Koichi Watanabe1, Manabu Nagao2, Ryuji Toh3, Yasuhiro Irino4, Masakazu Shinohara5, Takuya Iino1, Sachiko Yoshikawa1, Hidekazu Tanaka1, Seimi Satomi-Kobayashi1, Tatsuro Ishida1, Ken-Ichi Hirata6. 1. Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan. 2. Division of Evidence-based Laboratory Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan. Electronic address: mnagao@med.kobe-u.ac.jp. 3. Division of Evidence-based Laboratory Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan. Electronic address: rtoh@med.kobe-u.ac.jp. 4. Division of Evidence-based Laboratory Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan. 5. Division of Epidemiology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan; The Integrated Center for Mass Spectrometry, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan. 6. Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan; Division of Evidence-based Laboratory Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Metabolic remodeling in cardiomyocytes is deeply associated with the pathogenesis of heart failure (HF). Glutaminolysis is an anaplerotic pathway that incorporates α-ketoglutarate (αKG) derived from glutamine into the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. It is well known that cancer cells depend on glutamine for their increased energy demand and proliferation; however, the physiological roles of glutamine metabolism in failing hearts remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the regulatory mechanisms and biological effects of glutamine metabolism in oxidative stress-induced failing myocardium. METHODS AND RESULTS: The intracellular levels of glutamine, glutamate, and αKG were significantly decreased by H2O2 stimulation in rat neonatal cardiomyocytes (RNCMs). To better understand the metabolic flux in failing myocardium, we performed a stable isotope tracing study and found that glutaminolysis was upregulated in RNCMs under oxidative stress. Consistent with this, the enzymatic activity of glutaminase (Gls), which converts glutamine to glutamate, was augmented in RNCMs treated with H2O2. These findings suggest that glutamine anaplerosis is enhanced in cardiomyocytes under oxidative stress to compensate for the reduction of αKG. Furthermore, the inhibition of Gls reduced cardiac cell viability, ATP production, and glutathione (GSH) synthesis in RNCMs with H2O2 stimulation. Finally, we evaluated the effects of αKG on failing myocardium and observed that dimethyl α-ketoglutarate (DMKG) suppressed oxidative stress-induced cell death likely due to the enhancement of intracellular ATP and GSH levels. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that under oxidative stress, glutaminolysis is upregulated to compensate for the loss of αKG and its replenishment into the TCA cycle, thereby exerting cardioprotective effects by maintaining ATP and GSH levels. Modulation of glutamine metabolism in failing hearts might provide a new therapeutic strategy for HF.
BACKGROUND: Metabolic remodeling in cardiomyocytes is deeply associated with the pathogenesis of heart failure (HF). Glutaminolysis is an anaplerotic pathway that incorporates α-ketoglutarate (αKG) derived from glutamine into the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. It is well known that cancer cells depend on glutamine for their increased energy demand and proliferation; however, the physiological roles of glutamine metabolism in failing hearts remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the regulatory mechanisms and biological effects of glutamine metabolism in oxidative stress-induced failing myocardium. METHODS AND RESULTS: The intracellular levels of glutamine, glutamate, and αKG were significantly decreased by H2O2 stimulation in rat neonatal cardiomyocytes (RNCMs). To better understand the metabolic flux in failing myocardium, we performed a stable isotope tracing study and found that glutaminolysis was upregulated in RNCMs under oxidative stress. Consistent with this, the enzymatic activity of glutaminase (Gls), which converts glutamine to glutamate, was augmented in RNCMs treated with H2O2. These findings suggest that glutamine anaplerosis is enhanced in cardiomyocytes under oxidative stress to compensate for the reduction of αKG. Furthermore, the inhibition of Gls reduced cardiac cell viability, ATP production, and glutathione (GSH) synthesis in RNCMs with H2O2 stimulation. Finally, we evaluated the effects of αKG on failing myocardium and observed that dimethyl α-ketoglutarate (DMKG) suppressed oxidative stress-induced cell death likely due to the enhancement of intracellular ATP and GSH levels. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that under oxidative stress, glutaminolysis is upregulated to compensate for the loss of αKG and its replenishment into the TCA cycle, thereby exerting cardioprotective effects by maintaining ATP and GSH levels. Modulation of glutamine metabolism in failing hearts might provide a new therapeutic strategy for HF.
Authors: Bent Grün; Michaela Tirre; Simon Pyschny; Vijay Singh; Hans-Gerd Kehl; Christian Jux; Jörg-Detlef Drenckhahn Journal: Front Cell Dev Biol Date: 2022-09-23