The aim of the present study was to find out whether adaption to chronic hypoxia affects the expresion of TNF-α and IL-10 in rat myocardium. TNF-α is a proinflammatory cytokine, which amplifies inflammatory reaction, while IL-10 has opposite antiinflammatory effect. We also measured concentration of nitrotyrosine as a marker of nitrosative stress. We used male Wistar rats divided into four groups: 1) normoxic controls; 2) exposed to continous normobaric hypoxia (10% O2) for three days or 3) for three weeks and 4) exposed to intermittent normobaric hypoxia (10% O2) for three weeks with one hour daily reoxygenation. Cytosolic and membrane proteins (cytosolic and particulate fractions) were obtained from the left ventricle, right ventricle and interventricular septum. Concentrations of TNF-α and IL-10 in both fractions were measured by ELISA. Continous hypoxia increased TNF-α production in particulate fractions from all ventricular parts and decreased the ratio of IL-10/TNF-α in particulate and cytosolic fractions. Intermittent hypoxia redistributed TNF-α from cytosol into the particulate fraction and prevented the drop of IL-10/TNF-α ratio in the cytosolic fraction. The highest concentration of nitrotyrosine was found in the particulate fraction from the right ventricle after three days of hypoxia....

Morphine is a clinically very important drug from the opioid group that is used for treatment of severe pain because of its strong analgetic effect. Opioid receptors mediating the morphine effect interact with the Gi/o class of trimeric G-proteins. Opioid receptors also occur in heart tissue and morphine can thus potentially exercise its effect on the function of this organ. The major aim of this project was to pursue consequences of long-term treatment with morphine on expression and distribution of selected heterotrimeric G-protein subunits in the rat heart. Potential cardioprotective effects of this drug have also been studied. Laboratory rats of the Wistar strain were treated with morphine (1 mg/kg/day or 10 mg/kg/day) for 10 or 28 days. The control group was treated with saline solution. Prolonged treatment with morphine did not cause any effects on Gs, Gi, Gz, Gq/11, G subunits, but the expression of Go rather decreased. The results of subsequent experiments showed that prolonged administration of high doses of morphine may reduce the area affected by infarction and reduced the frequency of ventricle arrhythmias depending on dose and duration of morphine administration. Key words: morphine, myocardium, opioid receptor, G-protein subunits, infarction.

Diploma work is focused on basic characteristics of optical measuring methods commonly used to rate contactions of isolated heart cell and describes basic actions, that are connected with it. A camera record made by a microscope served as basis for optical measuring methods of contractions chosen by us, with using appropriate method elaborating and analysis of pictures used for detection of important part of cell structure. The suggested user application built-up in Matlab environment allows analysis and interpretation of contractional functions in two methodical ways.

Adaptation to chronic hypoxia provides myocardial protection against ischemia - reperfusion injury (IR). Cardioprotective effect of adaptation depends on the degree and duration of hypoxic exposure and daily regime of adaptation. Certain protective regimes of adaptations to hypoxia have been reported to activate proapoptotic signaling pathways and bioactive sphingolipids were recently shown to play important role in the regulation of apoptosis in the heart. We aimed to determine the mRNA level of selected genes related to apoptotic pathways and to sphingolipid metabolism in two models of hypoxic adaptation, continous normobaric hypoxia (CNH 10% O2) with different exposures (4h, 48h, 120h, 21days) and intermitent hypobaric hypoxia (IHH 7000 m, 8h/day). Both ventricles, LV and RV, were analysed after adaptation to CNH and only LV was analysed after IHH adaptation. Our results show that both types of adaptation increased mRNA of proapoptotic genes, CNH mainly in RV and IHH in LV. Furthermore, increased expressions of proapoptotic genes were accompanied by the increase of expression of enzymes producing predominantly protective kinds of sphingolipids. The exact role of apoptosis and sphingolipid signaling molecules in endogenous myocardial protection requires further research. Key words: Apoptosis,...

