Abstract 33: Prostaglandin E2 Reduces Cardiac Contractility via EP3 Receptor

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) EP receptors EP3 and EP4 are present in the heart and signal via decreased and increased cAMP production, respectively. Previously we reported that cardiomyocyte-specific EP4 KO mice develop a phenotype of dilated cardiomyopathy with reduced ejection fraction. We thus hypothesized that PGE2 decreases contractility via EP3. To test this hypothesis, the effects of PGE2 and the EP1/EP3 agonist sulprostone (sulp) were examined in the mouse langendorff preparation and in adult mouse cardiomyocytes (AVM) using the IonOptix cell contractility system. Isolated hearts of 18-20 wk old male C57Bl/6 mice were mounted and equilibrated for 10 min, then perfused with PGE2 (10 -6 mol/l) or sulp (10 -6 mol/l) for 30 min. Values at the end of equilibration were set to 100%. Compared to vehicle, PGE2 decreased +dp/dt (77.8±3% vs 96.7±3%, p -6 mol/l). Myocyte contractility was evaluated on the IonOptix system with pacing at 1Hz. Treatment with PGE2 (10 -9 M) for 10 min reduced contractility as measured by peak height (3.69 ± 0.48% for vehicle vs 2.00 ± 0.22% for PGE2, p