Distinct effects of short- and long-term leptin treatment on glucose and fatty acid uptake and metabolism in HL-1 cardiomyocytes.

Alterations in cardiac glucose and fatty acid metabolism are possible contributors to the pathogenesis of heart failure in obesity. Here we examined the effect of leptin, the product of the obese (ob) gene, on metabolism in murine cardiomyocytes. Neither short-term (1 hour) nor long-term (24 hours) treatment with leptin (60 nmol/L) altered basal or insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and oxidation, glycogen synthesis, insulin receptor substrate 1 tyrosine, Akt, or glycogen synthase kinase 3beta phosphorylation. Extracellular lactate levels were also unaffected by leptin. However, leptin increased basal and insulin-stimulated palmitate uptake at both short and long exposure times and this corresponded with increased cell surface CD36 levels and elevated fatty acid transport protein 1 (FATP1) and CD36 protein content. Whereas short-term leptin treatment increased fatty acid oxidation, there was a decrease in oxidation after 24 hours. The former corresponded with increased acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase phosphorylation and the latter with increased expression of this enzyme. The discrepancy between uptake and oxidation of fatty acids led to a transient decrease in intracellular lipid content with lipid accumulation ensuing after 24 hours. In summary, we demonstrate that leptin did not alter glucose uptake or metabolism in murine cardiomyocytes. However, fatty acid uptake increased while oxidation decreased over time leading to intracellular lipid accumulation, which may lead to lipotoxic damage in heart failure.

The adenosine transporter, mENT1, is a target for adenosine receptor signaling and protein kinase Cepsilon in hypoxic and pharmacological preconditioning in the mouse cardiomyocyte cell line, HL-1.

Brief exposure of the heart to hypoxia results in less cellular damage after subsequent hypoxia, an effect known as preconditioning (PC). PC has been widely studied but is still not fully understood. Adenosine (Ado), adenosine receptors, and protein kinase C (PKC) have been implicated as integral components of PC. Adenosine (nucleoside) transporters (NTs) facilitate flux of Ado across cell membranes, but their role in PC is unknown. Therefore, we used the murine cardiomyocyte cell line, HL-1, and asked if there was feedback regulation of NTs by Ado, Ado receptors, and PKC following either hypoxic or pharmacological PC. Activation (by specific agonists) of A1 or A3 Ado receptors or PKC resulted in PC in HL-1. The A1 (but not A3) receptor is coupled to PKCepsilon, and activation of PKCepsilon (by specific peptide agonist) resulted in PC. Moreover, PKCepsilon stimulates Ado uptake via the predominant NT in HL-1, mouse equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (mENT1). Studies in primary neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes confirmed our observations in HL-1 cells. Hypoxic challenge led to a rapid increase in, and efflux of, intracellular Ado from cells, which was blocked by NT inhibitors (dipyridamole/nitrobenzylthioinosine). Moreover, NT inhibition during hypoxia or PC was highly protective, suggesting that Ado loss contributes to decreased cell viability. Our data suggest that hypoxic challenge causes an efflux of Ado via ENTs, activation of A1 and/or A3 receptors, signaling through PKCepsilon, and activation of ENT1. Since Ado is required for ATP synthesis on reperfusion, this feedback regulation of mENT1 would promote reuptake of Ado.

Hypoxia regulates the adenosine transporter, mENT1, in the murine cardiomyocyte cell line, HL-1.

OBJECTIVE: Adenosine is an important paracrine hormone in the cardiovascular system. Adenosine flux across cardiomyocyte membranes occurs mainly via equilibrative nucleoside transporters (ENTs). The role of the ENTs in adenosine physiology is poorly understood, particularly in response to metabolic stress such as hypoxia. Therefore, we investigated the effects of chronic hypoxia on ENT1, the predominant ENT isoform in cardiomyocytes. METHODS: HL-1 cells (immortalized murine cardiomyocytes) were exposed to hypoxia (2% O2) for 0-20 h. Cell viability, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, glucose uptake, GLUT1 and GLUT4 protein, adenosine uptake, PKC activity, translocation profiles of PKCdelta and, nitrobenzylthioinosine (NBTI) binding and mENT1 mRNA levels were measured. The role of PKC in regulating mENT1 was further investigated using phorbol ester (100 nM, 18 h) and a dominant negative PKC construct, pSVK3PKC1-401. RESULTS: HL-1 cells have typical cardiomyocyte responses to hypoxia based on cell viability, LDH release, glucose uptake and GLUT protein levels. Hypoxia (8-20 h) down-regulates mENT1-dependent adenosine uptake, NBTI-binding and PKC but not PKCdelta in HL-1 cells. Abrogation of PKC activity using chronic phorbol ester or a dominant negative PKC mimicked the effect of hypoxia on adenosine uptake suggesting that PKC is involved in regulation of mENT1. Hypoxia (4 h) decreases mENT1 mRNA, which returns to basal levels by 20 h. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic hypoxia down-regulates mENT1 activity possibly via PKC. Hypoxia and PKC also regulate mENT1 RNA levels. Cardiomyocytes may regulate mENT1 (via PKC) to modulate release and/or uptake of adenosine. However, the relationship between mENT1 mRNA levels, protein levels and functional transport is complex.

Inhibition of glucose uptake in murine cardiomyocyte cell line HL-1 by cardioprotective drugs dilazep and dipyridamole.

Inhibition of adenosine reuptake by nucleoside transport inhibitors, such as dipyridamole and dilazep, is proposed to increase extracellular levels of adenosine and thereby potentiate adenosine receptor-dependent pathways that promote cardiovascular health. Thus adenosine can act as a paracrine and/or autocrine hormone, which has been shown to regulate glucose uptake in some cell types. However, the role of adenosine in modulating glucose transport in cardiomyocytes is not clear. Therefore, we investigated whether exogenously applied adenosine or inhibition of adenosine transport by S-(4-nitrobenzyl)-6-thioinosine (NBTI), dipyridamole, or dilazep modulated basal and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in the murine cardiomyocyte cell line HL-1. HL-1 cell lysates were subjected to SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting to determine which GLUT isoforms are present. Glucose uptake was measured in the presence of dipyridamole (3-300 microM), dilazep (1-100 microM), NBTI (10-500 nM), and adenosine (50-250 microM) or the nonmetabolizable adenosine analog 2-chloro-adenosine (250 microM). Our results demonstrated that HL-1 cells possess GLUT1 and GLUT4, the isoforms typically present in cardiomyocytes. We found no evidence for adenosine-dependent regulation of basal or insulin-stimulated glucose transport in HL-1 cardiomyocytes. However, we did observe a dose-dependent inhibition of glucose transport by dipyridamole (basal, IC(50) = 12.2 microM, insulin stimulated, IC(50) = 13.09 microM) and dilazep (basal, IC(50) = 5.7 microM, insulin stimulated, IC(50) = 19 microM) but not NBTI. Thus our data suggest that dipyridamole and dilazep, which are widely used to specifically inhibit nucleoside transport, have a broader spectrum of transport inhibition than previously described. Moreover, these data may explain previous observations, in which dipyridamole was noted to be proischemic at high doses.