THE SERA OF SPONTANEOUSLY HYPERTENSIVE RATS CONTAIN AGONISTIC AUTOANTIBODIES AGAINST THE BETA(1)-ADRENOCEPTOR

Citation
G. Wallukat et al., THE SERA OF SPONTANEOUSLY HYPERTENSIVE RATS CONTAIN AGONISTIC AUTOANTIBODIES AGAINST THE BETA(1)-ADRENOCEPTOR, Journal of hypertension, 13(9), 1995, pp. 1031-1036
Citations number
26
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
Cardiac & Cardiovascular System
Journal title
ISSN journal
0263-6352
Volume
13
Issue
9
Year of publication
1995
Pages
1031 - 1036
Database
ISI
SICI code
0263-6352(1995)13:9<1031:TSOSHR>2.0.ZU;2-8
Abstract
Objective: To examine auto-antibodies in the sera of spontaneously hyp ertensive rats (SHR) and investigate the possibility of abnormalities of the immune system in those rats. Design: Blood samples were taken f rom 18-month-old SHR and age-matched Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. The immu noglobulin fraction was prepared from the rat sera. Methods: Immunoglo bulins were investigated in a sensitive biological test system using s pontaneously beating neonatal rat heart myocytes. Results: Immunoglobu lins prepared from the sera of the 18-month-old SHR increased the beat ing frequency of cultured rat heart myocytes. This positive chronotrop ic effect induced by the auto-antibody-containing immunoglobulin fract ion was realized via the beta(1)-adrenergic receptor. Conclusions: The sera of the investigated ageing SHR contain agonistic auto-antibodies directed against the beta(1)-adrenoceptor. These anti-beta(1)-adrenoc eptor antibodies in the SHR, like those in the sera of cardiomyopathic patients, recognize in most cases the second extracellular loop of th e beta(1)-adrenoceptor as the site of the antigenic determinant, and a ct in a similar way to the antibodies observed in the sera of cardiomy opathic patients. The present findings provide the opportunity of usin g ageing SHR as a model to investigate the development and possible pa thogenic role of the agonistic auto-antibodies that recognize the beta (1)-adrenoceptor.