p38 kinase pathway mediated cardiomyocyte injury in rats due to hypoxia and burn serum / 第三军医大学学报

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the roles of the activated p38 kinase in cell injury by observation of the effects of hypoxia and burn serum on cardiomyocyte p38 kinase and JNK activation. Methods Phosphorylation of p38 kinase and JNK in primary cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes before and after hypoxia and burn serum was determined by Western blotting. Effects of pretreatment with SB203580 at the dose of 10 ?mol/L on the changes of phosphorylation of p38 kinase in cardiomyocytes, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, cell vitality and apoptosis were investigated, respectively. Results Exposure of rat neonatal cardiomyocytes to hypoxia and burn serum resulted in a rapid and long lasting activation of p38 kinase but no significant activation of JNK. SB203580(10 ?mol/l), a selective inhibitor of p38 kinase, could inhibit p38 kinase activation dramatically, decrease the LDH activity in culture media and cell apoptosis significantly and improve cell vitality. Conclusion In the two stress activated signal pathways of MAPKs family, p38 kinase pathway, but not JNK, is the major pathway activated by hypoxia and burn serum and participates in the cardiomyocyte injury.