title: [Effect of homocysteine on injury of cardiomyocytes and its signal transduction mechanism].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the injured effect of homocysteine (HCY) on cardiomyocytes and investigate its signal transduction mechanism as well as the key regulatory link.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cardiomyocytes were isolated from neonatal Wistar rats. After incubation with HCY, the survival rate of cardiomyocytes was determined by trypan blue stained assay, while the apoptosis rate was measured by TUNEL and FCM. Western blot and EMSA were used to tested ERK2 protein phosphorylation and NF-kappaB active expression in cardiomyocytes, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The survival rate of cardiomyocytes treated with HCY was reduced significantly in dose- and time- dependent manner. It was found that 10(-3) mol/L HCY could increase the apoptosis rate of cardiomyocytes to the peak (7.65%) at 4 h stress. Several HCY levels revealed the strong inhibitory effect on ERK2 protein phosphorylation, especially, 10(-3) mol/L HCY decreased the level of active ERK2 expression to 3.04% of control at 4 h (P < 0.01). NF-kappaB activation was also inhibited significantly by several HCY level for different time in cardiomyocytes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HCY plays an important role in injury of cardiomyocytes and apoptosis is a form of HCY-induced injury to cardiomyocytes. HCY can block ERK2 protein phosphorylation and NF-kappaB activation, which contribute to the injury of cardiomyocytes.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health and Environmental Medicine, Tianjin 300050, China.
authors.forename: Shu-Qing
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jing-Bo
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Liang-En
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ling-Jia
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Qian
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D016328:NF-kappa B; D006710:Homocysteine