (cSNs), which would thus represent additional cells targeted in DOXO-cardiotoxicity. Confocal immunofluorescence and morphometric analyses revealed alterations in SN innervation density and topology in hearts from DOXO-treated mice, which was consistent with the reduced cardiotropic effect of adrenergic neurons in vivo. Ex vivo analyses suggested that DOXO-induced denervation may be linked to reduced neurotrophic input, which we have shown to rely on nerve growth factor, released from innervated CMs. Notably, similar alterations were observed in explanted hearts from DOXO-treated patients. Our data demonstrate that chemotherapy cardiotoxicity includes alterations in cardiac innervation, unveiling a previously unrecognized effect of DOXO on cardiac autonomic regulation, which is involved in both cardiac physiology and pathology, including heart failure and arrhythmias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Moro
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, via Ugo Bassi 58/B, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Lolita Dokshokova
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, via Ugo Bassi 58/B, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Induja Perumal Vanaja
- Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova, via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padova, Italy
| | - Valentina Prando
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, via Ugo Bassi 58/B, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Sophie Julie A Cnudde
- Molecular Biotechnology Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, 10126 Torino, Italy
| | - Anna Di Bona
- Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova, via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padova, Italy
| | - Riccardo Bariani
- Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova, via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padova, Italy
| | - Leonardo Schirone
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza, University of Rome, 04100 Latina, Italy
| | - Barbara Bauce
- Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova, via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padova, Italy
| | - Annalisa Angelini
- Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova, via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padova, Italy
| | - Sebastiano Sciarretta
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza, University of Rome, 04100 Latina, Italy
| | - Alessandra Ghigo
- Molecular Biotechnology Center, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, 10126 Torino, Italy
| | - Marco Mongillo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, via Ugo Bassi 58/B, 35131 Padova, Italy
- Correspondence: (M.M.); (T.Z.); Tel.: +39-0497923229 (M.M.); +39-0497923294 (T.Z.); Fax: +39-0497923250 (M.M.); +39-0497923250 (T.Z.)
| | - Tania Zaglia
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, via Ugo Bassi 58/B, 35131 Padova, Italy
- Correspondence: (M.M.); (T.Z.); Tel.: +39-0497923229 (M.M.); +39-0497923294 (T.Z.); Fax: +39-0497923250 (M.M.); +39-0497923250 (T.Z.)
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Li X, Yin Z, Ling F, Zheng Q, Li X, Qi W, Liang F. The application of acupuncture in cardiopathy: A bibliometric analysis based on Web of Science across ten recent years. Front Cardiovasc Med 2022; 9:920491. [PMID: 36148057 PMCID: PMC9485815 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.920491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background With high morbidity and mortality, cardiopathy is a major component of cardiovascular disease, causing a huge burden of disease to public health worldwide. In recent years, research on acupuncture treatment of cardiopathies has been increasing. However, no bibliometric analysis has been conducted to systematically describe the research progress and hotspots in this field. Therefore, this study aimed to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the relevant literature to explore the current status and future development of acupuncture for cardiopathies. Methods The Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection Database was searched for literature related to acupuncture therapies for cardiopathies from 2011 to 2021. Using CiteSpace 5.8 R3, cooperation network diagrams of authors, institutions, countries and journals, keyword co-occurrences, and clustering were performed and analyzed. Results A total of 321 studies were included. Overall, the number of annual publications increased yearly. These publications came from 31 countries or regions, of which China and the United States made the greatest contributions. In total, 333 authors from 258 institutions participated in this field, and Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and Professor Fanrong Liang were the most published institution and author, respectively. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine published the largest number of articles, and CIRCULATION was the most commonly cited journal. Based on co-occurrences and cluster analysis of 257 keywords, three research frontiers and hotspots were identified: acupuncture for blood pressure regulation, acupuncture for coronary heart disease, and acupuncture for regulation of heart rate. In these three research frontiers, the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) and autonomic nervous system (ANS) are the most popular mechanisms. Conclusion A stable development trend has formed in this field. Further research should focus on the role of acupuncture therapies in the treatment of hypertension or hypertensive heart disease, coronary heart disease, and arrhythmia based on the mechanisms related to the RVLM and ANS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Li
- School of Acu-Mox and Tuina/The Third Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Zihan Yin
- School of Acu-Mox and Tuina/The Third Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- Acupuncture and Tuina School/The Third Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine/Clinical Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion in Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Fayang Ling
- School of Acu-Mox and Tuina/The Third Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Qianhua Zheng
- School of Acu-Mox and Tuina/The Third Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xiang Li
- School of Acu-Mox and Tuina/The Third Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- *Correspondence: Xiang Li,
| | - Wenchuan Qi
- School of Acu-Mox and Tuina/The Third Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- Wenchuan Qi,
| | - Fanrong Liang
- School of Acu-Mox and Tuina/The Third Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- Acupuncture and Tuina School/The Third Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine/Clinical Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion in Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- Fanrong Liang,
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Why Do Marijuana and Synthetic Cannabimimetics Induce Acute Myocardial Infarction in Healthy Young People? Cells 2022; 11:cells11071142. [PMID: 35406706 PMCID: PMC8997492 DOI: 10.3390/cells11071142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of cannabis preparations has steadily increased. Although cannabis was traditionally assumed to only have mild vegetative side effects, it has become evident in recent years that severe cardiovascular complications can occur. Cannabis use has recently even been added to the risk factors for myocardial infarction. This review is dedicated to pathogenetic factors contributing to cannabis-related myocardial infarction. Tachycardia is highly important in this respect, and we provide evidence that activation of CB1 receptors in brain regions important for cardiovascular regulation and of presynaptic CB1 receptors on sympathetic and/or parasympathetic nerve fibers are involved. The prototypical factors for myocardial infarction, i.e., thrombus formation and coronary constriction, have also been considered, but there is little evidence that they play a decisive role. On the other hand, an increase in the formation of carboxyhemoglobin, impaired mitochondrial respiration, cardiotoxic reactions and tachyarrhythmias associated with the increased sympathetic tone are factors possibly intensifying myocardial infarction. A particularly important factor is that cannabis use is frequently accompanied by tobacco smoking. In conclusion, additional research is warranted to decipher the mechanisms involved, since cannabis use is being legalized increasingly and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and its synthetic analogue nabilone are indicated for the treatment of various disease states.
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