High dietary sucrose triggers hyperinsulinemia,increases myocardial β-oxidation,reduces glycolytic flux and delays post-ischemic contractile recovery

Although the causal relationship between insulin resistance (IR) and hypertension is not fully resolved, the importance of IR in cardiovascular dysfunction is recognized. As IR may follow excess sucrose or fructose diet, the aim of this study was to test whether dietary starch substitution with sucrose results in myocardial dysfunction in energy substrate utilization and contractility during normoxic and post-ischemic conditions. Forty-eight male Wistar rats were randomly allocated to three diets, differing only in their starch to sucrose (S) ratio (13, 2 and 0 for the Low S, Middle S and High S groups, respectively), for 3 weeks. Developed pressure and rate × pressure product (RPP) were determined in Langendorff mode-perfused hearts. After 30 min stabilization, hearts were subjected to 25 min of total normothermic global ischemia, followed by 45-min reperfusion. Oxygen consumption, β-oxidation rate (using 1-¹³C hexanoate and Isotopic Ratio Mass Spectrometry of CO₂ produced in the coronary effluent) and flux of non-oxidative glycolysis were also evaluated. Although fasting plasma glucose levels were not affected by increased dietary sucrose, high sucrose intake resulted in increased plasma insulin levels, without significant rise in plasma triglyceride and free fatty acid concentrations. Sucrose-rich diet reduced pre-ischemic baseline measures of heart rate, RPP and non-oxidative glycolysis. During reperfusion, post-ischemic recovery of RPP was impaired in the Middle S and High S groups, as compared to Low S, mainly due to delayed recovery of developed pressure, which by 45 min of reperfusion eventually resumed levels matching Low S. At the start of reperfusion, delayed post-ischemic recovery of contractile function was accompanied by: (i) reduced lactate production; (ii) decreased lactate to pyruvate ratio; (iii)␣increased β-oxidation; and (iv) depressed metabolic efficiency. In conclusion, sucrose rich-diet increased plasma insulin levels, in intact rat, and increased cardiac β-oxidation and coronary flow-rate, but reduced glycolytic flux and contractility during normoxic baseline function of isolated perfused hearts. Sucrose rich-diet impaired early post-ischemic recovery of isolated heart cardiac mechanical function and further augmented cardiac β-oxidation but reduced glycolytic and lactate flux.     

Intramyocardial fate of 15-p-iodophenyl-β-methylpentadecanoic acid (IMPPA): Is it a good tracer of fatty acid myocardial uptake?

Summary Iodinated fatty acids (FAs) are now used in Nuclear Medicine to assess, by external detection, myocardial metabolism. Methylated FAs have been proposed as tracers of FA myocardial uptake. IMPPA is a new FA analogue in which a methyl group have been introduced in position to inhibit -oxidation and a terminal phenyl group prevents a possible omega oxidation. We have compared the intramyocardial behaviour of this FA with the 15-p-iodophenyl-pentadecanoic acid (IPPA), the straight chain analogue, and with the 15-phenyl--methylpentadecanoic acid (MPPA), the 3 of them being labelled with C14 on the carboxyl group, in isolated rat hearts perfused in a recirculating system.When IMPPA is compared to IPPA (influence of the methyl group), we observe 1 — an inhibition of -oxidation (no significant production of labelled C02 and very low radioactivity in the aqueous phase) leading to a reduced uptake, 2 — a lower radioactivity in the organic phase due to a hindrance to the esterification process both into TGs and PLs, the free FAs level being higher. When IMPPA is compared to MPPA (influence of the iodine atom), we observe 1 — the same inhibition of -oxidation, 2 — a higher myocardial radioactivity due to a much higher level of free FAs, the esterification into TGs and PLs being reduced.This study with IMPPA indicates that it is taken up by the heart and trapped there, as it is not oxydized. This long retention time, apart from giving good scintigraphic images, should make IMPPA useful to study the regional myocardial uptake of FAs.     

