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Cardioprotective effects of Empagliflozin in cardiac volume overload-induced by aortocaval fistula in rats

M. Sýkora, K. Andelova, V. Farkašová, Z. Honetschlagerová, E. Gonçalvesová, N. Tribulová, B. Szeiffová Bačová

Cardiovascular Research, 2024

Abstract

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): Slovak Research and Development Agency under the contract no. 21-0410

VEGA grants no. 2/0006/23

Heart failure is characterized by reduction in cardiac output and the occurrence of malignant arrhythmias, thereby contributing significantly to high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Myocardial structural remodelling is a key factor contributing to the development of these life-threatening events and belongs to unsolved clinical issues challenging to investigate in animal models. The aim of our study was to explore the impact of cardiac volume overload (VO) on structural remodelling and electrical coupling protein, connexin43 (Cx43) in the left and right heart ventricles as well as the efficacy of treatment with SGLT2i, Empagliflozin. Aortocaval fistula (ACF) was surgically induced in 6-month-old Wistar rats, to develop VO during 4 weeks, followed by oral administration of Empagliflozin 10 mg/kg/b.w. daily for 5 weeks. At the end of the experiment, biometric parameters were registered and left and right heart tissue samples were snap-frozen and kept at -80°C for western blot analysis and microscopic examination. Findings revealed an increase of heart, left and right ventricular mass due to ACF-VO versus sham controls, which was associated, with eccentric myocardial hypertrophy. Noteworthy, Empagliflozin reduced heart, left and right ventricular mass. Levels of…

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