Cardiac fibroblasts play an important role in myocardial remodeling by proliferating, differentiating, and secreting extracellular matrix proteins. Estrogen has been reported to have a number of cardioprotective properties. However, it is unclear whether estrogen affects cardiac fibroblast differentiation. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of estrogen on angiotensin II-induced cardiac fibroblast proliferation and differentiation. Cardiac fibroblasts were stimulated with angiotensin II (1 μM) in the presence or absence of 17β-estradiol (100 nM). Pretreatment of cardiac fibroblasts with 17β-estradiol significantly inhibited angiotensin II-induced cardiac fibroblast proliferation and differentiation (indicated by a reduction in alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression) by 25% and 20%. Pretreatment of 17β-estradiol significantly reduced angiotensin II-increased levels of phospho-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) by 40% and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) binding activity in cardiac fibroblasts by 55%. Our data suggests estrogen could have an anti-fibrotic effect through limiting cardiac fibroblast proliferation and differentiation, which are the critical steps in the pathogenesis of cardiac fibrosis.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ETSU/oai:dc.etsu.edu:etsu-works-18308 |
| Date | 15 August 2009 |
| Creators | Wu, Meiling, Han, Mei, Li, Jing, Xu, Xuan, Li, Ting, Que, Lingli, Ha, Tuanzhu, Li, Chuanfu, Chen, Qi, Li, Yuehua |
| Publisher | Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University |
| Source Sets | East Tennessee State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | ETSU Faculty Works |
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