C-reactive protein effects on aortic endothelium in spontaneously hypertensive rats

C-REACTIVE PROTEIN EFFECTS ON AORTIC ENDOTHELIUM IN SPONTANEOUSLY HYPERTENSIVE RATS Diploma thesis Author: Aleš Kosán Study program: Pharmacy Charles University in Prague Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové Endothelial dysfunction and chronic inflammation are factors figuring in pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome. This paper is outlined as a pilot study, which represents basis for further research in the question of C-reactive protein influence on endothelium. The expression of four proteins previously associated with the development of endothelial dysfunction, was studied using the Western blot method: endothelin-1, heme oxygenase-1, endoglin and phosphorylated nitric oxide synthase. Analysis was carried out on the samples of homogenized rat aortas of transgenic spontaneously hypertensive rats with expression of human C-reactive protein. A standard spontaneously hypertensive rat strain was used as a control group. The detection was made by chemiluminescence substrate on the X-ray films and data were semiquantitatively evaluated by densitometry. We found increased expression in endoglin levels, valued at 186.3 % contrary to the control group. The expression of phosphorylated nitric oxide synthase was 325.6 % in comparison with the control group. The increase of expression was minimal (109.0 %) in...