Modeling of cardiac muscle thin films: pre-stretch, passive and active behavior

Recent progress in tissue engineering has made it possible to build contractile bio-hybrid materials that undergo conformational changes by growing a layer of cardiac muscle on elastic polymeric membranes. Further development of such muscular thin films for building actuators and powering devices requires exploring several design parameters, which include the alignment of the cardiac myocytes and the thickness/Young's modulus of elastomeric film. To more efficiently explore these design parameters, we propose a 3-D phenomenological constitutive model, which accounts for both the passive deformation including pre-stretch and the active behavior of the cardiomyocytes. The proposed 3-D constitutive model is implemented within a finite element framework, and can be used to improve the current design of bio-hybrid thin films and help developing bio-hybrid constructs capable of complex conformational changes.     

The apparent viscoelastic behavior of articular cartilage--the contributions from the intrinsic matrix viscoelasticity and interstitial fluid flows

Articular cartilage was modeled rheologically as a biphasic poroviscoelastic material. A specific integral-type linear viscoelastic model was used to describe the constitutive relation of the collagen-proteoglycan matrix in shear. For bulk deformation, the matrix was assumed either to be linearly elastic, or viscoelastic with an identical reduced relaxation spectrum as in shear. The interstitial fluid was considered to be incompressible and inviscid. The creep and the rate-controlled stress-relaxation experiments on articular cartilage under confined compression were analyzed using this model. Using the material data available in the literature, it was concluded that both the interstitial fluid flow and the intrinsic matrix viscoelasticity contribute significantly to the apparent viscoelastic behavior of this tissue under confined compression.     

The role of calcium in the response of cardiac muscle to stretch

This review focuses on the complex interactions between two major regulators of cardiac function; Ca2+ and stretch. Initial consideration is given to the effect of stretch on myocardial contractility and details the rapid and slow increases in contractility. These are shown to be related to two diverse changes in Ca2+ handling (enhanced myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity and increased intracellular Ca2+ transient, respectively). Interaction between stretch and Ca2+ is also demonstrated with respect to the rhythm of cardiac contraction. Stretch has been shown to alter action potential configuration, generate stretch-activated arrhythmias, and increase the rate of beating of the sino-atrial node. A variety of Ca(2+)-dependent mechanisms including attenuation of Ca2+ extrusion via Na+/Ca2+ exchange, Ca2+ entry through stretch-activated channels (SACs) and mobilisation of intracellular Ca2+ stores have been proposed to account for the effect of stretch on rhythm. Finally, the interaction between stretch and Ca2+ in the secretion of natriuretic peptides and onset of hypertrophy is discussed. Evidence is presented that Ca2+ (entering through L-type Ca2+ channels or SACs, or released from sarcoplasmic reticular stores) influences secretion of both atrial and B-type natriuretic peptide; there is data to support both positive and negative modulation by Ca2+. Ca2+ also appears to be important in the pathway that leads to expression of precursors of hypertrophic protein synthesis. In conclusion, two of the major regulators of cardiac muscle function, Ca2+ and stretch, interact to produce effects on the heart; in general these effects appear to be additive.     

The role of super-relaxed myosin in skeletal and cardiac muscle

The super-relaxed (SRX) state of myosin was only recently reported in striated muscle. It is characterised by a sub-population of myosin heads with a highly inhibited rate of ATP turnover. Myosin heads in the SRX state are bound to each other along the thick filament core producing a highly ordered arrangement. Upon activation, these heads project into the interfilament space where they can bind to the actin filaments. Thus far, the population and lifetimes of myosin heads in the SRX state have been characterised in rabbit cardiac, and fast and slow skeletal muscle, as well as in the skeletal muscle of the tarantula. These studies suggest that the role of SRX in cardiac and skeletal muscle regulation is tailored to their specific functions. In skeletal muscle, the SRX modulates the resting metabolic rate. Cardiac SRX represents a “reserve” of inactive myosin heads that may protect the heart during times of stress, e.g. hypoxia and ischaemia. These heads may also be called up when there is a sustained demand for increased power. The SRX in cardiac muscle provides a potential target for novel therapies.     

