title: Prolonged intra-myocardial growth hormone administration ameliorates post-infarction electrophysiologic remodeling in rats.
abstract: Experimental studies indicate improved ventricular function after treatment with growth hormone (GH) post-myocardial infarction, but its effect on arrhythmogenesis is unknown. Here, we assessed the medium-term electrophysiologic remodeling after intra-myocardial GH administration in (n = 33) rats. GH was released from an alginate scaffold, injected around the ischemic myocardium after coronary ligation. Two weeks thereafter, ventricular tachyarrhythmias were induced by programmed electrical stimulation. Monophasic action potentials were recorded from the infarct border, coupled with evaluation of electrical conduction and repolarization from a multi-electrode array. The arrhythmia score was lower in GH-treated rats than in alginate-treated rats or controls. The shape and the duration of the action potential at the infarct border were preserved, and repolarization-dispersion was attenuated after GH; moreover, voltage rise was higher and activation delay was shorter. GH normalized also right ventricular parameters. Intra-myocardial GH preserved electrical conduction and repolarization-dispersion at the infarct border and decreased the incidence of induced tachyarrhythmias in rats post-ligation. The long-term antiarrhythmic potential of GH merits further study.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Cardiology , Medical School, University of Ioannina , Greece.|b Cardiovascular Research Institute , Ioannina , Greece.
authors.forename: Marianthi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kontonika
authors.affiliation: b Cardiovascular Research Institute , Ioannina , Greece.|c Ceramics and Composites Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering , University of Ioannina , Ioannina , Greece.
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Barka
authors.affiliation: b Cardiovascular Research Institute , Ioannina , Greece.|c Ceramics and Composites Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering , University of Ioannina , Ioannina , Greece.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roumpi
authors.affiliation: b Cardiovascular Research Institute , Ioannina , Greece.
authors.forename: Vassilios
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: La Rocca
authors.affiliation: b Cardiovascular Research Institute , Ioannina , Greece.
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lekkas
authors.affiliation: b Cardiovascular Research Institute , Ioannina , Greece.|d Pole of Cardiovascular Research, Université Catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique , Brussels , Belgium.
authors.forename: Evangelos P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Daskalopoulos
authors.affiliation: b Cardiovascular Research Institute , Ioannina , Greece.
authors.forename: Agapi D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Vilaeti
authors.affiliation: b Cardiovascular Research Institute , Ioannina , Greece.
authors.forename: Giannis G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Baltogiannis
authors.affiliation: b Cardiovascular Research Institute , Ioannina , Greece.|e Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Child Health , Medical School, University of Ioannina , Ioannina , Greece.
authors.forename: Antonios P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Vlahos
authors.affiliation: b Cardiovascular Research Institute , Ioannina , Greece.|c Ceramics and Composites Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering , University of Ioannina , Ioannina , Greece.
authors.forename: Simeon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Agathopoulos
authors.affiliation: a Department of Cardiology , Medical School, University of Ioannina , Greece.|b Cardiovascular Research Institute , Ioannina , Greece.
authors.forename: Theofilos M
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6680-9131
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Kolettis
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials; D000818:Animals; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling
chemical_list: D013006:Growth Hormone
keywords: Myocardial infarction; alginate; electrical conduction; growth hormone; repolarization–dispersion; ventricular tachyarrhythmias