Long-term thyroxine administration increases heat stress protein-70 mRNA expression and attenuates p38 MAP kinase activity in response to ischaemia

Synergistic effects of hormones on structural and functional maturation of cardiomyocytes and implications for heart regeneration

The limited endogenous regenerative capacity of the human heart renders cardiovascular diseases a major health threat, thus motivating intense research on in vitro heart cell generation and cell replacement therapies. However, so far, in vitro-generated cardiomyocytes share a rather fetal phenotype, limiting their utility for drug testing and cell-based heart repair. Various strategies to foster cellular maturation provide some success, but fully matured cardiomyocytes are still to be achieved. Today, several hormones are recognized for their effects on cardiomyocyte proliferation, differentiation, and function. Here, we will discuss how the endocrine system impacts cardiomyocyte maturation. After detailing which features characterize a mature phenotype, we will contemplate hormones most promising to induce such a phenotype, the routes of their action, and experimental evidence for their significance in this process. Due to their pleiotropic effects, hormones might be not only valuable to improve in vitro heart cell generation but also beneficial for in vivo heart regeneration. Accordingly, we will also contemplate how the presented hormones might be exploited for hormone-based regenerative therapies.

L-Thyroxine induces thermotolerance in yeast

The cellular stress response (CSR) is a universal inducible reaction modulated, among others, by heat, drugs, and hormones. We aimed to investigate the role of L-thyroxine (T4) on the heat shock (HS) response in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The CSR was evaluated by determining growth and viability of post-logarithmic phase grown yeast cultures after HS at 53 °C for 30 min. We found that long-term T4 exposure can induce a dose-dependent and Hsp90 and H+ trafficking-related thermotolerance in yeast.

Thyroid hormone receptor α1 as a novel therapeutic target for tissue repair

Analogies between the damaged tissue and developing organ indicate that a regulatory network that drives embryonic organ development may control aspects of tissue repair. In this regard, there is a growing body of experimental and clinical evidence showing that TH may be critical for recovery after injury. Especially TRα1 has been reported to play an essential role in cell proliferation and differentiation and thus in the process of repair/regeneration in the heart and other tissues. Patients after myocardial infarction, stroke or therapeutic interventions [such as PCI for coronary artery disease (CAD)] with lower TH levels appear to have increased morbidity and mortality. Accordingly, TH treatment in clinical settings of ischemia/reperfusion such as by-pass surgery seems to be cardioprotective against ischemic injury. Furthermore, TH therapy of donors is shown to result in organ preservation and increased numbers of donors and improved post-transplantation graft survival. TH and thyroid analogs may prove novel therapeutic agents for tissue repair.

Therapeutic effects of oral liothyronine on aluminum phosphide poisoning as an adjuvant therapy

Background:

In aluminum phosphide (AlP) poisoning, death is mainly due to cardiovascular failure and refractory acute heart failure. There is a lot of evidence showing thyroid hormones have cardioprotective effects.

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of oral liothyronine in the treatment of AlP poisoning.

Methods:

Twenty-four patients from intensive care unit of Baharloo Hospital, Tehran, Iran, were included based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. They were randomly divided into two parallel groups of 12 cases and 12 controls. Intervention in the case group was administration of 50 µg liothyronine via nasogastric tube after gastric lavage, in the first 6 h of poisoning. In both groups, the routine treatment of AlP poisoning was performed. Blood samples were prepared at the beginning of the study and after 12 h. Patients were followed up till discharge from the hospital or death.

Results:

The findings demonstrated that oral liothyronine was able to significantly improve systolic blood pressure, arterial blood pH, and total thiol molecules and also could decrease lipid peroxidation, increase catalase activity, and prevent further decline in total antioxidant capacity.

Conclusion:

Liothyronine administration is effective in controlling AlP poisoning and can improve patients’ outcome.

