Leptin affects adenylate cyclase activity in H9c2 cardiac cell line: effects of short- and long-term exposure

Leptin has been hypothesized to be a pathophysiologic link between obesity and cardiovascular diseases. Because the adenylate cyclase (AC) system is a main effector of β-adrenergic receptors and leptin has been shown to modulate AC activity in other cell lines, a leptin impact on cardiac AC activity was hypothesized. Therefore, acute and chronic effects of leptin on a rat cardiac cell line (H9c2) were investigated. Leptin affected both basal (+13% at 30 min and −16.4% after 18 h v untreated cells) and catecholamine-stimulated AC activity (isoproterenol + leptin at 30 min or 18 h was +21% v untreated cells; norepinephrine + leptin at 30 min was +38.8% v untreated cells; and norepinephrine + leptin at 18 h was +6% v untreated cells). Thus, long-term leptin treatment was associated with a reduced AC activity and a different responsiveness to catecholamines. The AC activity on leptin treatment was accompanied by changes in levels of proteins structurally or functionally related to AC complex (AC, Gαs, Gαi, p21-ras). These data indicate that the AC complex is profoundly affected at more than one level by leptin treatment in the H9c2 cardiac cell line. Differences in AC activity after short- and long-term exposure to leptin and the interaction between leptin and catecholamine might provide further insight to the understanding of the development of hypertension and congestive heart failure in obese patients.