Prolonged endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress causes apoptosis and is associated with heart failure. Whether CYP2J2 and its arachidonic acid metabolites [epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs)] have a protective influence on ER stress and heart failure has not been studied. Assays of myocardial samples from patients with end-stage heart failure showed evidence of ER stress. Chronic infusion of isoprote...

Hydroalcoholic extract of Andrographis paniculata prevented isoproterenol induced increase in lipid peroxidation and increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes viz. super oxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and the levels of reduced glutathione in hearts. In addition, the extract also prevented the leakage of lactate dehydrogenase from heart and salvages the heart from isopro...

To investigate the mechanism of impaired myocardial function after long-term pressure overload, we studied cardiac muscle mechanical contraction and intracellular calcium transients using the bioluminescent indicator aequorin. Left ventricular papillary muscle preparations were examined from three groups of rats: 1) aging spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) with clinical and pathological evid...

BACKGROUND Alterations in myocardial function and systemic vascular tone are well documented in congestive heart failure (CHF), but little information is available on the effects of CHF on pulmonary vessels. We examined the mechanisms of tone regulation of canine pulmonary arteries during pacing-induced CHF. METHODS AND RESULTS Rings 3-4 mm wide from lobar pulmonary arteries were prepared fro...

Cardiomyocyte apoptosis is a common pathological alteration in heart disease which results in systolic dysfunction or sudden death. Klotho is a novel anti-aging hormone. We tested the effects of klotho on cell apoptosis in isoproterenol-treated cardiomyocytes. In BALB/c mice, cardiac injury was induced by subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol (5 mg/kg, for 9 days, s.c.). Klotho (0.01 mg/kg, e...

Alterations in general characteristics and morphology of the heart, as well as changes in hemodynamics, myosin heavy chain isoforms, and beta-adrenoceptor responsiveness, were determined in Sprague-Dawley rats at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 wk after aortocaval fistula (shunt) was induced by the needle technique. Three stages of cardiac hypertrophy due to volume overload were recognized during the 16-wk ...

Background. In patients with congestive heart failure, the chronotropic and inotropic responses to f3-adrenergic agonists are reduced. It is not known whether desensitization of peripheral ,B-adrenoceptors accounts for impaired limb vasodilation in these patients. Accordingly, we studied 14 normal subjects and 13 age-matched patients with congestive heart failure. Methods and Results. To distin...

Abstract Background Hyperactivity of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) promotes cardiac dysfunction, that can contribute to heart failure and even cardiogenic shock. Endothelial dysfunction associated with increased formation reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been suggested promote failure. Our previous results showed SGLT2 ROS derived from endothelial NADPH oxidases dysfunction. Purpose The...

Several cytochrome P450 (P450) enzymes have been identified in the heart, and their levels have been reported to be altered during cardiac hypertrophy. Moreover, there is a strong correlation between P450-mediated arachidonic acid metabolites and the pathogenesis of cardiac hypertrophy. Therefore, we investigated the effect of isoproterenol-induced cardiac hypertrophy on the expression of sever...