Evaluation of Enhanced Lipid Oxidation and Compensatory Suppression using Natriuretic Peptide in Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases

Vaspin Ameliorates Cardiac Remodeling by Suppressing Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase/Protein Kinase B Pathway to Improve Oxidative Stress in Heart Failure Rats

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to explore whether vaspin could alleviate cardiac remodeling through attenuating oxidative stress in heart failure rats and to determine the associated signaling pathway. Cardiac remodeling was induced by myocardial infarction, transverse aortic constriction, or angiotensin (Ang) II infusion in vivo, and the neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs) and neonatal rat cardiac fibroblasts (NRCFs) were treated with Ang II. Vaspin treatment alleviated fibrosis in myocardial infarction, transverse aortic constriction, and Ang II-treated rats. The Ang II-induced increases of atrial natriuretic peptide and brain natriuretic peptide in NRCMs and Ang II-induced increases of collagen I and collagen III in NRCFs were reduced after vaspin treatment. Vaspin administration inhibited the Ang II-induced increases of phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) pathway, superoxide anions, malondialdehyde, and NADPH oxidases activity in NRCMs and NRCFs. The overexpression of PI3K, Akt, or NADPH oxidases 1 reversed the attenuating effects of vaspin on Ang II-induced elevation of atrial natriuretic peptide and brain natriuretic peptide in NRCMs, as well as Ang II-induced increases of collagen I and collagen III in NRCFs. The administration of wortmannin (PI3K inhibitor) or MK2206 (Akt inhibitor) inhibited the oxidative stress induced by Ang II in NRCMs and NRCFs. The above results suggest that vaspin can alleviate cardiac dysfunction and remodeling in heart failure rats. Vaspin attenuates Ang II-induced hypertrophy of NRCMs and fibrosis of NRCFs through suppressing PI3K/Akt pathway to alleviate oxidative stress.

Close linkage between blood total ketone body levels and B-type natriuretic peptide levels in patients with cardiovascular disorders

In patients with cardiovascular disorders, blood total ketone body (TKB) levels increase with worsening heart failure and are consumed as an alternative fuel to fatty acid and glucose. We investigated factors contributing to the increase in the blood TKB levels in patients with cardiovascular disorders. The study population consisted of 1030 consecutive patients who underwent cardiac catheterization. Covariance structure analyses were performed to clarify the direct contribution of hemodynamic parameters, including the left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP), left ventricular end-systolic volume index (LVESVI), left ventricular end-diastolic volume index (LVEDVI), and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels, to TKB by excluding other confounding factors. These analyses showed that the TKB levels were significantly associated with the BNP level (P = 0.003) but not the LVEDP, LVESVI, or LVEDVI levels. This was clearly demonstrated on a two-dimensional contour line by Bayesian structure equation modeling. The TKB level was positively correlated with the BNP level, but not LVEDP, LVESVI or LVEDVI. These findings suggested that elevated blood TKB levels were more strongly stimulated by the increase in BNP than by hemodynamic deterioration. BNP might induce the elevation of TKB levels for use as an important alternative fuel in the failing heart.