title: The Coexistence of Hypertension and Ovariectomy Additively Increases Cardiac Apoptosis.
abstract: To investigate whether the coexistence of hypertension and ovariectomy will increase cardiac Fas receptor and mitochondrial-dependent apoptotic pathways, histopathological analysis, the TUNEL assay and Western blotting were performed on the excised hearts from three groups of female spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), which were divided into a sham-operated group (SHR-Sham), bilaterally ovariectomized group (SHR-OVX) and normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY). Compared with the WKY group, the SHR-Sham group exhibited decreased protein levels of ERα, ERβ, p-Akt/Akt, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and p-Bad and decreased further in the SHR-OVX group, as well as protein levels of t-Bid, Bak, Bad, Bax, cytochromec, activated caspase-9 and activated caspase-3 (mitochondria-dependent apoptosis) increased in the SHR-Sham group and increased further in the SHR-OVX group. Compared with the WKY group, protein levels of Fas ligand, TNF-α, Fas death receptors, TNFR1, FADD and activated caspase-8 (Fas receptor-dependent apoptosis) increased in the SHR-Sham group, but did not increase in the SHR-OVX group, except Fas ligand and TNF-α. The coexistence of hypertension and ovariectomy attenuated the estrogen receptor survival pathway and appeared to additively increase the cardiac mitochondria-dependent, but not the Fas receptor-dependent apoptosis pathway, which might provide one possible mechanism for the development of cardiac abnormalities in hypertensive postmenopausal women.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Science, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. charlet8116@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Yi-Yuan
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, Graduate Institute of Rehabilitation Science, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. s5888116@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Yu-Jung
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: School of Rehabilitation Science, Shanghai University of TCM, Shanghai 201203, China. jasonhwu@126.com.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: School of Rehabilitation Science, Shanghai University of TCM, Shanghai 201203, China. chulixi2@126.com.
authors.forename: Li-Xi
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.affiliation: Translational Medicine Research Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. shyu9423@gmail.com.|Graduate Institute of Immunology, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. shyu9423@gmail.com.|Center for Neuropsychiatry, Department of Neurology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. shyu9423@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Woei-Cherng
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Shyu
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 11217, Taiwan. clkao@vghtpe.gov.tw.|Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan. clkao@vghtpe.gov.tw.
authors.forename: Chung-Lan
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Kao
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan. tblin2@tmu.edu.tw.|Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Science, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. tblin2@tmu.edu.tw.|Department of Biotechnology, Asia University, Taichung 41354, Taiwan. tblin2@tmu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Tzer-Bin
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, Graduate Institute of Rehabilitation Science, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. kuochiahua@gmail.com.|Department of Sports Sciences, University of Taipei, Taipei 11153, Taiwan. kuochiahua@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Chia-Hua
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports Sciences, University of Taipei, Taipei 11153, Taiwan. yangailun@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ai-Lun
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Science, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. shinda@mail.cmu.edu.tw.|Department of Physical Therapy, Graduate Institute of Rehabilitation Science, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. shinda@mail.cmu.edu.tw.|School of Rehabilitation Science, Shanghai University of TCM, Shanghai 201203, China. shinda@mail.cmu.edu.tw.|Department of Biotechnology, Asia University, Taichung 41354, Taiwan. shinda@mail.cmu.edu.tw.|Department of Occupational Therapy, Asia University, Taichung 41354, Taiwan. shinda@mail.cmu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Shin-Da
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D053453:Caspase 9 / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D010052:Ovariectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D019014:fas Receptor; D053148:Caspase 3; D053453:Caspase 9
keywords: caspase; cell death; heart; menopausal hypertension