Mitochondria as key targets of cardioprotection in cardiac ischemic disease: role of thyroid hormone triiodothyronine

Ischemic heart disease is the major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Early reperfusion after acute myocardial ischemia has reduced short-term mortality, but it is also responsible for additional myocardial damage, which in the long run favors adverse cardiac remodeling and heart failure evolution. A growing body of experimental and clinical evidence show that the mitochondrion is an essential end effector of ischemia/reperfusion injury and a major trigger of cell death in the acute ischemic phase (up to 48–72 h after the insult), the subacute phase (from 72 h to 7–10 days) and chronic stage (from 10–14 days to one month after the insult). As such, in recent years scientific efforts have focused on mitochondria as a target for cardioprotective strategies in ischemic heart disease and cardiomyopathy. The present review discusses recent advances in this field, with special emphasis on the emerging role of the biologically active thyroid hormone triiodothyronine (T3).

The protective effect of heat acclimation from hypoxic damage in the brain involves changes in the expression of glutamate receptors

Long-term heat acclimation (34 °C, 30d) alters the physiological responses and the metabolic state of organisms. It also improves ability to cope with hypoxic stress via a cross-tolerance mechanism. Within the brain, the hippocampal and frontal cortex neurons are the most sensitive to hypoxia and cell death is mainly caused by calcium influx via glutamate-gated ion channels, specifically NMDA and AMPA receptors. GluN1 subunit levels of NMDA-R correspond to NMDA-R levels. GluN2B/GluN2A subunit ratio is a qualitative index of channel activity; a higher ratio implies lower calcium permeability. The GluA2 subunit of AMPA-R controls channel permeability by inhibiting calcium penetration. Here, in rats model we (i)used behavioral-assessment tests to evaluate heat acclimation mediated hypoxic (15' 4.5 ± 0.5% O2) neuroprotection, (ii) measured protein and transcript levels of NMDA-R and AMPA-R subunits before and after hypoxia in the hippocampus and the frontal cortex, to evaluate the role of Ca(2+) in neuro-protection/cross-tolerance. Behavioral tests confirmed hypoxic tolerance in long-term (30d) but not in short-term (2d) heat acclimated rats. Hypoxic tolerance in the long-term acclimated phenotype was accompanied by a significant decrease in basal NMDA receptor GluN1 protein and an increase in its mRNA. The long-term acclimated rats also showed post ischemic increases in the GluN2B/GluN2A subunit ratio and GluA2 subunit of the AMPA receptor, supporting the hypothesis that reduced calcium permeability contributes to heat acclimation mediated hypoxia cross-tolerance. Abrupt post ischemic change in GluN2B/GluN2A subunit ratio with no change in NMDA-R subunits transcript levels implies that post-translational processes are inseparable acclimatory cross-tolerance mechanism.

Thyroid hormone and cardiac repair/regeneration: from Prometheus myth to reality?

Nature's models of repair and (or) regeneration provide substantial evidence that a natural healing process may exist in the heart. The potential for repair and (or) regeneration has been evolutionarily conserved in mammals, and seems to be restricted to the early developmental stages. This window of regeneration is reactivated during the disease state in which fetal gene reprogramming occurs in response to stress. Analogies exist between the damaged and developing heart, indicating that a regulatory network that drives embryonic heart development may control aspects of heart repair and (or) regeneration. In this context, thyroid hormone (TH), which is a critical regulator of the maturation of the myocardium, appears to have a reparative role later in adult life. Changes in TH - thyroid hormone receptor (TR) homeostasis govern the return of the injured myocardium to the fetal phenotype. Accordingly, TH can induce cardiac repair and (or) regeneration by reactivating developmental gene programming. As a proof of concept in humans, TH is found to be an independent determinant of functional recovery and mortality after myocardial infarction. The potential of TH to regenerate and (or) repair the ischemic myocardium is now awaited to be tested in clinical trials.

