[Cardiac metallothionein overexpression improves cardiac contractile function and attenuates oxidative stress in lipopolysaccharide-treated mice].

Objective: This study was designed to examine the impact of the antioxidant metallothionein (MT) on cardiac contractile, intracellular Ca(2+) function and oxidative stress in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated mice.

Methods: Weight and age matched adult male FVB and cardiac-specific MT-overexpressing transgenic mice were injected intraperitoneally with 4 mg/kg Escherichia Coli LPS dissolved in sterile saline or an equivalent volume of pathogen-free saline (control groups). Six hours following LPS or saline injection, cardiac geometry and function were evaluated in anesthetized mice using the 2-D guided M-mode echocardiography. Mechanical and intracellular Ca(2+) properties were examined in hearts. Cell shortening and relengthening were assessed using the following indices: peak shortening (PS)-indicative of the amplitude a cell can shorten during contraction; maximal velocities of cell shortening and relengthening (± dl/dt)-indicative of peak ventricular contractility; time-to-PS (TPS)-indicative of systolic duration; time-to-90% relengthening (TR(90))-indicative of diastolic duration (90% rather 100% relengthening was used to avoid noisy signal at baseline concentration). The 360 nm excitation scan was repeated at the end of the protocol and qualitative changes in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration were inferred from the ratio of fura-2 fluorescence intensity (FFI) at two wavelengths (360/380). Fluorescence decay time was measured as an indicator of the intracellular Ca(2+) clearing rate. Glutathione/glutathione disulfide ratio and ROS generation were detected as the markers of oxidative stress.

Results: Heart rate was increased while EF was reduced in LPS-FVB mice and heart rate was reduced and EF increased in MT-LPS transgenic mice [(528 ± 72) beats/min vs (557 ± 69) beats/min, (66 ± 14)% vs (42 ± 10)%, P < 0.05]. Cardiomyocytes from the LPS treated FVB mice displayed significantly reduced peak shortening (PS) and maximal velocity of shortening/relengthening (±dl/dt) associated with prolonged time-to-90% relengthening (TR(90)), these effects were attenuated in cardiomyocytes from the MT-LPS mice [PS(5 ± 1.1)% vs (7.2 ± 0.8)%, dl/dt(160 ± 15) µm/s vs (212 ± 36) µm/s, -dl/dt (175 ± 32) µm/s vs (208 ± 29) µm/s, TR(90) (0.24 ± 0.03)s vs (0.19 ± 0.02)s, P < 0.05]. LPS treated mice showed significantly reduced peak intracellular Ca(2+) and electrically-stimulated rise in intracellular Ca(2+) as well as prolonged intracellular Ca(2+) decay rate without affecting the basal intracellular Ca(2+) levels, again, these effects were significantly attenuated in MT-LPS transgenic mice. Metallothionein overexpression also ablated oxidative stress [reduced ROS generation and increased glutathione/glutathione disulfide ratio, ROS (0.35 ± 0.08) A/µg protein vs (0.24 ± 0.03) A/µg protein]. GSH/GSSG 2.1 ± 0.2 vs 2.6 ± 0.4, P < 0.05.

Conclusion: MT overexpression improved cardiac function and ablated oxidative stress in LPS treated mice.