Abstract 14740: Sympathetic Down-regulation With Zamicastat Reduces Arrhythmogenicity in Isolated Hearts From Rats With Pulmonary Hypertension
Introduction: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a disease often causing right ventricular failure and death. During disease progression, structural and electrical remodeling of the right ventricle creates proarrhythmic substrates and triggers for arrhythmias. Studies of PAH patients show a hyperstimulation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) indicating that PAH may be mediated by SNS hyperactivation. Zamicastat (ZAM) is a reversible dopamine β-hydroxylase inhibitor that modulates SNS by reducing the biosynthesis of norepinephrine in peripheral sympathetic nerves. ZAM improves survival in the monocrotaline (MCT) rat model of PAH. Hypothesis: To evaluate the effect of ZAM on electrophysiological parameters in isolated hearts from MCT-treated rats. Methods: Male Wistar Han rats were randomized in 3 groups, Sham (n=6), MCT (n=15) and MCT+ZAM (n=17). On day zero, MCT and MCT+ZAM groups received MCT (60 mg/kg, SC) and Sham group received saline. Starting on day 12, MCT+ZAM rats were daily administered ZAM (30 mg/kg, PO) while all other animals were given vehicle. On day 28, hearts were excised and mounted on a Langendorff system. A bipolar circuit of two electrodes was placed on the epicardium for ECG recording. Provoked arrhythmias were induced with a burst pacing protocol (50Hz, 1 second) and the recovery time was measured as the time needed to reach 3 consecutive stable R-R intervals. Results: MCT increased the proportion of hearts exhibiting bundle branch blocks, 3 rd degree atrioventricular (AV) blocks, atrial fibrillation (AF), ventricular fibrillation (VF) and premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) when compared to Sham group. ZAM treatment suppressed 3 rd degree AV blocks, AF and VF. In addition, PVCs were less frequent in hearts from MCT+ZAM animals as compared to MCT group. Isolated hearts naturally entered a pause following overpacing-induced VF. MCT hearts showed a non-significant 1.7-fold increase in recovery time compared to Sham group. Hearts from MCT+ZAM animals had a significant ≈50% reduction in post-fibrillation pause. Conclusions: These data suggest that treatment with Zamicastat yields a lower proarrhythmic cardiac tissue decreasing the incidence of cardiac arrhythmias.