Post-infarct treatment with [Pyr1]apelin-13 exerts anti-remodelling and anti-apoptotic effects in rats' hearts.
BACKGROUND
Ischaemic heart disease is the main cause of mortality in the world. After myocardial infarction (MI) cardiomyocytes apoptosis and ventricular remodelling have occurred. Apelin is a peptide that has been shown to exert cardioprotective effects.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-apoptotic and anti-remodelling effects of [Pyr¹]apelin-13 in the rat model of post-MI.


METHODS
Thirty-six male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups: (1) sham, (2) MI, and (3) MI treated with [Pyr¹] apelin-13 (MI+Apel). MI animals were subjected to 30-min ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) and 14 days of reperfusion. Twenty-four hours after LAD ligation, [Pyr¹]apelin-13 (10 nmol/kg/day, i.p.) was administered for five consecutive days. Hypertrophic parameters, left ventricular (LV) remodelling, and gene expression of Apel, apelin receptor (Apelr), Bax, caspase-3 (Casp-3), and Bcl-2 by real-time polymerase chain reaction and cardiomyocytes apoptosis by TUNEL immunostaining were assessed on day 14 post-MI.


RESULTS
Post-infarct treatment with [Pyr¹]apelin-13 improved myocardial hypertrophic and LV remodelling parameters and led to a significant increase in the expression of Apel, Apelr, and Bcl-2, and a decrease in the expression of Bax and Casp-3. Furthermore, treatment with [Pyr¹]apelin-13 decreased cardiomyocyte apoptosis.


CONCLUSIONS
[Pyr¹]apelin-13 has anti-hypertrophic, anti-remodelling, and anti-apoptotic effects via overexpression of Apel, Apelr, and Bcl-2 and reduces gene expression of Bax and Casp-3 in the infarcted myocardium, which can in turn lead to repair myocardium.
Yaser
Y
Azizi
Alireza
A
Imani
Hamed
H
Fanaei
Safoura
S
Khamse
Mohammad Reza
MR
Parvizi
Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iran, Islamic Republic Of. faghihim@sina.tums.ac.ir.
Mahdieh
M
Faghihi
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling / Q000187:drug effects*
D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; C586143:apelin 13, Pyr(1)-
[Pyr1]apelin-13; cardiac hypertrophy; left ventricular remodelling; myocardial apoptosis; rat