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Kovács MG, Kovács ZZA, Varga Z, Szűcs G, Freiwan M, Farkas K, Kővári B, Cserni G, Kriston A, Kovács F, Horváth P, Földesi I, Csont T, Kahán Z, Sárközy M. Investigation of the Antihypertrophic and Antifibrotic Effects of Losartan in a Rat Model of Radiation-Induced Heart Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:12963. [PMID: 34884782 PMCID: PMC8657420 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222312963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Revised: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Radiation-induced heart disease (RIHD) is a potential late side-effect of thoracic radiotherapy resulting in left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and fibrosis due to a complex pathomechanism leading to heart failure. Angiotensin-II receptor blockers (ARBs), including losartan, are frequently used to control heart failure of various etiologies. Preclinical evidence is lacking on the anti-remodeling effects of ARBs in RIHD, while the results of clinical studies are controversial. We aimed at investigating the effects of losartan in a rat model of RIHD. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were studied in three groups: (1) control, (2) radiotherapy (RT) only, (3) RT treated with losartan (per os 10 mg/kg/day), and were followed for 1, 3, or 15 weeks. At 15 weeks post-irradiation, losartan alleviated the echocardiographic and histological signs of LVH and fibrosis and reduced the overexpression of chymase, connective tissue growth factor, and transforming growth factor-beta in the myocardium measured by qPCR; likewise, the level of the SMAD2/3 protein determined by Western blot decreased. In both RT groups, the pro-survival phospho-AKT/AKT and the phospho-ERK1,2/ERK1,2 ratios were increased at week 15. The antiremodeling effects of losartan seem to be associated with the repression of chymase and several elements of the TGF-β/SMAD signaling pathway in our RIHD model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mónika Gabriella Kovács
- Interdisciplinary Center of Excellence and MEDICS Research Group, Department of Biochemistry, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, University of Szeged, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary; (M.G.K.); (Z.Z.A.K.); (G.S.); (M.F.)
| | - Zsuzsanna Z. A. Kovács
- Interdisciplinary Center of Excellence and MEDICS Research Group, Department of Biochemistry, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, University of Szeged, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary; (M.G.K.); (Z.Z.A.K.); (G.S.); (M.F.)
| | - Zoltán Varga
- Department of Oncotherapy, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, University of Szeged, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary; (Z.V.); (Z.K.)
| | - Gergő Szűcs
- Interdisciplinary Center of Excellence and MEDICS Research Group, Department of Biochemistry, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, University of Szeged, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary; (M.G.K.); (Z.Z.A.K.); (G.S.); (M.F.)
| | - Marah Freiwan
- Interdisciplinary Center of Excellence and MEDICS Research Group, Department of Biochemistry, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, University of Szeged, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary; (M.G.K.); (Z.Z.A.K.); (G.S.); (M.F.)
| | - Katalin Farkas
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, University of Szeged, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary; (K.F.); (I.F.)
| | - Bence Kővári
- Department of Pathology, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, University of Szeged, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary; (B.K.); (G.C.)
| | - Gábor Cserni
- Department of Pathology, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, University of Szeged, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary; (B.K.); (G.C.)
| | - András Kriston
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Centre, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary; (A.K.); (F.K.); (P.H.)
- Single-Cell Technologies Ltd., H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ferenc Kovács
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Centre, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary; (A.K.); (F.K.); (P.H.)
- Single-Cell Technologies Ltd., H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Péter Horváth
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Centre, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary; (A.K.); (F.K.); (P.H.)
- Single-Cell Technologies Ltd., H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Imre Földesi
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, University of Szeged, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary; (K.F.); (I.F.)
| | - Tamás Csont
- Interdisciplinary Center of Excellence and MEDICS Research Group, Department of Biochemistry, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, University of Szeged, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary; (M.G.K.); (Z.Z.A.K.); (G.S.); (M.F.)
| | - Zsuzsanna Kahán
- Department of Oncotherapy, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, University of Szeged, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary; (Z.V.); (Z.K.)
| | - Márta Sárközy
- Interdisciplinary Center of Excellence and MEDICS Research Group, Department of Biochemistry, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, University of Szeged, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary; (M.G.K.); (Z.Z.A.K.); (G.S.); (M.F.)
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