The possible role of L-carnitine on the skeletal muscle of ovariectomized rats

Low muscle strength is observed during the peri-and postmenopausal periods, when the secretion of ovarian hormones is drastically reduced. It is also a predictive of adverse health events as well as incident mobility limitation and disability. The objective of the present study is to study the biochemical and the histological changes in the skeletal muscle of premature menopause-induced rats and the possible protective role of L-carnitine. Ovariectomized (OVX) rats were gavaged with L-carnitine (100 mg/kg) daily for 60 days starting from the second post-operative day. Serum levels of estradiol and markers of skeletal muscle damage (creatine kinase and lactic dehydrogenase activities) were determined. Light and electron microscopic study of the quadriceps femoris muscle (QFM) specimens were done. OVX rats showed significant decrease in the serum estradiol level with significant increase the markers for skeletal muscle damage. Histopathological examination of the QFM showed degenerated myofibers, apoptotic changes and compensatory hypertrophy. Degenerated mitochondria, multiple lysosomes and lipid droplets among the damaged myofibrils were also noticed. L-carnitine administration to the OVX rats resulted in non-significant change in the serum estradiol level with significant attenuation of skeletal muscle damage either biochemically or histopathologically. In conclusion, L-carnitine administration recovered muscle degeneration after ovariectomy. This finding suggested that L-carnitine could be recommended in the management of post-menopausal myopathy.     

The role of αB-crystallin in skeletal and cardiac muscle tissues

All organisms and cells respond to various stress conditions such as environmental, metabolic, or pathophysiological stress by generally upregulating, among others, the expression and/or activation of a group of proteins called heat shock proteins (HSPs). Among the HSPs, special attention has been devoted to the mutations affecting the function of the αB-crystallin (HSPB5), a small heat shock protein (sHsp) playing a critical role in the modulation of several cellular processes related to survival and stress recovery, such as protein degradation, cytoskeletal stabilization, and apoptosis. Because of the emerging role in general health and disease conditions, the main objective of this mini-review is to provide a brief account on the role of HSPB5 in mammalian muscle physiopathology. Here, we report the current known state of the regulation and localization of HSPB5 in skeletal and cardiac tissue, making also a critical summary of all human HSPB5 mutations known to be strictly associated to specific skeletal and cardiac diseases, such as desmin-related myopathies (DRM), dilated (DCM) and restrictive (RCM) cardiomyopathy. Finally, pointing to putative strategies for HSPB5-based therapy to prevent or counteract these forms of human muscular disorders.     

The presence of APGWamide in Octopus vulgaris: a possible role in the reproductive behavior

The concerted action of many neuropeptides has been implicated in the nervous control of specific behaviors in many molluscs. In the present study, the presence of amidated tetrapeptide Ala-Pro-Gly-Trp-NH2 (APGWamide) in those lobes that are involved in the control of reproductive behavior in Octopus vulgaris has been investigated. APGWamide immunoreactivity was mainly confined to the posterior olfactory lobule and in the inferior frontal system. These areas are involved in Octopus in the processing of either chemotactile sense or olfaction. From these lobes, immunoreactive fibers reached other lobes of the central nervous system (CNS) which could be indirectly involved in the reproductive behavior. APGWamide immunoreactivity was also present in the glandular cells of the oviducal gland in the female reproductive system. These results constitute the first detailed immunolocalization of APGWamide in cephalopods and open a new insight into the possible effects that both distant and close chemical stimuli can exert on neuropeptidergic circuitries, which may affect the reproductive behavior of cephalopods.     

The role of stem cells in skeletal and cardiac muscle repair.

In postnatal muscle, skeletal muscle precursors (myoblasts) can be derived from satellite cells (reserve cells located on the surface of mature myofibers) or from cells lying beyond the myofiber, e.g., interstitial connective tissue or bone marrow. Both of these classes of cells may have stem cell properties. In addition, the heretical idea that post-mitotic myonuclei lying within mature myofibers might be able to re-form myoblasts or stem cells is examined and related to recent observations for similar post-mitotic cardiomyocytes. In adult hearts (which previously were not considered capable of repair), the role of replicating endogenous cardiomyocytes and the recruitment of other (stem) cells into cardiomyocytes for new cardiac muscle formation has recently attracted much attention. The relative contribution of these various sources of precursor cells in postnatal muscles and the factors that may enhance stem cell participation in the formation of new skeletal and cardiac muscle in vivo are the focus of this review. We concluded that, although many endogenous cell types can be converted to skeletal muscle, the contribution of non-myogenic cells to the formation of new postnatal skeletal muscle in vivo appears to be negligible. Whether the recruitment of such cells to the myogenic lineage can be significantly enhanced by specific inducers and the appropriate microenvironment is a current topic of intense interest. However, dermal fibroblasts appear promising as a realistic alternative source of exogenous myoblasts for transplantation purposes. For heart muscle, experiments showing the participation of bone marrow-derived stem cells and endothelial cells in the repair of damaged cardiac muscle are encouraging.     

