Effect of cholic acid on fetal cardiac myocytes in intrahepatic choliestasis of pregnancy

Abstract

This study examined the effect of cholic acid (CA) on cultured cardiac myocytes (CMs) from neonatal rats with an attempt to explore the possible mechanism of sudden fetal death in intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP). Inverted microscopy was performed to detect the impact of CA on the beating rates of rat CMs. MTT method was used to study the effect of CA on the viability of CMs. CMs cultured in vitro were incubated with 10 μmol/L Ca(2+)-sensitive fluorescence indicator fluo-3/AM. The fluorescence signals of free calcium induced by CA were measured under a laser scanning confocal microscope. The results showed that CA decreased the beating rates of the CMs in a dose-dependent manner. CA could suppress the activities of CMs in a time- and dose-dependent manner. CA increased the concentration of intracellular free calcium in a dose-dependent manner. Our study suggested that CA could inhibit the activity of CMs by causing calcium overload, thereby leading to the sudden fetal death in ICP.

Disordered gut microbiota and alterations in metabolic patterns are associated with atrial fibrillation

“…Chenodeoxycholic acid was able to activate the NLRP3 inflammasome in macrophages, which could primarily induce interleukin 1β and aggravates the inflammatory process and affects epithelial integrity by inducing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines [47]. Cholic acid may influence cardiac electrophysiology, inhibiting the activity of cardiac myocytes, causing calcium overload, and leading to sudden fetal death, and hence might influence cardiac electrophysiology [48]. Furthermore, it has been reported that cholic acid could strongly reduce endoplasmic reticulum stress by inhibiting extracellular signal−regulated kinase signaling and endoplasmic reticulum stress−related activating transcription factor 4 [49].…”

From dried bear bile to molecular investigation of differential effects of bile acids in ex vivo and in vitro models of myocardial dysfunction: Relevance for neuroinflammation

“…Only one ex vivo study examined the effects of CA on contraction and viability in primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes ( Gao et al, 2014 ). In this study, CA decreased the contraction rates and reduced the viability of neonatal rat cardiomyocytes through an increase in concentration of intracellular Ca 2+ ( Gao et al, 2014 ).…”