Evaluation of thyroid hormone induced pharmacological preconditioning on cardiomyocyte protection against ischemic-reperfusion injury

OBJECTIVES

Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) has been demonstrated to make myocardium transiently more resistant to deleterious effect of prolonged ischemia. The opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) at the time of myocardial reperfusion is a critical determinant of cell death. L-thyroxine pre-treatment increases the tolerance of the heart to ischemia and produces cardioprotection similar to ischemic precondition. This study has been designed to investigate the mechanism involved in L-thyroxine-induced cardiomyocyte protection against ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

L-thyroxine (T(4)) was administered to Wistar rats (n=6) (25 μg/100 g/day s.c.) for two weeks. Hearts from normal and L-thyroxine-treated rats were perfused in Langendorff's mode and subjected to 30 min of ischemia followed by 120 min of reperfusion. Myocardial infarct size was estimated by triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) was analyzed in coronary effluent.

RESULTS

IPC and pharmacological preconditioning (PPC) significantly decreased (P<0.05) myocardial infarct size, release of LDH and CK-MB in rat heart. Perfusion of atractyloside, an opener of mPTP, significantly (P<0.05) attenuated the cardioprotective effect of IPC and L-thyroxine-induced pharmacological preconditioning (PPC) in normal rat heart.

CONCLUSION

The cardioprotective effect of L-thyroxine-induced preconditioning may be mediated through inhibition of mPTP opening during reperfusion phase.

Heme oxygenase-1 is induced by thyroid hormone and involved in thyroid hormone preconditioning-induced protection against renal warm ischemia in rat

Thyroid hormone pretreatment was indicated to increase tissue tolerance to ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) in various organs, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remains largely unknown. Induction of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) protects organs against IRI. The present study investigated the effect of thyroid hormone on HO-1 expression and the possible relation between HO-1 and the thyroid hormone induced renal protection. T(3) administration in rat kidneys induced HO-1 expression in a time-dependent and dose-dependent way, and its expression was accompanied with significant depletion of reduced glutathione and increase in malondialdehyde content, showing a moderate oxidative stress that turns to normal level 48 h after drug injection. Thyroid hormone pretreatment (10 μg/100g body weight) 48 h before IR procedure significantly decreased serum creatinine and urea nitrogen and preserved renal histology, with significant reduction of parameters about oxidative stress and over-expression of HO-1 compared with that of IR group. In conclusion, T(3) administration involving oxidative stress in kidney exerts significant enhancement of HO-1 expression which may, at least in part, account for the renal preconditioning induced by T(3).

Kupffer-cell activity is essential for thyroid hormone rat liver preconditioning

We studied the role of Kupffer cell functioning in T3 liver preconditioning against ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury using the macrophage inactivator gadolinium chloride (GdCl3) previous to T3 treatment. Male Sprague-Dawley rats given a single i.p. dose of 0.1 mg T3/kg were subjected to 1 h ischemia followed by 20 h reperfusion, in groups of animals pretreated with 10 mg GdCl3/kg i.v. 72 h before T(3) or with the respective vehicles. IR resulted in significant enhancement of serum aspartate aminotransferase (3.3-fold increase) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (93% increase) levels, development of liver damage, and diminished nuclear factor-kappaB DNA binding over control values. These changes, which were suppressed by the T3 administration prior to IR, persisted in animals given GdCl3 before T3 treatment, under conditions of complete elimination of ED2+ Kupffer cells achieved in a time window of 72 h. It is concluded that Kupffer cell functioning is essential for T3 liver preconditioning, assessed in a warm IR injury model by hepatic macrophage inactivation.

Thyroid hormone as a therapeutic option for treating ischaemic heart disease: from early reperfusion to late remodelling

Thyroid hormone (TH), apart from its "classical" actions on cardiac contractility and heart rhythm, appears to regulate various intracellular signalling pathways related to response to stress and cardiac remodelling. There is now accumulating experimental and clinical evidence showing a beneficial effect of TH on limiting myocardial ischaemic injury, preventing/reversing post infarction cardiac remodelling and improving cardiac hemodynamics. Thyroid analogs have already been developed and may allow TH use in clinical practice. However, the efficacy of TH in the treatment of cardiac diseases is now awaiting to be tested in large clinical trials.

