Enhancement of vascular formation but not improvement of ventricular function of infarcted rat hearts by a high dose of adenovirus-carried VEGF transgene.

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of adenovirus-carried VEGF165 transgene at 5 x 10(10) pfu (Ad-VEGF) on vascular formation, cardiac geometry and ventricular function in infarcted hearts of the rat and to explore the mechanism of Ad-VEGF-mediated actions on ventricular function by quantitative proteomic analysis. Seven days after coronary occlusion, intramyocardial injection with normal saline (vehicle control), adenovirus-carried beta-galactosidase gene (Ad-LacZ, vector control) or Ad-VEGF to infarcted hearts was conducted. Seven days after intramyocardial injection, ventricular function, cardiac morphology and vascular density were assessed after echocardiographic analysis and immunohistological staining. One dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled with stable isotope dimethyl labeling and LC/MS/MS was used to quantify the abundance ratio of each protein pair in Ad-VEGF- and Ad-LacZ-treated hearts. Our data indicated that both Ad-VEGF and Ad-LacZ increased arteriolar densities. However, the former increased arterial densities but the latter did not. Compared with the vehicle control, Ad-LacZ reversed occlusion-induced wall thinning and functional impairment but Ad-VEGF did not. Quantitative proteomic analysis showed increased ratios of plasma proteins (such as albumin) and oxygen carriers (such as myoglobin) by Ad-VEGF and decreased ratios of proteins involved in glycolysis, calcium homeostasis and lipolysis by Ad-VEGF. Taken together, our functional, morphological and proteomic data suggest that intramuscular delivery of Ad-LacZ at higher doses may improve ventricular function and wall thinning with arteriolar formation. Excessive amounts of VEGF by Ad-VEGF may offset Ad-LacZ-induced improvement in ventricular functions by interfering with calcium homeostasis and lipolysis in infarcted hearts.

Kinin infusion prevents renal inflammation, apoptosis, and fibrosis via inhibition of oxidative stress and mitogen-activated protein kinase activity.

The progression of renal disease displays several characteristics, including proteinuria, apoptosis, inflammation, and fibrosis. In this study, we investigated the effect of long-term infusion of kinin in protection against salt-induced renal damage in Dahl salt-sensitive rats. Dahl salt-sensitive rats were fed a high-salt diet for 2 weeks and were then infused with bradykinin (500 ng/h) via subcutaneously implanted minipumps for 3 weeks. Kinin infusion attenuated salt-induced impaired renal function as evidenced by reduced proteinuria, serum creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen levels without apparent effect on blood pressure. Morphological analysis indicated that kinin administration reduced salt-induced glomerular sclerosis, tubular dilatation, luminal protein cast formation, and interlobular arterial thickness. Kinin also significantly lowered collagen I, III, and IV deposition and their mRNA levels. Moreover, kinin reduced interstitial monocyte/macrophage accumulation, as well as tubular cell apoptosis and caspase-3 activity. Protection of renal injury by kinin was associated with increased renal NO levels and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide/nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase activities and superoxide generation. Suppression of oxidative stress by kinin was accompanied by reduced transforming growth factor-beta1 protein and mRNA levels, as well as decreased phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases. This is the first study to demonstrate that kinin infusion can directly protect against salt-induced renal injury without blood pressure reduction by inhibiting apoptosis, inflammation, and fibrosis via suppression of oxidative stress, transforming growth factor-beta1 expression, and mitogen-activated protein kinase activation.

Tissue kallikrein protects against pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy through kinin B2 receptor and glycogen synthase kinase-3beta activation.

OBJECTIVE: We assessed the role of glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta) and kinin B2 receptor in mediating tissue kallikrein's protective effects against cardiac hypertrophy. METHODS: We investigated the effect and mechanisms of tissue kallikrein using hypertrophic animal models of rats as well as mice deficient in kinin B1 or B2 receptor after aortic constriction (AC). RESULTS: Intramyocardial delivery of adenovirus containing the human tissue kallikrein gene resulted in expression of recombinant kallikrein in rat myocardium. Kallikrein gene delivery improved cardiac function and reduced heart weight/body weight ratio and cardiomyocyte size without affecting mean arterial pressure 28 days after AC. Icatibant and adenovirus carrying a catalytically inactive GSK-3beta mutant (Ad.GSK-3beta-KM) abolished kallikrein's effects. Kallikrein treatment increased cardiac nitric oxide (NO) levels and reduced NAD(P)H oxidase activity and superoxide production. Furthermore, kallikrein reduced the phosphorylation of apoptosis signal-regulating kinase1, mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), Akt, GSK-3beta, and cAMP-response element binding (CREB) protein, and decreased nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation in the myocardium. Ad.GSK-3beta-KM abrogated kallikrein's actions on GSK-3beta and CREB phosphorylation and NF-kappaB activation, whereas icatibant blocked all kallikrein's effects. The protective role of kinin B2 receptor in cardiac hypertrophy was further confirmed in kinin receptor knockout mice as heart weight/body weight ratio and cardiomyocyte size increased significantly in kinin B2 receptor knockout mice after AC compared to wild type and B1 receptor knockout mice. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that tissue kallikrein, through kinin B2 receptor and GSK-3beta signaling, protects against pressure overload-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy by increased NO formation and oxidative stress-induced Akt-GSK-3beta-mediated signaling events, MAPK and NF-kappaB activation.