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Published on: January 31, 2019
Aortic wall proteomic analysis in spontaneously hypertensive rats with a blood pressure decrease induced by 6-week
Hong Feng1, Haiying Li2, Derong Zhang3
1Tianjin Key Laboratory of Exercise Physiology and Sports Medicine, Tianjin University of Sport, Tianjin 300381, P.R. China.
Insights
Regular exercise, specifically swimming, can lower blood pressure in hypertensive rats by altering key proteins in the aorta. This study highlights proteomics as a method to identify exercise targets for hypertension.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Proteomics
- Exercise Science
Background:
- Hypertension is linked to decreased arterial compliance and adverse vascular changes.
- Physical activity is known to negatively impact blood pressure.
- Proteomics offers a powerful method for analyzing protein changes in biological samples.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of a 6-week swimming protocol on blood pressure and aortic protein expression in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats.
- To identify specific proteins modulated by exercise in hypertensive models using a proteomic approach.
Main Methods:
- Four groups of rats (SHR and WKY, exercise and rest) underwent a 6-week load-free swimming protocol.
- Blood pressure was measured non-invasively.
- Aortic protein expression was analyzed using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and LC-mass spectrometry (MS)/MS.
Main Results:
- Swimming significantly decreased blood pressure in SHR rats.
- Exercise in SHR rats led to significant differences in 11 aortic protein spots compared to sedentary controls.
- Five proteins were upregulated and four were downregulated in exercised SHRs, including proteins involved in metabolic and structural functions.
Conclusions:
- Proteomics is an effective strategy for identifying protein targets affected by exercise interventions in hypertension.
- Exercise-induced changes in aortic protein expression may contribute to the blood pressure-lowering effects of physical activity.
Abstract:
Decreased arterial compliance is one of the earliest detectable manifestations of adverse structural and functional changes within the vessel wall in hypertension. The proteomic approach is a powerful technique to analyze a complex mixture of proteins in various settings. Physical activity level was negatively associated with blood pressure. Sixteen 4-week-old male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and 16 Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats were randomly divided into four groups: i) SHR exercise group, ii) SHR rest group, iii) WKY exercise group and iv) WKY rest group. In the SHR and WKY exercise groups, rats were treated with a 6-week load-free swimming protocol (1 h/day, 5 days/week). The blood pressure of the rats was tested by the CODATM2 single non-invasive blood pressure measurement appliance. After the 6-week swimming protocol, the total aorta excluding abdominal aorta was extracted. The proteins were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and identified via LC-mass spectrometry (MS)/MS. After 6-week load-free swimming, blood pressure decreased in the SHRs. Compared with sedentary SHRs, 11 spots on the 2D-gel showed a significant difference in exercised SHRs. Nine of these were chosen for further identification. There were 5 upregulated proteins (long-chain specific acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, heat shock protein β-1, isocitrate dehydrogenase subunit α, actin, α cardiac muscle 1 preprotein and calmodulin isoform 2) and 4 downregulated proteins (adipocyte-type fatty acid-binding protein, tubulin β-2C chain, 78 kDa glucose-regulated protein precursor and mimecan). Proteomics is an effective method to identify the target proteins of exercise intervention for hypertension.
