title: Lovastatin changes activities of lactate dehydrogenase A and B genes in rat myocardial cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is a crucial regulator of energy metabolism in many organs including the heart. Lovastatin is widely used in prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease and is a drug with substantial metabolic influences. Our study aimed to determine the activities of the lactate dehydrogenase A and B (LDHA and LDHB) genes following lovastatin treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  The rat myocardial cell line H9c2(2-1) in culture was exposed to 100 nmol/L lovastatin for 24 hours or for five days. The functions of the LDHA and LDHB genes were examined at the transcriptional (mRNA) level with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (Q-RT-PCR), and at the translational (protein) level with immunoblotting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  When compared with control levels, the LDHA mRNA went up by (151.65 ± 16.72)% (P = 0.0132) after 24 hours and by (175.28 ± 56.54)% (P = 0.0366) after five days of lovastatin treatment. Although 24 hours of lovastatin treatment had no significant effects on LDHB mRNA levels, when the treatment was extended to five days, LDHB mRNA levels were significantly down-regulated to (63.65 ± 15.21)% of control levels (P = 0.0117). After 24 hours of treatment with lovastatin, there were no significant changes in protein levels of either LDHA or LDHB. When treatment time was extended to five days, the protein levels of LDHA were up-regulated by (148.65 ± 11.81)% (P = 0.00969), while the protein levels of LDHB were down-regulated to (64.91 ± 5.47)% of control levels (P = 0.0192).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lovastatin affects gene activities of LDHA and LDHB differently, which may reveal novel pharmacological effects of lovastatin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Aerospace Central Hospital, Beijing 100049, China. gwz501@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Wei-Zao
authors.initials: WZ
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: Zhi-Hong
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Di
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Cui-Lian
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002460:Cell Line; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000080864:Lactate Dehydrogenase 5; D008148:Lovastatin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology*; D051381:Rats; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents; D007527:Isoenzymes; D008148:Lovastatin; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D000080864:Lactate Dehydrogenase 5; C409667:lactate dehydrogenase 1