Abstract
The development of pulmonary hypertension is a common accompaniment of congenital heart disease (CHD) with increased pulmonary blood flow. Our recent evidence suggests that asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA)-induced mitochondrial dysfunction causes endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) uncoupling secondary to a proteasome-dependent degradation of GTP cyclohydrolase I (GCH1) that results in a decrease in the NOS cofactor tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4). Decreases in NO signaling are thought to be an early hallmark of endothelial dysfunction. As l-carnitine plays an important role in maintaining mitochondrial function, in this study we examined the protective mechanisms and the therapeutic potential of l-carnitine on NO signaling in pulmonary arterial endothelial cells and in a lamb model of CHD and increased pulmonary blood flow (Shunt). Acetyl-l-carnitine attenuated the ADMA-mediated proteasomal degradation of GCH1. This preservation was associated with a decrease in the association of GCH1 with Hsp70 and the C-terminus of Hsp70-interacting protein (CHIP) and a decrease in its ubiquitination. This in turn prevented the decrease in BH 4 levels induced by ADMA and preserved NO signaling. Treatment of Shunt lambs with l-carnitine also reduced GCH1/CHIP interactions, attenuated the ubiquitination and degradation of GCH1, and increased BH4 levels compared to vehicle-treated Shunt lambs. The increases in BH4 were associated with decreased NOS uncoupling and enhanced NO generation. Thus, we conclude that L-carnitine may have a therapeutic potential in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension in children with CHD with increased pulmonary blood flow.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 216-229 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Free Radical Biology and Medicine |
Volume | 53 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 15 2012 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- BH
- CHIP
- Free radicals
- Hsp70
- Hsp90
- Mitochondrial dysfunction
- Ubiquitination
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry
- Physiology (medical)