Hideki SHIRAKAWA (白川 英樹)

This in vivo model successfully characterized the effects of cooling on cytosolic and mitochondrial [H₂O₂] in mouse tibialis anterior skeletal muscle. Cooling decreased [H₂O₂] down to ∼13°C, but the effect was reversed at still lower temperatures. Sustained cooling decreased mRNA levels of antioxidant-related genes (Sod2, Cat, and Ucp3), whereas intermittent cooling increased Nrf mRNA expression. These results help elucidate the mechanistic bases for skeletal muscle adaptation to cooling.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and calcium ions (Ca2+) are functional regulators of skeletal muscle contraction and metabolism. Although H2O2 is one of the activators of the type-1 ryanodine receptor (RyR1) in the Ca2+ release channel, the interdependence between H2O2 and Ca2+ dynamics remains unclear. This study tested the following hypotheses using an in vivo model of mouse tibialis anterior (TA) skeletal muscle. 1. Under resting conditions, elevated cytosolic H2O2 concentration ([H2O2]cyto) leads to a concentration-dependent increase in cytosolic Ca2+concentration ([Ca2+]cyto) through its effect on RyR1. 2. In hypoxia (cardiac arrest) and muscle contractions (electrical stimulation), increased [H2O2]cyto induce Ca2+ accumulation. Cytosolic H2O2 (HyPer7) and Ca2+ (Fura-2) dynamics were resolved by TA bioimaging in C57BL/6J male mice under four conditions: Elevated exogenous H2O2, Cardiac arrest, Twitch and Tetanic contractions. Exogenous H2O2 (0.1-100mM) induced a concentration-dependent increase in [H2O2]cyto (+55%,0.1mM; +280%,100mM) and an increase in [Ca2+]cyto (+3%,1.0mM; +8%,10mM). This increase in [Ca2+]cyto was inhibited by pharmacological inhibition of RyR1 by dantrolene. Cardiac arrest-induced hypoxia increased [H2O2]cyto (+33%) and [Ca2+]cyto (+20%) 50min post-cardiac arrest. Compared to exogenous 1.0mM H2O2 condition, [H2O2]cyto after tetanic contractions rose less than one-tenth as much, while [Ca2+]cyto was 4.7-fold higher. In conclusion, substantial increases in [H2O2]cyto levels evoke only modest Ca2+ accumulation via their effect on the sarcoplasmic reticulum RyR1. On the other hand, contrary to hypoxia secondary to cardiac arrest, increases in [H2O2]cyto from contractions are small, indicating that H2O2 generation is unlikely to be a primary factor driving the significant Ca2+ accumulation after, especially tetanic, muscle contractions.