Aims Despite numerous reports documenting an important role of hypertension in the development of atrial fibrillation (AF), the detailed mechanism underlying the pathological process remains incompletely understood. Here, we aim to test the hypothesis that diastolic sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ leak in atrial myocytes, induced by mechanical stretch due to elevated pressure in the left atrium (LA), plays an essential role in the AF development in pressure-overloaded hearts. Methods and results Isolated mouse atrial myocytes subjected to acute axial stretch displayed an immediate elevation of SR Ca2+ leak. Using a mouse model of transverse aortic constriction (TAC), the relation between stretch, SR Ca2+ leak and AF susceptibility was further tested. At 36 hours post TAC, SR Ca2+ leak in cardiomyocytes from the LA (with hemodynamic stress), but not right atrium (without hemodynamic stress), significantly increased, which was further elevated at 4 weeks post TAC. Accordingly, AF susceptibility to atrial burst pacing in the 4-week TAC mice were also significantly increased, which was unaffected by inhibition of atrial fibrosis or inflammation via deletion of galectin-3. Western blotting revealed that type 2 ryanodine receptor (RyR2) in LA myocytes of TAC mice was oxidized due to activation and upregulation of Nox2 and Nox4. Direct rescue of dysfunctional RyR2 with dantrolene or rycal S107 reduced diastolic SR Ca2+ leak in LA myocytes and prevented atrial burst pacing stimulated AF. Conclusion Our study demonstrated for the first time the increased SR Ca2+ leak mediated by enhanced oxidative stress in LA myocytes that is causatively associated with higher AF susceptibility in pressure-overloaded hearts. Translational Perspective RyR2 is the major Ca2+ channel in cardiac myocytes, strongly affecting cellular activities. Several types of heart diseases, including heart failure and ventricular arrhythmias, are related to RyR2 dysfunction in ventricular myocytes. The present study expands RyR2 dysfunction as a critical contributor in pressure-overload associated AF. As AF is usually accompanied with cardiac remodeling and dysfunction in the setting of hypertension, which is a common risk factor for different cardiovascular diseases, the convergence of several pathological processes on the dysfunctional RyR2 makes it a common therapeutic target in these diseased settings.

Resistance exercise has been proved to be effective in improving bone quality in both animal and human studies. However, the issue about whether resistance exercise can inhibit obesity-induced bone loss has not been previously investigated. In the present study, we have evaluated the effects of ladder-climbing training, one of the resistance exercises, on bone mechanical properties and microarchitecture in high-fat (HF) diet-induced obese rats. Twenty-four rats were randomly assigned to the Control, HF + sedentary (HF-S) and HF + ladder-climbing training (HF-LCT) groups. Rats in the HF-LCT group performed ladder-climbing training for 8 weeks. The results showed that ladder-climbing training significantly reduced body and fat weight, and increased muscle mass along with a trend toward enhanced muscle strength in diet-induced obese rats. MicroCT analysis demonstrated that obesity-induced bone loss and architecture deterioration were significantly mitigated by ladder-climbing training, as evidenced by increased trabecular bone mineral density, bone volume over total volume, trabecular number and thickness, and decreased trabecular separation and structure model index. However, neither HF diet nor ladder-climbing training had an impact on femoral biomechanical properties. Moreover, ladder-climbing training significantly increased serum adiponectin, decreased serum leptin, TNF-α, IL-6 levels, and downregulated myostatin (MSTN) expression in diet-induced obese rats. Taken together, ladder-climbing training prevents bone loss and microarchitecture deterioration in diet-induced obese rats through multiple mechanisms including increasing mechanical loading on bone due to improved skeletal muscle mass and strength, regulating the levels of myokines and adipokines, and suppressing the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. It indicates that resistance exercise may be a promising therapy for treating obesity-induced bone loss.

