Endothelin-1(1-31) levels are increased in atherosclerotic lesions of the thoracic aorta of hypercholesterolemic hamsters |
| |
Authors: | Mawatari Kazuaki Kakui Sae Harada Nagakatsu Ohnishi Takamasa Niwa Yasuharu Okada Kazuko Takahashi Akira Izumi Keisuke Nakaya Yutaka |
| |
Affiliation: | Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine, Tokushima University, Tokushima, 3-18-15 Kuramoto-cho, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan. mawatari@nutr.med.tokushima-u.ac.jp |
| |
Abstract: | OBJECTIVE: The novel vaso-constricting 31-amino acid-length endothelin-1 [ET-1(1-31)] is selectively produced by human mast cell chymase via its action on big ET-1. However, the pathological role of ET-1(1-31) in atherosclerosis remains unclear. The aim of this study was to clarify vasoconstrictive response and expression of ET-1(1-31) in atherosclerotic aorta. METHODS AND RESULTS: Syrian golden hamster, was used for preparing the atherosclerotic models by the administration of a high cholesterol diet (HC), treatment with the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor (Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methylester, L-NAME) alone, or both (HC and L-NAME) for 40 weeks. Early atherosclerosis was observed in the case of HC or L-NAME alone treatments respectively and severe atherosclerosis was observed in the case of combined HC and L-NAME treatment. Vasoconstriction induced by ET-1(1-31) was not altered by the atherosclerotic changes, but the expression pattern of ET-1(1-31) was different at each stage of the atherosclerotic aorta. ET-1(1-31) was observed rarely in normal aortas or in early atherosclerotic lesions, but ET-1(1-31) expression was dramatically increased in aortic neointima and adventitia in a state of atherosclerosis with severe inflammation. CONCLUSION: ET-1(1-31) might play in a role of promoting atherosclerosis, and especially be involved in inflammatory mediation during the progression of atherosclerosis. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 PubMed 等数据库收录! |
|