Thyroid hormone and myocardial ischaemia

Thyroid hormone has various effects on the cardiovascular system and its effects on cardiac contractility, heart rhythm and vascular function has long been recognized. However, new evidence is emerged on the importance of thyroid hormone in the response of the myocardium to ischaemic stress and cardiac remodelling following myocardial infarction. Based on this new information, this review highlights the role of thyroid hormone in myocardial ischaemia and cardiac remodelling, the possible underlying mechanisms and the potential therapeutic implications. Thyroid hormone or analogs may prove new therapeutic agents for treating ischaemic heart disease.

Interaction of cardiovascular risk factors with myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury, preconditioning, and postconditioning

Therapeutic strategies to protect the ischemic myocardium have been studied extensively. Reperfusion is the definitive treatment for acute coronary syndromes, especially acute myocardial infarction; however, reperfusion has the potential to exacerbate lethal tissue injury, a process termed "reperfusion injury." Ischemia/reperfusion injury may lead to myocardial infarction, cardiac arrhythmias, and contractile dysfunction. Ischemic preconditioning of myocardium is a well described adaptive response in which brief exposure to ischemia/reperfusion before sustained ischemia markedly enhances the ability of the heart to withstand a subsequent ischemic insult. Additionally, the application of brief repetitive episodes of ischemia/reperfusion at the immediate onset of reperfusion, which has been termed "postconditioning," reduces the extent of reperfusion injury. Ischemic pre- and postconditioning share some but not all parts of the proposed signal transduction cascade, including the activation of survival protein kinase pathways. Most experimental studies on cardioprotection have been undertaken in animal models, in which ischemia/reperfusion is imposed in the absence of other disease processes. However, ischemic heart disease in humans is a complex disorder caused by or associated with known cardiovascular risk factors including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, insulin resistance, atherosclerosis, and heart failure; additionally, aging is an important modifying condition. In these diseases and aging, the pathological processes are associated with fundamental molecular alterations that can potentially affect the development of ischemia/reperfusion injury per se and responses to cardioprotective interventions. Among many other possible mechanisms, for example, in hyperlipidemia and diabetes, the pathological increase in reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and the use of the ATP-sensitive potassium channel inhibitor insulin secretagogue antidiabetic drugs and, in aging, the reduced expression of connexin-43 and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 may disrupt major cytoprotective signaling pathways thereby significantly interfering with the cardioprotective effect of pre- and postconditioning. The aim of this review is to show the potential for developing cardioprotective drugs on the basis of endogenous cardioprotection by pre- and postconditioning (i.e., drug applied as trigger or to activate signaling pathways associated with endogenous cardioprotection) and to review the evidence that comorbidities and aging accompanying coronary disease modify responses to ischemia/reperfusion and the cardioprotection conferred by preconditioning and postconditioning. We emphasize the critical need for more detailed and mechanistic preclinical studies that examine car-dioprotection specifically in relation to complicating disease states. These are now essential to maximize the likelihood of successful development of rational approaches to therapeutic protection for the majority of patients with ischemic heart disease who are aged and/or have modifying comorbid conditions.

Myocardial protection in man--from research concept to clinical practice

Myocardial protection aims at preventing myocardial tissue loss: (a) In the acute stage, i.e., during primary angioplasty in acute myocardial infarction. In this setup, the attenuation of reperfusion injury is the main target. As a "mechanical" means, post-conditioning has already been tried in man with encouraging results. Pharmacologic interventions that could be of promise are statins, insulin, peptide hormones, including erythropoietin, fibroblast growth factor, and many others. (b) The patient with chronic coronary artery disease offers another paradigm, with the target of avoidance of further myocyte loss through apoptosis and inflammation. Various pharmacologic agents may prove useful in this context, together with exercise and "mechanical" improvement of cardiac function with attenuation of myocardial stretch, which by itself is a noxious influence. A continuous effort toward acute and chronically preserving myocardial integrity is a concept concerning both the researcher and the clinician.

