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Mitogen-activated protein kinases pathways mediate the sunitinib-induced hypertrophy in rat cardiomyocyte H9c2 cells
Hesham Mohamed Korashy1, Hani A Al-Suwayeh, Zaid H Maayah
1Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacology, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh, 11451, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, hkorashy@ksu.edu.sa.
Abstract:
Sunitinib (SUN) is a multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor used for the treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors and renal cell carcinoma. Cardiotoxicity has been reported as a significant side effect associated with the SUN treatment, yet the mechanism is poorly understood. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the potential effects of SUN on cardiac hypertrophic genes and the role of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) signaling pathway in rat cardiomyocyte H9c2 cell line. In the present study, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed that the treatment of H9c2 cells with increasing concentrations of SUN (0, 1, 2.5, and 5 µM) significantly induced hypertrophic gene markers, such as brain natriuretic peptides (BNP) and myosin heavy chain (β-MHC and α-MHC) in concentration- and time-dependent manners. The onset of mRNA induction was observed as early as 9 h and remained elevated for at least 18 h after treatment with SUN 5 µM. At the protein level, Western blot analysis showed that SUN increased BNP and β-MHC, while it inhibited α-MHC protein levels in a concentration-dependent manner. These SUN-mediated effects were associated with increase in cell size and hypertrophy by approximately 70 % at the highest concentration, 5 µM. Importantly, inhibition of the MAPK signaling pathway using SB203580 (p38 MAPK inhibitor), U0126 (extracellular signal-regulated kinase inhibitor), and SP600125 (c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase inhibitor) significantly potentiated the SUN-induced BNP and β-MHC mRNA levels, but did alter the α-MHC level. Whereas at the protein level, MAPK inhibitors generally decreased the SUN-induced BNP, whereas only SB and U0 increased β-MHC protein levels with no effect on α-MHC, which were associated with a significant decrease in cell size. Together, these results indicate that SUN induced hypertrophic gene expression through MAPK-dependent mechanisms.
Insights
Sunitinib (SUN) treatment induces cardiac hypertrophy by affecting hypertrophic genes like BNP and MHC. The study reveals that mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) play a crucial role in mediating these SUN-induced cardiac effects.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Molecular Biology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Sunitinib (SUN) is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor used for cancer treatment.
- SUN is associated with cardiotoxicity, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate SUN's effects on cardiac hypertrophic genes.
- To elucidate the role of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in SUN-induced cardiotoxicity.
Main Methods:
- Real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot analysis were used to assess gene and protein expression.
- Rat cardiomyocyte H9c2 cell line was treated with varying concentrations of SUN.
- MAPK signaling pathway inhibitors (SB203580, U0126, SP600125) were employed to study pathway involvement.
Main Results:
- SUN significantly induced hypertrophic gene markers (BNP, β-MHC, α-MHC) in a concentration- and time-dependent manner.
- SUN treatment increased cell size and induced hypertrophy.
- MAPK pathway inhibition modulated SUN-induced gene and protein expression, affecting hypertrophy.
Conclusions:
- Sunitinib induces cardiac hypertrophy through MAPK-dependent mechanisms.
- Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for managing SUN-related cardiotoxicity.
