AIM: To study the effects of prearuptorin C (Pra-C) on myocardial sarcolemma Na~+, K~+-ATPase activity, myocardial mitochondria Na~+, K~+-ATPase, Ca~ 2+ -ATPase, Mg~ 2+ -ATPase activities and apperent Km and Vmax in spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and renovascular hypertensive rats (RHR). METHODS: ATPase activity was measured with colourmetric method. Apparent Km and Vmax of both Na~+, K~+-ATPase in myocardial sarcolemma and Ca~ 2+ -ATPase in myocardial mitochondria were calculated according to Lineweaven-Burk double-reciprocal plot method with liner regression. RESULTS: The Vmax of both Na~+, K~+-ATPase in myocardial sarcolemma and Ca~ 2+ -ATPase in myocardial mitochondria were lower in SHR untreated group than that in SD control rats, while Km was higher than that in SD control rats. In RHRs untreated group, only Vmax was decreased, while the Km had no statistically change. Pra-C prevented the reduction of ATPase in amount, but not affected their intrinsic characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that both amounts and affinities to ATP of Na~+, K~+-ATPase and Ca~ 2+ -ATPase were decreased in SHRs, but in RHRs, only amounts of ATPase was decreased, while their affinities to ATP were unchanged. Treatment with Pra-C prevents the decrease in amount of ATPase.

AIM:To investigate the change of short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (SCAD) expression during cardiomyocyte apoptosis and to explore the relationship between SCAD and cardiomyocyte apoptosis .METHODS: The neonatal rat cardiomyocytes treated by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tBHP) were used as the model of cardiomyocyte apoptosis . The cell viability , the expression of SCAD at mRNA and protein levels , the activity of SCAD and the content of free fatty acids were determined .RESULTS:The mRNA and protein expression of SCAD decreased in the cardiomyocyte apoptosis model.Compared with negative control group , SCAD expression and activity were both significantly decreased in siRNA-1186 group, but the content of free fatty acids were obviously increased in the cardiomyocytes .Meanwhile, SCAD siRNA treatment triggered the same apoptosis as cardiomyocytes treated with tBHP .CONCLUSION: Down-regulation of SCAD may play an important role in primary cardiomyocyte apoptosis .Increase in the expression of SCAD may become an impor-tant part in intervening cardiomyocyte apoptosis .

[ABSTRACT]AIM:ToinvestigatethedifferenteffectsofERK1/2/PPARα/SCAD(short-chainacyl-CoAdehy-drogenase) signal pathways on the cardiac hypertrophy induced by insulin-like growth factors 1 ( IGF-1) or phenylephrine ( PE) .METHODS:The neonatal rat cardiomyocytes induced by IGF-1 were used as the model of physiological cardiac hypertrophy , and those induced by PE were used as the model of pathological cardiac hypertrophy .The surface area of the cardiomyocytes, the expression of p-ERK1/2, PPARαand SCAD, the activity of SCAD and the content of free fatty acid in the cardiomyocytes were measured .RESULTS:Compared with the control cells , the surface area of the cardiomyocytes in-duced by IGF-1 and PE were both increased .Compared with the controls , the expression of SCAD and PPARα, and the activity of SCAD in the cardiomyocytes induced by IGF-1 were increased , while the expression of p-ERK1/2 was de-creased.However, the cardiomyocytes treated with PE showed decreased expression of SCAD and PPARα, decreased activ-ity of SCAD and increased expression of p-ERK1/2.Meanwhile, the decrease in free fatty acid in IGF-1-induced cardio-myocytes and the increase in PE-induced cardiomyocytes indicated that the fatty acid utilization was increased in the cardio -myocytes induced by IGF-1, but decreased in the cardiomyocytes induced by PE .CONCLUSION: The changes of p-ERK1/2, PPARαand SCAD in the cardiac hypertrophy induced by IGF-1 or PE indicate that the effects of ERK 1/2/PPARα/SCAD signal pathways are different between physiological cardiac hypertrophy and pathological cardiac hypertro -phy , and that SCAD may be a molecular marker of these 2 different cardiac hypertrophies and a potential therapeutic target for pathological cardiac hypertrophy .

