An excessive increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels is one of the main causes of mitochondrial dysfunction. However, when ROS levels are maintained in balance with antioxidant mechanisms, ROS fulfill the role of signaling molecules and modulate various physiological processes. Recent advances in mitochondrial bioenergetics research have revealed a significant interplay between mitochondrial peroxiredoxins (PRDXs) and monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) in regulating ROS levels. Both proteins are associated with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), MAO-A as a producer and PRDXs as the primary antioxidant scavengers of H2O2. This review focuses on the currently available knowledge on the function of these proteins and their interaction, highlighting their importance in regulating oxidative damage, apoptosis, and metabolic adaptation in the heart. PRDXs not only scavenge excess H2O2, but also act as regulatory proteins, play an active role in redox signaling, and maintain mitochondrial membrane integrity. Overexpression of MAO-A is associated with increased oxidative damage, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction and subsequent progression of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including ischemia/reperfusion injury and heart failure. Considering the central role of oxidative damage in the pathogenesis of many CVD, targeting PRDXs activation and MAO-A inhibition may offer new therapeutic strategies aimed at improving cardiac function under conditions of pathological load related to oxidative damage. Keywords: Mitochondria, Peroxiredoxin, Monoamine oxidase-A, Reactive oxygen species, Cardioprotective signaling.

• MeSH
• Cardiovascular Diseases * metabolism   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Monoamine Oxidase * metabolism   MeSH
• Oxidative Stress physiology   MeSH
• Peroxiredoxins * metabolism   MeSH
• Reactive Oxygen Species * metabolism   MeSH
• Signal Transduction physiology   MeSH
• Mitochondria, Heart * metabolism   enzymology   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Monoamine Oxidase * MeSH
• Peroxiredoxins * MeSH
• Reactive Oxygen Species * MeSH

The aim of the study was to examine the potential role of mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) in the cardioprotective effect of chronic continuous hypoxia (CH) against acute myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Adult male Wistar rats were adapted to CH for 3 weeks, while their controls were kept under normoxic conditions. Subsequently, they were subjected to I/R insult while being administered with mPTP inhibitor, cyclosporin A (CsA). Infarct size and incidence of ischemic and reperfusion arrhythmias were determined. Our results showed that adaptation to CH as well as CsA administration reduced myocardial infarct size in comparison to the corresponding control groups. However, administration of CsA did not amplify the beneficial effect of CH, suggesting that inhibition of mPTP opening contributes to the protective character of CH.

• MeSH
• Chronic Disease MeSH
• Cyclosporine * pharmacology   MeSH
• Hypoxia * metabolism   MeSH
• Myocardial Infarction metabolism   pathology   prevention & control   MeSH
• Rats MeSH
• Rats, Wistar * MeSH
• Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore * metabolism   MeSH
• Myocardial Reperfusion Injury * metabolism   prevention & control   pathology   MeSH
• Mitochondria, Heart metabolism   drug effects   pathology   MeSH
• Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins metabolism   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Rats MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Cyclosporine * MeSH
• Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore * MeSH
• Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins MeSH

Fasting is a common dietary intervention known for its protective effects against metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. While its effects are mostly systemic, understanding tissue-specific changes in the heart is crucial for the identification of the mechanisms underlying fasting-induced cardioprotection. In this study, we performed a proteomic analysis of the fasting heart and attempted to clarify the molecular basis of fasting-induced cardioprotection. Our investigation identified a total of 4,652 proteins, with 127 exhibiting downregulation and 118 showing upregulation after fasting. Annotation analysis highlighted significant changes in processes such as lipid metabolism, the peroxisome pathway, and reactive oxygen species metabolism. Notably, the HIF-1 signaling pathway emerged as one of the focal points, with various HIF-1 targets exhibiting differential responses to fasting. Further experiments demonstrated downregulation of HIF-1α at both transcript and protein levels. Intriguingly, while gene expression of Egln3 decreased, its protein product PHD3 remained unaffected by fasting. The unchanged levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines indicated that the observed reduction in Hif1a expression did not stem from a decrease in basal inflammation. These findings underscore the complex regulation of the well-established cardioprotective HIF-1 signaling within the heart during 3-day fasting.

