Quercetin, a polyphenolic compound present in various types of food, has been shown to exert beneficial effects in different cardiac as well as non-cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) models in adult animals. However, there is no evidence about the effects of quercetin on I/R injury in non-mature animals, despite the fact that efficiency of some interventions against I/R is agedependent. This study was aimed to investigate the effects of chronic quercetin treatment on I/R injury in juvenile and adult rat hearts. Juvenile (4-week-old) as well as adult (12-week-old) rats were treated with quercetin (20 mg/kg/day) for 4 weeks, hearts were excised and exposed to 25-min global ischemia followed by 40-min reperfusion. Functional parameters of hearts and occurrence of reperfusion arrhythmias were registered to assess the cardiac function. Our results have shown that quercetin improved post-ischemic recovery of LVDP, as well as recovery of markers of contraction and relaxation, +(dP/dt)max and -(dP/dt)max, respectively, in juvenile hearts, but not in adult hearts. Quercetin had no impact on incidence as well as duration of reperfusion arrhythmias in animals of both ages. We conclude that the age of rats plays an important role in heart response to quercetin treatment in the particular dose and duration of the treatment. Therefore, the age of the treated subjects should be taken into consideration when choosing the dose of quercetin and duration of its application in prevention and/or treatment of cardiovascular diseases., M. Bartekova, J. Radosinska, D. Pancza, M. Barancik, T. Ravingerova., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play an important role in the pathogenesis of heart failure (HF). Our aim was to determine the activities of circulating MMP-2 and MMP-9 in patients with HF in respect of gender, comorbidities and treatment (n=51). We did not reveal any differences in circulating pro-MMP-2 and pro-MMP-9 activities between the patients with HF and without it. However, there was a decrease in activity of pro-MMP-2 in treated hypertensive participants versus healthy ones. In contrast, we observed increased pro-MMP-2 activity in hypertensive participants with coexistent HF versus hypertensive participants without HF. In addition, a decrease in pro-MMP-2 activity was shown in women suffering from HF versus men suffering from HF. In conclusion, potential inhibitory effect of antihypertensive treatment on pro-MMP-2 activity was found. Coexistent HF with hypertension probably reduces the inhibitory effect of antihypertensive treatment on pro-MMP-2 activity. Our data also suggest the role of potential cardioprotective factors influencing the activity of pro-MMP-2 in women., E. Giannakos, E. Vardali, M. Bartekova, M. Fogarassyova, M. Barancik, J. Radosinska., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of simulated acute hyperglycemia (HG) on PI3K/Akt signaling in preconditioned and non -preconditioned isolated rat hearts perfused with Krebs -Henseleit solution containing normal (11 mmol/l) or elevated (22 mmol/l) glucose subjected to ischemia -reperfusion. Ischemic preconditioning (IP) was induced by two 5 -min cycle s of coronary occlusion followed by 5 -min reperfusion. Protein levels of Akt, phosphorylated (activated) Akt (P-Akt), as well as contents of BAX protein were assayed (Western blotting) in cytosolic fraction of myocardial tissue samples taken prior to and a fter 30 -min global ischemia and 40- min reperfusion. In “normoglycemic ” conditions (NG), IP significantly increased P -Akt at the end of long -term ischemia, while reperfusion led to its decrease together with the decline of BAX levels as compared to non- pre conditioned hearts. On the contrary, under HG conditions, P -Akt tended to decline in IP - hearts after long -term ischemia, and it was significantly higher after reperfusion than in non -preconditioned controls . No significant influence of IP on BAX levels at the end of I/R was observed under HG conditions . It seems that high glucose may influence IP -induced activation of Akt and its downstream targets, as well as maintain persistent Akt activity that may be detrimental for the heart under above conditions., M. Zálešák, P. Blažíček, I. Gablovský, V. Ledvényiová, M. Barteková, A. Ziegelhöffer, T. Ravingerová., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The oxidative stress plays an important role in the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). In CVD progression an aberrant redox regulation was observed. In this regulation levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in cellular signaling, where Nrf2 is the key regulator of redox homeostasis. Keap1-Nrf2-ARE system regulates a great set of detoxificant and antioxidant enzymes in cells after ROS and electrophiles exposure. In this review we focus on radical-generating systems in cardiovascular system as well as on Nrf2 as a target against oxidative stress and a key player of redox regulation in cardiovascular diseases. We also summarize the current knowledge about the role of Nrf2 in pathophysiology of several CVD (hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy, cardiomyopathies) as well as in cardioprotection against myocardial ischemia/ reperfusion injury., M. Barančík, L. Grešová, M. Barteková, I. Dovinová., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) is a novel strategy of protection against ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury in the heart (and/or other organs) by brief episodes of non-lethal IR in a distant organ/tissue. Importantly, RIPC can be induced noninvasively by limitation of blood flow in the extremity implying the applicability of this method in clinical situations. RIPC (and its delayed phase) is a form of relatively short-term adaptation to ischemia, similar to ischemic PC, and likely they both share triggering mechanisms, whereas mediators and end-effectors may differ. It is hypothesized that communication between the signals triggered in the remote organs and protection in the target organ may be mediated through substances released from the preconditioned organ and transported via the circulation (humoral pathways), by neural pathways and/or via systemic anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic response to short ischemic bouts. Identification of molecules involved in RIPC cascades may have therapeutic and diagnostic implications in the management of myocardial ischemia. Elucidation of the mechanisms of endogenous cardioprotection triggered in the remote organ could lead to the development of diverse pharmacological RIPC mimetics. In the present article, the authors provide a short overview of RIPC-induced protection, proposed underlying mechanisms and factors modulating RIPC as a promising cardioprotective strategy., T. Ravingerova, V. Farkasova, L. Griecsova, S. Carnicka, M. Murarikova, E. Barlaka, F. Kolar, M. Bartekova, L. Lonek, J. Slezak, A. Lazou., and Obsahuje bibliografii
a1_Statins, the inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, are most frequently used drugs in the prevention of coronary artery disease due to their cholesterol- lowering activity. However, it is not exactly known whether these effects of statins or those independent of cholesterol decrease account for the protection ag ainst myocardial ischemia- reperfusion (I/R) injury. In this study, we investigated the effect of 5-day treatment with simvastatin (10 mg/kg) in Langendorff- perfused hearts of healthy control (C) and diabetic- hypercholesterolemic (D-H; strept ozotocin + high fat-cholesterol diet, 5 days) rats subjected to 30-min global ischemia followed by 40-min reperfusion for the examination of postischemic contractile dysfunction and reperfusion-induced ventricular arrhythmias or to 30-min (left anterior descending) coronary artery occlusion and 2-h reperfusion for the infarct size determination (IS; tetrazolium stai ning). Postischemic recovery of left ventricular developed pressu re (LVDP) in animals with D-H was improved by simvastatin therapy (62.7±18.2 % of preischemic values vs. 30.3±5.7 % in the untreated D-H; P<0.05), similar to the values in the simvastatin-treated C group, which were 2.5-fold higher than those in the untreated C group. No ventricular fibrillation occurred in the simvastatin-treated C and D-H animals during reperf usion. Likewise, simvastatin shortened the duration of ventri cular tachycardia (10.2±8.1 s and 57.8±29.3 s in C and D-H vs. 143.6±28.6 s and 159.3±44.3 s in untreated C and D-H, respectively, both P<0.05). The decreased arrhythmogenesis in the simvastatin-treated groups correlated with the limitation of IS (in % of risk area) by 66 % and 62 % in C and D-H groups, respectively. However, simvastatin treatment decreased plasma cholesterol levels neither in the D-H animals nor in C., a2_The results indicate that other effects of statins (independent of cholesterol lowering) are involved in the improvement of contractile recovery and attenuation of lethal I/R injury in both, healthy and diseased individuals., A. Adameová, A. Harčárová, J. Matejíková, D. Pancza, M. Kuželová, S. Čarnická, P. Švec, M. Barteková, J. Styk, T. Ravingerová., and Obsahuje bibliografii