AIM:To investigate the effect of short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase ( SCAD) on collagen expres-sion and proliferation of rat cardiac fibroblasts and to explore the relationship between SCAD and cardiac fibrosis . METHODS:The model of proliferation and collagen expression of rat cardiac fibroblasts induced by angiotensin II was es -tablished.After treatment with siRNA-1186, the expression of SCAD at mRNA and protein levels , fatty acids beta oxida-tion rate, ATP, the enzyme activity of SCAD and free fatty acids in the rat cardiac fibroblasts were determined . RESULTS:The mRNA and protein expression of SCAD was decreased in the rat cardiac fibroblasts induced by angiotensin II compared with the control cells , and the expression of collagen I and collagen III was significantly upregulated .Com-pared with negative control group , SCAD expression and activity , fatty acid beta-oxidation rate and ATP significantly de-creased in siRNA-1186 group, but the content of free fatty acids were obviously increased in the rat cardiac fibroblasts , and the expression of collagen I and collagen III was significantly up-regulated.CONCLUSION:The expression and synthesis disorder of collagen may be triggered by down-regulation of SCAD .SCAD may be a promising therapeutic target for myocar-dial fibrosis .

AIM:To observe the effect of metformin on the expression of GSTM2 in spontaneously hypertensive rats,and to investigate the mechanism of the reversal of myocardial hypertrophy by metformin.METHODS:Sixteen weeks old WistarKyoto (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were used as the experimental control.Eight weeks old WKY and SHR were administered to metformin (Met) continuously for 8 weeks as the experimental group.Systolic pressure of rats was regularly determined by NIBP instrument of heart rate and blood pressure.The hemodynamic parameters were tested by BL-420 biological experimental system and 4 track physiological recorders.The weights of left ventricle and rats were collected to calculate the left ventricular mass index.The activity of GSTM2 enzyme in left ventricle was detected by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).The protein expression of GSTM2 and p47phox and Nox4 in left ventricle were investigated by Western blot.The O2·-levels were measured by staining with dihydroethidium (DHE).RESULTS:Compared with the experimental control,the blood pressure and left ventricular mass index and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) increased in SHR;the maximal rate of increase and decrease of left-ventricle pressure development (± dp/dt max) decreased significantly in SHR;the protein expression and enzyme activity of left ventricular GSTM2 were significantly decreased;the expression of p47phox,Nox4 and the generation of O2·-were significantly increased in the left ventricles of SHR;the value of P was less than 0.01 and the difference was statistically significant.Compared with the SHR group,the SHR were administered with metformin (Met) continuously for 8 weeks.The left ventricular mass index and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure(LVEDP) decreased observably in SHR administration group;the maximal rate of increase and decrease of left-ventricle pressure development(± dp/dt max) increased in SHR administration group;the protein expression and enzyme activity of left ventricular GSTM2 were significantly increased in SHR administration group.the expression of p47phox,Nox4 and the generation of O2·-was significantly decreased in the left ventricles of SHR administration group;the value of P was less than 0.01 and the difference was statistically significant.CONCLUSION:Metformin can significantly reverse the myocardial hypertrophy in SHR,which might be associated with the up-regulation of GSTM2 expression,decrease the expression of p47phox,Nox4 and O2·-generation,elimination of oxidative stress.

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of apigenin on the proliferation and apoptosis of human lung cancer cell line NCI-H460.

METHODSNCI-H460 cells were cultured with different concentrations of apigenin, and MTT assay was used to evaluate the cell inhibition rates. Apoptosis of NCI-H460 cells was observed under a fluorescence microscope with Hoechst 33258 staining and quantified by flow cytometry using annexin V-FITC/PI stain. The expressions of apoptosis-related proteins Bax, Bcl-2 and caspase-3 were analyzed by Western blotting.

