Skip Navigation


BJA Advance Access originally published online on March 3, 2009
British Journal of Anaesthesia 2009 102(4):477-484; doi:10.1093/bja/aep011
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
102/4/477    most recent
aep011v1
Right arrow E-Letters: Submit a response to the article
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Leonard, A. D.
Right arrow Articles by Lambert, D. G.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Leonard, A. D.
Right arrow Articles by Lambert, D. G.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?


© The Author [2009]. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Board of Directors of the British Journal of Anaesthesia. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournal.org

Urotensin II receptor expression in human right atrium and aorta: effects of ischaemic heart disease

A. D. Leonard1, J. P. Thompson1, E. L. Hutchinson1, S. P. Young1, J. McDonald1, J. Swanevelder2 and D. G. Lambert1,*

1 Department of Cardiovascular Sciences (Pharmacology and Therapeutics Group), Division of Anaesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Management, University of Leicester, Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester LE1 5WW, UK
2 Department of Anaesthesia, Glenfield Hospital, Groby Road, Leicester LE3 9QP, UK

* Corresponding author. E-mail: dgl3{at}le.ac.uk

Background: Urotensin II (UII) and its receptor UT are involved in control of the cardiovascular system and are implicated in heart failure. We measured UT expression by quantitative PCR (Q-PCR) in atrial and aortic tissue, and plasma UII while simultaneously assessing cardiac function in 40 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery.

Methods: RNA extracted from atrial and aortic samples was probed with specific Q-PCR UT and housekeeper (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, GAPDH) TaqMan® primers. Plasma UII was measured using radioimmunoassay. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was measured using preoperative trans-thoracic echocardiography and ventriculography, and intraoperatively using transoesophageal echocardiography. Q-PCR data are expressed as difference in cycle threshold ({Delta}Ct=CtUT–CtGAPDH: high number indicates low expression).

Results: There was no difference in {Delta}Ct in either atrium or aorta between patients with normal (LVEF >50%) or those with impaired (LVEF <50%) preoperative systolic function. There was a weak negative correlation (r2=0.245, P=0.031) between intraoperative LVEF and {Delta}Ct in 19 patients possibly indicating down-regulation of UT with worsening LVEF. Atria expressed significantly more UT than aorta (P=0.011). In the absence of non-diseased controls, plasma UII was higher than a historical control group.

Conclusions: This is the first study to simultaneously measure UT (mRNA), UII, and cardiovascular function. Collectively, these pilot data may suggest a down-regulation of UT within the right atrium of patients with heart failure.

Keywords: heart, cardiopulmonary bypass; heart, failure; heart, myocardial function; model, G-protein-coupled receptor; monitoring, echocardiography; polymerase chain reaction; urotensins


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.