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Morphological aspects of neuromuscular junctions and gene expression of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in skeletal muscle of rats with heart failure

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Abstract

HF is syndrome initiated by a reduction in cardiac function and it is characterized by the activation of compensatory mechanisms. Muscular fatigue and dyspnoea are the more common symptoms in HF; these may be due in part to specific skeletal muscle myopathy characterized by reduced oxidative capacity, a shift from slow fatigue resistant type I to fast less fatigue resistant type II fibers and downregulation of myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs) gene expression that can regulate gene expression of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). In chronic heart failure, skeletal muscle phenotypic changes could influence the maintenance of the neuromuscular junction morphology and nAChRs gene expression during this syndrome. Two groups of rats were studied: control (CT) and Heart Failure (HF), induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of monocrotaline (MCT). At the end of the experiment, HF was evaluated by clinical signs and animals were sacrificed. Soleus (SOL) muscles were removed and processed for morphological, morphometric and molecular NMJ analyses. Our major finding was an up-regulation in the gene expression of the alpha1 and epsilon subunits of nAChR and a spot pattern of nAChR in SOL skeletal muscle in this acute monocrotaline induced HF. Our results suggest a remodeling of nAChR alpha1 and epsilon subunit during heart failure and may provide valuable information for understanding the skeletal muscle myopathy that occurs during this syndrome.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), FUNDUNESP, process number 00751/07DFP, and 557-01-DCP and UNESP.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Morphology, Institute of Biosciences, UNESP, Botucatu, São Paulo, 18618-970, Brazil

    Paula Aiello Tomé de Souza, Eduardo Paulino Castan, Robson Francisco Carvalho & Maeli Dal-Pai-Silva

  2. Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biosciences, UNESP, Botucatu, São Paulo, 18618-970, Brazil

    Selma Maria Michelin Matheus

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, UNESP, Botucatu, São Paulo, 18618-970, Brazil

    Dijon Henrique Salomé Campos & Antônio Carlos Cicogna

Authors
  1. Paula Aiello Tomé de Souza
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  2. Selma Maria Michelin Matheus
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  3. Eduardo Paulino Castan
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  4. Dijon Henrique Salomé Campos
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  5. Antônio Carlos Cicogna
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  6. Robson Francisco Carvalho
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  7. Maeli Dal-Pai-Silva
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Correspondence to Maeli Dal-Pai-Silva.

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de Souza, P.A.T., Matheus, S.M.M., Castan, E.P. et al. Morphological aspects of neuromuscular junctions and gene expression of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in skeletal muscle of rats with heart failure. J Mol Hist 42, 557–565 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10735-011-9354-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10735-011-9354-2

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