ISSN:
1573-4919
Keywords:
heart
;
denervation
;
catcholamines
;
β-adrenoceptors
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Medicine
Notes:
Abstract Surgical ablation of extrinsic cardiac nerve fibers results in a chronically denervated state of the left ventricle of the heart. The present study was performed to elucidate the effect of a period of five weeks of chronic denervation on cardiac catecholamine levels in general and dopamine in particular. Moreover, the possible effect on cardiac β-adrenoceptor subtypes was investigated. Experiments were performed on adult dogs. In addition to adrenaline and noradrenaline the tissue levels of dopamine were found to be severely depressed. A significant shift from β1- to β2-adrenoceptor subtype was observed, while the total β-adrenoceptor density remained unaffected. The present findings indicate that catecholamine synthesis in chronically denervated hearts is impaired upstream of dopamine and that a shift in β-adrenoceptor subtype occurs already within a relatively short period of five weeks of denervation, and suggest that the lack of endogenous catecholamines influence the relative expression levels of the two subtypes of β-adrenoceptors present in cardiac tissue.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1006861112530
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