Intracellular sodium elevation reprograms cardiac metabolism

Intracellular Na elevation in the heart is a hallmark of pathologies where both acute and chronic metabolic remodelling occurs. Here, we assess whether acute (75 μM ouabain 100 nM blebbistatin) or chronic myocardial Na(i) load (PLM(3SA) mouse) are causally linked to metabolic remodelling and whether the failing heart shares a common Na-mediated metabolic ‘fingerprint’. Control (PLM(WT)), transgenic (PLM(3SA)), ouabain-treated and hypertrophied Langendorff-perfused mouse hearts are studied by (23)Na, (31)P, (13)C NMR followed by (1)H-NMR metabolomic profiling. Elevated Na(i) leads to common adaptive metabolic alterations preceding energetic impairment: a switch from fatty acid to carbohydrate metabolism and changes in steady-state metabolite concentrations (glycolytic, anaplerotic, Krebs cycle intermediates). Inhibition of mitochondrial Na/Ca exchanger by CGP37157 ameliorates the metabolic changes. In silico modelling indicates altered metabolic fluxes (Krebs cycle, fatty acid, carbohydrate, amino acid metabolism). Prevention of Na(i) overload or inhibition of Na/Ca(mito) may be a new approach to ameliorate metabolic dysregulation in heart failure.