Polychlorinated biphenyls reduce the kinematics contractile properties of embryonic stem cells-derived cardiomyocytes by disrupting their intracellular Ca2+ dynamics

Sci Rep. 2018 Dec 17;8(1):17909. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-36333-z.

Abstract

Persistent organic pollutants are a group of chemicals that include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). PCBs exposure during adult life increases incidence and severity of cardiomyopathies, whereas in utero exposure determines congenital heart defects. Being fat-soluble, PCBs are passed to newborns through maternal milk, impairing heart functionality in the adult. It is still unknown how PCBs impair cardiac contraction at cellular/molecular levels. Here, we study the molecular mechanisms by which PCBs cause the observed heart contraction defects, analysing the alterations of Ca2+ toolkit components that regulate contraction. We investigated the effect that Aroclor 1254 (Aroclor), a mixture of PCBs, has on perinatal-like cardiomyocytes derived from mouse embryonic stem cells. Cardiomyocytes, exposed to 1 or 2 µg/ml Aroclor for 24 h, were analyzed for their kinematics contractile properties and intracellular Ca2+ dynamics. We observed that Aroclor impairs cardiomyocytes contractile properties by inhibiting spontaneous Ca2+ oscillations. It disrupts intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis by reducing the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ content and by inhibiting voltage-gated Ca2+ entry. These findings contribute to the understanding of the molecular underpinnings of PCBs-induced cardiovascular alterations, which are emerging as an additional life-threatening hurdle associated to PCBs pollution. Therefore, PCBs-dependent alteration of intracellular Ca2+ dynamics is the most likely trigger of developmental cardiac functional alteration.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biomechanical Phenomena / drug effects*
  • Calcium / metabolism*
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Chlorodiphenyl (54% Chlorine) / adverse effects
  • Embryonic Stem Cells / drug effects*
  • Embryonic Stem Cells / metabolism
  • Environmental Pollutants / adverse effects
  • Mice
  • Myocardial Contraction / drug effects*
  • Myocytes, Cardiac / drug effects*
  • Myocytes, Cardiac / metabolism
  • Polychlorinated Biphenyls / adverse effects*

Substances

  • Environmental Pollutants
  • Chlorodiphenyl (54% Chlorine)
  • Polychlorinated Biphenyls
  • Calcium