A synthetic strand of cardiac muscle: its passive electrical properties

The passive electrical properties of synthetic strands of cardiac muscle, grown in tissue culture, were studied using two intracellular microelectrodes: one to inject a rectangular pulse of current and the other to record the resultant displacement of membrane potential at various distances from the current source. In all preparations, the potential displacement, instead of approaching a steady value as would be expected for a cell with constant electrical properties, increased slowly with time throughout the current step. In such circumstances, the specific electrical constants for the membrane and cytoplasm must not be obtained by applying the usual methods, which are based on the analytical solution of the partial differential equation describing a one-dimensional cell with constant electrical properties. A satisfactory fit of the potential waveforms was, however, obtained with numerical solutions of a modified form of this equation in which the membrane resistance increased linearly with time. Best fits of the waveforms from 12 preparations gave the following values for the membrane resistance times unit length, membrane capacitance per unit length, and for the myoplasmic resistance: 1.22 plus or minus 0.13 x 10-5 omegacm, 0.224 plus or minus 0.023 uF with cm-minus 1, and 1.37 plus or minus 0.13 x 10-7 omegacm-minus 1, respectively. The value of membrane capacitance per unit length was close to that obtained from the time constant of the foot of the action potential and was in keeping with the generally satisfactory fit of the recorded waveforms with solutions of the cable equation in which the membrane impedance is that of a single capacitor and resistor in parallel. The area of membrane per unit length and the cross-sectional area of myoplasm at any given length of the preparation were determined from light and composite electron micrographs, and these were used to calculate the following values for the specific electrical membrane resistance, membrane capacitance, and the resistivity of the cytoplasm: 20.5 plus or minus 3.0 x 10-3 omegacm-2, l.54 plus or minus 0.24 uFWITHcm-minus 2, and 180 plus or minus 34 omegacm, respectively.     

The orthotropic viscoelastic behavior of aortic elastin

In this paper, we studied the viscoelastic behaviors of isolated aortic elastin using combined modeling and experimental approaches. Biaxial stress relaxation and creep experiments were performed to study the time-dependent behavior of elastin. Experimental results reveal that stress relaxation preconditioning is necessary in order to obtain repeatable stress relaxation responses. Elastin exhibits less stress relaxation than intact or decellularized aorta. The rate of stress relaxation of intact and decellularized aorta is linearly dependent on the initial stress levels. The rate of stress relaxation for elastin increases linearly at stress levels below about 60 kPa; however, the rate changes very slightly at higher initial stress levels. Experimental results also show that creep response is negligible for elastin, and the intact or decellularized aorta. A quasi-linear viscoelasticity model was incorporated into a statistical mechanics based eight-chain microstructural model at the fiber level to simulate the orthotropic viscoelastic behavior of elastin. A user material subroutine was developed for finite element analysis. Results demonstrate that this model is suitable to capture both the orthotropic hyperelasticity and viscoelasticity of elastin.     

