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Platelet sodium-hydrogen exchanger activity and left ventricular mass
T K Khong1, G A Sagnella, N D Markandu
1Blood Pressure Unit, St George's Hospital Medical School, Cranmer Terrace, London SW17 0RE, UK. tkhong@sghms.ac.uk
Insights
Platelet sodium-hydrogen exchanger (NHE) activity showed no significant correlation with left ventricular mass index (LVMI). These findings suggest that the relationship between LVMI and NHE activity may be cell-type specific.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Biochemistry
- Cell Physiology
Background:
- The sodium-hydrogen exchanger (NHE) plays a role in cell growth and may contribute to left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH).
- Investigating NHE activity in accessible cells like platelets could offer insights into LVH development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the relationship between platelet sodium-hydrogen exchanger (NHE) activity and left ventricular mass index (LVMI).
Main Methods:
- Assessed platelet NHE activity by measuring the rate of sodium-dependent intracellular pH recovery in 20 untreated Caucasian males.
- Calculated LVMI using M-mode echocardiography.
- Analyzed correlations between platelet NHE activity, LVMI, and blood pressure using parametric tests.
Main Results:
- Platelet NHE activity was not significantly correlated with LVMI (r = 0.06; P = 0.8).
- No significant correlation was found between LVMI and systolic or diastolic blood pressure.
- Platelet NHE activity did not differ between subjects with and without left ventricular hypertrophy.
Conclusions:
- Platelet NHE activity is not significantly correlated with LVMI in this cohort.
- The association between LVMI and NHE activity may be cell-type dependent, differing from findings in leukocytes and erythrocytes.
Introduction:
The sodium-hydrogen exchanger (NHE) is integral to the processes that facilitate cell growth and may contribute to the development of left ventricular hypertrophy. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between platelet sodium-hydrogen exchanger activity and left ventricular mass index (LVMI).
Methods:
Twenty male untreated Caucasians (mean age +/- s.d.: 48 +/- 13; body mass index: 29 +/- 4 kg/m(2)) with a wide range of blood pressures were studied (mean BP: 152 +/- 22/93 +/- 15 mm Hg; range: 115-190/61-117 mm Hg). Sodium-hydrogen exchanger activity was determined as the rate of sodium-dependent recovery of intracellular pH in isolated platelets loaded with BCECF and acidified to pH 6.25 using nigericin. LVMI was calculated from measurements made by M-mode echocardiography. Associations between continuous variables were examined using parametric tests.
Results:
The mean rate of pHi recovery was 0.15 +/- 0.03 dpHi/s (range: 0.09-0.21). Mean LVMI was 120 +/- 32 g/m(2) (range: 56-178) and was not significantly correlated with either systolic (r = 0.39, P = 0.09) or diastolic blood pressure (r = 0.27, P = 0.3). Platelet NHE activity was not significantly correlated with LVMI (r = 0.06; P = 0.8). Platelet NHE activity was not significantly different between subjects with (n = 7 with LVMI >131 g/m(2)) and without left ventricular hypertrophy (n = 13).
Conclusions:
The results of this study show that platelet NHE activity is not significantly correlated with LVMI. These data contrast with previously described correlations of LVMI with exchanger activity measured in leucocytes and erythrocytes; and indicate that the relationship between LVMI and exchanger activity may be specific to the cell type in which exchanger activity is measured.
