Effect of vascular smooth muscle alpha-actin on cardiac allograft vasculopathy and fibrosis.
- Author:
Mingkui ZHANG
1
;
Jinfu YANG
;
Jianguo HU
Author Information
1. Department of Cardiac Surgery, First Hospital of Tsinghua University, Beijing 100016, China. zhangmingkui001@yahoo.com.cn
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- MeSH:
Actins;
biosynthesis;
Animals;
Fibrosis;
metabolism;
Graft Rejection;
metabolism;
pathology;
Heart Transplantation;
adverse effects;
Male;
Muscle, Smooth, Vascular;
metabolism;
Myocardium;
metabolism;
pathology;
Random Allocation;
Rats;
Rats, Sprague-Dawley;
Rats, Wistar
- From:
Journal of Central South University(Medical Sciences)
2009;34(4):323-326
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE:To explore the effect of vascular smooth muscle alpha-actin(VSMA-alpha) on cardiac allograft vasculopathy and fibrosis.
METHODS:After heterotopic cardiac transplantation model was established, the rats were divided into an acute rejection group, a chronic rejection group, an isograft group, and a normal group. Van Gieson staining and Massonos trichrome staining were used to observe the cardiac allograft vasculopathy and fibrosis respectively, and immunohistochemical stainings were used to examine VSM-alpha expression.
RESULTS:The fibrosis score of the normal group, the isograft group, the acute rejection group and the chronic rejection group were 0.00+/-0.00, 0.63+/-0.52, 1.75+/-0.71, and 2.75+/-0.46, respectively. The fibrosis score of the chronic rejection group increased significantly as compared with that of the normal group and the isograft group (both P<0.01), the indexes of coronary arteries stenosis were 0.08+/-0.02, 0.09+/-0.04, 0.12+/-0.05, and 62.86+/-17.18, respectively. The stenosis index in the chronic rejection group increased significantly as compared with that of all the other groups (P<0.01).VSMA-alpha was abundant in the allograft myocardium in the chronic rejection group.
CONCLUSION:Reactivation of fetal structural genes of vascular smooth muscle alpha-actin and its ectopic expression is associated with the cardiac allograft vasculopathy and fibrosis.
