Vascular aging is mainly characterized by endothelial dysfunction. We found decreased free nitric oxide (NO) levels in aged rat aortas, in conjunction with a sevenfold higher expression and activity of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS). This is shown to be a consequence of age-associated enhanced superoxide (·O2 −) production with concomitant quenching of NO by the formation of peroxynitrite leading to nitrotyrosilation of mitochondrial manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), a molecular footprint of increased peroxynitrite levels, which also increased with age. Thus, vascular aging appears to be initiated by augmented ·O2 − release, trapping of vasorelaxant NO, and subsequent peroxynitrite formation, followed by the nitration and inhibition of MnSOD. Increased eNOS expression and activity is a compensatory, but eventually futile, mechanism to counter regulate the loss of NO. The ultrastructural distribution of 3-nitrotyrosyl suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction plays a major role in the vascular aging process.

Nitric oxide (NO) induces vasodilatatory, antiaggregatory, and antiproliferative effects in vitro. To delineate potential beneficial effects of NO in preventing vascular disease in vivo, we generated transgenic mice overexpressing human erythropoietin. These animals induce polyglobulia known to be associated with a high incidence of vascular disease. Despite hematocrit levels of 80%, adult transgenic mice did not develop hypertension or thromboembolism. Endothelial NO synthase levels, NO-mediated endothelium-dependent relaxation and circulating and vascular tissue NO levels were markedly increased. Administration of the NO synthase inhibitor N G -nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) led to vasoconstriction of peripheral resistance vessels, hypertension, and death of transgenic mice, whereas wild-type siblings developed hypertension but did not show increased mortality. L-NAMEtreated polyglobulic mice revealed acute left ventricular dilatation and vascular engorgement associated with pulmonary congestion and hemorrhage. In conclusion, we here unequivocally demonstrate that endothelial NO maintains normotension, prevents cardiovascular dysfunction, and critically determines survival in vivo under conditions of increased hematocrit.

Abstract-Recent evidence suggests that the prodownregulatory Gly16 allele of the ␤-2 adrenergic receptor (␤-2 AR) is associated with essential hypertension in African Caribbeans. To further investigate the effect of the glycine (Gly)16 and arginine (Arg)16 ␤-2 AR variants on hemodynamics, we investigated the agonist-mediated in vivo vasodilation in normotensive Austrian Caucasians and analyzed the results with respect to the Gly16/Arg16 polymorphism. Fifty-seven normotensive men, 20 to 32 years of age with body mass index of 18.7 to 29.9 kg/m 2 , were genotyped for the Arg16/Gly16 ␤-2 AR alleles. All 15 Gly16/Gly16 subjects, all 12 Arg16/Arg/16 subjects, and 27 of 30 heterozygous subjects underwent hemodynamic measurements while supine after an overnight fast. The observers were unaware of the subjects' genotypes. The subjects received a graded infusion of the selective ␤-2 AR agonist salbutamol (0.07, 0.14, and 0.21 g/kg per minute, respectively), each dose over 8 minutes. Stroke volume and blood pressure were determined continuously by means of impedance cardiography and oscillometry, respectively. The last 4 minutes of each infusion were evaluated statistically. Basal mean blood pressure was higher in the Gly16/Gly16 subjects compared with Arg16/Arg16 subjects (meanϮSD: 81.6Ϯ6.14 versus 75.2Ϯ4.93 mm Hg, PϽ0.01). Homozygous Gly16 subjects showed a significantly decreased vasodilation during the first dose of salbutamol infusion compared with Arg16/Arg16 subjects (⌬total peripheral resistance index Ϫ17.9Ϯ14.4 versus Ϫ30.6Ϯ8.3%, PϽ0.01) despite increased sympathetic counterregulation in the Arg16/Arg16 group (⌬heart rate ϩ16.9Ϯ7.0% versus ϩ8.6Ϯ7.0%, PϽ0.01; ⌬cardiac index ϩ39.5Ϯ18.5% versus 21.4Ϯ18.8%, PϽ0.05). Our results provide additional evidence that the Gly16/Arg16 alleles of the ␤-2 AR are intimately related to blood pressure regulation and deserve further studies in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension. (Hypertension. 1999;33:1425-1430.)

Background-Selective proteolysis of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is a proposed mechanism of contractile dysfunction in stunned myocardium, and the presence of cTnI degradation products in serum may reflect the functional state of the remaining viable myocardium. However, recent swine and canine studies have not demonstrated stunning-dependent cTnI degradation. Methods and Results-To address the universality of cTnI modification, myocardial biopsy samples were obtained from coronary artery bypass patients (nϭ37) before and 10 minutes after removal of cross-clamp. Analysis of biopsy samples for cTnI by Western blotting revealed a spectrum of modified cTnI products in myocardium both before and after cross-clamp, including degradation products (7 products resulting from differential N-and C-terminal processing) and covalent complexes (3 products). In particular, a 22-kDa cTnI degradation product with C-terminal proteolysis was identified, which may represent an initial ischemia-dependent cTnI modification, similar to cTnI observed in stunned rat myocardium. Although no systematic change in amount of modified cTnI was observed, subgroups of patients displayed an increase (nϭ10, 85Ϯ5% of cTnI remaining intact before cross-clamp versus 75Ϯ5% after) or a decrease (nϭ12, 67Ϯ5% before versus 78Ϯ5% after). Electron microscopy demonstrated normal ultrastructure in biopsy samples, which suggests no necrosis was present. In addition, cTnI modification products were observed in serum through a modified SDS-PAGE methodology. Conclusions-cTnI modification, in particular proteolysis, occurs in myocardium of bypass patients and may play a key role in stunning in some bypass patients. (Circulation. 2001;103:58-64.)

Background: Cardiac troponins are modified during ischemic injury and are found as a heterogeneous mixture in blood of patients with cardiovascular diseases. We present a strategy to isolate cardiac troponins from human biological material, by use of affinity chromatography, and to provide samples ready for direct analysis by mass spectrometry. Methods: Cardiac troponins were isolated from human left ventricular tissue by affinity chromatography. Isolated troponins were either eluted and analyzed by Western blot or enzymatically digested while bound to affinity beads. The resulting peptide mixture was subjected to mass spectrometry for protein identification and characterization. The same method was used to analyze serum from patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Results: Affinity chromatography with antibodies specific for one cardiac troponin subunit facilitated the isolation of the entire cardiac troponin complex from myocardial tissue. The three different proteases used for enzymatic digestion increased the total protein amino acid sequence coverage by mass spectrometry for the three cardiac troponin subunits. Combined amino acid sequence coverages for cardiac troponin I, T, and C (cTnI, cTnT, cTnC) were 54%, 48%, and 40%, respectively. To simulate matrix effects on the affinity chromatography-mass spectrometry approach, we diluted tissue homogenate in cardiac troponin-free serum. Sequence coverages in this case were 44%, 41%, and 19%, respectively. Finally, affinity chromatography-mass

Background: Detection of skeletal muscle injury is hampered by a lack of commercially available assays for serum markers specific for skeletal muscle; serum concentrations of skeletal troponin I (sTnI) could meet this need. Moreover, because sTnI exists in 2 isoforms, slow (ssTnI) and fast (fsTnI), corresponding to slow-and fast-twitch muscles, respectively, it could provide insight into differential injury/recovery of specific fiber types. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the 2 isoforms of sTnI and their modified forms are present in the blood of patients with various skeletal muscle disorders. Methods: Serial serum samples were obtained from 25 patients with various skeletal muscle injuries. Serum proteins were separated by a modified sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis protocol followed by Western blotting for sTnI with monoclonal antibodies specific to ssTnI and fsTnI. Results: We observed (a) intact and, in some cases, degraded sTnI products; (b) evidence of posttranslational modifications in addition to proteolysis; and (c) differential detectability of both skeletal isoforms in the same patient. Conclusions: It is possible to monitor both sTnI isoforms; this could lead to the development of new diagnostic assays for skeletal muscle damage.

Background — Aging is an independent risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, therapies to delay vascular aging may have enormous medical consequences. In this context, vitamin E is of particular interest, mainly because of its antioxidative properties. Methods and Results — In 3-year-old rats, which are not susceptible to atherosclerosis, vitamin E levels, as measured by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, were markedly increased both in plasma and in major organs ( P <0.01 to P <0.0001). The highest increase (at least 70-fold) was found in the aortic wall. Conclusions — This unexpected accumulation of vitamin E appears to be a compensatory mechanism that attempts to counterbalance age-associated oxidative stress and that may represent a self-regulatory protective adaptation.

We investigated the effects of aging and ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury on the expression and activity of nitric oxide (*NO) synthases and superoxide dismutase (SOD) isoforms. To this end we perfused excised hearts from young (6 months old) and old (31-34 months old) rats according to the Langendorff technique. The isolated hearts were, after baseline perfusion for 30 min, either subjected to 20 min of global no-flow ischemia followed by 40 min of reperfusion or were control-perfused (60 min normoxic perfusion). Both MnSOD and Cu,ZnSOD expression remained unchanged with increasing age and remained unaltered by I/R. However, SOD activity decreased from 7.55 +/- 0.1 U/mg protein in young hearts to 5.94 +/- 0.44 in old hearts (P<0.05). Furthermore, I/R led to a further decrease in enzyme activity (to 6.35 +/- 0.41 U/mg protein; P<0.05) in myocardium of young, but not in that of old animals. No changes in myocardial protein-bound 3-nitrotyrosine levels could be detected. Endothelial NOS (eNOS) expression and activity remained unchanged in aged left ventricles, irrespective of I/R injury. This was in steep contrast to peripheral (renal and femoral) arteries obtained from the same animals where a marked age-associated increase of eNOS protein expression could be demonstrated. Inducible NOS expression was undetectable either in the peripheral arteries or in the left ventricle, irrespective of age. In particular when associated with an acute pathology, which is furthermore limited to a certain time frame, changes in the aged myocardium with respect to enzymes crucially involved in maintaining the redox homeostasis, seem to be much less pronounced or even absent compared to the vascular aging process. This may point to heterogeneity in the molecular regulation of the cardiovascular aging process.