1. Academic Validation
  2. Empagliflozin rescues pro-arrhythmic and Ca2+ homeostatic effects of transverse aortic constriction in intact murine hearts

Empagliflozin rescues pro-arrhythmic and Ca2+ homeostatic effects of transverse aortic constriction in intact murine hearts

  • Sci Rep. 2024 Jul 8;14(1):15683. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-66098-7.
Qiang Wen # 1 Rui Zhang # 2 Kejun Ye 2 Jun Yang 2 Hangchuan Shi 3 4 Zhu Liu 2 Yangpeng Li 2 Ting Liu 2 Shiyu Zhang 2 Wanpei Chen 2 Jingjing Wu 1 Weichao Liu 2 Xiaoqiu Tan 2 Ming Lei 2 5 Christopher L-H Huang 6 7 8 Xianhong Ou 9 10
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Cardiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1277 Jiefang Rd, Wuhan, 430022, Hubei Province, China.
  • 2 Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology of Ministry of Education, Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Department of Cardiology of the Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, 1 Xianglin Rd, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan Province, China.
  • 3 Department of Clinical & Translational Research, University of Rochester Medical Center, 265 Crittenden Blvd, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA.
  • 4 Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester Medical Center, 265 Crittenden Blvd, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA.
  • 5 Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3QT, UK.
  • 6 Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology of Ministry of Education, Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Department of Cardiology of the Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, 1 Xianglin Rd, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan Province, China. clh11@cam.ac.uk.
  • 7 Physiological Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EG, UK. clh11@cam.ac.uk.
  • 8 Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK. clh11@cam.ac.uk.
  • 9 Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology of Ministry of Education, Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Department of Cardiology of the Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, 1 Xianglin Rd, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan Province, China. oxh8081@swmu.edu.cn.
  • 10 State Key Laboratory for Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources, Guangxi Normal University, 15 Yucai Rd, Guilin, 541004, Guangxi Province, China. oxh8081@swmu.edu.cn.
  • # Contributed equally.
Abstract

We explored physiological effects of the sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitor empagliflozin on intact experimentally hypertrophic murine hearts following transverse aortic constriction (TAC). Postoperative drug (2-6 weeks) challenge resulted in reduced late Na+ currents, and increased phosphorylated (p-)CaMK-II and Nav1.5 but not total (t)-CaMK-II, and Na+/CA2+ exchanger expression, confirming previous cardiomyocyte-level reports. It rescued TAC-induced reductions in echocardiographic ejection fraction and fractional shortening, and diastolic anterior and posterior wall thickening. Dual voltage- and CA2+-optical mapping of Langendorff-perfused hearts demonstrated that empagliflozin rescued TAC-induced increases in action potential durations at 80% recovery (APD80), CA2+ transient peak signals and durations at 80% recovery (CaTD80), times to peak CA2+ (TTP100) and CA2+ decay constants (Decay30-90) during regular 10-Hz stimulation, and CA2+ transient alternans with shortening cycle length. Isoproterenol shortened APD80 in sham-operated and TAC-only hearts, shortening CaTD80 and Decay30-90 but sparing TTP100 and CA2+ transient alternans in all groups. All groups showed similar APD80, and TAC-only hearts showed greater CaTD80, heterogeneities following isoproterenol challenge. Empagliflozin abolished or reduced ventricular tachycardia and premature ventricular contractions and associated re-entrant conduction patterns, in isoproterenol-challenged TAC-operated hearts following successive burst pacing episodes. Empagliflozin thus rescues TAC-induced ventricular hypertrophy and systolic functional, CA2+ homeostatic, and pro-arrhythmogenic changes in intact hearts.

Keywords

Action potential duration; Ca2+ homeostasis; Empagliflozin; Heart failure; Transverse aortic constriction (TAC); Ventricular arrhythmia.

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