Uwe Primessnig1,2,3,4, Taja Bracic2, Jouko Levijoki5, Leena Otsomaa5, Piero Pollesello5, Martin Falcke6,7, Burkert Pieske1,3,4, Frank R Heinzel1,3. 1. Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Berlin, Germany. 2. Department of Cardiology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria. 3. DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site, Berlin, Germany. 4. Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany. 5. Critical Care, Orion Pharma, Espoo, Finland. 6. Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany. 7. Department of Physics, Humboldt Universität, Berlin, Germany.
Abstract
AIMS: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is increasingly common but there is currently no established pharmacological therapy. We hypothesized that ORM-11035, a novel specific Na+ /Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) inhibitor, improves cardiac function and remodelling independent of effects on arterial blood pressure in a model of cardiorenal HFpEF. METHODS AND RESULTS: Rats were subjected to subtotal nephrectomy (NXT) or sham operation. Eight weeks after intervention, treatment for 16 weeks with ORM-11035 (1 mg/kg body weight) or vehicle was initiated. At 24 weeks, blood pressure measurements, echocardiography and pressure-volume loops were performed. Contractile function, Ca2+ transients and NCX-mediated Ca2+ extrusion were measured in isolated ventricular cardiomyocytes. NXT rats (untreated) showed a HFpEF phenotype with left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, LV end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) elevation, increased brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels, preserved ejection fraction and pulmonary congestion. In cardiomyocytes from untreated NXT rats, early relaxation was prolonged and NCX-mediated Ca2+ extrusion was decreased. Chronic treatment with ORM-11035 significantly reduced LV hypertrophy and cardiac remodelling without lowering systolic blood pressure. LVEDP [14 ± 3 vs. 9 ± 2 mmHg; NXT (n = 12) vs. NXT + ORM (n = 12); P = 0.0002] and BNP levels [71 ± 12 vs. 49 ± 11 pg/mL; NXT (n = 12) vs. NXT + ORM (n = 12); P < 0.0001] were reduced after ORM treatment. LV cardiomyocytes from ORM-treated rats showed improved active relaxation and diastolic cytosolic Ca2+ decay as well as restored NCX-mediated Ca2+ removal, indicating NCX modulation with ORM-11035 as a promising target in the treatment of HFpEF. CONCLUSION: Chronic inhibition of NCX with ORM-11035 significantly attenuated cardiac remodelling and diastolic dysfunction without lowering systemic blood pressure in this model of HFpEF. Therefore, long-term treatment with selective NCX inhibitors such as ORM-11035 should be evaluated further in the treatment of heart failure.
AIMS: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is increasingly common but there is currently no established pharmacological therapy. We hypothesized that ORM-11035, a novel specific Na+ /Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) inhibitor, improves cardiac function and remodelling independent of effects on arterial blood pressure in a model of cardiorenal HFpEF. METHODS AND RESULTS:Rats were subjected to subtotal nephrectomy (NXT) or sham operation. Eight weeks after intervention, treatment for 16 weeks with ORM-11035 (1 mg/kg body weight) or vehicle was initiated. At 24 weeks, blood pressure measurements, echocardiography and pressure-volume loops were performed. Contractile function, Ca2+ transients and NCX-mediated Ca2+ extrusion were measured in isolated ventricular cardiomyocytes. NXT rats (untreated) showed a HFpEF phenotype with left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, LV end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) elevation, increased brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels, preserved ejection fraction and pulmonary congestion. In cardiomyocytes from untreated NXT rats, early relaxation was prolonged and NCX-mediated Ca2+ extrusion was decreased. Chronic treatment with ORM-11035 significantly reduced LV hypertrophy and cardiac remodelling without lowering systolic blood pressure. LVEDP [14 ± 3 vs. 9 ± 2 mmHg; NXT (n = 12) vs. NXT + ORM (n = 12); P = 0.0002] and BNP levels [71 ± 12 vs. 49 ± 11 pg/mL; NXT (n = 12) vs. NXT + ORM (n = 12); P < 0.0001] were reduced after ORM treatment. LV cardiomyocytes from ORM-treated rats showed improved active relaxation and diastolic cytosolic Ca2+ decay as well as restored NCX-mediated Ca2+ removal, indicating NCX modulation with ORM-11035 as a promising target in the treatment of HFpEF. CONCLUSION: Chronic inhibition of NCX with ORM-11035 significantly attenuated cardiac remodelling and diastolic dysfunction without lowering systemic blood pressure in this model of HFpEF. Therefore, long-term treatment with selective NCX inhibitors such as ORM-11035 should be evaluated further in the treatment of heart failure.
Authors: David Bode; Natale P L Rolim; Tim Guthof; Niklas Hegemann; Paulina Wakula; Uwe Primessnig; Anne Marie Ormbostad Berre; Volker Adams; Ulrik Wisløff; Burkert M Pieske; Frank R Heinzel; Felix Hohendanner Journal: ESC Heart Fail Date: 2021-03-25
Authors: Philipp Hegner; Marzena Drzymalski; Alexander Biedermann; Bernadette Memmel; Melanie Durczok; Michael Wester; Bernhard Floerchinger; Zdenek Provaznik; Christof Schmid; York Zausig; Lars S Maier; Stefan Wagner Journal: Biomedicines Date: 2022-08-09
Authors: Leena Otsomaa; Jouko Levijoki; Gerd Wohlfahrt; Hugh Chapman; Ari-Pekka Koivisto; Kaisa Syrjänen; Tuula Koskelainen; Saara-Elisa Peltokorpi; Piet Finckenberg; Aira Heikkilä; Najah Abi-Gerges; Andre Ghetti; Paul E Miller; Guy Page; Eero Mervaala; Norbert Nagy; Zsófia Kohajda; Norbert Jost; László Virág; András Varró; Julius Gy Papp Journal: Br J Pharmacol Date: 2020-11-10 Impact factor: 8.739