Dexamethasone treatment improves sarcoplasmic reticulum function and contractile performance in aged myocardium.

Corticosteroids are thought to be involved in the maintenance of normal myocardial function by mechanisms incompletely understood. This study investigated the potential therapeutic benefit of the synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone, in reversing age-associated deterioration in cardiac contractile performance and Ca2+ sequestration function of the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Dexamethasone was administered to senescent (26-28-month old), male Fischer 344 rats at a rate of 4 microg/h for 5 days via subcutaneously implanted osmotic mini pumps. Control rats received vehicle solution in similar manner. Contractile performance was assessed in Langendorff-perfused, electrically paced hearts from control and dexamethasone-treated rats. The results obtained showed that dexamethasone-treatment of aged rats resulted in significant improvement in myocardial contractile performance as evidenced by (i) increase (approximately 30-60%) in developed peak tension at a wide range of beating frequencies (2-6 Hz), (ii) unaltered time to peak tension, and (iii) decrease (approximately 8-15%) in time to half-relaxation. Also, SR isolated from dexamethasone-treated rats displayed approximately 2-fold higher rates of ATP-energized Ca2+ uptake compared to SR from control rats. The deficits in contractile performance of the senescent heart (prolonged contraction duration and diminished contractile force) are reversible through a glucocorticoid-mediated improvement in SR Ca2+ pump function.