title: Long-term inhibition of Rho-kinase ameliorates diastolic heart failure in hypertensive rats.
abstract: Diastolic heart failure (DHF) is a major cardiovascular disorder with poor prognosis; however, its molecular mechanism still remains to be fully elucidated. We have previously demonstrated the important roles of Rho-kinase pathway in the molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular fibrosis/hypertrophy and oxidative stress, but not examined in the development of heart failure. Therefore, we examined in this study whether Rho-kinase pathway is also involved in the pathogenesis of DHF in Dahl salt-sensitive rats, an established animal model of DHF. They were maintained with or without fasudil, a Rho-kinase inhibitor (30 or 100 mg/kg/day, PO) for 10 weeks. Untreated DHF group exhibited overt heart failure associated with diastolic dysfunction but with preserved systolic function, characterized by increased myocardial stiffness, cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, and enhanced cardiac fibrosis and superoxide production. Fasudil treatment significantly ameliorated those DHF-related myocardial changes. Western blot analysis showed that cardiac Rho-kinase activity was significantly increased in the untreated DHF group and was dose-dependently inhibited by fasudil. Importantly, there was a significant correlation between the extent of myocardial stiffness and that of cardiac Rho-kinase activity. These results indicate that Rho-kinase pathway plays an important role in the pathogenesis of DHF and thus could be an important therapeutic target for the disorder.
authors: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
authors: Shigefumi
authors: S
authors: Fukui
authors: Yoshihiro
authors: Y
authors: Fukumoto
authors: Jun
authors: J
authors: Suzuki
authors: Kenya
authors: K
authors: Saji
authors: Jun
authors: J
authors: Nawata
authors: Shunsuke
authors: S
authors: Tawara
authors: Tsuyoshi
authors: T
authors: Shinozaki
authors: Yutaka
authors: Y
authors: Kagaya
authors: Hiroaki
authors: H
authors: Shimokawa
mesh_terms: D019307:1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D054144:Heart Failure, Diastolic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D020303:Rats, Inbred Dahl; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*
chemical_list: D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D019307:1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases; C049347:fasudil