• Keywords
• HIF-1, PHD3, fasting, heart, proteome,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

In 2023, six decades have elapsed since the first experimental work on the heart muscle was published, in which a member of the Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences participated as an author; Professor Otakar Poupa was the founder and protagonist of this research domain. Sixty years - more than half of the century - is certainly significant enough anniversary that is worth looking back and reflecting on what was achieved during sometimes very complicated periods of life. It represents the history of an entire generation of experimental cardiologists; it is possible to learn from its successes and mistakes. The objective of this review is to succinctly illuminate the scientific trajectory of an experimental cardiological department over a 60-year span, from its inaugural publication to the present. The old truth - historia magistra vitae - is still valid. Keywords: Heart, Adaptation, Development, Hypoxia, Protection.

• MeSH
• Academies and Institutes * history   MeSH
• Biomedical Research * history   trends   MeSH
• History, 20th Century MeSH
• History, 21st Century MeSH
• Physiology history   MeSH
• Cardiology history   trends   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Heart physiology   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• History, 20th Century MeSH
• History, 21st Century MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Historical Article MeSH
• Review MeSH
• Geographicals
• Czech Republic MeSH

Cardiac tolerance to ischaemia can be increased by dietary interventions such as fasting, which is associated with significant changes in myocardial gene expression. Among the possible mechanisms of how gene expression may be altered are epigenetic modifications of RNA - epitranscriptomics. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and N6,2'-O-dimethyladenosine (m6Am) are two of the most prevalent modifications in mRNA. These methylations are reversible and regulated by proteins called writers, erasers, readers, and m6A-repelled proteins. We analysed 33 of these epitranscriptomic regulators in rat hearts after cardioprotective 3-day fasting using RT-qPCR, Western blot, and targeted proteomic analysis. We found that the most of these regulators were changed on mRNA or protein levels in fasting hearts, including up-regulation of both demethylases - FTO and ALKBH5. In accordance, decreased methylation (m6A+m6Am) levels were detected in cardiac total RNA after fasting. We also identified altered methylation levels in Nox4 and Hdac1 transcripts, both of which play a role in the cytoprotective action of ketone bodies produced during fasting. Furthermore, we investigated the impact of inhibiting demethylases ALKBH5 and FTO in adult rat primary cardiomyocytes (AVCMs). Our findings indicate that inhibiting these demethylases reduced the hypoxic tolerance of AVCMs isolated from fasting rats. This study showed that the complex epitranscriptomic machinery around m6A and m6Am modifications is regulated in the fasting hearts and might play an important role in cardiac adaptation to fasting, a well-known cardioprotective intervention.

• Keywords
• ALKBH5, FTO, Fasting, epitranscriptomics, heart, m6A, m6Am,
• MeSH
• Adenosine * genetics   metabolism   MeSH
• Rats MeSH
• RNA, Messenger genetics   MeSH
• Fasting MeSH
• Proteomics * MeSH
• RNA metabolism   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Rats MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Adenosine * MeSH
• RNA, Messenger MeSH
• RNA MeSH

