Cerebrovascular insufficiency and amyloidogenic signaling in Ossabaw swine with cardiometabolic heart failure

Western diet-induced obesity results in brain mitochondrial dysfunction in female Ossabaw swine

Diet-induced obesity is implicated in the development of a variety of neurodegenerative disorders. Concurrently, the loss of mitochondrial Complex I protein or function is emerging as a key phenotype across an array of neurodegenerative disorders. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine if Western diet (WD) feeding in swine [carbohydrate = 40.8% kCal (17.8% of total calories from high fructose corn syrup), protein = 16.2% kcal, fat = 42.9% kCal, and 2% cholesterol] would result in Complex I syndrome pathology. To characterize the effects of WD-induced obesity on brain mitochondria in swine, high resolution respirometry measurements from isolated brain mitochondria, oxidative phosphorylation Complex expression, and indices of oxidative stress and mitochondrial biogenesis were assessed in female Ossabaw swine fed a WD for 6-months. In line with Complex I syndrome, WD feeding severely reduced State 3 Complex I, State 3 Complex I and II, and uncoupled mitochondrial respiration in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC). State 3 Complex I mitochondrial respiration in the PFC inversely correlated with serum total cholesterol. WD feeding also significantly reduced protein expression of oxidative phosphorylation Complexes I-V in the PFC. WD feeding significantly increased markers of antioxidant defense and mitochondrial biogenesis in the hippocampi and PFC. These data suggest WD-induced obesity may contribute to Complex I syndrome pathology by increasing oxidative stress, decreasing oxidative phosphorylation Complex protein expression, and reducing brain mitochondrial respiration. Furthermore, these findings provide mechanistic insight into the clinical link between obesity and mitochondrial Complex I related neurodegenerative disorders.

The pathophysiology of cognitive impairment in individuals with heart failure: a systematic review

Introduction

Heart Failure and Cognitive Impairment are both on the rise and shown to be interlinked. Despite existing reviews delineating a relationship between heart failure and cognitive impairment, the underlying pathophysiology is not researched in great depth. Current literature proposed varying pathophysiological mechanisms and focused heavily on the prevalence of cognitive impairment and treatment interventions such as cardiac rehabilitation. In view of the limitations of previous reviews, this systematic review summarized the best existing evidence concerning different pathophysiological mechanisms behind cognitive impairment in individuals with heart failure.

Methods

Eight electronic databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library and EMBASE etc., two grey literatures (ProQuest Theses and Dissertations and Mednar) and hand-searching of references were performed using specific criteria regarding population, exposures and outcomes, before duplicate removal and screening using Endnote and Rayyan respectively. JBI critical appraisal tools for non-randomized studies were used for appraisal. Data extraction was performed using two modified forms from JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis.

Results

Narrative synthesis was performed to summarize the data from 32 studies. There were three main themes-cognitive impairment due to changes in the brain: brain atrophy, alterations in grey matter and white matter, cerebral alterations, pathway or axis changes, neuroinflammation and hippocampal gene changes; cognitive impairment due to changes in the heart or systemic circulation: inflammation, oxidative stress and changes in serum biomarkers or proteins and the riser rhythm; cognitive impairment due to changes in both the brain and the heart, with seven studies obtaining negative results. There are some limitations such as having non-human studies and large numbers of cross-sectional studies etc.

Discussion

Considering the findings, future research should examine the bi-directional relationship between the brain and the heart as most of the existing research is about the effect of the heart on the brain. By understanding the different pathophysiological mechanisms, the management and prognosis of heart failure patients will be ameliorated. Interventions that slow down or even reverse cognitive impairment can be explored so that these two common issues will not add to the already aggravating disease burden.

Systematic Review Registration

This review is registered under PROSPERO. Identifier: CRD42022381359.

The role of nitric oxide in flow-induced and myogenic responses in 1A, 2A, and 3A branches of the porcine middle cerebral artery

Myogenic and flow-induced reactivity contribute to cerebral autoregulation, with potentially divergent roles for smaller versus larger arteries. The present study tested the hypotheses that compared with first-order (1A) branches of the middle cerebral artery, second- and third-order branches (2A and 3A, respectively) exhibit greater myogenic reactivity but reduced flow-induced constriction. Furthermore, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibition may amplify myogenic reactivity and abolish instances of flow-induced dilation. Isolated porcine cerebral arteries mounted in a pressure myograph were exposed to incremental increases in intraluminal pressure (40-120 mmHg; n = 41) or flow (1-1,170 µL/min; n = 31). Intraluminal flows were adjusted to achieve 5, 10, 20, and 40 dyn/cm2 of wall shear stress at 60 mmHg. Myogenic tone was greater in 3A versus 1A arteries (P < 0.05). There was an inverse relationship between myogenic reactivity and passive arterial diameter (P < 0.01). NOS inhibition increased basal tone to a lesser extent in 3A versus 1A arteries (P < 0.01) but did not influence myogenic reactivity (P = 0.49). Increasing flow decreased luminal diameter (P ≤ 0.01), with increased vasoconstriction at 10-40 dyn/cm2 of shear stress (P < 0.01). However, relative responses were similar between 1A, 2A, and 3A arteries (P = 0.40) with and without NOS inhibition conditions (P ≥ 0.29). Whereas NOS inhibition increases basal myogenic tone, and myogenic reactivity was less in smaller versus larger arteries (range = ∼100-550 µM), neither NOS inhibition nor luminal diameter influences flow-induced constriction in porcine cerebral arteries.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study demonstrated size-dependent heterogeneity in myogenic reactivity in porcine cerebral arteries. Smaller branches of the middle cerebral artery exhibited increased myogenic reactivity, but attenuated NOS-dependent increases in myogenic tone compared with larger branches. Flow-dependent regulation does not exhibit the same variation; diameter-independent flow-induced vasoconstrictions occur across all branch orders and are not affected by NOS inhibition. Conceptually, flow-induced vasoconstriction contributes to cerebral autoregulation, particularly in larger arteries with low myogenic tone.

Preclinical models of congestive heart failure, advantages, and limitations for application in clinical practice

Congestive heart failure (CHF) has increased over the years, in part because of recent progress in the management of chronic diseases, thus contributing to the maintenance of an increasingly aging population. CHF represents an unresolved health problem and therefore the establishment of animal models that recapitulates the complexity of CHF will become a critical element to be addressed, representing a serious challenge given the complexity of the pathogenesis of CHF itself, which is further compounded by methodological biases that depend on the animal species in use. Animal models of CHF have been developed in many different species, with different surgical procedures, all with promising results but, for the moment, unable to fully recapitulate the human disease. Large animal models often provide a more promising reality, with all the difficulties that their use entails, and which limit their performance to fewer laboratories, the costly of animal housing, animal handling, specialized facilities, skilled methodological training, and reproducibility as another important limiting factor when considering a valid animal model versus potentially better performing alternatives. In this review we will discuss the different animal models of CHF, their advantages and, above all, the limitations of each procedure with respect to effectiveness of results in terms of clinical application.

Cognitive decline in heart failure: Biomolecular mechanisms and benefits of exercise

By definition, heart failure (HF) is a human pathological condition affecting the structure and function of all organs in the body, and the brain is not an exception to that. Failure of the heart to pump enough blood centrally and peripherally is at the foundation of HF patients' inability to attend even the most ordinary daily activities and progressive deterioration of their cognitive capacity. What is more, between heart and brain exists a bidirectional relationship that goes well beyond hemodynamics and concerns bioelectric and endocrine signaling. This increasingly consolidated evidence makes the scenario even more complex. Studies have mainly chased how HF impairs cognition without focusing much on preventive measures, notably cardio-cerebral health proxies. Here, we aim to provide a brief account of known and hypothetical factors that may explain how exercise can help obviate cognitive dysfunction associated with HF in its different forms. As we shall see, there is a stringent need for a deeper grasp of such mechanisms. Indeed, gaining this new knowledge will automatically shed new light on the inner workings of HF itself, thus resulting in more effective prevention and treatment of this escalating syndrome.

High-fidelity porcine models of metabolic syndrome: a contemporary synthesis

This review aims to describe and compare porcine models of metabolic syndrome. This syndrome and its associated secondary comorbidities are set to become the greatest challenge to healthcare providers and policy makers in the coming century. However, an incomplete understanding of the pathogenesis has left significant knowledge gaps in terms of efficacious therapeutics. To further our comprehension and, in turn, management of metabolic syndrome, appropriate high-fidelity models of the disease complex are of great importance. In this context, our review aims to assess the most promising porcine models of metabolic syndrome currently available for their similarity to the human phenotype. In addition, we aim to highlight the strengths and shortcomings of each model in an attempt to identify the most appropriate application of each. Although no porcine model perfectly recapitulates the human metabolic syndrome, several pose satisfactory approximations. The Ossabaw miniature swine in particular represents a highly translatable model that develops each of the core parameters of the syndrome with many of the associated secondary comorbidities. Future high-fidelity porcine models of metabolic syndrome need to focus on secondary sequelae replication, which may require extended induction period to reveal.