title: [Tranilast inhibits myocardial fibrosis in mice with viral myocarditis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of tranilast on myocardial fibrosis in mice with viral myocarditis (VMC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Male balb/c mice (n=72) were randomly divided into control, VMC and tranilast groups (n=24 each). In the VMC and tranilast groups, the mice were infected with Coxsackie virus B3 (CVB3) to prepare VMC model, while the control group was treated with Eagle's medium. After modeling, the tranilast group was administrated with tranilast [200 mg/(kg.d)] until the day before sampling. On days 7, 14 and 28 after CVB3 or Eagle's medium infection, heart specimens (n=8) were taken and examined after Toluidine blue staining and Nissl staining for counts of mast cells (MC), hematoxylin-eosin staining for myocardial pathological changes, and Masson staining for myocardial fibrosis. The expression of CTGF and type I collagen (Col I) in the myocardial tissue was measured by RT-PCR and Western blot. The correlations of CTGF mRNA expression with MC counts and Col I expression were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The myocardial pathological changes and collagen volume fraction in the VMC group were significantly higher than in the control group at all three time points (P<0.05). Tranilast treatment significantly decreased the myocardial pathological changes and collagen volume fraction compared with the VMC group (P<0.05). The mRNA and protein expression of CTGF and Col I increased in the VMC group compared with the control group, and the increases were reduced with tranilast treatment (P<0.05). The number of MC was positively correlated to CTGF mRNA expression on the 7th day and 14th day (r=0.439, P=0.049) in the VMC group. There were positive correlations between the mRNA expression of Col I and CTGF on the 7th day and 14th day (r=0.646, P=0.007) and the 28th day (r=0.326, P=0.031).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tranilast may inhibit the aggregation of MC and down-regulate the expression of CTGF, relieving myocardial fibrosis of mice with VMC.
authors.affiliation: Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China. ccyzdh@126.com.
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Gui
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Lin-Feng
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Chun-Yuan
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D024042:Collagen Type I / Q000235:genetics; D055513:Connective Tissue Growth Factor / Q000235:genetics; D003384:Coxsackievirus Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D029822:Enterovirus B, Human; D005355:Fibrosis; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D062367:ortho-Aminobenzoates / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: C526318:CCN2 protein, mouse; D024042:Collagen Type I; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D062367:ortho-Aminobenzoates; D055513:Connective Tissue Growth Factor; C012293:tranilast