RESULTSApigenin causes concentration- and time-dependent inhibition of the proliferation of the cells. NCI-H460 cells treated with apigenin showed significant morphological changes of apoptosis, and the cell apoptotic rates increased as apigenin concentration increased. Western blotting demonstrated that apigenin increased the protein levels of Bax and caspase-3 and reduced the protein expression of Bcl-2.

CONCLUSIONApigenin can inhibit the proliferation and induce apoptosis of NCI-H460 cells possibly by up-regulating expression of Bax and caspase-3 and down-regulating the expression of Bcl-2.

Apigenin ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Humans ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; metabolism

Objective? To?Study?the?changes?of?short-chain?acyl-CoA?dehydrogenase?(SCAD)?in?heart?failure?(HF)?after?myocardial?infarction?(MI),?and?the?effect?of?aerobic?exercise?on?SCAD.? Methods? Healthy?male?Sprague-Dawley?(SD)?rats?were?divided?into?sham?operation?group?(Sham?group),?sham?operation?swimming?group?(Sham+swim?group),?HF?model?group?(LAD?group)?and?HF?swimming?group?(LAD+swim?group)?by?random?number?table?method,?with?9?rats?in?each?group.?The?left?anterior?descending?branch?of?coronary?artery?(LAD)?was?ligated?to?establish?a?rat?model?of?HF?after?MI.?In?Sham?group,?only?one?loose?knot?was?threaded?under?the?left?coronary?artery,?and?the?rest?operations?were?the?same?as?those?in?LAD?group.?Rats?in?Sham+swim?group?and?LAD+swim?group?were?given?swimming?test?for?1?week?after?operation?(from?15?minutes?on?the?1st?day?to?60?minutes?on?the?5th?day).?Then?they?were?given?swimming?endurance?training?(from?the?2nd?week?onwards,?60?minutes?daily,?6?times?weekly,?10?weeks?in?a?row).?Tail?artery?systolic?pressure??(SBP)?was?measured?before?swimming?endurance?training?and?every?2?weeks?until?the?end?of?the?10th?week.?Ten?weeks?after?swimming?training,?echocardiography?was?performed?to?measure?cardiac?output?(CO),?stroke?volume?(SV),?left?ventricular?ejection?fraction?(LVEF),?shortening?fraction?(FS),?left?ventricular?end-systolic?diameter?(LVESD),?left?ventricular?end-diastolic?diameter?(LVEDD),?left?ventricular?end-systolic?volume?(LVESV),?and?left?ventricular?end-diastolic??volume?(LVEDV).?Morphological?changes?of?heart?were?observed?by?Masson?staining.?Apoptosis?of?myocardial?cells?was?detected?by?transferase-mediated?deoxyuridine?triphosphate-biotin?nick?end?labeling?stain?(TUNEL)?and?apoptosis?index?(AI)?was?calculated.?Reverse?transcription-polymerase?chain?reaction?(RT-PCR)?and?Western?Blot?were?used?to?detect?the?mRNA?and?protein?expression?of?myocardial?SCAD?respectively.?In?addition,?the?enzyme?activity?of?SCAD,?the?content?of?adenosine?triphosphate?(ATP)?and?free?fatty?acid?(FFA)?in?serum?and?myocardium?were?detected?according?to?the?kit?instruction?steps.? Results? Compared?with?Sham?group,?Sham+swim?group?showed?SBP?did?not?change?significantly,?with?obvious?eccentric?hypertrophy?and?increased?myocardial?contractility,?and?LAD?group?showed?persistent?hypotension,?obvious?MI,?thinning?of?left?ventricle,?and?decreased?myocardial?systolic/diastolic?function.?Compared?with?LAD?group,?SBP,?systolic/diastolic?function?and?MI?in?LAD+swim?group?were?significantly?improved?[SBP?(mmHg,?1?mmHg?=?0.133?kPa):?119.5±4.4?vs.?113.2±4.5?at?4?weeks,?120.3±4.0?vs.?106.5±3.7?at??6?weeks,?117.4±1.3?vs.?111.0±2.3?at?8?weeks,?126.1±1.6?vs.?119.4±1.9?at?10?weeks;?CO?(mL/min):?59.10±6.31?vs.?33.19±4.76,?SV?(μL):?139.42±17.32?vs.?84.02±14.26,?LVEF:?0.523±0.039?vs.?0.309±0.011,?FS:?(28.17±2.57)%?vs.?(15.93±3.64)%,?LVEDD?(mm):?8.80±0.19?vs.?9.35±0.30,?LVESD?(mm):?5.90±0.77?vs.?7.97±0.60,?LVEDV?(μL):?426.57±20.84?vs.?476.24±25.18,?LVESV?(μL):?209.50±25.18?vs.?318.60±16.10;?AI:?(20.4±1.4)%?vs.?(31.2±4.6)%;?all?P??0.05).? Conclusion? The?expression?of?SCAD?in?HF?was?significantly?down-regulated,?and?the?expression?was?significantly?up-regulated?after?aerobic?exercise?intervention,?indicating?that?swimming?may?improve?the?severity?of?HF?by?up-regulating?the?expression?of?SCAD.

