scholarly journals Uremic Cardiomyopathy: An Underdiagnosed Disease

2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. E40-E45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eyad Alhaj ◽  
Nehad Alhaj ◽  
Ifad Rahman ◽  
Tariq O. Niazi ◽  
Robert Berkowitz ◽  
...  
Circulation ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 130 (suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela D Winterberg ◽  
Rong Jiang ◽  
Bo Wang ◽  
Sonal Harbaran ◽  
Mary B Wagner

Introduction: The underlying mechanisms contributing to uremic cardiomyopathy during chronic kidney disease (CKD) are poorly understood, limiting treatment options. Hypothesis: We aimed to determine if altered calcium (Ca2+) handling in cardiomyocytes contributes to diastolic dysfunction in a mouse model of CKD. Methods: CKD was induced in male 129X1/SvJ mice through five-sixths nephrectomy in a two-stage surgery. Age-matched mice served as controls. Transthoracic echocardiography and speckle-tracking based strain analysis (Vevo2100, VisualSonics, Toronto, Canada) were performed at 8 weeks post-CKD (n=7-8) to assess heart structure and function. Cardiomyocytes isolated from mice with or without CKD (n=3 mice per group, 10-12 cells/mouse) were loaded with Fura 2-AM, paced by field stimulation (1 Hz), and imaged with a dual-excitation fluorescence photomultiplier system (IonOptix Inc, Milton, MA) to measure Ca2+ transients and sarcomere length. Sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ content was determined following rapid application of caffeine.[[Unable to Display Character: &#8232;]] Results: CKD mice displayed left ventricular hypertrophy (LVAW;d 1.46 ± 0.134 vs 1.04 ± 0.129 mm; p<0.001) and decreased longitudinal strain (19 ± 4.1% vs 30 ± 2.3%; p<0.0001) compared to control mice. Resting sarcomere length was significantly shorter in cardiomyocytes isolated from CKD mice compared to normal mice (1.86 ± 0.054 vs 1.89 ± 0.047 nm; p = 0.016), but relaxation time was unchanged (0.21 ± 0.12 vs 0.21 ± 0.15 seconds, p=0.4). Unexpectedly, the baseline cytosolic Ca2+ content was lower in uremic myocytes (1.22 ± 0.353 vs 1.46 ± 0.252 AU, p=0.002). However, the Ca2+ transient amplitude (0.39 ± 0.177 vs 0.41 ± 0.167 AU, p=0.4) and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ content (1.15 ± 0.321 vs 1.24 ± 0.550 AU, p=0.4) were comparable between CKD and normal cardiomyocytes.[[Unable to Display Character: &#8232;]] Conclusions: Mice with CKD have signs of left ventricular hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction on echocardiography. Cardiomyocytes isolated from mice with CKD have shorter diastolic sarcomere length implying impaired relaxation, yet paradoxically have decreased diastolic calcium. Thus Ca2+ accumulation during diastole does not appear to contribute to impaired relaxation in this model.


2019 ◽  
Vol 245 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo Giovani de Albuquerque Suassuna ◽  
Paula Marocolo Cherem ◽  
Bárbara Bruna de Castro ◽  
Edgar Maquigussa ◽  
Marco Antonio Cenedeze ◽  
...  

