title: Transforming growth factor-β1 SMAD effectors and medial cell number in ascending aorta diseases.
abstract: In ascending aorta aneurysms and dissections, the extracellular matrix is degraded. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 modulates its synthesis. The production and presence of SMADs, intracellular effectors of TGF-β1 signaling, were analyzed in patients with these diseases. To verify whether medial cells are lost, their total numbers were computed. Ascending aorta samples from 19 patients and 18 controls underwent immunoperoxidase reactions to SMADs 2, 3, 4, and 7. Positive and negative cells were counted, and total numbers of cells and positive/total ratios were calculated. Samples from other 14 patients and 7 normal controls were used for the quantification of SMAD3, SMAD4, and SMAD7 mRNA. For SMAD4, both mRNA (2.36 vs. 0.37, P=.03) and ratio of positive cells (0.94 vs. 0.73, P=.02) are increased in patients with ascending aortic diseases. SMAD3 mRNA was also increased (1.19 vs. 0.20, P=.05). The cell ratios of this and the other SMADs, SMAD7 mRNA, and the total cell count did not differ between groups. In conclusion, in ascending aortic aneurysms and dissections, there is an increase in SMAD4, implicated in extracellular matrix production, possibly as an attempt to compensate for extracellular matrix deficiency. Lost medial cells are replaced, since their number is not diminished.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immunology, Heart Institute (InCor), Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, av dr Eneas C Aguiar 44, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rosemeire
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aparecida-Silva
authors.affiliation: Department of Morphology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, av Antônio Carlos 6627, Belo Horizonte 31270-910, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luciano Figueiredo
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Borges
authors.affiliation: Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne, Paris Cité, INSERM U698, Paris F-75018, France.
authors.forename: Ketty
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kessler
authors.affiliation: Surgical Division, Heart Institute (InCor), Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, av dr Eneas C Aguiar 44, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ricardo Ribeiro
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.affiliation: Surgical Division, Heart Institute (InCor), Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, av dr Eneas C Aguiar 44, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luiz Felipe Pinho
authors.initials: LFP
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immunology, Heart Institute (InCor), Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, av dr Eneas C Aguiar 44, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kalil
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pathology, Heart Institute (InCor), Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, av dr Eneas C Aguiar 44, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil. Electronic address: anppaulo@incor.usp.br.
authors.forename: Paulo Sampaio
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Gutierrez
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D001011:Aorta / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D051785:Smad Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D051785:Smad Proteins; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1
keywords: Aneurysms; Aorta; Extracellular matrix; Immunoperoxidase; SMADs; TGF-β