Cardiac L-type calcium current is increased in a model of hyperaldosteronism in the rat.
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.
Martin-Fernandez
Beatriz
B
Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
Miana
María
M
De Las Heras
Natalia
N
Ruiz-Hurtado
Gema
G
Fernandez-Velasco
María
M
Bas
Manuel
M
Ballesteros
Sandra
S
Lahera
Vicente
V
Cachofeiro
Victoria
V
Delgado
Carmen
C
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
D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type; D017931:DNA Primers; C419385:L-type calcium channel alpha(1C); D012333:RNA, Messenger