title: Fenofibrate inhibits aldosterone-induced apoptosis in adult rat ventricular myocytes via stress-activated kinase-dependent mechanisms.
abstract: Aldosterone induces extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)-dependent cardiac remodeling. Fenofibrate improves cardiac remodeling in adult rat ventricular myocytes (ARVM) partly via inhibition of aldosterone-induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation and inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases. We sought to determine whether aldosterone caused apoptosis in cultured ARVM and whether fenofibrate ameliorated the apoptosis. Aldosterone (1 microM) induced apoptosis by increasing terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)-positive nuclei in ARVM. Spironolactone (100 nM), an aldosterone receptor antagonist, but not RU-486, a glucocorticoid receptor, inhibited aldosterone-mediated apoptosis, indicating that the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) plays a role. SP-600125 (3 microM)-a selective inhibitor of c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK)-inhibited aldosterone-induced apoptosis in ARVM. Although aldosterone increased the expression of both stress-activated protein kinases, pretreatment with fenofibrate (10 microM) decreased aldosterone-mediated apoptosis by inhibiting only JNK phosphorylation and the aldosterone-induced increases in Bax, p53, and cleaved caspase-3 and decreases in Bcl-2 protein expression in ARVM. In vivo studies demonstrated that chronic fenofibrate (100 mg*kg body wt(-1)*day(-1)) inhibited myocardial Bax and increased Bcl-2 expression in aldosterone-induced cardiac hypertrophy. Similarly, eplerenone, a selective MR inhibitor, used in chronic pressure-overload ascending aortic constriction inhibited myocardial Bax expression but had no effect on Bcl-2 expression. Therefore, involvement of JNK MAPK-dependent mitochondrial death pathway mediates ARVM aldosterone-induced apoptosis and is inhibited by fenofibrate, a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)alpha ligand. Fenofibrate mediates beneficial effects in cardiac remodeling by inhibiting programmed cell death and the stress-activated kinases.
authors.affiliation: Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA.
authors.forename: Deepa S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: De Silva
authors.forename: Richard M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hutchinson
authors.forename: Peter C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Ip
authors.forename: Anthony G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lancel
authors.forename: Masa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Pimentel
authors.forename: Flora
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sam
mesh_terms: D000450:Aldosterone / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004347:Drug Interactions; D000077545:Eplerenone; D011345:Fenofibrate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D000451:Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D047493:PPAR alpha / Q000819:agonists; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013148:Spironolactone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C494827:Bax protein, mouse; C494828:Bax protein, rat; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents; D000451:Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists; D047493:PPAR alpha; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D013148:Spironolactone; D000450:Aldosterone; D000077545:Eplerenone; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D011345:Fenofibrate