Weight-bearing exercise is beneficial to bone health. Myostatin (MSTN) deficiency has a positive effect on bone formation. We wondered if a combination of weight-bearing training and polyclonal antibody for MSTN (MsAb) would augment bone formation to a greater degree than single treatment. In this study, rats were randomly assigned to four groups: Control, weight-bearing training (WT), MsAb, and WT+MsAb. The trained rats ran at 15 m/min bearing with 35% of their body weight, 40 min/day (2 min of running followed by 2 min of rest), 6 days/week, for 8 weeks. The rats with MsAb were injected once a week with MsAb for 8 weeks. MicroCT analysis showed that compared with the MsAb group, WT+MsAb significantly enhanced cortical bone mineral density (BMD) (p < .01), bone volume over total volume (BV/TV) (p < .01), trabecular thickness (p < .05), and reduced trabecular separation (Tb.Sp) (p < .01). Compared with the WT group, WT+MsAb significantly increased trabecular BMD (p < .05), BV/TV (p < .05), and decreased Tb.Sp (p < .05). Three-point bending test demonstrated that MsAb failed to improve bone biomechanical properties (p > .05), weight-bearing training significantly increased energy absorption (p < .05) and elastic modulus (p < .05). However, when they combined, biomechanical properties including maximum load (p < .05), stiffness (p < .05), elastic modulus (p < .01) and energy absorption (p < .01) were all significantly enhanced. In conclusion, the combination of weight-bearing training and MsAb have a greater positive effect on bone than treatment with either MsAb or weight-bearing training alone, suggesting that resistance training in combination with MSTN antagonists could be an effective approach for improving bone health and reducing osteoporosis risk.

Besides resulting in a dramatic increase in skeletal muscle mass, myostatin (MSTN) deficiency has a positive effect on bone formation. However, the issue about whether blocking MSTN can inhibit obesity-induced bone loss has not been previously investigated. In the present study, we have evaluated the effects of MSTN blocking on bone quality in high-fat (HF), diet-induced obese rats using a prepared polyclonal antibody for MSTN (MsAb). Twenty-four rats were randomly assigned to the Control, HF and HF þ MsAb groups. Rats in the HF þ MsAb group were injected once a week with purified MsAb for eight weeks. The results showed that MsAb significantly reduced body and fat weight, and increased muscle mass and strength in the HF group. MicroCT analysis demonstrated that obesity-induced bone loss and architecture deterioration were significantly mitigated by MsAb treatment, as evidenced by increased bone mineral density, bone volume over total volume, trabecular number and thickness, and decreased trabecular separation and structure model index. However, neither HF diet nor MsAb treatment had an impact on femoral biomechanical properties including maximum load, stiffness, energy absorption and elastic modulus. Moreover, MsAb significantly increased adiponectin concentrations, and decreased TNF-a and IL-6 levels in diet-induced obese rats. Taken together, blocking MSTN by MsAb improves bone quality in diet-induced obese rats through a mechanotransduction pathway from skeletal muscle, and the accompanying changes occurring in the levels of circulating adipokines and pro-inflammatory cytokines may also be involved in this process. It indicates that the administration of MSTN antagonists may be a promising therapy for treating obesity and obesity-induced bone loss.

Osteoporosis is a common orthopedic disease which is associated with hyper-activated osteoclastogenesis. Daphnetin is a natural coumarin derivative isolated from Genus Daphne, which possesses antiarthritis effect. However, the role of daphnetin in osteoclastogenesis has not been illustrated. This study aimed to investigate the effects of daphnetin on receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis in vitro. Our results showed that the osteoclast formation was significantly suppressed by daphnetin treatment in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs), which was illustrated by reduced number of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase positive multinucleated osteoclasts and decreased expression levels of tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factors (TRAF6), c-Fos, nuclear factor of activated T cells c1, and cathepsin K. RANKL caused significant induction effects in reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase activity, whereas the induction was dramatically reduced after pretreatment with daphnetin. In addition, daphnetin prevented the RANKL-induced activation of NF-κB and Akt/GSK-3β pathways in BMMs. These findings indicated that daphnetin exhibited an inhibitory effect on RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis in vitro. The effect of daphnetin might be mediated by inhibiting ROS signal transduction, as well as preventing the activation of NF-κB and Akt/GSK-3β signaling pathways. These findings indicated that daphnetin might be considered as a new therapeutic approach for the osteoporosis treatment.