OBJECTIVE: We examined the effects of treatment with soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor (sEHi) and epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) analogue (EET-A), given alone or combined, on blood pressure (BP) and ischemia/reperfusion myocardial injury in rats with angiotensin II (ANG II)-dependent hypertension. METHODS: Ren-2 transgenic rats (TGR) were used as a model of ANG II-dependent hypertension and Hannover Sprague-Dawley rats served as controls. Rats were treated for 14 days with sEHi or EET-A and BP was measured by radiotelemetry. Albuminuria, cardiac hypertrophy and concentrations of ANG II and EETs were determined. Separate groups were subjected to acute myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury and the infarct size and ventricular arrhythmias were determined. RESULTS: Treatment of TGR with sEHi and EET-A, given alone or combined, decreased BP to a similar degree, reduced albuminuria and cardiac hypertrophy to similar extent; only treatment regimens including sEHi increased myocardial and renal tissue concentrations of EETs. sEHi and EET-A, given alone or combined, suppressed kidney ANG II levels in TGR. Remarkably, infarct size did not significantly differ between TGR and Hannover Sprague-Dawley rats, but the incidence of ischemia-induced ventricular fibrillations was higher in TGR. Application of sEHi and EET-A given alone and combined sEHi and EET-A treatment were all equally effective in reducing life-threatening ventricular fibrillation in TGR. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that chronic treatment with either sEHi or EET-A exerts distinct antihypertensive and antiarrhythmic actions in our ANG II-dependent model of hypertension whereas combined administration of sEHi and EET-A does not provide additive antihypertensive or cardioprotective effects.

• MeSH
• Albuminuria metabolism   MeSH
• Angiotensin II metabolism   MeSH
• Antihypertensive Agents pharmacology   MeSH
• Hypertension metabolism   MeSH
• Blood Pressure drug effects   MeSH
• Rats MeSH
• Arachidonic Acids pharmacology   MeSH
• Rats, Sprague-Dawley MeSH
• Rats, Transgenic MeSH
• Arrhythmias, Cardiac metabolism   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Rats MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Angiotensin II MeSH
• Antihypertensive Agents MeSH
• Arachidonic Acids MeSH

Adaptation to continuous normobaric hypoxia (CNH) protects the heart against acute ischemia/reperfusion injury. Recently, we have demonstrated the infarct size-limiting effect of CNH also in hearts of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and in conplastic SHR-mtBN strain characterized by the selective replacement of the mitochondrial genome of SHR with that of more ischemia-resistant Brown Norway rats. Importantly, cardioprotective effect of CNH was more pronounced in SHR-mtBN than in SHR. Thus, here we aimed to identify candidate genes which may contribute to this difference between the strains. Rats were adapted to CNH (FiO2 0.1) for 3 weeks or kept at room air as normoxic controls. Screening of 45 transcripts was performed in left ventricles using Biomark Chip. Significant differences between the groups were analyzed by univariate analysis (ANOVA) and the genes contributing to the differences between the strains unmasked by CNH were identified by multivariate analyses (PCA, SOM). ANOVA with Bonferroni correction revealed that transcripts differently affected by CNH in SHR and SHR-mtBN belong predominantly to lipid metabolism and antioxidant defense. PCA divided four experimental groups into two main clusters corresponding to chronically hypoxic and normoxic groups, and differences between the strains were more pronounced after CNH. Subsequently, the following 14 candidate transcripts were selected by PCA, and confirmed by SOM analyses, that can contribute to the strain differences in cardioprotective phenotype afforded by CNH: Alkaline ceramidase 2 (Acer2), Fatty acid translocase (Cd36), Aconitase 1 (Aco1), Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (Pparg), Hemoxygenase 2 (Hmox2), Phospholipase A2 group IIA (Ppla2g2a), Dynamin-related protein (Drp), Protein kinase C epsilon (Pkce), Hexokinase 2 (Hk2), Sphingomyelin synthase 2 (Sgms2), Caspase 3 (Casp3), Mitofussin 1 (Mfn1), Phospholipase A2 group V (Pla2g5), and Catalase (Cat). Our data suggest that the stronger cardioprotective phenotype of conplastic SHR-mtBN strain afforded by CNH is associated with either preventing the drop or increasing the expression of transcripts related to energy metabolism, antioxidant response and mitochondrial dynamics.

• Keywords
• SHR, SHR-mtBN, conplastic strain, hypoxia, left ventricle, metabolism,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH