[Effects of transfection of rat heme oxygenase-1 on cardiomyocyte apoptosis induced by myocardial ischemia/ reperfusion injury in rats].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of rat heme oxygenase-1 (rHO-1) gene carried by recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) on myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats.


METHODS
Ninety-five healthy male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats weighing 225-250 g were randomly divided into four groups: sham operation group (I, n=8); normal saline group (II, n=29); rAAV-EGFP (enhanced green fluorescent protein) group (III, n=29) and rAAV-rHO-1 group (IV, n=29). In II, III and IV groups, 600 mul of normal saline, rAAV-EGFP or rAAV-rHO-1 was injected intra-myocardial at four sites on the anterior and posterior walls of left ventricle. After 3 months, 3 animals in each group were sacrificed. EGFP-expression in heart sections was observed under fluorescence microscope. The expression of HO-1 in the injected myocardium was detected by immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The remaining animals in the four groups were anesthetized, tracheostomized and mechanically ventilated. I/R of myocardium was producing by blocking the left anterior descending branch of coronary artery (LAD) for 30 minutes followed by 120 minutes reperfusion. After the successful reproduction of the model, the animals were killed and their hearts were harvested for determination of myocardial infarct size, apoptotic index (AI), and pathology changes in myocardial tissue.


RESULTS
The expression of EGFP was detected in group III only, and transfection efficiency was (53.5+/-2.0)%. AI was significantly higher in group II, group III and group IV than in group I (all P<0.01). The expression of HO-1 mRNA and protein was significantly higher, and the infarct size and AI were significantly lower in group IV than in group II and group III (all P<0.01). The degree of damage to myocardial tissue was significantly severer in group II and group III than in group I and group IV. There was no significant difference between group II and group III.


CONCLUSIONS
rAAV-mediated rHO-1 gene transfection may attenuate myocardium I/R injury by inhibiting apoptosis of cardiomyocyte in rats.
Li
Na
N
Department of Anesthesiology, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, China.
Wang
Yan-lin
YL
Wang
Cheng-yao
CY
He
Xiang-hu
XH
Dai
Yue
Y
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D000229:Dependovirus / Q000235:genetics; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D015428:Myocardial Reperfusion Injury / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014162:Transfection
D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1