Objective To observe the changes of short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (SCAD) expression on human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) apoptosis and investigate its relationship with apoptosis. Methods The HUVEC was cultured normally for 2-3 days. The apoptotic model of HUVEC was established by tert-butyl hydrogen peroxide (tBHP). The HUVEC was treated by different concentrations of tBHP (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 μmol/L) for 12 hours and different time (0, 3, 6, 9, 12 hours) with 50 μmol/L tBHP to establish the apoptotic model of HUVEC. The cell viability was detected by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT), the mRNA expression of SCAD was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), the protein expression of SCAD was achieved by Western Blot. The best concentrate and time were determined to interfere the HUVEC to achieve the apoptotic model of HUVEC. The SCAD gene of HUVEC was knocked down by RNA interference sequence (siRNA274, siRNA414, siRNA679). The mRNA expression of SCAD, the protein expression of SCAD and the activity of SCAD enzyme were detected to achieve the best RNA interference sequence. The HUVEC was intervened by the best RNA interference sequence and tBHP. The cell activity and apoptosis rate, the enzyme activity of SCAD, the mRNA and protein expression of SCAD, the contents of reactive oxygen species (ROS), aderosine triphosphate (ATP) and free fatty acid (FFA) were detected to observe the effect of SCAD on apoptosis of HUVEC. Results ① The cell viability, the mRNA expression and the protein expression of SCAD were decreased gradually in a concentration and time dependent manner with the increase of tBHP concentration and the prolongation of intervention time. The decline was most significant in the group of the 50 μmol/L tBHP to interfere HUVEC for 12 hours. ② The siRNA679 transfection was the most significant in reducing SCAD mRNA and protein expressions among the three interference sequences (siRNA274, siRNA414, siRNA679). ③ Compare with blank control group, the cell viability was significantly decreased in the siRNA679 group (A value: 0.48±0.09 vs. 1.00±0.09, P < 0.01), the apoptotic rate of HUVEC was significantly increased [(29.96±2.09)% vs. (2.90±1.90)%, P < 0.01], the expression of SCAD mRNA and SCAD protein, the activity of SCAD enzyme and the content of ATP were significantly decreased [SCAD mRNA (2-ΔΔCt): 0.50±0.16 vs. 1.34±0.12, SCAD/α-Tubulin: 0.67±0.11 vs. 1.00±0.06, the activity of SCAD enzyme (kU/g): 0.38±0.04 vs. 0.53±0.04, the content of ATP (μmol/g): 0.14±0.02 vs. 0.19±0.01, all P < 0.05], the contents of FFA and ROS were significantly increased [FFA (nmol/g): 0.84±0.07 vs. 0.47±0.04, ROS (average fluorescence intensity): 647.5±23.7 vs. 434.2±46.5, both P < 0.01]. Meanwhile, SCAD siRNA treatment triggered the same apoptosis as HUVEC treated with tBHP. Conclusions Down-regulation of SCAD may play an important role in HUVEC apoptosis. Increase in the expression of SCAD may become an important part in intervening HUVEC apoptosis.