title: Cyclooxygenase-2 expression in lung in patients with congenital heart malformations and pulmonary arterial hypertension.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a cause of morbidity in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). It has been hypothesized that prostanoides participate in the development of PAH. The aim of this study was to show the potential expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in patients with CHD and PAH.
  
  
  METHODS
  We included patients with isolated left-to-right shunts undergoing lung biopsy before or concomitantly with cardiac surgery between 2004 and 2009.For determination of COX-2 expression, histological and immunohistochemistry analyses as well as quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We were able to show COX-2 protein overexpression in the lung tissue of children with CHD and PAH. Furthermore, we showed an increase in COX-1 gene expression and an even stronger induction of COX-2 by using qPCR and immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We examined the expression of COX-2 in lung tissue from patients with CHD and PAH. We showed that COX-2 is expressed in diseased lung tissue, indicating a relationship between COX-2 and vascular remodeling in pulmonary arteries in CHD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. Tsvetomir.Loukanov@med.uni-heidelberg.de
authors.forename: Tsvetomir
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Loukanov
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jaschinski
authors.forename: Milen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kirilov
authors.forename: Homa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Klimpel
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karck
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gorenflo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D001706:Biopsy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D051545:Cyclooxygenase 1 / Q000032:analysis; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D065627:Familial Primary Pulmonary Hypertension; D005260:Female; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000150:complications / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007223:Infant; D008168:Lung / Q000201:enzymology*; D008297:Male; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051545:Cyclooxygenase 1; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496511:PTGS1 protein, human; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human