Testosterone-augmented contractile responses to α1- and β1-adrenoceptor stimulation are associated with increased activities of RyR, SERCA, and NCX in the heart

Abstract

We hypothesized that testosterone at physiological levels enhances cardiac contractile responses to stimulation of both α1- and β1-adrenoceptors by increasing Ca2+release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and speedier removal of Ca2+from cytosol via Ca2+-regulatory proteins. We first determined the left ventricular developed pressure, velocity of contraction and relaxation, and heart rate in perfused hearts isolated from control rats, orchiectomized rats, and orchiectomized rats without and with testosterone replacement (200 μg/100 g body wt) in the presence of norepinephrine (10−7M), the α1-adrenoceptor agonist phenylephrine (10−6M), or the nonselective β-adrenoceptor agonist isoprenaline (10−7M) in the presence of 5 × 10−7M ICI-118,551, a β2-adrenoceptor antagonist. Next, we determined the amplitudes of intracellular Ca2+concentration transients induced by electrical stimulation or caffeine, which represent, respectively, Ca2+release via the ryanodine receptor (RyR) or releasable Ca2+in the SR, in ventricular myocytes isolated from the three groups of rats. We also measured45Ca2+release via the RyR. We then determined the time to 50% decay of both transients, which represents, respectively, Ca2+reuptake by sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) and removal via the sarcolemmal Na+/Ca2+exchanger (NCX). We correlated Ca2+removal from the cytosol with activities of SERCA and its regulator phospholamban as well as NCX. The results showed that testosterone at physiological levels enhanced positive inotropic and lusitropic responses to stimulation of α1- and β1-adrenoceptors via the androgen receptor. The increased contractility and speedier relaxation were associated with increased Ca2+release via the RyR and faster Ca2+removal out of the cytosol via SERCA and NCX.