Experimental hyperthyroidism increases expression of parathyroid hormone-related peptide and type-1 parathyroid hormone receptor in rat ventricular myocardium of the Langendorff ischaemia-reperfusion model

Parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP) is released under ischaemic conditions and it improves contractile function of stunned myocardium. The actions of PTHrP are mediated primarily by the type 1 parathyroid hormone receptor (PTH.1R), while PTHrP and PTH.1R expression levels are increased in ventricular hypertrophy associated with experimental hyperthyroidism. Since chronic administration of thyroxine (T4) improves postischaemic recovery in isolated heart models subjected to ischaemia-reperfusion stress, we tested the hypothesis that experimentally induced hyperthyroidism is associated with elevated expression of PTHrP and PTH.1R in rat myocardium. Hyperthyroid and control male Wistar rats were subjected to ischaemia-reperfusion stress using the Langendorff technique, and the PTHrP and PTH.1R expression was assessed by relative quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry. In the Langendorff model, the recovery of left ventricular developed pressure at the end of the stablization period and 45 min into the reperfusion period was used to assess the cardioprotective actions of T4 administration. Our data show that hyperthyroid animals had increased tolerance to the ischaemia-reperfusion stress and that this was associated with an increase of PTHrP and PTH.1R expression levels compared with those of control animals. In the control animals, the expression of PTHrP was increased 45 min into the reperfusion phase, while the PTH.1R expression pattern was significantly and gradually decreased throughout the ischaemia and reperfusion phases. In the hyperthyroid animals, the PTHrP and PTH.1R expression pattern was significantly higher throughout the ischaemia and reperfusion phases compared with that of control hearts. Our data suggest that increasing levels of PTHrP and PTH.1R expression can mediate, at least in part, the T4 administration-induced cardioprotection in rat ventricular myocardium.

Protection of the abnormal heart

Myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury have been extensively investigated in the laboratory mainly in healthy tissues. However, in clinical settings, ischemic heart disease coexists with certain illnesses, which could potentially influence the response of the myocardium to ischemia and reperfusion. Recent research has revealed that the abnormal heart may not be always vulnerable to ischemic injury. Furthermore, the effect of powerful means of protection, such as ischemic preconditioning, may not be in operation under certain pathological conditions. With this evidence in mind, the present review will focus on the response of the abnormal heart to ischemia and reperfusion, the possible underlying mechanisms, and potential cardioprotective strategies.

Thyroid hormone receptors alpha1 and beta1 are downregulated in the post-infarcted rat heart: consequences on the response to ischaemia-reperfusion

There is accumulating evidence that thyroid hormone metabolism is altered after myocardial infarction (AMI) but its physiological relevance remains largely unknown. The present study investigated the possible role of thyroid hormone signaling in the response of the post-infarcted heart to ischaemia-reperfusion. Wistar rats were subjected to left coronary artery ligation (AMI), or sham operation (SHAM). After 8 weeks, hearts from AMI and SHAM rats were perfused in Langendorff mode and subjected to 20 min of zero-flow global ischaemia (I) and 45 min of reperfusion (R); AMI(I/R), n = 7 and SHAM(I/R), n = 7. Basal left ventricular pressure (LVDP), +dp/dt, and -dp/dt were significantly reduced. Left ventricular weight of the viable myocardium was increased by 14% in the AMI as compared to SHAM hearts, P < 0.05. T(3) and T(4) plasma levels in nM were 1.83 (0.08) and 53.3 (2.9) for SHAM and 1.76 (0.06) and 59.4 (5.2) for AMI rats, respectively, P > 0.05. TRalpha1 and TRbeta1 expression levels were 1.3- and 1.8-fold less in AMI than in SHAM hearts, P < 0.05. Furthermore, SERCA and NHE1 expression levels were 2.1- and 1.8-fold less in AMI than in SHAM, P < 0.05. PKCepsilon was 1.35-fold more in AMI compared to SHAM, P < 0.05. Myocardial glycogen content (in micromol/g) was 7.8 (1.2) in AMI as compared to 4.4 (0.5) for SHAM hearts, P < 0.05. After I/R, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure at 45 min of R (LVEDP45 in mmHg) was 20.3 (3.2) for AMI(I/R) vs 50.6 (4.8) mmHg for SHAM(I/R), P < 0.05. LDH release per gram of tissue was 251 (103) for AMI(I/R) and 762 (74) for SHAM(I/R), P < 0.05. In conclusion, TRalpha1 and TRbeta1 are downregulated after myocardial infarction and this was associated with altered expression of thyroid hormone responsive genes and increased tolerance of the post-infarcted heart to ischaemia-reperfusion injury.