In chronic kidney disease (CKD), evidence suggests that soluble αKlotho (sKlotho) has cardioprotective effects. Contrariwise, high circulating levels of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) are related to uremic cardiomyopathy development. Recently, it has been demonstrated that sKlotho can act as a soluble FGF23 co-receptor, allowing sKlotho to modulate FGF23 actions in the myocardium, leading to the activation of cardioprotective pathways. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a cardiomyokine with sKlotho-like protective actions and has never been evaluated in uremic cardiomyopathy. Here, we aimed to evaluate whether recombinant αKlotho (rKlotho) replacement can attenuate cardiac remodeling in an established uremic cardiomyopathy, and to explore its impact on myocardial FGF21 expression. Forty-six male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: control, CKD-untreated, and CKD treated with rKlotho (CKD + KL). CKD was induced by 5/6 nephrectomy. From weeks 4–8, the control and CKD-untreated groups received vehicle, whereas the CKD + KL group received subcutaneous rKlotho replacement (0.01 mg/kg) every 48 h. Myocardial remodeling was evaluated by heart weight/tibia length (HW/TL) ratio, echocardiographic parameters, myocardial histomorphometry, and myocardial expression of β-myosin heavy chain (MHCβ), alpha smooth muscle actin (αSMA), transient receptor potential cation channel 6 (TRPC6), and FGF21. As expected, CKD animals had reduced levels of sKlotho and increased serum FGF23 levels. Compared to the control group, manifest myocardial remodeling was present in the CKD-untreated group, while it was attenuated in the CKD + KL group. Furthermore, cardiomyocyte diameter and interstitial fibrotic area were reduced in the CKD + KL group compared to the CKD-untreated group. Similarly, rKlotho replacement was associated with reduced myocardial expression of TRPC6, MHCβ, and αSMA and a higher expression of FGF21. rKlotho showed cardioprotective effects by attenuating myocardial remodeling and reducing TRPC6 expression. Interestingly, rKlotho replacement was also associated with increased myocardial FGF21 expression, suggesting that an interaction between the two cardioprotective pathways needs to be further explored. Impact statement This study aimed to evaluate whether rKlotho replacement can attenuate cardiac remodeling in a post-disease onset therapeutic reasoning and explore the impact on myocardial FGF21 expression. This study contributes significantly to the literature, as the therapeutic effects of rKlotho replacement and FGF21 myocardial expression have not been widely evaluated in a setting of uremic cardiomyopathy. For the first time, it has been demonstrated that subcutaneous rKlotho replacement may attenuate cardiac remodeling in established uremic cardiomyopathy and increase myocardial expression of FGF21, suggesting a correlation between αKlotho and myocardial FGF21 expression. The possibility of interaction between the αKlotho and FGF21 cardioprotective pathways needs to be further explored, but, if confirmed, would point to a therapeutic potential of FGF21 in uremic cardiomyopathy.


Author(s):  
Jonathan P. Law ◽  
Anna M. Price ◽  
Luke Pickup ◽  
Ashwin Radhakrishnan ◽  
Chris Weston ◽  
...  

Abstract Chronic kidney disease is highly prevalent, affecting 10% to 15% of the adult population worldwide and is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. As chronic kidney disease worsens, a unique cardiovascular phenotype develops characterized by heart muscle disease, increased arterial stiffness, atherosclerosis, and hypertension. Cardiovascular risk is multifaceted, but most cardiovascular deaths in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease are caused by heart failure and sudden cardiac death. While the exact drivers of these deaths are unknown, they are believed to be caused by uremic cardiomyopathy: a specific pattern of myocardial hypertrophy, fibrosis, with both diastolic and systolic dysfunction. Although the pathogenesis of uremic cardiomyopathy is likely to be multifactorial, accumulating evidence suggests increased production of fibroblast growth factor‐23 and αKlotho deficiency as potential major drivers of cardiac remodeling in patients with uremic cardiomyopathy. In this article we review the increasing understanding of the physiology and clinical aspects of uremic cardiomyopathy and the rapidly increasing knowledge of the biology of both fibroblast growth factor‐23 and αKlotho. Finally, we discuss how dissection of these pathological processes is aiding the development of therapeutic options, including small molecules and antibodies, directly aimed at improving the cardiovascular outcomes of patients with chronic kidney disease and end‐stage renal disease.


2001 ◽  
Vol 21 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 285-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uwe Querfeld

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most common cause of death in adults with end-stage renal disease and after renal transplantation, and the relative excess of mortality is greatest in the young. The most likely explanation is the dramatic accumulation of both classical and uremic risk factors leading to atherosclerosis, uremic vasculopathy, and uremic cardiomyopathy. Prospective studies have established the significance of classical and uremic risk factors for the occurrence of CVD in the normal population and in the population with chronic renal disease alike. However, whether and to what degree modification of risk factors by therapeutic intervention can lower morbidity and mortality rates is as yet unknown.


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