PGC-1α Participates in the Protective Effect of Chronic Intermittent Hypobaric Hypoxia on Cardiomyocytes

Background/aims: Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) or hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury is always characterized by Ca2+ overload, energy metabolism disorder and necrocytosis of cardiomyocytes. We showed previously that chronic intermittent hypobaric hypoxia (CIHH) improves cardiac function during I/R through improving cardiac glucose metabolism. However, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of CIHH treatment improving energy metabolism in cardiomyocytes are still unclear. In this study, we determined whether and how CIHH protects cardiomyocytes from Ca2+ overload and necrocytosis through energy regulating pathway.

Methods: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups: control (CON) and CIHH group. CIHH rats received a hypobaric hypoxia simulating 5,000-m altitude for 28 days, 6 hours each day, in hypobaric chamber. Rat ventricular myocytes were obtained by enzymatic dissociation. The intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) and cTnI protein expression were used to evaluate the degree of cardiomyocytes injury during and after H/R. The mRNA and protein expressions involved in cardiac energy metabolism were determined using quantitative PCR and Western blot techniques. PGC-1α siRNA adenovirus transfection was used to knock down PGC-1α gene expression of cardiomyocytes to determine the effect of PGC-1α in the energy regulating pathway.

Results: H/R increased [Ca2+]i and cTnI protein expression in cardiomyocytes. CIHH treatment decreased [Ca2+]i (p< 0.01) and cTnI protein expression (p< 0.01) in cardiomyocytes after H/R. Both mRNA and protein expression of PGC-1α increased after CIHH treatment, which was reversed by PGC-1α siRNA adenovirus transfection. Furthermore, CIHH treatment increased the expression of HIF-1α, AMPK and p-AMPK in cardiomyocytes, and pretreatment with AMPK Inhibitor dorsomorphin abolished the enhancement of PGC-1α protein expression in cardiomyocytes by CIHH (p< 0.01). In addition, PGC-1α knock down also abolished the increased protein level of GLUT4 (p< 0.01) and decreased the protein level of CPT-1b (p< 0.05) in cardiomyocytes by CIHH treatment.

Conclusion: CIHH treatment could reduce the calcium overload and H/R injury in cardiomyocytes by up-regulating the expression of PGC-1α and regulating the energy metabolism of glucose and lipid. The HIF-1α-AMPK signaling pathway might be involved in the process.