Original Article Metallothionein Prevents High-Fat Diet–Induced Cardiac

Obesity is associated with oxidative stress and mitochon-drial and myocardial dysfunction, although interaction among which remains elusive. This study was designed to evaluate the impact of the free radical scavenger metallo-thionein on high-fat diet–induced myocardial, intracellular Ca2, and mitochondrial dysfunction. FVB and metallothio-nein transgenic mice were fed a high- or low-fat diet for 5 months to induce obesity. Echocardiography revealed de-creased fractional shortening, increased end-systolic diam-eter, and cardiac hypertrophy in high-fat–fed FVB mice. Cardiomyocytes from high-fat–fed FVB mice displayed en-hanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, contrac-tile and intracellular Ca2 defects including depressed peak shortening and maximal velocity of shortening/re-lengthening, prolonged duration of relengthening, and re