title: [Effects of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma ligands on monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension in rats].
abstract: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) is a member of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily, which regulates transcription of target genes in a ligand-dependent manner. Ligands for PPARgamma have been shown to attenuate proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells, and to induce apoptosis in several cell lines in vitro. Since monocrotaline (MCT)-induced pulmonary hypertension in rats is characterized by proliferation of pulmonary vascular smooth muscle cells, we hypothesized that PPARgamma ligands may reduce MCT-induced pulmonary hypertension. To test this hypothesis, we treated MCT-injected rats with pioglitazone and troglitazone, synthetic ligands for PPARgamma, for three weeks and measured pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary vessel wall thickness. TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) and immunostaining for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were utilized to assess apoptosis and cell proliferation in the pulmonary arterial walls of pioglitazone-treated rats. MCT with pioglitazone or troglitazone treatment significantly reduced pulmonary hypertension and wall thickening of the pulmonary arteries. TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells were not seen in the pulmonary arterial walls of either MCT-injected or control rats with or without pioglitazone. PCNA-positive cells were only seen in the thickened pulmonary arterial walls of MCT rats, but not in the pulmonary arterial walls of controls and of pioglitazone-treated MCT rats. We conclude that PPARgamma ligands reduce MCT-induced pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary vascular wall thickening in rats. Inhibition of MCT-induced cell proliferation in the pulmonary arterial walls may account for this effect
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University.
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hoshikawa
authors.forename: Shingo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ameshima
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Toshiharu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tabata
authors.forename: Takafumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sugawara
authors.forename: Yuuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsumura
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kondo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008024:Ligands; D008297:Male; D016686:Monocrotaline; D047492:Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D008024:Ligands; D047492:Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; D016686:Monocrotaline