Clinical & Experimental Cardiology
Open Access

Inhibition of calpain-1 prevents myocardial injury induced by Cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)

5^th International Conference on Clinical & Experimental Cardiology

April 27-29, 2015 Philadelphia, USA

Freitas1, Figueiredo1, Ferezin1, Campos1 and Celes1,2

Posters-Accepted Abstracts: J Clin Exp Cardiolog

Abstract :

Introduction: Evidences from our laboratory demonstrated that cytosolic calcium overload caused increase activation of intracellular calcium-dependent proteases, such as calpain-1 resulting in sarcolemal dystrophin disruption in severe sepsis induced by CLP in mice. Objective: This study was designed to determine the hypothesis that N-Acetyl-L-leucyl-L-leucyl-L-norleucinal (ALLN), calpain-1 inhibitor, could attenuate dystrophin disruption and cardiac contractile proteins loss/reduction in experimental sepsis induced by CLP. Material and Methods: Male C57Bl/6 mice were subjected to sham and severe septic injury (SSI) induced by CLP. Half of animals from each group were treated with ALLN (3mg/kg, SSI+ALLN; SH+ALLN) 4hs after surgery. Results: In SSI+ALLN mice reduced amounts of myocardial calpain-1 were associated with increased actin/myosin expression as compared to SSI mice. Additionally, ALLN treatment of septic mice significantly prevented loss of dystrophin and β-dystroglycan as compared to SSI mice. Concurrently, SSI+ALLN mice presented an increased survival rate. Conclusions: Calpain inhibitor, ALLN, suppressed the increased calpain-1 expression and prevented myocardial structural injury caused by experimental severe sepsis. These observations reinforce the concept that calpain-1 activation represents a key target in dystrophin disruption behind cardiac dysfunction in severe sepsis/septic shock. Further studies are needed to elucidate this mechanism that may provide new interventional pathways to prevent septic cardiomyopathy.