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Chronic heart failure (CHF) is characterized by decreased cardiac parasympathetic and increased cardiac sympathetic nerve activity. This autonomic imbalance increases the risk of arrhythmias and sudden death in patients with CHF. We hypothesized that the molecular and cellular alterations of cardiac postganglionic parasympathetic (CPP) neurons located in the intracardiac ganglia and sympathetic (CPS) neurons located in the stellate ganglia (SG) possibly link to the cardiac autonomic imbalance in CHF. Rat CHF was induced by left coronary artery ligation. Single-cell real-time PCR and immunofluorescent data showed that L (Ca(v)1.2 and Ca(v)1.3), P/Q (Ca(v)2.1), N (Ca(v)2.2), and R (Ca(v)2.3) types of Ca2+ channels were expressed in CPP and CPS neurons, but CHF decreased the mRNA and protein expression of only the N-type Ca2+ channels in CPP neurons, and it did not affect mRNA and protein expression of all Ca2+ channel subtypes in the CPS neurons. Patch-clamp recording confirmed that CHF reduced N-type Ca2+ currents and cell excitability in the CPP neurons and enhanced N-type Ca2+ currents and cell excitability in the CPS neurons. N-type Ca2+ channel blocker (1 μM ω-conotoxin GVIA) lowered Ca2+ currents and cell excitability in the CPP and CPS neurons from sham-operated and CHF rats. These results suggest that CHF reduces the N-type Ca2+ channel currents and cell excitability in the CPP neurons and enhances the N-type Ca2+ currents and cell excitability in the CPS neurons, which may contribute to the cardiac autonomic imbalance in CHF.

BackgroundThe generation of action potential is required for stimulus-evoked neurotransmitter release in most neurons. Although various voltage-gated ion channels are involved in action potential production, the initiation of the action potential is mainly mediated by voltage-gated Na+ channels. In the present study, differentiation-induced changes of mRNA and protein expression of Na+ channels, Na+ currents, and cell membrane excitability were investigated in NG108-15 cells.ResultsWhole-cell patch-clamp results showed that differentiation (9 days) didn’t change cell membrane excitability, compared to undifferentiated state. But differentiation (21 days) induced the action potential generation in 45.5% of NG108-15 cells (25/55 cells). In 9-day-differentiated cells, Na+ currents were mildly increased, which was also found in 21-day differentiated cells without action potential. In 21-day differentiated cells with action potential, Na+ currents were significantly enhanced. Western blot data showed that the expression of Na+ channels was increased with differentiated-time dependent manner. Single-cell real-time PCR data demonstrated that the expression of Na+ channel mRNA was increased by 21 days of differentiation in NG108-15 cells. More importantly, the mRNA level of Na+ channels in cells with action potential was higher than that in cells without action potential.ConclusionDifferentiation induces expression of voltage-gated Na+ channels and action potential generation in NG108-15 cells. A high level of the Na+ channel density is required for differentiation-triggered action potential generation.

Arterial baroreflex sensitivity is attenuated in chronic heart failure (CHF) state, which is associated with cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death in the patients with CHF. Our previous study showed that CHF-induced sodium channel dysfunction in the baroreceptor neurons was involved in the blunted baroreflex sensitivity in CHF rats. Mitochondria-derived superoxide overproduction decreased expression and activation of the sodium channels in the baroreceptor neurons from CHF rats. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for the sodium channel dysfunction in the baroreceptor neurons from CHF rats remain unknown. We tested the involvement of NFκB in the sodium channel dysfunction and evaluated the effects of in-vivo transfection of manganese superoxide dismutase gene and NFκB shRNA on the baroreflex function in CHF rats. CHF was developed at 6–8 weeks after left coronary artery ligation in adult rats. Western bolt and chromatin immunoprecipitation data showed that phosphorylated NFκB p65 and ability of NFκB p65 binding to the sodium channel promoter were increased in the nodose ganglia from CHF rats. In-vivo transfection of adenoviral manganese superoxide dismutase gene or lentiviral NFκB p65 shRNA into the nodose ganglia partially reversed CHF-reduced sodium channel expression and cell excitability in the baroreceptor neurons and improved CHF-blunted arterial baroreflex sensitivity. Additionally, transfection of adenoviral manganese superoxide dismutase also inhibited the augmentation of phosphorylated NFκB p65 in the nodose neurons from CHF rats. The present study suggests that superoxide-NFκB signaling contributes to CHF-induced baroreceptor dysfunction and resultant impairment of baroreflex function.

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