Myocardial Connexin-43 and N-Cadherin decrease during vanadium inhalation
Teresa I. Fortoul1, Adrian Soto-Mota2, Marcela Rojas-Lemus1, Vianey Rodriguez-Lara1, Adriana Gonzalez-Villalva1, Luis F. Montaño1, Araceli Paez3, Laura Colin-Barenque4, Nelly López-Valdez1, Gumaro Cano-Gutiérrez5, Patricia Bizarro-Nevares1 and Martha Ustarroz-Cano1
1Department of Cellular and Tissular Biology, School of Medicine, UNAM, 2National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition "Salvador Zubirán", SSa, Mexico City, México, 3Department of Physiology, National Institute of Cardiology, SSa, Mexico City, Mexico, 4Department of Neuroscience, FES Iztacala, Edo. de México, UNAM and 5School of Health Sciences, UVM, Campus Sur, Mexico City, Mexico
Offprint requests to: Teresa I. Fortoul MD, PhD., Departamento de Biología Celular y Tisular, Edificio A 3er piso, Facultad de Medicina, UNAM, Mexico City, CP 04510, Mexico. e-mail: fortoul@unam.mx
Summary. Particulate matter air pollution has considerably increased during the last decades; vanadium is a transition element adhered to this particulate matter, and the combustion of fossil fuels is the main source in the atmosphere.
It has been reported that air pollution and specifically vanadium exposure increases the probability of suffering arrhythmias; however the biological mechanism of such a relationship remains unknown. It has been established that a diminished presence of N-Cadherin alters the Connexin-43 arrangement, and the consequent altered presence of these proteins predisposes to ventricular heart rate problems.
We analyzed myocardial histology and the expression of N-Cadherin and Connexin-43 by immunohistochemistry in mouse that inhaled vanadium. Our results showed a significant and progressive reduction in both N-Cadherin and Connexin-43, as well as the presence of meganucleus; myofibrils disruption, and clumping in the exposed groups were also observed. Our findings add more information about a possible explanation for the arrythmogenic effect observed in dwellers of cities with high particulate matter atmospheric pollution. Histol Histopathol 31, 433-439 (2016)
Key words: Air pollution, Arrhythmias, Connexin-43, N-Cadherin, Vanadium inhalation, Myofibrils, Clumping
DOI: 10.14670/HH-11-688