Das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war es, Mechanismen zu identifizieren, die an der Induktion von Zellwachstum und/oder Zelltod von Kardiomyozyten beteiligt sind. Zunächst wurde ein Modell entwickelt, das es erlaubt, genregulatorische Elemente in vivo zu identifizieren. Es wurden die verschiedenen Variablen, die die Expression in vivo ins Myokard injizierter Reportergenplasmide regulieren, analysiert. Es stellte sich heraus, daß die Injektion von Reportergenkonstrukten ins Myokard des Hundes ein ausgezeichnetes Modell darstellt zur Analyse der Genregulation im Myokard großer Säugetierspezies. Mit Hilfe dieses Modells gelang durch Injektion von ANF (atrialer natriuretischer Faktor)-Promotorkonstrukten mit anschließendem aortic banding die Identifizierung einer AP1-Bindungsstelle im Promotor des ANF-Gens als cis-regulatorisches Element, das für die Aktivierung des ANF-Gens bei der Druckhypertrophie verantwortlich ist. Zur Identifizierung von Faktoren, die für den Zellzyklusarrest von Kardiomyozyten verantwortlich sind, wurde der ubiquitär exprimierte Transkriptionsfaktor E2F-1 in isolierte Kardiomyozyten mittels adenoviralem Gentransfer eingebracht. Die Überexpression von E2F-1 in Kardiomyozyten führte zur Induktion von programmiertem Zelltod (Apoptose). Die Apoptose wurde in Anwesenheit von Insulin-like Growth Factor-I (IGF-I) supprimiert und es konnte nun gesteigerte DNA-Synthese beobachtet werden. Es zeigte sich weiterhin, daß die Zellzyklusinhibitoren p21CIP1 und p27KIP1 eine besondere Rolle bei der Aufrechterhaltung des Zellzyklusarrestes von Kardiomyozyten spielen, denn in der Anwesenheit von IGF-I verschwanden in Kardiomyozyten, die E2F-1 exprimierten, diese Faktoren aus den Komplexen, die sie mit Zyklinen und zyklin-abhängigen Kinasen (cdks) bilden. Um zu verstehen, über welche Faktoren Apoptose in Kardiomyozyten induziert und über welche intrazellulären Signalwege sie vermittelt wird, wurden isolierte Kardiomyozyten mit freien Sauerstoffradikalen (ROS) exponiert, von denen bekannt ist, daß sie in bestimmten Zellen in einem bestimmten Dosisbereich Apoptose erzeugen können. Obwohl beides, H2O2 und O2-, zur Induktion von Apoptose in Kardiomyozyten führt, werden jeweils unterschiedliche intrazelluläre Signalwege aktiviert. So führt H2O2 zur Freisetzung von mitochondrialem Cytochrom C, was mit einer Translokation von Bax an die Mitochondrien und seiner Interaktion mit dem anti-apoptotischen Faktor Bcl-2 einhergeht. Dies führt zur Aktivierung der Caspase 3. O2- hingegen führt zur Aktivierung der Caspase 6 und Spaltung von Lamin A. / The aim of the study was to elucidate mechanisms controlling death and growth of cardiomyocytes. First, a model was developed suitable to identify regulatory gene sequences in vivo. Multiple variables controlling expression of reportergene constructs injected into the heart were investigated. The results showed that injection of reportergene constructs into the heart of dogs is an appropriate model to analyse regulation of gene expression in vivo in large mammals. Using this approach reportergene constructs harboring the promoter of the ANF (atrial natriuretic factor)-gene were injected in dog hearts which were subjected to pressure overload by aortic banding. Serial mutations of the promoter region revealed an AP-1 like sequence to be of importance for the induction of this gene in pressure overload hypertrophy. In order to identify factors responsible for the cell cycle arrest of cardiomyocytes the transcription factor E2F-1 was overexpressed in isolated cardiomyocytes using adenoviral gene transfer. In cardiomyoccytes the overexpression of E2F1- was followed by apoptosis. Apoptosis was suppressed in the presence of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and the re-induction of DNA synthesis could be observed. Cyclin dependent inhibitors (cdi) p21CIP1 and p27KIP1 appear to play an important role in the maintenance of the cell cycle arrest in cardiomyocytes, since these factors dissappeared from cyclin complexes in the presence of IGF-I. In order to understand how apoptosis is induced in cardiomyocytes and which intracellular signalling cascades may be involved, isolated cardiomyocytes were exposed to reactive oxygen species (superoxide anion (O2-) or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)). Both O2- and H2O2 induced apoptosis in cardiomyocytes dose-dependently. However, different intracellular signalling cascades were activated. Cytochrome C was released by H2O2, but not by O2-. Release of cytochrome c was followed by translocation of Bax from the cytosol to mitochondria where it was interacting with anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 leading to the subsequent activation of caspase-3. O2- lead to an activation of caspase-6 which was followed by the cleavage of lamin A.

