title: Cardiac L-type calcium current is increased in a model of hyperaldosteronism in the rat.
abstract: Accumulating evidence supports the importance of aldosterone as an independent risk factor in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease. It has been postulated that aldosterone could contribute to ventricular arrhythmogeneity by modulation of cardiac ionic channels. The aim of this study was to analyse ex vivo the electrophysiological characteristics of the L-type cardiac calcium current (I(CaL)) in a model of hyperaldosteronism in the rat. Aldosterone was administered for 3 weeks, and cardiac collagen deposition and haemodynamic parameters were analysed. In addition, RT-PCR and patch-clamp techniques were applied to study cardiac L-type Ca(2+) channels in isolated cardiomyocytes. Administration of aldosterone induced maladaptive cardiac remodelling that was related to increased collagen deposition, diastolic dysfunction and cardiac hypertrophy. In addition, ventricular myocytes isolated from the aldosterone-treated group showed increased I(CaL) density and conductance and prolongation of the action potential duration. No changes in kinetics or in voltage dependence of activation and inactivation of I(CaL) were observed, but relative expression of Ca(V)1.2 mRNA levels was higher in cardiomyocytes isolated from the aldosterone-treated group. The present study demonstrates that aldosterone treatment induces myocardial fibrosis, cardiac hypertrophy, increase of I(CaL) density, upregulation of L-type Ca(2+) channels and prolongation of action potential duration. It could be proposed that aldosterone, through these mechanisms, might exert pro-arrhythmic effects in the pathological heart.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Martin-Fernandez
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miana
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: De Las Heras
authors.forename: Gema
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ruiz-Hurtado
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Velasco
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bas
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ballesteros
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lahera
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cachofeiro
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Delgado
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D055724:Electrophysiological Phenomena; D006929:Hyperaldosteronism / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000378:metabolism*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type; D017931:DNA Primers; C419385:L-type calcium channel alpha(1C); D012333:RNA, Messenger