Uniform sarcomere shortening behavior in isolated cardiac muscle cells

We have observed the dynamics of sarcomere shortening and the diffracting action of single, functionally intact, unattached cardiac muscle cells enzymatically isolated from the ventricular tissue of adult rats. Sarcomere length was measured either (a) continuously by a light diffraction method or (b) by direct inspection of the cell's striated image as recorded on videotape or by cinemicroscopy (120--400 frames/s). At physiological levels of added CaCl2 (0.5--2.0 mM), many cells were quiescent (i.e., they did not beat spontaneously) and contracted in response to electrical stimulation (less than or equal to 1.0-ms pulse width). Sarcomere length in the quiescent, unstimulated cells (1.93 +/- 0.10 [SD] micrometers), at peak shortening (1.57 +/- 0.13 micrometers, n = 49), and the maximum velocity of sarcomere shortening and relengthening were comparable to previous observations in intact heart muscle preparations. The dispersion of light diffracted by the cell remained narrow, and individual striations remained distinct and laterally well registered throughout the shortening- relengthening cycle. In contrast, appreciable nonuniformity and internal buckling were seen at sarcomere lengths < 1.8 micrometers when the resting cell, embedded in gelatin, was longitudinally compressed These results indicate (a) that shortening and relengthening is characterized by uniform activation between myofibrils within the cardiac cell and (b) that physiologically significant relengthening forces in living heart muscle originate at the level of the cell rather than in extracellular connections. First-order diffracted light intensity, extremely variable during sarcomere shortening, was always greatest during midrelaxation preceding the onset of a very slow and uniform phase of sarcomere relengthening.     

ATP-dependent proteolysis and the role of ubiquitin in rabbit cardiac muscle

A soluble ATP/Mg2-dependent proteolytic system from rabbit cardiac muscle has been identified (m ca. 310 kDa) and purified ca. 9-fold. This enzyme which splits the substrate [3H]globin and 125I-bovine serum albumin (125I-BSA) has many similarities to the ATP-dependent proteolytic enzyme system from reticulocytes which utilizes ubiquitin: 1) The specific activities in reticulocyte lysates and cardiac muscle extracts are of the same magnitude (0.5-1 arb. unit/mg). 2) The binding and elution behavior on DEAE-cellulose is similar. 3) In both cases the pH optimum (substrate 125I-BSA) is pH 7.6. 4) Both enzymes are inhibited by hemin, NEM and iodoacetate but not e.g. by leupeptin, or inhibitors of serine proteases. 5) Neither enzyme system can utilize ATP-analogs such as AMP-CPP, AMP-PCP, AMP-PNP or ATP-gamma-S. There are however also significant differences: 1) The enzyme system from cardiac muscle is fully active in the absence of ubiquitin and cannot be activated by this peptide. 2) The enzyme from cardiac muscle can degrade methylated BSA. 3) The cardiac muscle enzyme can be further purified on Sepharose 4B; the enzyme from reticulocytes is inactivated by this procedure. 4) The cardiac enzyme cannot be inactivated by ribonuclease as the reticulocyte counterpart. Although ubiquitin does not appear to play a role in the isolated ATP/Mg2-dependent proteolytic system from cardiac muscle, it is demonstrated for the first time that 125I-ubiquitin can be conjugated to a wide variety of cardiac muscle proteins in vitro in an ATP-dependent manner. Apparent molecular masses of major conjugates were: 185 kDa, 140 kDa, 85 kDa, 65 kDa, 46 kDa, 38 kDa and 36 kDa as estimated by discontinuous SDS gel electrophoresis. Addition of purified phosphorylase kinase to cardiac muscle extract changed the ubiquitination pattern by the appearance of two novel protein bands. It is concluded that the ATP/Mg2-dependent proteolytic system of cardiac muscle must be differentiated from the proteolytic system of reticulocytes mainly because of its ubiquitin-independence. Nevertheless the conjugation of 125I-ubiquitin to many muscle proteins is a strong indication for a crucial role of this interesting peptide in striated muscle.     

The role of phospholipase A2 in calcium-induced damage in cardiac and skeletal muscle

