Is apoptosis present in progression to chronic hypertensive heart failure?

Abstract Cardiomyocyte apoptosis is believed to occur in hypertension. Isolated myocyte data from spontaneously hypertensive heart failure (SHHF) rats, however, suggest that significant myocyte loss does not occur in this model. To investigate this issue further, heart sections from failing and nonf...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of cardiac failure 2000-03, Vol.6 (1), p.37-42
Main Authors: Tamura, Tetsutaro, Said, Suleman, Lu, Wenyan, Harris, Jennifer, Neufeld, Dan, Burbach, James A., Gerdes, A. Martin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
apoptosis
Apoptosis - genetics
Disease Models, Animal
Disease Progression
DNA - analysis
Fibrosis - pathology
heart failure
Heart Failure - etiology
Heart Failure - genetics
Heart Failure - pathology
Heart Ventricles - pathology
Hypertension - complications
Hypertension - pathology
In Situ Nick-End Labeling
Myocardium - pathology
Photomicrography
Rats
Rats, Inbred SHR
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
TUNEL method
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Summary:Abstract Cardiomyocyte apoptosis is believed to occur in hypertension. Isolated myocyte data from spontaneously hypertensive heart failure (SHHF) rats, however, suggest that significant myocyte loss does not occur in this model. To investigate this issue further, heart sections from failing and nonfailing SHHF rats were examined by using in situ terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated 2′-deoxyuridine 5′-triphosphate nick end-labeling (TUNEL). Additional hearts were optimally fixed by perfusion with glutaraldehyde and histologically examined for evidence of myocyte damage or loss. Five Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, 8 failing SHHF rats, and 6 nonfailing SHHF rats were perfusion-fixed with formaldehyde and used for TUNEL assay. Heart sections from each group were also treated with DNase for positive controls. There were no significant differences in the number of TUNEL-positive cells in SD, failing SHHF, and nonfailing SHHF rats. Additionally, extensive screening of 1-μm sections of optimally fixed failing hearts revealed little evidence of myocyte loss or nuclear characteristics suggestive of apoptosis. Apoptosis does not appear to be an important component of myocardial remodeling in SHHF rats during hypertrophy or end-stage heart failure. Examination of myocyte nuclear structure by high-resolution microscopy of optimally fixed tissues is recommended as an alternative approach to study apoptosis.
ISSN:1071-9164
1532-8414
DOI:10.1016/S1071-9164(00)00010-5