Effect of ischemia reperfusion on sodium-dependent phosphate transport in renal brush border membranes

The effect of ischemia induced acute renal failure (ARF) on the transport of phosphate (Pi) after early (15-30 min) and prolonged (60 min) ischemia in the brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) from rat renal cortex was studied. Sodium-dependent transport of Pi declined significantly and progressively due to ischemia. Western blot analysis of BBM from ischemic rats showed decreased expression of NaPi-2. A compensatory increase was observed in Pi uptake in BBMV from contralateral kidneys. There was no significant difference in NaPi-2 expression between BBMV from sham and contralateral kidneys. Early blood reperfusion for 15 min after 30 min ischemia caused further decline in Pi uptake. Prolonged reperfusion for 120 min caused partial reversal of transport activities in 30-min ischemic rats. However, no improvement in the transport of Pi was observed in 60-min ischemic rats after 120 min of blood reperfusion. Kinetic studies showed that the effect of ischemia and blood reperfusion was dependent on the Vmax of the Na-Pi transporter. Western blot analysis showed increased expression of NaPi-2 in the BBMs from ischemia-reperfusion animals. Further, a shift in the association of Na ions to transport one molecule of Pi was observed under different extracellular Na concentrations [Na]o. Feeding rats with low Pi diet and/or treatment with thyroid hormone (T3) prior to ischemia resulted in increased basal Pi transport. Ischemia caused similar decline in Pi transport in BBM from LPD and/or T3 animals. However, recovery in these animals was faster than the normal Pi diet fed (NPD) animals. The study suggests a change in the intrinsic properties of the Na-Pi transporter in rat kidneys due to ischemia. The study also indicates that treatment with T3 and feeding LPD prior to ischemia caused faster recovery of phosphate uptake due to ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Dronedarone administration prevents body weight gain and increases tolerance of the heart to ischemic stress: a possible involvement of thyroid hormone receptor alpha1

Hypothyroid heart displays a phenotype of cardioprotection against ischemia and this study investigated whether administration of dronedarone, an amiodarone-like compound that has been shown to preferentially antagonize thyroid hormone binding to thyroid hormone receptor alpha1 (TRalpha1), results in a similar effect. Dronedarone was given in Wistar rats (90 mg/kg, once daily (od) for 2 weeks) (DRON), while untreated animals served as controls (CONT). Hypothyroidism (HYPO) was induced by propylthiouracil administration. Isolated rat hearts were perfused in Langendorff mode and subjected to 20 minutes of zero-flow global ischemia (I) followed by 45 minutes of reperfusion (R). 3,5,3' Triiodothyronine remained unchanged while body weight and food intake were reduced. alpha-Myosin heavy chain (alpha-MHC) decreased in DRON while beta-myosin heavy chain (beta-MHC) and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) expression (SERCA) was similar to CONT. In HYPO, alpha-MHC and SERCA were decreased while beta-MHC was increased. Myocardial glycogen content was increased in both DRON and HYPO. In DRON, resting heart rate and contractility were reduced and ischemic contracture was significantly suppressed while postischemic left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and lactate dehydrogenase release (IU/L min) after I/R were significantly decreased. In conclusion, dronedarone treatment results in cardioprotection by selectively mimicking hypothyroidism. This is accompanied by a reduction in body weight because of the suppression of food intake. TRs might prove novel pharmacologic targets for the treatment of cardiovascular illnesses.

