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Role of calcineurin in the progression of cardiac hypertrophy in renovascular hypertensive rats

Sheng Hongzhuan, Hang Jinan, Yangdi, Yang Guoping, Xu Jindan, Chen Xiangjian

Institute of Cardiovascular Disease Research，The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. Nanjing 210029,China；Department of Cardiology，The Affiliated Hospital of Nantong Medical College. Nantong 226001,China

Abstract

The present study was to investigate the mRNA, protein expression and the activity of calci-neurin in the hypertrophic heart, and to determine the effect of calcineurin inhibitor--cyclosporine A(CsA) on the regression of cardiac hypertrophy in renovascular hypertensive rats. Renovascular hyperten-sion was induced by two kidney-one clip methods. Two months after the operation , cardiac hypertrophy wasdetermined by histological analysis performed in some rats (2K1C-2M), then the rats were subdivided into2 groups: (1) 3-month old two kidney-one clip group (2K1C-3M) with rats receiving 0. 9% NaCl per dayfor one month, and (2 ) CsA-treated group with rats treated with CsA for one month. Sham-operated ratswere used as control. The ratio of the left ventricular weight to tibial length (LVW/TL), the area of cardiacmyocyte, mRNA and protein expression and the activity of calcineurin were determined. Both the LVW/TLand the cardiomyocyte area were significantly larger in 2K1C-2M and 2K1C-3M rats than in age-matched sham-operated rats，while the elevation of mRNA，protein expression and activity of calcineurin were significantly suppressed in the CsA-treated rats.In conclusion，calcineurin plays a role in the progression of cardiac hypertrophy in renovascular hyperten-sive rats. The inhibition of calcineurin can reverse cardiac hypertrophy.

Key words: Physiology;calcineurin;Cardiomegaly;Renovascular hypertension;Cyclosporine A

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Citing This Article：

Sheng Hongzhuan, Hang Jinan, Yangdi, Yang Guoping, Xu Jindan, Chen Xiangjian. Role of calcineurin in the progression of cardiac hypertrophy in renovascular hypertensive rats. Acta Physiol Sin 2003; 55 (5): (in Chinese with English abstract).