Abstract
Ceramide accumulation and a decrease of cardiolipin level in cardiomyocytes are among the key reasons of mitochondrial dysfunction and the emergence of heart failure. Ceramide has a significant effect on cardiolipin metabolism, and, therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the role of ceramide in the aging-related decrease of cardiolipin content in the rat heart. Young (sexually mature), adult, and old (3-, 12-, 24-, 30-, and 34-month-old) Wistar male rats were used in the study. A considerable decrease in the content of cardiolipin during aging was accompanied by accumulation of phosphatidic acid, a precursor of cardiolipin. Doxorubicin administration to the rats or the perfusion of an isolated heart with a buffer solution supplemented with C16-ceramide evoked an increase in ceramide levels and a decrease in the level of cardiolipin in the heart of 3-month-old rats. The reduction of ceramide content in the hearts of 24-month-old rats by means of administration of melipramine and zoledronic acid that inhibit acidic sphingomyelinase led to an increase in cardiolipin levels. The results point at a certain contribution of sphingomyelinase-dependent ceramide accumulation to the aging-related decrease of cardiolipin content that can lead to disturbances of cardiac function. Acid sphingomyelinase and cardiolipin metabolism can be important targets in the treatment of aging-related cardiac pathology.
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Original Russian Text © N.A. Babenko, G.V. Storozhenko, 2017, published in Uspekhi Gerontologii, 2017, Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 43–48.
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Babenko, N.A., Storozhenko, G.V. Role of ceramide in the aging-related decrease of cardiolipin content in the rat heart. Adv Gerontol 7, 195–200 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1134/S207905701703002X
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S207905701703002X