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Cardiovascular Research Advance Access originally published online on March 17, 2009
Cardiovascular Research 2009 82(3):448-457; doi:10.1093/cvr/cvp092
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Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2009. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.

Different extent of cardiac malfunction and resistance to oxidative stress in heterozygous and homozygous manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase-mutant mice

Tomasz Loch1,2, Olesya Vakhrusheva3, Izabela Piotrowska1,3,6, Wieslaw Ziolkowski4,5, Henning Ebelt1, Thomas Braun3 and Eva Bober3,*

1 Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Hollystr. 1 D-06097, Halle, Germany
2 Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Medical University of Silesia, Narcyzow 1 PL-41-200, Sosnowiec, Poland
3 Department of Cardiac Development and Remodelling, Max-Planck-Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Parkstr. 1 D-61231, Bad Nauheim, Germany
4 Department of Biochemistry, J. Sniadecki Academy of Physical Education and Sport, Gorskiego 1 PL-80-336, Gdansk, Poland
5 Department of Bioenergetics and Physiology of Exercise, Medical University of Gdansk, Debinki 1 PL-80-211, Gdansk, Poland
6 Molecular Haematology and Cancer Biology Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, WC1N 1EH, London

* Corresponding author. Tel: +49 6032 705 271; fax: +49 6032 705 419. E-mail address: eva.bober{at}mpi-bn.mpg.de

Aims: The mitochondrially expressed manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase (MnSOD, SOD2) is an essential antioxidative enzyme that is necessary for normal heart function. In this study, we investigated the heart function of mice that were exposed to increased oxidative stress for time periods of up to 6 months due to decreased MnSOD activity caused by heterozygous deletion of the MnSOD gene.

Methods and results: We generated a mouse strain in which the gene encoding MnSOD was exchanged against a cassette containing the SOD cDNA under the control of the tetracycline response element. After breeding with mice carrying the tetracycline receptor, compound mice express MnSOD depending on the presence of tetracycline. Without tetracycline receptor the MnSOD gene is fully inactivated, and animals show an MnSOD-deficient phenotype. Using echocardiographic recordings, we found an impairment of left ventricular functions: MnSOD+/– mice displayed a decrease in fraction shortening and ejection fraction and an increase in left ventricular internal diameter in systole. Furthermore, MnSOD+/– mice developed heart hypertrophy with accompanying fibrosis and necrosis revealed by immunhistochemical analysis. Although we did not find an increase in apoptosis in MnSOD+/– hearts under normal conditions, we observed an increase of the number of apoptotic cells and vascular senescence after treatment with doxorubicin.

Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that lifelong reduction of MnSOD activity has a negative effect on normal heart function. This animal model presents a valuable tool to investigate the mechanism of heart pathology reported in patients bearing different polymorphic variants of the MnSOD gene and to develop new therapeutic strategies through manipulation of the antioxidative defence system.

KEYWORDS Apoptosis; Fibrosis; Heart failure; Oxygen radicals; Ventricular function

Time for primary review: 36 days


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