title: Chronic inhibition of cyclic guanosine monophosphate-specific phosphodiesterase 5 prevented cardiac fibrosis through inhibition of transforming growth factor β-induced Smad signaling.
abstract: Recent evidences suggested that cyclic guanosine monophosphate-specific phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitor represents an important therapeutic target for cardiovascular diseases. Whether and how it ameliorates cardiac fibrosis, a major cause of diastolic dysfunction and heart failure, is unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of PDE5 inhibitor on cardiac fibrosis. We assessed cardiac fibrosis and pathology in mice subjected to transverse aortic constriction (TAC). Oral sildenafil, a PDE5 inhibitor, was administered in the therapy group. In control mice, 4 weeks of TAC induced significant cardiac dysfunction, cardiac fibrosis, and cardiac fibroblast activation (proliferation and transformation to myofibroblasts). Sildenafil treatment markedly prevented TAC-induced cardiac dysfunction, cardiac fibrosis and cardiac fibroblast activation but did not block TAC-induced transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) production and phosphorylation of Smad2/3. In isolated cardiac fibroblasts, sildenafil blocked TGF-β1-induced cardiac fibroblast transformation, proliferation and collagen synthesis. Furthermore, we found that sildenafil induced phosphorylated cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) and reduced CREB-binding protein 1 (CBP1) recruitment to Smad transcriptional complexes. PDE5 inhibition prevents cardiac fibrosis by reducing CBP1 recruitment to Smad transcriptional complexes through CREB activation in cardiac fibroblasts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Gene Therapy Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Mengwen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Junxiong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Sandip
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chaugai
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Daowen
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D054706:Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 5 / Q000187:drug effects*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000517:prevention & control; D006157:Guanosine Monophosphate; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D058986:Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010879:Piperazines / Q000494:pharmacology; D011687:Purines / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D000068677:Sildenafil Citrate; D051785:Smad Proteins / Q000187:drug effects*; D051899:Smad2 Protein / Q000187:drug effects; D051900:Smad3 Protein / Q000187:drug effects; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000494:pharmacology; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D058986:Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors; D010879:Piperazines; D011687:Purines; D051785:Smad Proteins; D051899:Smad2 Protein; C497784:Smad2 protein, rat; D051900:Smad3 Protein; C497787:Smad3 protein, rat; D013449:Sulfonamides; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D006157:Guanosine Monophosphate; D000068677:Sildenafil Citrate; D054706:Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 5