Chronic Hypobaric Hypoxia Induces Right Ventricular Hypertrophy and Apoptosis in Rats: Therapeutic Potential of...

Nehra, Sarita, Varun Bhardwaj, Santosh Kar, and Deepika Saraswat. Chronic hypobaric hypoxia induces right ventricular hypertrophy and apoptosis in rats: therapeutic potential of nanocurcumin in improving adaptation. High Alt Med Biol. 17:342-352, 2016.-a sustained work load on the right heart on ascent to high altitudes promotes right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH), which eventually undergoes decompensation and promotes pathological damage. However, the exact set of events leading to damage remains unidentified. Curcumin is a natural antioxidant and antihypertrophic agent, but it has poor biostability. Nanotized curcumin (nanocurcumin) has emerged as a promising agent with improved biostability while retaining the therapeutic properties of curcumin. The present study aimed at analyzing the therapeutic properties of nanocurcumin in ameliorating cardiac damage due to chronic hypobaric hypoxia (HH)-induced RVH in comparison to curcumin. Sprague-Dawley rats exposed to HH (25,000 feet, effective oxygen fraction in air [F_IO₂] ∼0.08, temperature 28°C ± 1°C, relative humidity 55% ± 2% for 3, 7, 14, and 21 days) developed RVH with increased interstitial collagen content, Fulton's index, and cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area while upregulating atrial natriuretic peptide. Tissue damage due to apoptotic cell death was evident by cytochrome-c/caspase-3 activation and TUNEL assay. Concomitant modulation of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)/cGK-1, calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMkinase II), and intracellular calcium levels with increased free radical-induced damage and lipid peroxidation further contributed to the right heart pathology. Nanocurcumin supplementation decreased HH-induced RVH and apoptosis while modulating cardiac cGMP/cGK-1 signaling, and maintaining CaMkinase II, intracellular calcium levels and redox status better than curcumin. Nanocurcumin-mediated antiapoptotic effects might have benefited residents and sojourners at high altitude in preventing hypoxic cardiac damage.