No description available.

In adult heart, pressure overload leads to cardiac hypertrophy. Higher propensity of hypertrophied myocardium to life-threatening arrhythmia is attributed to structural, mechanical and electrical remodeling. Pro-arrhythmogenic remodeling comprise several factors depending on an experimental model and a stage of heart failure. This thesis aims to characterize the impact of these factors in our unique model of pressure overloaded neonatal rat heart. The constriction of abdominal aorta was performed at postnatal day 2 in male Wistar rats. Decreased body weight, significant since week 6, was observed during development of cardiomegaly. At 12 weeks, the heart to body weight ratio was increased by 45 % and by 109 % in group with compensated (AC I) and decompensated (AC II) heart failure, respectively. At this age, the ECG was recorded and histological and immunohistochemical measurements were performed to analyze the pro-arrhythmogenic remodeling of working myocardium and cardiac conduction system. The markers of pro-arrhytmogenic remodeling such as significant prolongation of QT and QTc intervals were observed in the ECG recordings of AC II animals. However, spontaneously occurring arrhythmias was not detected. Further analysis of working myocardium showed decrease in Cx43 expression and its...

317 pathologisch-anatomische Befundberichte über die Morphologie des Myokards, der Koronararterien, der Aorta und der Pulmonalarterien von Herzen, die in der Homograftbank des Deutschen Herzzentrums Berlin in den Jahren 1996 bis 1998 für eine potentielle Klappenspende (Aorten- und Pulmonalklappen) seziert worden waren, wurden ausgewertet. 178 dieser Herzen stammten von Herztransplantatempfängern und zeigten naturgemäß schwere pathologische Veränderungen. Sechs Herzen stammten von Leichen. 133 Herzen waren hirntoten Menschen entnommen worden. Ursprünglich hatte bei vielen dieser 133 Spenderherzen die Absicht bestanden, sie für die Transplantation zu verwenden, was aus verschiedenen Gründen nicht möglich war. Ziel der retrospektiven Studie war die Erfassung der morphologischen Situation der Organe, wobei der Schwerpunkt auf der Gruppe der Spenderherzen lag. / This work contains an analysis of 317 records with a detailed description of the morphology of myocardium, coronary arteries, aortas and pulmonary arteries of hearts dissected for the purpose of harvesting the aortic and pulmonary valves as allografts in the Heart Valve Bank of the German Heart Institute, Berlin, from 1996 through 1998. 178 hearts stemmed from patients who recieved heart transplants. Naturally these organs revealed severe pathologic findings. Cadaveric organs (non beating hearts) amounted to six. 133 hearts were taken from brain dead human beings. Many of these 133 donor organs were originally considered to be potentially usable for transplantation, but were discarded for various reasons. The objective of this retrospective study was to ascertain the morphologic state of the hearts with special focus on the 133 donor hearts.

Adaptation to chronic hypoxia activates endogenous signaling cascades, which lead to cardiac protection against acute ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. The molecular mechanism of this phenomenon has not been fully clarified yet. However, it was proved that reactive oxygen species (ROS) take part in cardioprotective signaling pathway inducted by chronic hypoxia. The high level of ROS must be precisely regulated by antioxidative system of a cell. The aim of diploma thesis was to examine the effect of intermittent hypobaric hypoxia (IHH, 7 000 m) on relative amount of antioxidative enzymes (peroxiredoxin 6 - PRX6, thioredoxin 1 and 2 - TRX1 and TRX2, thioredoxin reductase 1 - TRXR1) and also enzymes of iron metabolism (heme oxygenase 1 and 2 - HO1 and HO2, aconitase 1 and 2 - ACO1 and ACO2), which participate in regulation of cell redox state. Moreover, we studied the effect of adaptation to IHH and an antioxidant tempol on relative amount of calcium-independent phospholipase A2 (iPLA2). iPLA2 can remove peroxidized fatty acids from membrane phospholipids. On the other hand, iPLA2 can damage cell in I/R conditions. All enzymes were studied in homogenates from normoxic and IHH adapted rat left ventricular myocardium by Western blot. Adaptation to IHH caused a decrease of PRX6 and on the opposite an increase of...

No description available.