Modulation of fatty acid-binding protein content of adult rat heart in response to chronic changes in plasma lipid levels

The aim of this work was to study in the adult rat heart the effect of modifications of fatty acid (FA) supply on the content of cytoplasmic fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP_c). To modify the amount of circulating lipids, three different treatments were chosen: (i) an hypolipidemic treatment with Clofibrate, administered daily through a gastric tube at a dose of 250 mg/kg per day for one week, (ii) a continuous intravenous infusion of 20% Intralipid, a fat emulsion, for one week at a dose of 96 ml/kg per day, and (iii) a normobaric hypoxia exposure (pO₂=10%) for three weeks. At the end of each treatment plasma lipids, myocardial H-FABP_c content and the activities of three key enzymes (citrate synthase, CS, fructrose-6-phosphate kinase, FPK and hydroxy-acyl CoA-dehydrogenase, HAD) were assessed. With each of the three treatments a decrease of plasma cholesterol and phospholipid levels was observed. Plasma FA concentration increased with Intralipid infusion and decreased with chronic hypoxia. The heart H-FABP_c content was increased by 20% with Clofibrate, decreased by 20% with chronic hypoxia and remained unaltered upon Intralipid treatment. The induced changes in H-FABP_c content were not related directly to changes in plasma lipid levels. CS activity was slightly decreased in the hypoxia group, FPK activity decreased in the Clofibrate group, and HAD activity decreased in the Intralipid group. Among the various groups heart H-FABP_c content was related to HAD activity. In conclusion, the H-FABP_c content of adult rat heart appears responsive to changes in plasma lipid levels.     

Abnormalities of mitochondrial functioning can partly explain the metabolic disorders encountered in sarcopenic gastrocnemius

Aging triggers several abnormalities in muscle glycolytic fibers including increased proteolysis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and apoptosis. Since the mitochondria are the main site of substrate oxidation, ROS production and programmed cell death, we tried to know whether the cellular disorders encountered in sarcopenia are due to abnormal mitochondrial functioning. Gastrocnemius mitochondria were extracted from adult (6 months) and aged (21 months) male Wistar rats. Respiration parameters, opening of the permeability transition pore and ROS production, with either glutamate (amino acid metabolism) or pyruvate (glucose metabolism) as a respiration substrate, were evaluated at different matrix calcium concentrations. Pyruvate dehydrogenase and respiratory complex activities as well as their contents measured by Western blotting analysis were determined. Furthermore, the fatty acid profile of mitochondrial phospholipids was also measured. At physiological calcium concentration, state III respiration rate was lowered by aging in pyruvate conditions (-22%), but not with glutamate. The reduction of pyruvate oxidation resulted from a calcium-dependent inactivation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase system and could provide for the well-known proteolysis encountered during sarcopenia. Matrix calcium loading and aging increased ROS production. They also reduced the oxidative phosphorylation. This was associated with lower calcium retention capacities, suggesting that sarcopenic fibers are more prone to programmed cell death. Aging was also associated with a reduced mitochondrial superoxide dismutase activity, which does not intervene in toxic ROS overproduction but could explain the lower calcium retention capacities. Despite a lower content, cytochrome c oxidase displayed an increased activity associated with an increased n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio of mitochondrial phospholipids. In conclusion, we propose that mitochondria obtained from aged muscle fibers display several functional abnormalities explaining the increased proteolysis, ROS overproduction and vulnerability to apoptosis exhibited by sarcopenic muscle. These changes appear to be related to modifications of the fatty acid profile of mitochondrial lipids.     

Infection by Brucella melitensis or Brucella papionis modifies essential physiological functions of human trophoblasts

Brucellosis is a zoonosis caused by bacteria of the Brucella genus. In ruminants, brucellosis causes abortion, followed by chronic infection and secretion of bacteria in milk. In humans, it usually presents as flu‐like symptoms, with serious complications if untreated. Epidemiological studies have only recently established that brucellosis can also cause pregnancy complications in women, but the pathogenic mechanisms are unknown. Pioneering studies in ruminants showed that Brucella infect trophoblasts and then colonise the placenta where they grow to high density. A recent study showed that the main zoonotic Brucella species can infect human cytotrophoblasts (CTB) and extravillous trophoblasts (EVT). In this work, we show that Brucella papionis (associated with stillbirth in primates) also infects human trophoblasts. However, it replicates actively in CTB, whereas its replication is very restricted within EVT. We also observed alteration of several trophoblastic functions upon infection by B. papionis or Brucella melitensis (the most prevalent species in human brucellosis). Infection altered the production of hormones, the ability of CTB to form syncytiotrophoblasts, and the invasion capacity of EVT. We also found that infection can spread between different types of trophoblasts. These findings constitute a new step in understanding how Brucella infection causes adverse pregnancy outcomes.