The objectives of this study were to investigate the temporal response of left ventricular (LV) matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity and collagen volume fraction (CVF) induced by an aortocaval fistula and the role of cardiac mast cells in regulating MMP activity. LV tissue was analyzed for MMP activity, CVF, and mast cell number in rats euthanized at 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 5, 14, 21, 35, and 56 days. Additional rats treated with the mast cell membrane-stabilizing drug cromolyn sodium were euthanized 1, 2, and 3 days postfistula. Marked increases in MMP activity occurred rapidly and remained significantly elevated for 5 days before returning toward normal. A significant decrease in CVF occurred by day 5, but thereafter CVF rebounded to normal or above normal values. The number of myocardial mast cells also significantly increased postfistula, and there was a close association between mast cell density and MMP activity. Cromolyn treatment prevented the increase in mast cell number and MMP activity. Thus it is concluded that cardiac mast cells play a major role in the regulation of MMP activity.

Background-Left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and dilatation are important compensatory responses to chronic volume overload. Although LV function is initially preserved by these responses, the continued structural remodeling of the myocardium ultimately becomes maladaptive, leading to the development of heart failure. We have shown previously that increased myocardial matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity precedes LV dilatation induced by a chronic volume overload. Accordingly, this study focused on the effects of MMP inhibition therapy (PD 166793, 1 mg · kg Ϫ1 · d

The chronic elevation in ventricular wall stress secondary to ventricular volume or pressure overload leads to structural remodeling of the muscular, vascular and extracellular matrix components of the myocardium. While initially a compensatory response, the progressive hypertrophy and ventricular dilatation induced by this condition ultimately have a detrimental effect on ventricular function, resulting in heart failure. Fibrillar collagen provides the skeletal framework which interconnects the cardiomyocytes, thereby maintaining ventricular shape and size and contributing to tissue stiffness. Accordingly, these myocardial collagen fibers must be disrupted for ventricular dilatation, sphericalization and wall thinning to occur. The presence of an abundant, latent matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) population which coexists with myocardial fibrillar collagen has been documented. Thus, the potential for collagen degradation to exceed synthesis exists should there be significant activation of this latent MMP system. Mast cells are known to store and release a variety of biologically active mediators including TNF-alpha and proteases such as tryptase and chymase, which can induce MMP activation. Increased cardiac mast cell density has been implicated in the pathophysiology of human end-stage cardiomyopathy and experimental myocardial infarction, hypertension and chronic volume overload secondary to mitral regurgitation and aorto-caval fistula. The potential role of cardiac mast cells in activating MMPs, which then results in fibrillar collagen degradation and adverse myocardial remodeling secondary to chronic volume and pressure overload will be the subject of this review.

The process of cardiac remodeling in response to cardiac injury and/or persistent elevations in wall stress generally relates to the progressive changes that occur in ventricular chamber dimensions and the various components of the myocardium, in particular the cardiomyocytes and the extracellular matrix. Volume overload, pressure overload or myocardial injury produces a sustained abnormal elevation in myocardial wall stress which initiates cardiac remodeling that frequently results in ventricular decompensation and heart failure. Regardless of the inciting cause, there appear to be three distinct phases to this process. In the initial phase, fibrillar collagen is partially degraded secondary to increased matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity. Following this, there is a chronic compensatory phase during which MMP activity and collagen concentration return to normal while cardiomyocyte size continues to progressively increase. The final phase is attained once the compensatory hypertrophic mechanisms are exhausted and is characterized by elevated MMP activity, marked ventricular dilatation and prominent fibrosis. Details of this progressive, dynamic remodeling process and its effect on ventricular function during chronic volume overload, chronic pressure overload and following myocardial infarction will be the focus of this article.

Mast cells contain proteases capable of activating matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). However, given the relatively low density of mast cells in the myocardium (i.e., 1.5-5.3 cells/mm(2)), it is unknown whether these enzymes are present in sufficient quantities in the normal heart to mediate MMP activation. Accordingly, this study sought to determine whether chemically induced degranulation of cardiac mast cells (with compound 48/80) would have an effect in isolated, blood-perfused, functioning rat hearts. Mast cell degranulation produced a 15% increase in histamine levels present in the coronary efflux, a significant increase in myocardial water (i.e., edema) relative to normal values (80.1 +/- 3.4% vs. 77.4 +/- 1.08%, P < or = 0.03), a substantial activation of MMP-2 (126% increase relative to controls, P < or = 0.02), and a marked decrease in myocardial collagen volume fraction (0.46 +/- 0.10% vs. 0.97 +/- 0.33%, P < or = 0.001). Furthermore, although an increase in ventricular stiffness was expected due to the extent of edema resulting from mast cell degranulation, modest ventricular dilatation was observed. These findings clearly demonstrate that the number of mast cells present in normal hearts is sufficient to mediate activation of MMPs and produce extracellular matrix degradation, thereby potentially causing subsequent ventricular dilatation.

