Effect of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Ischaemic-Reperfused Hearts in Adult Rats with Established Chronic Kidney Disease

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) are adult multipotent non-haematopoietic stem cells that have regeneration potential. The current study aimed to detect the ability of BM-MSCs to improve kidney and cardiac functions in adult rats with established chronic kidney disease. METHODS: Rats were divided into sham-operated control, untreated sub totally nephrectomised and treated sub totally nephrectomised groups. Body weight, kidney and cardiac tissue weights, plasma creatinine and urea levels and arterial blood pressure were measured. ECG was recorded, and an in vitro isolated heart study was performed. Results: Stem cell treatment decreased the elevated plasma creatinine and urea levels and decreased systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure values. These changes were accompanied by a decrease in glomerular hypertrophy with apparent normal renal parenchyma. Additionally, BM-MSCs shortened Q-To and Q-Tc intervals, all time to peak tension values, the half relaxation value at 30 min of reperfusion and the contraction time at 15 and 30 min of reperfusion. Moreover, stem cell treatment significantly increased the heart rate, QRS voltage, the peak tension at the 15- and 30-min reperfusion time points and the peak tension per left ventricle at the 30-min reperfusion time point compared to the pre-ischaemia baseline. BM-MSCs resolve inter muscular oedema and lead to the re-appearance of normal cardiomyocytes. This improvement occurs with the observations of BM-MSCs in renal and heart tissues. CONCLUSIONS: BM-MSCs can attenuate chronic kidney disease progression and the associated cardiac electrophysiological and inotropic dysfunction.

study on angiotensin converting enzyme gene insertion/deletion polymorphism and serum cortisol among a sample of egyptian patients with major depression disorder

Angiotensin-converting enzyme [ACE] is assumed to influence the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical [HPA] system, which shows hyperactivity in the majority of patients with major depression. The ACE gene, known to be associated with cardiovascular disorders, which in turn are accompanied with an increased susceptibility for depression, is therefore a promising candidate gene for effective disorders. However, the results are conflicting, with no reported studies on Egyptian depressed patients. This study aimed to assess ACE insertion / deletion [I/D] gene polymorphism among Egyptian depressed patients in order to clarify HPA system dysregulation, and to determine its possible association with severity of depression. This case/control study was conducted on 42 adult depressed patients, and 37 healthy controls were screened to detect genetic associations with unipolar major depression. Determination of ACE genotypes was performed for all subjects by real time PCR. Total serum cortisol levels were measured by ELISA. The frequencies of the DD, ID and II genotypes were 26.2%, 45.2%,and 28.2%, respectively among the cases, and 17.49%, 25.2%, and 56.41%3 respectively among the controls. Significant differences in ACE gefiotype distribution were observed between cases and controls [p - 0.0384]. Serum cortisol in patients show the highest value in the ID polymorphism while II polymorphism shows the lowest value of a.m. cortisol. Data illustrated a significant association of ID polymorphism with the more severity of illness. Our findings support that ACE gene I/D polymorphism and high D allele frequency are associated with depression, also hypercortisolimia is significantly higher in individuals with major depression compared to control among Egyptian adults. ACE gene polymorphism might provide a common link between developing depressive episode and dysfunctional HPA-axis