Abstract
New findings: What is the central question of this study? What is the mechanism of cardiac inflammation induced by α1 -adrenoceptor stimulation by NLRP3 inflammasome activation? What is the main finding and its importance? In the mechanism of cardiac inflammation induced by α1 -adrenoceptor overactivation, Kir2.1 exerts cardioprotective and anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Overstimulation of sympathetic nerves in cardiovascular diseases can lead to impaired cardiomyocyte function and potential heart failure, which activates not only the β-adrenoceptors but also the α1 -adrenoceptors (α1 -AR). A previous report indicated that NLRP3 inflammasome activation is involved in cardiac inflammation induced by the α1 -AR agonist phenylephrine (PE), but the mechanism is still unknown. Here, we aimed to study whether Kir2.1 is involved in cardiac inflammation caused by PE. The results from in vitro experiments showed that PE upregulated the expression levels of NLRP3, caspase-1, interleukin (IL)-18 and IL-1β and downregulated the expression level of Kir2.1 in H9C2 cells. The Kir2.1 agonist zacopride downregulated the expression of NLRP3, caspase-1, IL-1β and IL-18, and the Kir2.1 inhibitor ML133 upregulated their expression. To further explore the mechanism, we found that zacopride downregulated the protein expression level of p-p65 and that ML133 upregulated it. Moreover, the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signalling pathway inhibitor curcumenol reversed the expression of NLRP3 inflammasomes caused by PE in H9C2 cells. In in vivo experiments, the protein expression level of Kir2.1 in the PE group was significantly decreased, and the activation of Kir2.1 by zacopride reduced cardiac inflammation. In short, Kir2.1 is involved in α1 -AR overactivation, which induces cardiac inflammation, through the NF-κB signalling pathway, and activating Kir2.1 can downregulate NLRP3 inflammation and exert cardioprotective effects induced by zacopride.