scholarly journals Circulating microRNAs May Serve as Biomarkers for Hypertensive Emergency End-Organ Injuries and Address Underlying Pathways in an Animal Model

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Knut Asbjørn Rise Langlo ◽  
Gustavo Jose Justo Silva ◽  
Tina Syvertsen Overrein ◽  
Volker Adams ◽  
Ulrik Wisløff ◽  
...  

There is an incomplete understanding of the underlying pathophysiology in hypertensive emergencies, where severely elevated blood pressure causes acute end-organ injuries, as opposed to the long-term manifestations of chronic hypertension. Furthermore, current biomarkers are unable to detect early end-organ injuries like hypertensive encephalopathy and renal thrombotic microangiopathy. We hypothesized that circulating microRNAs (c-miRs) could identify acute and chronic complications of severe hypertension, and that combinations of c-miRs could elucidate important pathways involved. We studied the diagnostic accuracy of 145 c-miRs in Dahl salt-sensitive rats fed either a low-salt (N = 20: 0.3% NaCl) or a high-salt (N = 60: 8% NaCl) diet. Subclinical hypertensive encephalopathy and thrombotic microangiopathy were diagnosed by histopathology. In addition, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction was evaluated with echocardiography and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide; and endothelial dysfunction was studied using acetylcholine-induced aorta ring relaxation. Systolic blood pressure increased severely in animals on a high-salt diet (high-salt 205 ± 20 mm Hg vs. low-salt 152 ± 18 mm Hg, p < 0.001). Partial least squares discriminant analysis revealed 68 c-miRs discriminating between animals with and without hypertensive emergency complications. Twenty-nine c-miRs were strongly associated with hypertensive encephalopathy, 24 c-miRs with thrombotic microangiopathy, 30 c-miRs with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, and 28 c-miRs with endothelial dysfunction. Hypertensive encephalopathy, thrombotic microangiopathy and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction were associated with deviations in many of the same c-miRs, whereas endothelial dysfunction was associated with a different set of c-miRs. Several of these c-miRs demonstrated fair to good diagnostic accuracy for a composite outcome of hypertensive encephalopathy, thrombotic microangiopathy and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in receiver-operating-curve analyses (area-under-curve 0.75–0.88). Target prediction revealed an enrichment of genes related to several pathways relevant for cardiovascular disease (e.g., mucin type O-glycan biosynthesis, MAPK, Wnt, Hippo, and TGF-beta signaling). C-miRs could potentially serve as biomarkers of severe hypertensive end-organ injuries and elucidate important pathways involved.

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
P Huang ◽  
C Liu

Abstract Background Lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) at admission or discharge was associated with poor outcomes in patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). However, the optimal long-term SBP for HFpEF was less clear. Purpose To examine the association of long-term SBP and all-cause mortality among patients with HFpEF. Methods We analyzed participants from the Treatment of Preserved Cardiac Function Heart Failure with an Aldosterone Antagonist (TOPCAT) study. Participants had at least two SBP measurements of different times during the follow-up were included. Long-term SBP was defined as the average of all SBP measurements during the follow-up. We stratified participants into four groups according to long-term SBP: <120mmHg, ≥120mmHg and <130mmHg, ≥130mmHg and <140mmHg, ≥140mmHg. Multivariable adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for all-cause mortality associated with SBP level. To assess for nonlinearity, we fitted restricted cubic spline models of long-term SBP. Sensitivity analyses were conducted by confining participants with history of hypertension or those with left ventricular ejection fraction≥50%. Results The 3338 participants had a mean (SD) age of 68.5 (9.6) years; 51.4% were women, and 89.3% were White. The median long-term SBP was 127.3 mmHg (IQR 121–134.2, range 77–180.7). Patients in the SBP of <120mmHg group were older age, less often female, less often current smoker, had higher estimated glomerular filtration rate, less often had history of hypertension, and more often had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and atrial fibrillation. After multivariable adjustment, long-term SBP of 120–130mmHg and 130–140mmHg was associated with a lower risk of mortality during a mean follow-up of 3.3 years (HR 0.65, 95% CI: 0.49–0.85, P=0.001; HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.50–0.88, P=0.004, respectively); long-term SBP of <120mmHg had similar risk of mortality (HR 1.03, 95% CI: 0.78–1.36, P=0.836), compared with long-term SBP of ≥140mmHg. Findings from restricted cubic spline analysis demonstrate that there was J-shaped association between long-term SBP and all-cause mortality (P=0.02). These association was essentially unchanged in sensitivity analysis. Conclusions Among patients with HFpEF, long-term SBP showed a J-shaped pattern with all-cause mortality and a range of 120–140 mmHg was significantly associated with better outcomes. Future randomized controlled trials need to evaluate optimal long-term SBP goal in patients with HFpEF. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Foundation. Main funding source(s): China Postdoctoral Science Foundation Grant (2019M660229 and 2019TQ0380)


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 1001-1007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sante D. Pierdomenico ◽  
Anna M. Pierdomenico ◽  
Francesca Coccina ◽  
Domenico Lapenna ◽  
Ettore Porreca

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas B. Gevaert ◽  
Katrien Lemmens ◽  
Christiaan J. Vrints ◽  
Emeline M. Van Craenenbroeck

Although the burden of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is increasing, there is no therapy available that improves prognosis. Clinical trials using beta blockers and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, cardiac-targeting drugs that reduce mortality in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), have had disappointing results in HFpEF patients. A new “whole-systems” approach has been proposed for designing future HFpEF therapies, moving focus from the cardiomyocyte to the endothelium. Indeed, dysfunction of endothelial cells throughout the entire cardiovascular system is suggested as a central mechanism in HFpEF pathophysiology. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of current knowledge regarding endothelial dysfunction in HFpEF. We discuss the molecular and cellular mechanisms leading to endothelial dysfunction and the extent, presence, and prognostic importance of clinical endothelial dysfunction in different vascular beds. We also consider implications towards exercise training, a promising therapy targeting system-wide endothelial dysfunction in HFpEF.


