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- Title
Fasudil, a Rho-kinase inhibitor, protects against excessive endurance exercise training-induced cardiac hypertrophy, apoptosis and fibrosis in rats.
- Authors
Ho, Tsung-Jung; Huang, Chi-Chang; Huang, Chih-Yang; Lin, Wan-Teng
- Abstract
Excessive endurance exercise training (EEET) is accompanied by cardiac remodeling, changes in ventricular function and increased heart failure risk. Fasudil, a potent Rho-kinase inhibitor, has been demonstrated to blunt cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, cardiac remodeling, and heart failure progression in pre-clinical trials and has been approved for clinical use in Japan. We examined the in vivo bioefficacy of fasudil against EEET-induced cardiac remodeling and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: sedentary control (SC), EEET, and EEET with fasudil treatment (EEET-F). Rats in EEET and EEET-F groups ran on a motorized treadmill for 12 weeks. The results revealed that EEET increased myocardial hypertrophy (LV weight/tibial length), myocyte cross-sectional area, hypertrophy-related pathways (IL6/STAT3-MEK5-ERK5, calcineurin-NFATc3, p38 and JNK MAPK), hypertrophic markers (ANP/BNP), pro-apoptotic molecules (cytochrome C, cleaved caspase-3 and PARP), and fibrosis-related pathways (FGF-2-ERK1/2) and fibrosis markers (uPA, MMP-9 and -2). These pathways were then expressed lower in the EEET-F group when compared with the EEET group. The cardiac hypertrophic level, apoptotic pathway and fibrosis signaling were further inhibited in the fasudil-treated group. We systematically investigated the possible signaling pathways leading to EEET-induced cardiac hypertrophy, apoptosis and fibrosis. We also provide evidence for the novel function of fasudil in suppressing EEET-induced cardiac remodeling and impairment by multiple mechanisms, which suggests that the RhoA signaling pathway contributes to EEET-induced cardiac remodeling and dysfunction.
- Subjects
PHYSICAL fitness; HEART failure; HEART cells; CARDIAC hypertrophy; FIBROSIS; APOPTOSIS; CLINICAL trials
- Publication
European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2012, Vol 112, Issue 8, p2943
- ISSN
1439-6319
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s00421-011-2270-z