[The change of fractalkine in lung tissue of rat with hypoxic pulmonary hypertension].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the role of fractalkine in the pathogenesis of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension.


METHODS
Twenty male SD rats were randomly divided into control group and hypoxic group. Rats in hypoxic group were exposed to hypoxia for 3 weeks. Mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) was measured by a right cardiac catheterization. The thickness of pulmonary arterioles was measured with a computerized image analyzer. The rates of wall thickness/external diameter (WT%) and wall area/total vascular area (WA%) were calculated. The fractalkine level in lung tissue were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Fractalkine mRNA expression in lung were observed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.


RESULTS
The rat mPAP of hypoxic group was higher than that of the control group [(28.7 +/- 3.8) mmHg vs (16.3 +/- 2.1) mmHg, P < 0.01]. The WT% and WA% were increased significantly in hypoxic group than in control group (WT%: (21.28 +/- 4.60)% vs (10.20 +/- 1.56)%, WA%: (67.08 +/- 9.44)% vs (38.11 +/- 42.30)%, P < 0.01, respectively]. In hypoxic group, the expression of fractalkine mRNA in the lung was significantly up-regulated [(0.49 +/- 0.05) vs (0.29 +/- 0.02), P < 0.01], the expression level of fractalkine in lung tissue was higher than that in control group [(7622.6 +/- 938.4) pg/mL vs (4168.5 +/- 403.5) pg/mL, P < 0.01. Linear correlation analyses showed that fractalkine mRNA and protein were positively associated with WA% and WT% (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The synthesis and release of fractalkine are increase in the lung tissue of chronic hypoxic rats, and fractalkine may play an important role in hypoxic pulmonary hypertension.
Zheng
Bi-Xia
BX
Department of Respiratory Diseases, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
Cheng
De-Yun
DY
Chen
Xiao-Ju
XJ
Yang
Li
L
Xia
Xiu-Qiong
XQ
Su
Qiao-Li
QL
D000818:Animals; D054428:Chemokine CX3CL1 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000150:complications*; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D054428:Chemokine CX3CL1; D012333:RNA, Messenger