Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Activation Augments Cardiac Output and Improves Cardiac Efficiency in Obese Swine After Myocardial Infarction

This study tested the hypothesis that glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) therapies improve cardiac contractile function at rest and in response to adrenergic stimulation in obese swine after myocardial infarction. Obese Ossabaw swine were subjected to gradually developing regional coronary occlusion using an ameroid occluder placed around the left anterior descending coronary artery. Animals received subcutaneous injections of saline or liraglutide (0.005–0.015 mg/kg/day) for 30 days after ameroid placement. Cardiac performance was assessed at rest and in response to sympathomimetic challenge (dobutamine 0.3–10 μg/kg/min) using a left ventricular pressure/volume catheter. Liraglutide increased diastolic relaxation (dP/dt; Tau 1/2; Tau 1/e) during dobutamine stimulation (P < 0.01) despite having no influence on the magnitude of myocardial infarction. The slope of the end-systolic pressure volume relationship (i.e., contractility) increased with dobutamine after liraglutide (P < 0.001) but not saline administration (P = 0.63). Liraglutide enhanced the slope of the relationship between cardiac power and pressure volume area (i.e., cardiac efficiency) with dobutamine (P = 0.017). Hearts from animals treated with liraglutide demonstrated decreased β1-adrenoreceptor expression. These data support that GLP-1 agonism augments cardiac efficiency via attenuation of maladaptive sympathetic signaling in the setting of obesity and myocardial infarction.