Circulating cardiomyocyte-derived extracellular vesicles reflect cardiac injury during systemic inflammatory response syndrome in mice

• Published in: Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS Vol. 79; no. 2; p. 84
• Main Authors: Hegyesi, Hargita, Pallinger, Éva, Mecsei, Szabina, Hornyák, Balázs, Kovácsházi, Csenger, Brenner, Gábor B., Giricz, Zoltán, Pálóczi, Krisztina, Kittel, Ágnes, Tóvári, József, Turiak, Lilla, Khamari, Delaram, Ferdinandy, Péter, Buzás, Edit I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.02.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Blood circulation; Calcium-binding protein; Cardiomyocytes; Cardiomyopathy; Cell Biology; Cell Movement - drug effects; Cellular stress response; Clusterin - metabolism; Echocardiography; Extracellular vesicles; Extracellular Vesicles - drug effects; Extracellular Vesicles - metabolism; Flow cytometry; Fluorescence; Glycogen; Glycogen phosphorylase; Glycogen Phosphorylase - metabolism; Glycogens; Green fluorescent protein; Green Fluorescent Proteins - metabolism; Heart; Inflammation; Inflammatory response; Injuries; Integrases - metabolism; Life Sciences; Lipopolysaccharides; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Transgenic; Muscles; Myocardium - metabolism; Myocardium - pathology; Myocytes, Cardiac - drug effects; Myocytes, Cardiac - metabolism; Myocytes, Cardiac - pathology; Nanoparticles; Organ Specificity - drug effects; Original; Original Article; Particle size distribution; Phenotype; Phosphorylase; Plasma levels; Size distribution; Systemic inflammatory response syndrome; Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome - blood; Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome - pathology; Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome - physiopathology; Tamoxifen - pharmacology; Transgenic mice; Troponin; Troponin I; Troponin I - metabolism; Tumor necrosis factor-α; Ventricle; Vesicles; Extracellular vesicles; SIRS; Cardiomyopathy; Cardiomyocyte; Inducible transgenic mice
• ISSN: 1420-682X; 1420-9071
• DOI: 10.1007/s00018-021-04125-w

The release of extracellular vesicles (EVs) is increased under cellular stress and cardiomyocyte damaging conditions. However, whether the cardiomyocyte-derived EVs eventually reach the systemic circulation and whether their number in the bloodstream reflects cardiac injury, remains unknown. Wild type C57B/6 and conditional transgenic mice expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) by cardiomyocytes were studied in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). EVs were separated both from platelet-free plasma and from the conditioned medium of isolated cardiomyocytes of the left ventricular wall. Size distribution and concentration of the released particles were determined by Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis. The presence of GFP + cardiomyocyte-derived circulating EVs was monitored by flow cytometry and cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography. In LPS-treated mice, systemic inflammation and the consequent cardiomyopathy were verified by elevated plasma levels of TNFα, GDF-15, and cardiac troponin I, and by a decrease in the ejection fraction. Furthermore, we demonstrated elevated levels of circulating small- and medium-sized EVs in the LPS-injected mice. Importantly, we detected GFP + cardiomyocyte-derived EVs in the circulation of control mice, and the number of these circulating GFP + vesicles increased significantly upon intraperitoneal LPS administration ( P  = 0.029). The cardiomyocyte-derived GFP + EVs were also positive for intravesicular troponin I (cTnI) and muscle-associated glycogen phosphorylase (PYGM). This is the first direct demonstration that cardiomyocyte-derived EVs are present in the circulation and that the increased number of cardiac-derived EVs in the blood reflects cardiac injury in LPS-induced systemic inflammation (SIRS).