Background: The endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) inhibitor asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is a well-established risk factor for oxidative stress, vascular dysfunction, and congestive heart failure. The aim of the present study was to determine the impact of rapid atrial pacing (RAP) on ADMA levels and eNOS expression.
Methods and results: ADMA levels were studied in 60 age- and gender-matched patients. Thirty five patients had persistent atrial fibrillation (AF)≥ 4months. In AF-patients, parameters were studied before and 24h after electrical cardioversion. Moreover, ADMA, eNOS expression, and calcium-handling proteins were studied in pigs subjected to RAP as well as in endothelial cell (EC) cultures. ADMA level was significantly higher in AF compared to sinus rhythm patients (p=0.024). ADMA was highest in AF-patients, who also showed elevated troponin T (TnT) levels. Moreover, ADMA showed a significant linear correlation to TnT (r=0.47; p<0.01). After electrical cardioversion ADMA returned to normal within 24h. In pigs, RAP for 7h increased ADMA levels (p=0.018) and TnI (p<0.05), and reduced mRNA expression of ventricular and aortic eNOS (-80%; p<0.05) compared to sham-control. However, ADMA per se did not affect eNOS mRNA level in EC cultures.
Conclusion: The current study shows that acute and persistent episodes of atrial tachyarrhythmia are associated with elevated ADMA levels accompanied by increased ischemic myocardial markers. Moreover, RAP increases ADMA and down-regulates eNOS expression in an ADMA-independent manner. We conclude that the combination of these two separate and potentially synergistic mechanisms may contribute to long-term vascular injury during atrial tachyarrhythmia.
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