Exposure to the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid impairs alpha 1-adrenoceptor-mediated contractile responses and inositol phosphate formation in rat cardiomyocytes.

The beneficial effects of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids of fish oil in the prevention of fatal arrhythmias in myocardial ischemia were suggested to be at least in part mediated by a modulation of dihydropyridine-sensitive L-type calcium channels. As cardiac alpha 1-adrenoceptor stimulation has been suggested to have no significant effect on L-type calcium channels, the aim of this study using cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes was to investigate whether chronic n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid exposure may have an influence on alpha 1-adrenoceptor-induced positive inotropic effects and induction of arrhythmias. Pretreatment of the rat cardiomyocytes for 3 days in the presence of the n-3 polyunsaturated fish oil-derived fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (60 mumol/l) markedly decreased alpha 1-adrenoceptor-stimulated increase in contraction velocity and induction of arrhythmias. The increase in contraction velocity of the cardiomyocytes induced by the beta-adrenoceptor agonist isoprenaline was also markedly reduced by the n-3 fatty acid pretreatment. Basal contractile amplitude and spontaneous beating frequency of the cardiomyocytes were not significantly altered by the docosahexaenoic acid exposure. The pretreatment of the rat cardiomyocytes for 3 days in the presence of docosahexaenoic acid (60 mumol/l) decreased alpha 1-adrenoceptor-stimulated formation of the calcium-mobilizing second messenger IP3 and its metabolites IP2 and IP1 by 55%. The depression of IP3 formation by docosahexaenoic acid treatment was not mediated by a decreased uptake of myo-inositol into the cardiomyocytes nor by a decreased synthesis of phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate (PIP2), the substrate of phospholipase C. The level of glycerol-3-phosphate, an important substrate of the phosphoinositide cycle, was unaltered by the docosahexaenoic acid pretreatment. Receptor binding studies revealed that the dissociation constant and maximal binding capacity of the alpha 1-adrenoceptor antagonist (3H)prazosin was unchanged by the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid exposure. Beta-Adrenoceptor-and forskolin-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activities were not diminished by the docosahexaenoic acid pretreatment. Chronic exposure of the cardiomyocytes to the n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid arachidonic acid (60 mumol/l) did neither significantly alter alpha 1-adrenoceptor-induced inositol phosphate formation nor alpha 1-adrenoceptor-stimulated increase in contraction velocity. The results presented show that chronic n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid pretreatment of rat cardiomyocytes leads to a marked impairment of alpha 1-adrenoceptor-induced positive inotropic effects and induction of arrhythmias concomitant with a n-3 fatty acid-induced decrease in IP3 formation. This derangement of the phosphoinositide pathway by chronic n-3 fatty acid exposure may, thus, contribute to the beneficial effects of fish oil-derived fatty acids in the prevention of fatal arrhythmias in myocardial ischemia.