Mepivacaine Alters Vascular Responsiveness to Vasoconstrictors in Aortic Rings from Normal and Aortic-Banded Rats

The present study investigated the effects of mepivacaine on the response of rat aorta to vasoconstrictors in normal and aortic-banded animals. Cardiac hypertrophy was induced in Wistar rats by aortic banding, while sham-operated animals served as controls. Isolated aortic rings with or without endothelium were contracted with potassium chloride and phenylephrine in the presence of mepivacaine (10(-3) M). Maximal tension was measured at the highest concentration of potassium chloride and phenylephrine. Maximal response to potassium chloride was reduced in the presence of mepivacaine both in normal and aortic-banded rings. As regards the vascular reactivity to phenylephrine, aortic rings with intact endothelium from aortic-banded rats have shown increased response as compared to normal. After mepivacaine administration this difference between normal and aortic-banded rats was abolished. In conclusion, in a model of cardiac hypertrophy such as that of aortic-banding, increased response to alpha1-adrenergic stimulation is observed, which is blunted by mepivacaine administration.

Thyroxine pretreatment increases basal myocardial heat-shock protein 27 expression and accelerates translocation and phosphorylation of this protein upon ischaemia

Thyroxine pretreatment increases the tolerance of the heart to ischaemia, and heat-shock protein 27 (HSP27) is considered to play an important role in cardioprotection. The present study investigated whether long-term thyroxine administration can induce changes in the expression, translocation and phosphorylation of HSP27 at baseline and upon ischaemic stress. L-Thyroxine (T(4)) was administered to Wistar rats (25 microg/100 g/day s.c.) for 2 weeks, while normal animals served as controls. Hearts from normal and thyroxine-treated rats were perfused in Langendorff mode and subjected to 10 or 20 min of zero-flow global ischaemia only or to 20 min of ischaemia followed by 45 min of reperfusion. Total and phospho-HSP27 expression were assessed at different times in the Triton-soluble (cytosol-membrane), S fraction, and the Triton-insoluble (cytoskeleton-nucleus) fraction, P fraction. Postischaemic recovery of left ventricular developed pressure at 45 min of reperfusion was expressed as % of the initial value. In hearts from thyroxine-treated animals, the levels of basal total HSP27 and phospho-HSP27 in the P fraction were significantly increased as compared to normal. In response to ischaemia, in hearts from thyroxine-treated rats, the levels of total HSP27 and phospho-HSP27 were found to be significantly increased in the P fraction at 10 and 20 min of ischaemia as compared to preischaemic values, whereas in normal hearts, the levels of total HSP27 and phospho-HSP27 were significantly increased at 20 min only. Postischaemic functional recovery was significantly greater in thyroxine-treated than in untreated hearts. In summary, long-term thyroxine pretreatment results in an increased basal expression and phosphorylation of HSP27 and in an earlier and sustained redistribution of HSP27 from the S to the P fraction in response to ischaemia. This effect might be of important therapeutic relevance.

Dobutamine administration exacerbates postischaemic myocardial dysfunction in isolated rat hearts: an effect reversed by thyroxine pretreatment

The present study has investigated the effects of dobutamine on postischaemic dysfunction in the setting of global ischaemia and reperfusion in a model of isolated heart preparation. Isolated rat hearts were subjected to 20 min of zero-flow global ischaemia followed by 45 min of reperfusion. Dobutamine administration (10 microg/kg/min) during the reperfusion period resulted in deterioration of functional recovery, which was abolished by propranolol administration. Long-term thyroxine pretreatment (12.5 microg 100 g(-1) body weight, b.i.d., s.c., for 2 weeks) reversed the detrimental effect of dobutamine and increased postischaemic recovery of function. We conclude that the combination of thyroxine pretreatment and dobutamine administration could potentially be a new therapeutic strategy to improve postischaemic dysfunction particularly in clinical settings such as cardiopulmonary bypass and/or myocardial infarction.

beta-Adrenergic signaling and thyroid hormones affect HSP72 expression during heat acclimation

