Levosimendan prevents doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in time- and dose-dependent manner: Implications for inotropy

  • Panagiotis Efentakis
  • , Aimilia Varela
  • , Evangelia Chavdoula
  • , Fragiska Sigala
  • , Despina Sanoudou
  • , Roxane Tenta
  • , Katerina Gioti
  • , Nikolaos Kostomitsopoulos
  • , Andreas Papapetropoulos
  • , Androniki Tasouli
  • , Dimitrios Farmakis
  • , Costantinos H. Davos
  • , Apostolos Klinakis
  • , Thomas Suter
  • , Dennis V. Cokkinos
  • , Efstathios K. Iliodromitis
  • , Philip Wenzel
  • , Ioanna Andreadou

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

36 Scopus citations

Abstract

Aims: Levosimendan (LEVO) a clinically-used inodilator, exerts multifaceted cardioprotective effects. Case-studies indicate protection against doxorubicin (DXR)-induced cardiotoxicity, but this effect remains obscure. We investigated the effect and mechanism of different regimens of levosimendan on sub-chronic and chronic doxorubicin cardiotoxicity. Methods and results: Based on preliminary in vivo experiments, rats serving as a sub-chronic model of doxorubicin-cardiotoxicity and were divided into: Control (N/S-0.9%), DXR (18 mg/kg-cumulative), DXR+LEVO (LEVO, 24 μg/kg-cumulative), and DXR+LEVO (acute) (LEVO, 24 μg/kg-bolus) for 14 days. Protein kinase-B (Akt), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and protein kinase-A and G (PKA/PKG) pathways emerged as contributors to the cardioprotection, converging onto phospholamban (PLN). To verify the contribution of PLN, phospholamban knockout (PLN-/-) mice were assigned to PLN-/-/Control (N/S-0.9%), PLN-/-/DXR (18 mg/kg), and PLN-/-/DXR+LEVO (ac) for 14 days. Furthermore, female breast cancer-bearing (BC) mice were divided into: Control (normal saline 0.9%, N/S 0.9%), DXR (18 mg/kg), LEVO, and DXR+LEVO (LEVO, 24 μg/kg-bolus) for 28 days. Echocardiography was performed in all protocols. To elucidate levosimendan's cardioprotective mechanism, primary cardiomyocytes were treated with doxorubicin or/and levosimendan and with N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), DT-2, and H-89 (eNOS, PKG, and PKA inhibitors, respectively); cardiomyocyte-toxicity was assessed. Single bolus administration of levosimendan abrogated DXR-induced cardiotoxicity and activated Akt/eNOS and cAMP-PKA/cGMP-PKG/PLN pathways but failed to exert cardioprotection in PLN-/- mice. Levosimendan's cardioprotection was also evident in the BC model. Finally, in vitro PKA inhibition abrogated levosimendan-mediated cardioprotection, indicating that its cardioprotection is cAMP-PKA dependent, while levosimendan preponderated over milrinone and dobutamine, by ameliorating calcium overload. Conclusion: Single dose levosimendan prevented doxorubicin cardiotoxicity through a cAMP-PKA-PLN pathway, highlighting the role of inotropy in doxorubicin cardiotoxicity.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)576-591
Number of pages16
JournalCardiovascular research
Volume116
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1 2020

Keywords

  • Cardiotoxicity
  • Doxorubicin
  • Inotropy
  • Levosimendan
  • Molecular signalling

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine

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