Changes in Adrenoceptor and GRK Expression in Patients With Chronic Pulmonary Regurgitation

Pulmonary regurgitation (PR) is a frequent complication after repair of congenital heart disease. Lymphocyte expression of adrenoceptors (β1 and β2) and kinases (GRK2, GRK3, and GRK5) reflects the neurohumoral changes that occur in heart failure (HF). The main objective of this study was to describe the gene expression of these molecules in circulating lymphocytes in patients with severe PR.

A prospective study was conducted to analyze lymphocyte expression of these molecules in patients with severe PR and compare it with expression in healthy controls and patients with advanced HF.

We studied 35 patients with severe PR, 22 healthy controls, and 13 patients with HF. Multiple comparisons analysis showed that β2-adrenoceptor gene expression levels were higher in the control group than in patients in the PR and HF groups and that expression in the latter 2 groups was similar (748.49 [rank 1703.87] vs 402.80 [rank 1210.81] vs 287.46 [rank 685.69] P = .001). Similar findings were obtained in gene expression of GRK2 (760.89 [rank 1169.46] vs 445.17 [rank 1190.69] vs 284.09 [rank 585.27] P < .001). There were no differences in expression levels of these molecules according to clinical variables in patients with PR.

The gene expression pattern of GRK2 and β2-adrenoceptor as molecular markers of cardiac dysfunction was altered in patients with severe PR compared with controls and was similar to expression in patients with advanced HF.