title: nNOS is involved in cardiac remodeling induced by chronic ethanol consumption.
abstract: Chronic ethanol consumption has deleterious effects on the cardiovascular system by directly damaging the myocardial structure and/or by neurohormonal activation. Moreover, nitric oxide (NO) derived from neuronal NO synthase (nNOS) seems to be important to balance the harmful effects of ethanol consumption, because it influences several aspects of cardiac physiology and attenuates pathological cardiac remodeling. However, the impact of chronic ethanol consumption on nNOS expression is unknown. We address this subject in the present study by evaluating whether chronic ethanol consumption induces cardiac remodeling and hypertension, and if these changes are associated with alterations in the expression of nNOS. Male Wistar rats were examined after ingesting a 20% alcohol solution for 6 months. Blood alcohol concentration and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels were measured. The cardiac remodeling was assessed by histomorphometric analysis and the nNOS expression was evaluated by immunofluorescence and western blot analysis. Our results show that chronic ethanol consumption induces cardiac remodeling, namely thinning of left ventricular wall, cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and increased fibrosis, and elevations of arterial blood pressure. They also show that in rats fed with ethanol for 6 months, the circulating BNP levels had decreased as well as the expression of nNOS in left ventricle cardiomyocytes. These findings suggest that the effects of chronic ethanol consumption on BNP levels and/or on nNOS expression in cardiomyocytes may contribute to aggravate the cardiac remodeling and leads to progression of cardiomyopathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; Center of Experimental Morphology (CME), Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Dr Plácido da Costa, s/n, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Susana M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; Center of Experimental Morphology (CME), Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; Department of Internal Medicine, Centro Hospitalar de S. João (CHSJ), Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Sérgio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Dr Plácido da Costa, s/n, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal; Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Meireles
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; Center of Experimental Morphology (CME), Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; CESPU, IINFACTS, Departamento de Ciências do ISCS-N, Rua Central de Gandra, 1317, 4585-116 Gandra PRD, Portugal. Electronic address: sleal@med.up.pt.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leal
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling
chemical_list: C495963:natriuretic peptide precursor type B, rat; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D000431:Ethanol; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; C496322:Nos1 protein, rat
keywords: BNP; Cardiac remodeling; Chronic ethanol consumption; Hypertension; nNOS