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Published on: September 25, 2017
Cholecystokinin Expression in the Development of Myocardial Hypertrophy
Zhongshu Han1, Sheng Bi2, Yongsheng Xu3
1Department of Cardiology, Harbin Medical University Fourth Hospital, Harbin 150086, China.
Insights
Myocardial hypertrophy induced by abdominal aortic constriction increases cholecystokinin (CCK) expression in heart tissue. This suggests CCK plays a role in the progression of cardiac hypertrophy.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Gastrointestinal Endocrinology
Background:
- Cholecystokinin (CCK), a gastrointestinal hormone, is expressed in myocardial tissues.
- Its role in cardiovascular regulation and association with myocardial hypertrophy is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between cholecystokinin expression and myocardial hypertrophy.
- To determine if CCK expression increases during abdominal aortic constriction-induced cardiac hypertrophy.
Main Methods:
- 70 Sprague-Dawley rats underwent either sham operation or abdominal aortic constriction.
- Echocardiography, microscopy, immunochemistry, Western blotting, qRT-PCR, and ELISA were used to assess cardiac changes and CCK expression at 4, 8, and 12 weeks.
Main Results:
- Abdominal aortic constriction significantly increased cholecystokinin protein and mRNA levels at 8 and 12 weeks compared to sham groups.
- Left ventricular wall thickness positively correlated with both CCK protein and mRNA levels.
Conclusions:
- Myocardial hypertrophy, induced by abdominal aortic constriction, significantly alters cholecystokinin expression in cardiac tissues.
- These findings suggest a link between CCK and the development of myocardial hypertrophy.
Background:
Expression of cholecystokinin is found in myocardial tissues as a gastrointestinal hormone and may be involved in cardiovascular regulation. However, it is unclear whether there is an increase in cholecystokinin expression in myocardial hypertrophy progression induced by abdominal aortic constriction. The study is aimed at exploring the relationship between cholecystokinin expression and myocardial hypertrophy.
Methods:
We randomly divided the 70 Sprague-Dawley rats into two groups: the sham operation group and the abdominal aortic constriction group. The hearts of rats were measured by echocardiography, and myocardial tissues and blood were collected at 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks after surgery. Morphological changes were assessed by microscopy. The cholecystokinin expression was evaluated by immunochemistry, Western blotting, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Results:
The relative protein levels of cholecystokinin were significantly increased in the abdominal aortic constriction groups compared with the corresponding sham operation groups at 8 weeks and 12 weeks. The cholecystokinin mRNA in the abdominal aortic constriction groups was significantly higher than the time-matched sham operation groups. Changes in the left ventricular wall thickness were positively correlated with the relative protein levels of cholecystokinin and the mRNA of cholecystokinin.
Conclusions:
The development of myocardial hypertrophy can affect the cholecystokinin expression of myocardial tissues.
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