SzSA YearBook 2016/17

SZENT-GYÖRGYI MENTORS
ÁGNES VÉGH
Haemodynamic Laboratory,
Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy,
Faculty of Medicine,
University of Szeged
Address: Dóm tér 12., H-6720 Szeged, Hungary
E: vegh.agnes@med.u-szeged.hu
T: +36 62/545-673
RESEARCH AREA
The problem of sudden cardiac death resulting from ventricular
fibrillation during acute myocardial ischaemia is still
the biggest challenge facing modern cardiology. As drug
therapy has proved to be largely ineffective, understanding
the underlying mechanisms that lead to these life-threatening
ventricular arrhythmias is crucial for developing novel
therapeutic strategies.
Over the last 30 years our research has focused on to explore
possibilities which are able to protect the heart against
these severe often fatal arrhythmias. One of such possibilities
is the phenomenon of preconditioning through
which the heart is able to increase its tolerance against the
consequences of a harmful, by itself fatal ischaemic stress.
Efforts are made on to explore the triggers, the signalling
pathways and end-effectors, which are likely to be involved
in the preconditioning-induced cardioprotection. We attempt
to establish protocols which might be useful in the
therapy for the attenuation of the risk of sudden cardiac
death.
We address various questions using pharmacological
approaches in in vivo animal studies and also in in vitro
examinations by applying various biochemical and molecular
biological methods. Such a comprehensive approach
makes possible to assess processes which act and influence
arrhythmogenesis in the whole body and count for these at
cellular level.
TECHNIQUES AVAILABLE IN THE LAB
In vivo methods: Experiments in large animals – surgical
interventions, measurements of basic haemodynamic,
electrophysiological, blood flow and contractile function
parameters.
In vitro methods: immuno-blotting (e.g. Western blot), RT-
PCR, image analysis (e.g. immunofluorescence confocal
microscopy), immunoprecipitation, ELISA. Through our
collaboration several other methods are available, e.g. SNO-
RAC analysis, RIA.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Gönczi, M., Kovács, M., Seprényi, Gy., Végh, Á. (2012) The
involvement of gap junctions in the delayed phase of the
ptotection induced by cardiac pacing in dogs. Clin Sci 123:
39-51.
Papp, R., Gönczi, M., Kovács, M., Seprényi, Gy., Végh, Á.
(2007) Gap junctional uncoupling plays a trigger role in the
antiarrhythmic effect of ischaemic preconditioning. Cardiovasc
Res 74: 396-405.
Babai, L., Szigeti, Zs., Parratt, J.R., Végh, Á. (2002) Delayed
cardioprotective effects of exercise in dogs are aminoguanidine
sensitive: possible involvement of nitric oxide.
Clin Sci 102: 435-445.
Végh, Á., Szekeres, L., Parratt, J.R. (1992) Preconditioning of
the ischaemic myocardium; involvement of the L-arginine -
nitric oxide pathway. Br J Pharmacology 107: 648-652.
Végh, Á., Komori, S., Szekeres, L., Parratt, J.R. (1992) Antiarrhythmic
effects of preconditioning in anaesthetized
dogs and rats. Cardiovasc Res 26: 487-495.
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