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Showing papers by "Guillermo Díaz-Araya published in 2005"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is shown that the increase in heart rate from rest to peak exercise is reduced in patients with chronic heart failure and this is associated with increased oxidative stress, as determined by malondialdehyde plasma levels.
Abstract: Background: Our previous studies suggest that the increase in heart rate from rest to peak exercise is reduced in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and this is associated with increased oxidative stress, as determined by malondialdehyde (MDA) plasma levels. Aim: To investigate the effects of carvedilol on the heart rate response to exercise and oxidative stress in patients with CHF. Methods and results: Thirty stable NYHA classes II—III CHF patients received carvedilol therapy for 6 months, at a mean maintenance dose of 25 mg (range 6.25—50 mg/day). After treatment, the patients showed a significant improvement in their functional NYHA class (p=0.013), increased left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (24±1.4% to 31±2.3%, p=0.003) and 6-min walk distance (499±18 to 534±18 m, p=0.03), without changes in the peak VO2. At baseline, norepinephrine (NE) plasma levels increased with exercise (510±51 to 2513±230 pg/mL, p<0.001), and these levels were not affected by carvedilol. Chronotropic responsiveness index (increase in heart rate divided by the increase in NE from rest to peak exercise) was not changed by carvedilol (0.049±0.001 to 0.042±0.001, p=0.6). MDA levels of CHF patients decreased after treatment with carvedilol (2.4±0.2 to 1.1±0.2 μM, p<0.001), without changes in antioxidant enzyme activities. Conclusions: Carvedilol treatment in patients with CHF results in reduced oxidative stress without restoration of the chronotropic responsiveness index.

42 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that IGF-1 activates CREB through a complex signalling pathway, and this transcription factor plays an important role in the anti-apoptotic action of IGF- 1 in cultured cardiac myocytes.

35 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The 50th percentile of patients with the greatest dyssynchrony at baseline showed significant improvement in ventricular synchrony after receiving carvedilol, and this was correlated positively with a reduction in end-diastolic LV volumes.
Abstract: Radionuclide isotopic ventriculography with phase analysis was performed in 30 patients with stable heart failure (HF), determining left ventricular (LV) and interventricular contraction synchrony at baseline and after 6 months of treatment with maximal tolerated doses of carvedilol. Patients with HF had significant ventricular dyssynchrony compared with a normal population. The 50th percentile of patients with the greatest dyssynchrony at baseline showed significant improvement in ventricular synchrony after receiving carvedilol, and this was correlated positively with a reduction in end-diastolic LV volumes.

11 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Early and transient cardiac apoptosis triggered by the β-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol is reversed in the presence of perindopril, and ACE activity regulated expression of the antiapoptotic gene bcl-XL.
Abstract: Administration of the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol results in cardiac apoptosis. The effect of short-term beta-adrenergic stimulation by isoproterenol on the activity of plasma, lung, and left ventricular (LV) angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) activity and its association with the development of cardiac apoptosis was investigated. beta-Adrenergic stimulation for 24 hours produced an early increase only in the proapoptotic proteins bax and bcl-XS without changes in the levels of the antiapoptotic protein bcl-XL. The ratio between these bcl family proteins was indicative of apoptosis and correlated with an early and significant increase (300%) in DNA laddering. However, after 5 days of the beta-adrenergic stimulation, the ratio changed in favor of antiapoptotic proteins and correlated with the absence of DNA fragmentation. In addition, LV and plasma ACE activities increased markedly with isoproterenol over the study period up to 5 days. ACE activity also regulated expression of the antiapoptotic gene bcl-XL. The administration of perindopril (an ACE inhibitor) prevented the observed increase in bax and bcl-XS levels and attenuated (50% decrease, P<0.05) the effect of isoproterenol on DNA fragmentation. Thus, early and transient cardiac apoptosis triggered by the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol is reversed in the presence of perindopril.

10 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The data suggest that both alanine and arginine aminopeptidases are involved in the reversal of the angiotensin II-stimulated collagen gel contraction in control and TGF-beta1-treated cardiac fibroblasts or myofibroblast.
Abstract: The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether aminopeptidase inhibition could affect the angiotensin II-stimulated collagen gel contraction in basal (control) and TGF-beta1-treated cardiac fibroblasts (or myofibroblasts). The tested aminopeptidase inhibitors were the broad range aminopeptidase inhibitor bestatin, the specific inhibitor of alanine aminopeptidase leuhistin, and the specific inhibitor of arginine aminopeptidase arphamenine A. Cardiac fibroblasts (from normal male adult rats) from passage 2 were cultured to confluency and incubated with(out) 400 pmol/L TGF-beta1 in Dulbecco Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS). These fibroblasts were then further incubated in a floating collagen gel lattice with the tested products (angiotensin II, bestatin, leuhistin, or arphamenine A) for 3 days in DMEM without FBS. The contraction of the collagen gel lattice by cardiac fibroblasts was determined by measuring the gel volume with tritiated water. Aminopeptidase activity was estimated by spectrophotometric determination of the liberation of p-nitroaniline from alanine- or arginine-p-nitroanilide. Angiotensin II (100 nmol/L) reduced the gel volume in control and TGF-beta1-treated cardiac fibroblasts. The angiotensin II-stimulated collagen gel contraction in control and TGF-beta1-treated fibroblasts was almost completely reversed by leuhistin and arphamenine A (100 micromol/L). Bestatin (100 micromol/L) only partially inhibited the angiotensin II-stimulated collagen gel contraction in control fibroblasts, although it did not affect the angiotensin II-induced contraction in TGF-beta1-treated fibroblasts. In control and TGF-beta1-treated cardiac fibroblasts, 100 micromol/L leuhistin or arphamenine A only partially inhibited alanine aminopeptidase activity, whereas bestatin (100 micromol/L) completely inhibited the alanine aminopeptidase activity. Arginine aminopeptidase activity was only partially inhibited by leuhistin and arphamenine A at 100 micromol/L in control and TGF-beta1-treated fibroblasts. Bestatin, however, completely blocked the arginine aminopeptidase activity in control fibroblasts and only partially in TGF-beta1-treated fibroblasts at 100 micromol/L. Our data suggest that both alanine and arginine aminopeptidases are involved in the reversal of the angiotensin II-stimulated collagen gel contraction in control and TGF-beta1-treated cardiac fibroblasts or myofibroblasts.

2 citations