Background Transgenic mice with cardiac restricted overexpression of tumor necrosis factor (MHCsTNF mice) develop progressive myocardial fibrosis, diastolic dysfunction and adverse cardiac remodeling. Insofar as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) does not directly stimulate fibroblast collagen synthesis, we asked whether TNF-induced fibrosis was mediated indirectly through interactions between mast cells and cardiac fibroblasts. Methods and Results Cardiac mast cell number increased 2–3-fold (p < 0.001) in MHCsTNF mice compared to littermate (LM) controls. Outcrossing MHCsTNF mice with mast cell deficient (c-kit−/−) mice showed that the 11-fold increase (p < 0.001) in collagen volume fraction in MHCsTNF/c-kit+/− mice was abrogated in MHCsTNF/c-kit−/− mice, and that the leftward shifted LV pressure-volume curve in the MHCsTNF/c-kit+/− mice was normalized in the MHCsTNF/c-kit−/− hearts. Furthermore, the increase in TGF-β1 and type I TGF-β receptor (TβR I) mRNA levels was significantly (p = 0.03, p = 0.01 respectively) attenuated in MHCsTNF/c-kit−/− when compared to MHCsTNF/c-kit+/− mice. Co-culture of fibroblasts with mast cells resulted in enhanced α-smooth muscle actin expression, increased proliferation and collagen mRNA expression, and increased contraction of 3-D collagen gels in MHCsTNF fibroblasts compared to LM fibroblasts. The effects of mast cells were abrogated by TβR I antagonist NP-40208. Conclusions These results suggest that increased mast cell density with resultant mast cell-cardiac fibroblast cross-talk is required for the development of myocardial fibrosis in inflammatory cardiomyopathy. Cardiac fibroblasts exposed to sustained inflammatory signaling exhibit an increased repertoire of pro-fibrotic phenotypic responses in response to mast cell mediators.

The mechanisms that are responsible for the development of myocardial fibrosis in the inflammatory cardiomyopathy are unknown. Previously we have generated lines of transgenic mice with cardiac restricted overexpression of tumor necrosis factor (MHCsTNF mice), a proinflammatory cytokine. The MHCsTNF mice develop a heart failure phenotype that is characterized by progressive myocardial fibrosis, as well as increase levels transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) mRNA and protein. In order to determine whether TGF-β mediated signaling was responsible for the myocardial fibrosis observed in the MHCsTNF mice, we treated MHCsTNF and littermate control mice from 4 to 12 weeks of age with a novel orally available TGF-β receptor antagonist (NP-40208). At the time of terminal study myocardial collagen content was determined using the picrosirius red technique, and LV systolic and diastolic function were determined using the Langendorff method. Treatment with NP-40208 resulted in a significant decrease in the nuclear translocation of Smad 2/3, a decrease in heart-weight to body-weight ratio, decreased fibrillar collagen content and decreased LV chamber stiffness in the MHCsTNF mice when compared to diluent treated controls. Treatment with NP-40208 had no discernable effect on LV systolic function, nor any effect on fetal gene expression in the MHCsTNF mice. Taken together, these observations suggest that sustained pro-inflammatory signaling in the adult heart is associated with a pro-fibrotic phenotype that arises, at least in part, from TGF-β mediated signaling, with resultant activation of Smad 2/3, leading to increased myocardial fibrosis and increased LV diastolic chamber stiffness.

-There are fundamental differences between males and females with regard to susceptibility to heart disease. Although numerous animal models of heart failure have demonstrated that premenopausal females are afforded cardioprotection and, therefore, fare better in the face of cardiac disease than their male counterparts, many questions as to how this occurs still exist. Recently, we showed that 1) increased mast cell density is associated with adverse ventricular remodeling and 2) chemically induced mast cell degranulation using compound 48/80 resulted in remarkable changes in matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity, cardiac collagen structure, and cardiac diastolic function in normal male rats. With the known gender differences in cardiac disease in mind, we sought to examine the effects of chemically induced cardiac mast cell degranulation in isolated, blood-perfused hearts of intact female rats, ovariectomized female rats, and ovariectomized female rats treated with 17␤-estradiol. In response to mast cell degranulation, no significant differences in cardiac function, MMP-2 activity, or collagen volume fraction were observed between intact female rats and ovariectomized female rats treated with estrogen. In the ovariectomized female group, a significant rightward shift in the left ventricular pressure-volume relation, accompanied by a marked 133% increase in active MMP-2 values over that in the intact female group, was noted after treatment with compound 48/80 (P Յ 0.05), along with a significant reduction in collagen volume fraction below control (0.46 Ϯ 0.23 vs. 0.73 Ϯ 0.13%, P Յ 0.05). These findings indicate that estrogen's cardioprotective role can be partially mediated by its effects on cardiac mast cells, MMPs, and the extracellular matrix. isolated heart; matrix metalloproteinase; gender; ventricular remodeling ALTHOUGH GENDER DIFFERENCES in the prevalence and severity of cardiovascular disease have been identified in humans and in animal models of heart failure (24, 36), the mechanisms mediating cardioprotection in premenopausal females are poorly understood. We recently reported that male rats respond to chronic biventricular volume overload induced by an aortocaval (AV) fistula with a predictable pattern of significant left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and dilatation and accompanying cardiac dysfunction (8). In contrast, female rats subjected to chronic volume overload did not develop LV dilatation and maintained compensated cardiac function with appropriate myocardial hypertrophy (14). Mast cell-mediated activation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) is one mechanism contributing to the development of ventricular dilatation in males. This finding was established by previous studies demonstrating an association between increased mast cell density, activation of MMPs, and initiation of cardiac remodeling in volume overload induced by an AV fistula in male rats (4,22) and by mitral regurgitation in dogs (38). We have also shown that mast cell degranulation induced by endothelin-1 or compound 48/80 in t...