title: Expression of ghrelin and its receptor in rats after coronary artery ligation.
abstract: Ghrelin is a novel growth hormone-releasing peptide, which has been shown to exert beneficial effects on cardiac function and ventricular remodeling. The present study aimed to investigate the expression of ghrelin and the growth hormone (GH) secretagogue receptor 1a (GHSR-1a), and the association with cardiac remodeling in rats with myocardial infarction (MI). Twenty-four hours after ligation of the anterior descending artery (LAD), adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized to 3 d, 7 d and 28 d group. Sham animals underwent thoracotomy and pericardiotomy, but not LAD ligation. Expression of both ghrelin and GHSR-1a was assessed by means of immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR. Plasma ghrelin levels were measured by ELISA kit. In addition, cardiac remodeling was assessed by echocardiographic and hemodynamic measurements. Plasma and cardiac expression of ghrelin decreased on days 3, 7 and 28 compared with the sham group (P<0.05). In contrast the GHSR-1a mRNA levels increased during the same days (P<0.05). Decreased positive immunoreaction for ghrelin and increased positive GHSR-1a were also observed in the infarcted heart. Interestingly, plasma ghrelin correlated negatively with left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (r=-0.59, P=0.002) and left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (r=-0.73, P<0.01). The ghrelin system may play an important role regulating cardiac remodeling after MI and present as a potential significant target for pharmacological modulation and treating cardiac remodeling.
authors: Dept of Cardiology, Wuhan Univ, Renmin Hospital, Wuhan 430060, Hubei Province, PR China.
authors: Ming-Jie
authors: MJ
authors: Yuan
authors: Dept of Cardiology, Wuhan Univ, Renmin Hospital, Wuhan 430060, Hubei Province, PR China.
authors: He
authors: H
authors: Huang
authors: Dept of Cardiology, Wuhan Univ, Renmin Hospital, Wuhan 430060, Hubei Province, PR China.
authors: Li
authors: L
authors: Quan
authors: Dept of Cardiology, Wuhan Univ, Renmin Hospital, Wuhan 430060, Hubei Province, PR China.
authors: Yan-Hong
authors: YH
authors: Tang
authors: Dept of Cardiology, Wuhan Univ, Renmin Hospital, Wuhan 430060, Hubei Province, PR China.
authors: Xi
authors: X
authors: Wang
authors: Dept of Cardiology, Wuhan Univ, Renmin Hospital, Wuhan 430060, Hubei Province, PR China.
authors: Hong
authors: H
authors: Jiang
authors: Dept of Cardiology, Wuhan Univ, Renmin Hospital, Wuhan 430060, Hubei Province, PR China. Electronic address: yuanmj8341@163.com.
authors: Cong-Xin
authors: CX
authors: Huang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000601:surgery*; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008026:Ligation; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D054440:Receptors, Ghrelin / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D054439:Ghrelin; C571124:Ghsr1a protein, rat; D054440:Receptors, Ghrelin
keywords: Cardiac remodeling; GHSR-1a; Ghrelin; Myocardial infarction