Cardiac Hypertrophy in Mice with Long-Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase (LCAD) or Very Long-Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase (VLCAD) Deficiency

Cardiac hypertrophy is a common finding in human patients with inborn errors of long-chain fatty acid oxidation. Mice with either very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (VLCAD−/−) or long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (LCAD−/−) develop cardiac hypertrophy. Cardiac hypertrophy, initially measured using heart/body weight ratios, was manifested most severely in LCAD−/− male mice. VLCAD−/− mice, as a group, showed a mild increase in normalized cardiac mass (8.8% hypertrophy compared to all wild-type [WT] mice). In contrast, LCAD−/− mice as a group showed more severe cardiac hypertrophy (32.2% increase compared to all WT mice). Based on a clear male predilection, we investigated the role of dietary plant estrogenic compounds commonly found in mouse diets due to soy or alfalfa components providing natural phytoestrogens or isoflavones in cardioprotection of LCAD−/− mice. Male LCAD−/− mice fed an isoflavone-free test diet had more severe cardiac hypertrophy (58.1% hypertrophy compared to WT mice fed the same diet. There were no significant differences in the female groups fed any of the diets. Echocardiography measurement performed on male LCAD deficient mice fed a standard diet at ~3 months of age confirmed the substantial cardiac hypertrophy in these mice compared with WT controls. Left ventricular wall thickness of interventricular septum and posterior wall was remarkably increased in LCAD−/− mice compared with that of WT controls. Accordingly, the calculated LV mass after normalization to body weight was increased about 40% in the LCAD−/− mice compared with WT mice. In summary, we found that metabolic cardiomyopathy, expressed as hypertrophy, developed in mice due to either VLCAD deficiency or LCAD deficiency; however, LCAD deficiency was the most profound and appeared to be attenuated either by endogenous estrogen in females or phytoestrogens in the diet as isoflavones in males.