title: Human endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene delivery protects against cardiac remodeling and reduces oxidative stress after myocardial infarction.
abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to play a key role in the regulation of cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis in response to myocardial ischemia in part by antagonizing the action of angiotensin II (Ang II). In this study, we investigated the potential protective role of human endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in left ventricular (LV) remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI) by a somatic gene transfer approach. Male Wistar rats underwent coronary artery ligation to induce MI. One week after surgery, adenovirus encoding the human eNOS or luciferase gene under the control of the CMV promoter/enhancer was injected into rats via the tail vein, and animals were sacrificed at 1 and 5 weeks after gene transfer. Successful gene transfer was evaluated based on increased levels of NO and cGMP in the heart, measured at one week after eNOS gene delivery. Six weeks after MI, the LV end-diastolic pressure, heart weight, LV axis length and cardiomyocyte size were markedly increased compared to the Sham group, while eNOS gene delivery significantly reduced these parameters. Rats receiving control virus developed considerably more fibrotic lesions identified by Sirius Red staining and collagen I immunostaining compared to Sham rats, and eNOS gene delivery significantly reduced collagen accumulation. eNOS gene transfer also reduced TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells. The cardioprotective effect of NO was accompanied by reduced NADH and NADPH oxidase activities and superoxide formation, TGF-beta1 and p27 levels, JNK activation, NF-kappa B nuclear translocation, and caspase-3 activity. This study shows that NO may play an important role in attenuating cardiac remodeling and apoptosis after myocardial infarction via suppression of oxidative stress-mediated signaling pathways.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, SC 29425, USA.
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Agata
authors.forename: Chun-Fang
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Lee
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chao
mesh_terms: D000256:Adenoviridae; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D001391:Azo Compounds; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D003094:Collagen; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000601:surgery; D006152:Cyclic GMP / Q000378:metabolism; D050760:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p27; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D008026:Ligation; D008156:Luciferases / Q000235:genetics; D048670:MAP Kinase Kinase 4; D008297:Male; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000628:therapy*; D009243:NAD / Q000378:metabolism; D009249:NADP / Q000378:metabolism; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000235:genetics*; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; D009929:Organ Size; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000235:genetics*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013481:Superoxides / Q000378:metabolism; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D016276:Ventricular Function; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D001391:Azo Compounds; C493962:Cdkn1b protein, rat; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D016328:NF-kappa B; C508960:TGFB1 protein, human; C508962:Tgfb1 protein, rat; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D009243:NAD; D013481:Superoxides; D050760:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p27; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D009249:NADP; C062246:Direct Red 81; D003094:Collagen; D008156:Luciferases; C496314:NOS3 protein, human; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; C496316:Nos3 protein, rat; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048670:MAP Kinase Kinase 4; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; C505410:Casp3 protein, rat; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases; D006152:Cyclic GMP