Summary This study compares the action of inhibitors of the eicosanoid cascade on calcium-induced myofilament damage in cardiac muscle of the perfused frog heart and incubated frog ventricle slices, and in skeletal muscle of incubated mammalian diaphragm and isolated and saponin-skinned amphibian pectoris cutaneous muscle. Mepacrine (10^-5M) and indomethacin (3×10^-6M) protected completely against myofilament damage induced by entry of calcium in the calcium-paradox in frog heart. However, inhibition of phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂) (with chlorpromazine, 2×10^-4M, or mepacrine, 10^-5M, 5x10^-5M), of cyclo-oxygenase enzymes (with indomethacin, 3x10^-6M to 10^-5M or BW755C, 3.8x10^-4M), or of lipoxygenase enzymes (with BW755C, 3.8x10^-4M or nordihydroguaiaretic acid, 2x10^-6M or 5x10^-6M) all failed in intact cardiac or skeletal muscle cells to prevent the myofilament damage that is rapidly triggered by 10^-2M caffeine, 6x10^-6M ruthenium red, 10^-4M DNP or 5 g ml^-1 A23187. These agents also failed completely to protect against myofilament damage in saponin-skinned amphibian skeletal muscle when [Ca]_i was raised to 8x10^-6M. Thus, inhibition of PLA₂ does not protect the myofilament apparatus against calcium released intracellularly, and it is suggested that mepacrine and indomethacin can block entry of calcium in the calcium-paradox in the amphibian heart. Chlorpromazine (2x10^-4M) and mepacrine (10^-3M) at zero [Ca] caused severe myofilament damage in skinned muscle, possibly due to an effect on membranes. Since inhibitors of PLA₂ and of lipoxygenases prevent efflux of creatine kinase and sarcolemma damage in mammalian skeletal muscle, it is evident that experimentally-induced rises in [Ca]_i (by caffeine or A23187) can trigger two separate pathways: (i) PLA₂ and the arachidonic acid cascade which culminate in membrane damage, and (ii) a different, Ca-activated system that causes rapid damage of myofilaments.     

Phosphorylation of titin modulates passive stiffness of cardiac muscle in a titin isoform-dependent manner

We investigated the effect of protein kinase A (PKA) on passive force in skinned cardiac tissues that express different isoforms of titin, i.e., stiff (N2B) and more compliant (N2BA) titins, at different levels. We used rat ventricular (RV), bovine left ventricular (BLV), and bovine left atrial (BLA) muscles (passive force: RV > BLV > BLA, with the ratio of N2B to N2BA titin, approximately 90:10, approximately 40:60, and approximately 10:90%, respectively) and found that N2B and N2BA isoforms can both be phosphorylated by PKA. Under the relaxed condition, sarcomere length was increased and then held constant for 30 min and the peak passive force, stress-relaxation, and steady-state passive force were determined. Following PKA treatment, passive force was significantly decreased in all muscle types with the effect greatest in RV, lowest in BLA, and intermediate in BLV. Fitting the stress-relaxation data to the sum of three exponential decay functions revealed that PKA blunts the magnitude of stress-relaxation and accelerates its time constants. To investigate whether or not PKA-induced decreases in passive force result from possible alteration of titin-thin filament interaction (e.g., via troponin I phosphorylation), we conducted the same experiments using RV preparations that had been treated with gelsolin to extract thin filaments. PKA decreased passive force in gelsolin-treated RV preparations with a magnitude similar to that observed in control preparations. PKA was also found to decrease restoring force in skinned ventricular myocytes of the rat that had been shortened to below the slack length. Finally, we investigated the effect of the beta-adrenergic receptor agonist isoprenaline on diastolic force in intact rat ventricular trabeculae. We found that isoprenaline phosphorylated titin and that it reduced diastolic force to a degree similar to that found in skinned RV preparations. Taken together, these results suggest that during beta-adrenergic stimulation, PKA increases ventricular compliance in a titin isoform-dependent manner.     

The role of corticotropin-releasing hormone in alteration of adaptive behavior of the active and passive rats after inescapable stress

Effects of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) on the formation of post-stress psychopathology were studied using of two genetic strains KHA (Koltushi high Avoidance) and KLA (Koltushi low Avoidance) selected on high or low acquisition of active avoidance, respectively. These strains are characterized by higher (KHA) and lower (KLA) behavioral activity in open field and adopted, respectively, active and passive strategies in stressful conditions. A widely used experimental paradigm of learned helplessness where behavioral depression was produced by inescapable uncontrollable footshock has been applied in our study. KHA rats demonstrated psychopathology already 1st day following exsposure to the stress faktor, and the depression progressed by the 5th and 10th post-stress days. Intranasal application of CRH facilitated the development of depression in active rats. In KLA rats, which originally displayed low exploratory activity associated with high anxiety, the inescapable stress at first enhanced the exploratory behavior but 10 days later these rats displayed a progressive decline of exploration and locomotion. Initially, the application of CRH also enhanced the exploratory behavior in these rats, but to 10th post-stress day promoted development of depressive state. The results suggest that CRH in different ways affects the formation of depressive state in rats with different strategies of adaptive behavior.