Heat acclimation upregulates 72-kDa heat shock protein (HSP72) and predisposes to faster activation of the heat shock response (HSR). This study investigates the role played by beta-adrenergic signaling and/or plasma thyroxine level in eliciting these features by using rats undergoing 1) heat acclimation (AC; 34 degrees C, 2 and 30 days); 2) AC with beta-adrenergic blockade; 3) AC-maintained euthyroid; 4) hypothyroid; 5) hyperthyroid; and 6) controls. The hsp72 mRNA (RT-PCR) and HSP72 levels (Western blot) were measured before and after heat stress (2 h, 41 degrees C, rectal temperature monitored). beta-Adrenergic blockade during AC abolished HSP72 accumulation, without disrupting HSR. Low thyroxine blunted the HSR at posttranscriptional level, whereas thyroxine administration in hyperthyroid and AC-maintained euthyroid rats arrested heat stress-evoked hsp72 transcription. We conclude that beta-adrenergic signaling contributes to the high HSP72 level characterizing the AC state. Thyroxine has two opposing effects: 1) direct repressive on rapid hsp72 transcription after heat stress; and 2) indirect stimulatory via beta-adrenergic signaling. Low thyroxine could account for diminished HSP72 synthesis via lower heat production and thermoregulatory set point.

Effects of dronedarone and amiodarone on plasma thyroid hormones and on the basal and postischemic performance of the isolated rat heart

The present study investigated the effects of dronedarone and amiodarone on plasma thyroid hormones and the possible consequences on the response of the heart to ischemia. Amiodarone (30 mg/kg/day per os) or dronedarone (30 mg/kg/day per os) were administered for 2 weeks in normal and thyroxine-treated animals (25 microg/100 g body weight od sc, for 2 weeks), while animals without amiodarone and dronedarone served as controls. Isolated rat hearts were perfused in a Langendorff mode and subjected to 20 and 30 min of zero-flow global ischemia followed by 45 min of reperfusion. Functional changes were assessed by measuring left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP) under resting conditions and in response to ischemia-reperfusion, LVDP%, as well as the severity of ischemic contracture. Amiodarone resulted in increased T4, T4/T3 and rT3, whereas dronedarone did not alter the thyroid hormone profile in normal animals. In thyroxine-treated animals, amiodarone increased T4/T3 ratio but T4, T3 and rT3 levels were not altered. Basal functional parameters and ischemic contracture did not change by amiodarone and/or dronedarone neither in normal nor in thyroxine-treated hearts. In normal hearts, postischemic functional recovery, LVDP%, was not altered by amiodarone or dronedarone administration. LVDP% was statistically higher in thyroxine-treated hearts than in normal and this beneficial effect was not abolished by amiodarone or dronedarone treatment.

Long-term thyroxine administration protects the heart in a pattern similar to ischemic preconditioning

We have previously shown that long-term thyroxine administration can protect the heart against ischemia. In the present study, we investigated whether thyroxine-induced cardioprotection can mimic the pattern of protection that is afforded by a well-established cardioprotective means such as ischemic preconditioning. In a Langendorff-perfused rat heart preparation, after an initial stabilization, normal and thyroxine-treated hearts were subjected to 20 minutes of zero-flow global ischemia followed by 45 minutes of reperfusion. In thyroxine-treated hearts, phospho-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) was found to be less at the end of the ischemic period, whereas ischemic contracture was accelerated and postischemic recovery was increased in comparison to normal hearts. In addition, normal hearts were subjected to a four-cycle preconditioning protocol before ischemia. Phospho-p38 MAPK was found to be less at the end of the ischemic period in preconditioned hearts, whereas ischemic contracture was accelerated and postischemic functional recovery was increased in those hearts in comparison to nonpreconditioned hearts. An increase in basal expression and phosphorylation of PKCdelta was also found to occur after long-term thyroxine administration. We conclude that long-term thyroxine administration can protect the heart from ischemic injury through a pattern of protection that closely resembles that of ischemic preconditioning.