1. Recruitment of macrophages from the spleen contributes to myocardial fibrosis and hypertension induced by angiotensin II.
- Author
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Wang NP, Erskine J, Zhang WW, Zheng RH, Zhang LH, Duron G, Gendreau J, and Zhao ZQ
- Subjects
- Angiotensin II, Animals, Aorta, Thoracic drug effects, Aorta, Thoracic metabolism, Aorta, Thoracic pathology, Blood Pressure drug effects, Cell Proliferation drug effects, Chemokine CCL2 metabolism, Collagen metabolism, Fibrosis, Macrophages drug effects, Male, Monocytes metabolism, Myofibroblasts drug effects, Myofibroblasts metabolism, Myofibroblasts pathology, Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III metabolism, Phosphorylation drug effects, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1 metabolism, Smad Proteins metabolism, Splenectomy, Transforming Growth Factor beta1 pharmacology, Hypertension pathology, Macrophages pathology, Myocardium pathology, Spleen pathology
- Abstract
Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine whether macrophages migrated from the spleen are associated with angiotensin II-induced cardiac fibrosis and hypertension., Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to angiotensin II infusion in vehicle (500 ng/kg/min) for up to four weeks. In splenectomy, the spleen was removed before angiotensin II infusion. In the angiotensin II AT1 receptor blockade, telmisartan was administered by gastric gavage (10 mg/kg/day) during angiotensin II infusion. The heart and aorta were isolated for Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry., Results: Angiotensin II infusion caused a significant reduction in the number of monocytes in the spleen through the AT1 receptor-activated monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. Comparison of angiotensin II infusion, splenectomy and telmisartan comparatively reduced the recruitment of macrophages into the heart. Associated with this change, transforming growth factor β1 expression and myofibroblast proliferation were inhibited, and Smad2/3 and collagen I/III were downregulated. Furthermore, interstitial/perivascular fibrosis was attenuated. These modifications occurred in coincidence with reduced blood pressure. At week 4, invasion of macrophages and myofibroblasts in the thoracic aorta was attenuated and expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase was upregulated, along with a reduction in aortic fibrosis., Conclusions: These results suggest that macrophages when recruited into the heart and aorta from the spleen potentially contribute to angiotensin II-induced cardiac fibrosis and hypertension.
- Published
- 2017
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