Changes in cardiac beta 1- and beta 2-adrenoceptor densities after human cardiac transplantation: relation to transplant coronary vasculopathy and pretransplantation disease.
In 100 patients 12 to 60 months after cardiac transplantation, the influence of transplant coronary vasculopathy and of the pretransplantation disease (end-stage heart failure caused by coronary artery disease or dilated cardiomyopathy) on the beta-adrenergic receptor (AR) numbers and beta 1/beta 2-AR ratio of right ventricular biopsies was determined. Patients with coronary vasculopathy (CVP) after cardiac transplantation had lower absolute numbers of beta 1-AR compared with patients without CVP. Since patients with CVP had increased left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic pressure and LV muscle mass, it is suggested that decreased beta 1-AR may be the result of an altered hemodynamic situation of the transplanted heart after development of CVP. Patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) before cardiac transplantation showed a decrease in total beta-AR and of the beta 1/beta 2-AR ratio as a result of an increase in beta 2-AR and a decrease in beta 1-AR numbers. The decreased beta 1/beta 2-AR ratio in patients with previous DCM may indicate that the beta-AR system of the transplanted heart might be influenced (at least in part) by pathophysiologic factors that are characteristic of the pretransplantation disease ultimately leading to cardiac transplantation and persisting after cardiac transplantation.
von der Leyen
H
H
Abteilüng Kardiologie Nephrologie, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Germany.
Steinfath
M
M
Hecht
A
A
Schmitz
W
W
Scholz
H
H
Neumann
K
K
Haverich
A
A
Heublein
B
B
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000601:surgery; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000601:surgery; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta / Q000378:metabolism*
D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta