title: Exogenous nerve growth factor promotes the repair of cardiac sympathetic heterogeneity and electrophysiological instability in diabetic rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Diabetic cardiac autonomic neuropathy can lead to an increased incidence of ventricular arrhythmias (VAs). However, few data are available regarding the pathogenesis and therapy of the VAs accompanying diabetic cardiac autonomic neuropathy. We aimed to explore whether or not exogenous nerve growth factor (NGF) can reduce the sympathetic heterogeneity and the incidence of VAs in diabetes mellitus (DM).
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: controls, rats with DM with saline infused into the left stellate ganglion (LSG), i.e. the DS group and rats with DM with NGF infused into the LSG, i.e. the DN group. After 28 weeks, all rats were subjected to electrophysiological experiments. Sympathetic innervations and NGF were studied by immunostaining, RT-PCR or Western blot analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of inducible VAs was significantly higher in the DS group than in the control group, but was markedly decreased in the DN group. In the DS group, the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and NGF expression were significantly lower than in the other groups, and significant proximal-distal heterogeneities existed regarding the TH and NGF expression in the left ventricle, but were markedly repaired in the DN group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NGF intervention in the LSG can reduce the heterogeneity of cardiac sympathetic innervations and the incidence of VAs in diabetic rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Yong-Li
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Xuan
authors.forename: Ye
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: He-Sheng
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Xiao-Lu
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Suo
authors.forename: Xin-Ran
authors.initials: XR
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Wen-Juan
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Su-Hua
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Yan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D008297:Male; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D011897:Random Allocation; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor