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The cardiovascular manifestations of Chagas disease are well known. However, the contribution of the vasculature and specifically the microvasculature has received little attention. This chapter reviews the evidence supporting the notion that alterations in the microvasculature especially in the heart contribute to the pathogenesis of chagasic cardiomyopathy. These data may also be important in understanding the contributions of the microvasculature in the aetiologies of other cardiomyopathies. The role of endothelin-1 and of thromboxane A(2) vascular spasm and platelet aggregation is also discussed. Further, these observations may provide target(s) for intervention., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

When present in the homozygous form, hemoglobin C (HbC, CC disease) increases red cell density, a feature that is the major factor underlying the pathology in patients with SC disease (Fabry et al., JCI 70, 1315, 1982). The basis for the increased red cell density has not yet been fully defined. We have generated a HbC mouse in which the most successful founder expresses 56% human alpha and 34% human beta(C). We introduced knockouts (KO) of mouse alpha- and beta-globins in various combinations. In contrast to many KO mice, all partial KOs have normal MCH. Full KOs that express exclusively HbC and no mouse globins have minimally reduced MCH (13. 7 +/- 0.3 pg/cell vs 14.5 +/- 1.0 for C57BL/6) and a ratio of beta- to alpha-globin chains of 0.88 determined by chain synthesis; hence, these mice are not thalassemic. Mice with beta(C) > 30% have increased MCHC, dense reticulocytes, and increased K:Cl cotransport. Red cell morphology studied by SEM is strikingly similar to that of human CC cells with bizarre folded cells. We conclude that red cells of these mice have many properties that closely parallel the pathology of human disease in which HbC is the major determinant of pathogenesis. These studies also establish the existence of the interactions with other gene products that are necessary for pleiotropic effects (red cell dehydration, elevated K:Cl cotransport, morphological changes) that are also present in these transgenic mice, validating their usefulness in the analysis of pathophysiological events induced by HbC in red cells., (Copyright 2000 Academic Press.)

Expression of Cardiac Cytokines and Inducible Form of Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS2) in Trypanosoma cruzi-infected Mice. Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology (1999) 31, 75-88. Both cardiac cytokine and inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS2) expression have been implicated in the cardiac dysfunction associated with myocarditis and cardiomyopathy. Chagas' disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is an important cause of cardiomyopathy. We examined the effect of T. cruzi (Brazil strain) infection with or without verapamil treatment on the expression of cytokines and NOS2 in the heart. Messenger RNA for NOS2, IL-1beta, and TNF-alpha was induced in the myocardium of infected mice, and Western blot analysis as well as immunohistochemistry demonstrated a significant increase in NOS2 protein. Verapamil treatment reduced the expression of cardiac NOS2 protein and the mRNAs for NOS2, TNF-alpha, and IL-1beta. Infection-associated increases in cardiac L-citrulline were also reduced by verapamil treatment. Verapamil-treated infected mice that survived for 80 days exhibited less inflammation and fibrosis compared to untreated mice. Gated MRI and echocardiography revealed an increased right ventricular inner diameter (RVID) in untreated but not in verapamil-treated infected CD1 mice. This suggests that the infection-associated expression of cytokines and NOS2 in the heart correlate with the severity of myocarditis and the effect of verapamil. The RVID was significantly increased in infected wild-type (WT) compared to infected syngeneic NOS2 knockout (NOS2-/-) mice. Fractional shortening was decreased and myocardial L-citrulline was increased in infected WT mice. These data suggest that NO generated from cardiac NOS2 may participate in the pathogenesis of murine chagasic heart disease.

Calcification is a major cause of glutaraldehyde-fixed bioprosthetic valve failure. Recent studies have shown that dystrophic calcification shares basic features with normal bone mineralization, including crystal initiation through the mediation of cell membranes, usually in the form of extracellular vesicles. In this study, we observed that calcification of the myocardium of DBA/2J mice was inhibited or reversed by diets supplemented with 100 mg/kg diet diphenylhydantoin (dilantin) for 70 days, with a calcification incidence of 25% in the dilantin group versus 58% in control. We further studied the effects of dilantin on bioprosthetic valve calcification. Three groups of young male Sprague-Dawley rats (100 g, 9/group) were implanted subcutaneously with 1-cm2 pieces of glutaraldehyde-fixed bovine pericardium. Controls were fed a ground chow for 45 or 90 days postimplantation; experimentals received the same chow for the first 45 days postimplantation and then were fed the same diet supplemented with 1000 mg dilantin/kg for the succeeding 45 days. Calcium content (microgram/mg dry weight) of the implants in the dilantin group was 137 +/- 18.6 versus 214 +/- 34.3 in 90 days control and 79.9 +/- 41.5 in 45 days control (mean +/- SD, P < 0.01 and P < 0.05 respectively, t test). The tibia calcium content of the dilantin group was not significantly different from 90 days control. We conclude that orally administered dilantin inhibits calcification of glutaraldehyde-fixed bovine pericardial implants preferentially. It does not cause decalcification either of implants that have already calcified or of the bones. The anti-calcification effect of dilantin may be associated with its anti-vitamin D effect.