title: Exogenous spermine inhibits hypoxia/ischemia-induced myocardial apoptosis via regulation of mitochondrial permeability transition pore and associated pathways.
abstract: Myocardial infarction (MI) is associated with a high mortality rate, which is attributed to the effects of myocyte loss that occurs as a result of ischemia-induced cell death. Very few therapies can effectively prevent or delay the effects of ischemia. Polyamines (PAs) are polycations required for cell growth and division, and their use may prevent cell loss. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between hypoxia/ischemia (H/I)-induced cell apoptosis and PA metabolism and to investigate the ability of spermine to limit H/I injury in cardiomyocytes by blocking the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were placed under hypoxic conditions for 24 h after being subjected to 5 μM of spermine as a pretreatment therapy. H/I induced PA catabolism, which was indicated by a 1.3-fold up-regulation of spermidine/spermine N(1)-acetyltransferase expression. Exogenous spermine significantly reduced H/I-induced cell death rate (60 ± 2 to 36 ± 2%) and apoptosis rate (42 ± 2 to 21 ± 2%); it also attenuated lactate dehyodrogenase and creatine kinase leakage (440 ± 13 and 336 ± 16 U/L to 275 ± 15 and 235 ± 13 U/L). Furthermore, it decreases calcium overload (3.8 ± 0.2 to 2.2 ± 0.1 a.u.). Moreover, spermine pretreatment remarkably decreased cytochrome c release from the mitochondria to the cytosol, lowering the expression of cleaved caspase-3 and -9. With spermine pretreatment, there was an increase in Bcl-2 levels and phosphorylation of ERK1/2, phosphoinositide 3-kinase, Akt, and GSK-3β, preserving mitochondrial membrane potential and inducing an mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening. In conclusion, H/I decreased endogenous spermine concentrations in cardiomyocytes, which ultimately induced apoptosis. The addition of exogenous spermine effectively prevented myocyte cell death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China The Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Medicine Research (Harbin Medical University), Ministry of Education, Harbin 150081, China.
authors.forename: Can
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China.
authors.forename: Hongzhu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China.
authors.forename: Yuehong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China.
authors.forename: Xue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China.
authors.forename: Hongjiang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China.
authors.forename: Hongxia
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China.
authors.forename: Shuzhi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China The Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Medicine Research (Harbin Medical University), Ministry of Education, Harbin 150081, China xucq45@126.com.
authors.forename: Changqing
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D015687:Cell Hypoxia; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta / Q000378:metabolism; D053078:Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial; D051336:Mitochondrial Membranes / Q000187:drug effects*; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D010539:Permeability / Q000187:drug effects; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D013096:Spermine / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: C000595707:BCL2 protein, human; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D013096:Spermine; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; C535150:MAPK1 protein, human; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3
keywords: Spermine; cardiomyocytes; hypoxia/ischemia; mitochondrial permeability transition pore; myocardial infarction