Adaptation to hypoxia is beneficial in cardiovascular pathology related to NO shortage or overproduction. However, the question about the influence of adaptation to hypoxia on NO metabolism has remained open. The present work was aimed at the relationship between processes of NO production and storage during adaptation to hypoxia and the possible protective significance of these processes. Rats were adapted to intermittent hypobaric hypoxia in an altitude chamber. NO production was determined by plasma nitrite/nitrate level. Vascular NO stores were evaluated by relaxation of the isolated aorta to diethyldithiocarbamate. Experimental myocardial infarction was used as a model of NO overproduction; stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR-SP) were used as a model of NO shortage. During adaptation to hypoxia, the plasma nitrite/nitrate level progressively increased and was correlated with the increase in NO stores. Adaptation to hypoxia prevented the excessive endothelium-dependent relaxation and hypotension characteristic for myocardial infarction. At the same time, the adaptation attenuated the increase in blood pressure and prevented the impairment of endothelium-dependent relaxation in SHR-SP. The data suggest that NO stores induced by adaptation to hypoxia can either bind excessive NO to protect the organism against NO overproduction or provide a NO reserve to be used in NO deficiency., E. B. Manukhina, S. Yu. Mashina, B. V. Smirin, N. P. Lyamina, V. N. Senchikhin, A. F. Vanin, I. Yu. Malyshev., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Pharmacological preconditioning by diazoxide and a model of experimental streptozotocin-induced acute diabetes mellitus (STZ-DM) provided similar levels of cardioprotection assessed as limiting myocardial infarct size. The aim was to explore the possibility of existence of another in vitro mechanism, which could be contributory to cardioprotection mediated by diazoxide treatment. Mitochondrial membrane fluidity and ATP synthase activity in isolated heart mitochondria were determined under the influence of two factors, STZ-DM condition and treatment with diazoxide. Both factors independently increased the ATP synthase activity (p<0.05), as no interaction effect was observed upon the combination of STZ-DM with diazoxide. On the other hand, the mitochondrial membrane fluidity was significantly increased by STZ-DM only; no significant main effect for diazoxide was found. Based on the results from measurements of enzyme kinetics, we assume a direct interaction of diazoxide with the molecule of ATP synthase stimulated its activity by noncompetitive activation. Our present work revealed, for the first time, that cardioprotection induced by diazoxide may not be caused exclusively by mitochondrial KATP opening, but presumably also by a direct interaction of diazoxide with ATP synthase, although the mechanisms for achieving this activation cannot be fully delineated., M. Jašová, I. Kancirová, M. Muráriková, V. Farkašová, I. Waczulíková, T. Ravingerová, A. Ziegelhöffer, M. Ferko., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Contrary to clinical trials, experimental studies revealed that diabetes mellitus (DM) may initiate, besides increased myocardial vulnerability to ischemia-reperfusion injury (I/R) and pro/antioxidant dysbalance, development of adaptation leading to an enhanced tolerance to I/R. The aims were to characterize 1) susceptibility to ischemia-induced ventricular arrhythmias in the diabetic rat heart 2) its response to antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC ) and a NOS inhibitor L-NAME, and 3) the effect of DM on endogenous antioxidant systems. Seven days after streptozotocin injection (65 mg/kg, i.p.), Langendorff-perfused control (C) and DM hearts were subjected to 30-min occlusion of the LAD coronary artery with or without prior 15-min treatment with L-NAME (100 μM) or NAC (4 mM). Total number of ventricular premature beats (VPB), as well the total duration of ventricular tachycardia (VT) were reduced in the DM group (from 533±58 and 37.9±10.2 s to 224.3±52.6 and 19±13.5 s; P<0.05). In contrast to the antiarrhythmic effects of L-NAME and NAC in controls group (VPB 290±56 and 74±36, respectively; P<0.01 vs. control hearts), application of both drugs in the diabetics did not modify arrhythmogenesis (L-NAME: VPB 345±136, VT 25±13 s; NAC: VPB 207±50, VT 12±3.9 s; P>0.05 vs non-treated diabetic hearts). Diabetic state was associated with significantly elevated levels of CoQ 10 and CoQ 9 (19.6±0.8 and 217.3±9.5 vs. 17.4± 0. 5 and 185.0±5.0 nmol/g, respectively, in controls; P<0.05), as well as α-tocopherol (38.6±0.7 vs. 31.5±2.1 nmol/g in controls; P<0.01) in the myocardial tissue. It is concluded that early period of DM is associated with enhanced resistance to ischemia-induced arrhythmias. Diabetes mellitus might induce adaptive processes in the myocardium leading to lower susceptibility to antioxidant and L-NAME treatment., J. Matejíková, J. Kucharská, D. Pancza, T. Ravingerová., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
At the southern limit of its range the endangered butterfly Coenonympha oedippus inhabits grasslands (wet, dry) that differ significantly in the abundance of its larval hostplants (wet > dry) and mean annual air temperature (wet < dry). We determined the difference in the wing morphology of individuals in the two contrasting habitats to test whether and how traits associated with wing size, shape and eye like spots vary in the sexes and two ecotypes. We show that sexual dimorphism follows the same (wing size and shape, number of eyespots on forewing) or different (relative area of eyespots on hindwings) patterns in the two contrasting habitats. Irrespective of ecotype, females had larger, longer and narrower wings, and more forewing eyespots than males. Sexual dimorphism in the relative area of eyespots on hindwing was female-biased in the wet, but male-biased in the dry ecotype. Ecotype dimorphism in wing size and the relative area of eyespots on the hindwing is best explained by mean annual air temperature and abundance of host-plants. While ecotype dimorphism in wing size did not differ between sexes, neither in direction (wet > dry) or in degree, in the two sexes the relative area of eyespots on hindwing had opposite patterns (males: dry > wet; females: wet > dry) and was more pronounced in males than in females. The differences in wing shape between ecotypes were detected only in the hindwings of males, with more rounded apex in the dry than in the wet ecotype. We discuss the life-history traits, behavioural strategies and selection mechanisms, which largely account for the sex- and ecotype-specific variation in wing morphology., Jure Jugovic, Sara Zupan, Elena Bužan, Tatjana Čelik., and Obsahuje bibliografii