title: Beta-adrenoceptors in cardiac disease.
abstract: The human heart contains both beta 1 and beta 2-adrenoceptors; both mediate positive inotropic and chronotropic effects. In chronic heart failure, beta-adrenoceptor number is reduced, presumably, by down-regulation by endogenous noradrenaline which is elevated due to increased sympathetic activity. Since the human heart contains only a few spare receptors for beta-adrenoceptor-mediated positive inotropic effects and the amount of spare receptors declines in chronic heart failure, it is not surprising that the reduced beta-adrenoceptor number is accompanied by decreased contractile responses to beta-adrenoceptor agonists (including endogenous catecholamines), and the extent of decrease in maximal inotropic response is more pronounced as the disease becomes more advanced. Moreover, in chronic heart failure myocardial G(i)-protein, which inhibits cAMP formation, is increased, which might further contribute to the reduction in beta-adrenoceptor-mediated effects. It appears that, at present, the best therapy for severe heart failure is a successful heart transplant, since in the transplanted heart beta-adrenoceptor number and function seems to be normalized. Moreover, the data currently available do not suggest any development of super- or subsensitivity of postsynaptic cardiac beta-adrenoceptors in the transplanted human heart.
authors.affiliation: Abtlg. Nieren- & Hochdruckkrankheiten, Universitätsklinikum Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: O E
authors.initials: OE
authors.lastname: Brodde
mesh_terms: D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D015536:Down-Regulation; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000187:drug effects; D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists; D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta