Intracardiac Dopamine Receptor 1 and 3 Expression in Angiotensin II - Induced Hypertension and Myocardial Infarction

Abstract

Dopamine receptors have been extensively studied in the central nervous system as they are vital to maintaining cognition, motor skills, and the reward system (1). Recently, literature has uncovered the prevalence of these receptors in the periphery and their contributing factors (3). Our lab has previously found that all five dopamine receptors exist in the heart and may influence the expression of various profibrotic markers, specifically collagen found in the extracellular matrix within cardiac tissue (2). This may suggest that dopamine receptors play a role in the accumulation of collagen in cardiac tissue and even exacerbate conditions in scar tissue or myocardial fibrosis (4). This investigation looks at the expression of dopamine receptors 1 (D1R) and 3 (D3R) in hypertensive and myocardial infarction (MI) models, both of which are prevalent and dangerous conditions under the umbrella term of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Alterations in dopamine receptor expression are depicted between the normal model and the two disease models, particularly that D1R was significantly increased in both hypertensive and MI models, whereas D3R was significantly decreased in both. This suggests a correlation between the role of dopamine receptors in hypertension and heart failure.