title: L-phenylalanine and smooth muscle cell proliferation from SHR and WKY rats.
abstract: Cell growth and proliferation were evaluated in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) isolated from spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rat aortae by measuring [3H]-thymidine incorporation into newly synthesized DNA and by determining cell number, respectively. The results showed that in cultures from both rat strains (1) serum-, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)- and thrombin-induced DNA synthesis were inhibited by L-phenylalanine dose-dependently; (2) L-phenylalanine inhibited cell proliferation in response to serum in a concentration-dependent manner; (3) L-phenylalanine inhibited serum-induced proto-oncogene c-fos and c-myc expression; (4) L-tyrosine, L-histidine and D-phenylalanine failed to mimic the inhibitory effect of L-phenylalanine. All these data demonstrate that L-phenylalanine could exert a direct and specific antiproliferative effect on VSMCs suggesting that such effect can account for the antihypertensive action of this amino acid observed in SHR.
authors.affiliation: Affiliated Ruijin Hospital and Shanghai Institute of Hypertension, Shanghai Second Medical University, Shanghai 200025, China.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Y M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Stepien
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marche
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000166:cytology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004247:DNA / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000166:cytology*; D010649:Phenylalanine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY
chemical_list: D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; D010649:Phenylalanine; D004247:DNA