2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 304-314
Author(s):  
M. A. Manukyan ◽  
A. Y. Falkovskaya ◽  
V. F. Mordovin ◽  
T. R. Ryabova ◽  
I. V. Zyubanova ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: It is expected that a steady increase in the incidence of diabetes and resistant hypertension (RHTN), along with an increase in life expectancy, will lead to a noticeable increase in the proportion of patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). At the same time, data on the frequency of HFpEF in a selective group of patients with RHTN in combination with diabetes are still lacking, and the pathophysiological and molecular mechanisms of its formation have not been yet studied sufficiently.AIM: To assess the features of the development HFpEF in diabetic and non-diabetic patients with RHTN, as well as to determine the factors associated with HFpEF.MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the study were included 36 patients with RHTN and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) (mean age 61.4 ± 6.4 years, 14 men) and 33 patients with RHTN without diabetes, matched by sex, age and level of systolic blood pressure (BP). All patients underwent baseline office and 24-hour BP measurement, echocardiography with assess diastolic function, lab tests (basal glycemia, HbA1c, creatinine, aldosterone, TNF-alpha, hsCRP, brain naturetic peptide, metalloproteinases of types 2, 9 (MMP-2, MMP-9) and tissue inhibitor of MMP type 1 (TIMP-1)). HFpEF was diagnosed according to the 2019 AHA/ESC guidelines.RESULTS: The frequency of HFpEF was significantly higher in patients with RHTN with DM than those without DM (89% and 70%, respectively, p=0.045). This difference was due to a higher frequency of such major functional criterion of HFpEF as E/e’≥15 (p=0.042), as well as a tendency towards a higher frequency of an increase in left atrial volumes (p=0.081) and an increase in BNP (p=0.110). Despite the comparable frequency of diastolic dysfunction in patients with and without diabetes (100% and 97%, respectively), disturbance of the transmitral blood flow in patients with DM were more pronounced than in those without diabetes. Deterioration of transmitral blood flow and pseudo-normalization of diastolic function in diabetic patients with RHTN have relationship not only with signs of carbohydrate metabolism disturbance, but also with level of pulse blood pressure, TNF-alfa, TIMP-1 and TIMP-1 / MMP-2 ratio, which, along with the incidence of atherosclerosis, were higher in patients with DM than in those without diabetes.CONCLUSIONS: Thus, HFpEF occurs in the majority of diabetic patients with RHTN. The frequency of HFpEF in patients with DN is significantly higher than in patients without it, which is associated with more pronounced impairments of diastolic function. The progressive development of diastolic dysfunction in patients with diabetes mellitus is associated not only with metabolic disorders, but also with increased activity of chronic subclinical inflammation, profibrotic state and high severity of vascular changes.


Circulation ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 132 (suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica A Regan ◽  
Adolofo G Mauro ◽  
Salvatore Carbone ◽  
Carlo Marchetti ◽  
Eleonora Mezzaroma ◽  
...  

Background: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is characterized by elevated left ventricular (LV) filling pressures due to impaired LV diastolic function. Low-dose infusion of angiotensin 2 (AT2) in the mouse induces a HFpEF phenotype without increasing blood pressure. AT2 infusion induces expression of Interleukin-18 (IL-18) in the heart. We therefore tested whether IL-18 mediated AT2-induced LV diastolic dysfunction in this model. Methods: We infused subcutaneously AT2 (0.2 mg/Kg/day) or a matching volume of vehicle via osmotic pumps surgically implanted in the interscapular space in adult wild-type (WT) male mice and IL-18 knock-out mice (IL-18KO). We also treated WT mice with daily intraperitoneal injections of recombinant murine IL-18 binding protein (IL-18bp, a naturally occurring IL-18 blocker) at 3 different doses (0.1, 0.3 and 1.0 mg/kg) or vehicle for 25 days starting on day 3. We performed a Doppler-echocardiography study before implantation and at 28 days to measure LV dimensions, mass, and systolic and diastolic function in all mice. LV catheterization was performed prior to sacrifice to measure LV end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) using a Millar catheter. Results: AT2 induces a significant increase in isovolumetric relaxation time (IRT) and myocardial performance index (MPI) at Doppler echocardiography and elevation of LVEDP at catheterization, indicative of impaired LV diastolic function, in absence of any measurable effects on systolic blood pressure nor LV dimensions, mass, or systolic function. Mice with genetic deletion of IL-18 (IL-18 KO) or WT mice treated with IL-18bp had no significant increase in IRT, MPI or LVEDP with AT2 infusion. Conclusion: Genetic or pharmacologic IL-18 blockade prevent diastolic dysfunction in a mouse model of HFpEF induced by low dose AT2 infusion, suggesting a critical role of IL-18 in the pathophysiology of HFpEF.


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