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. 2011 Sep;2(5):833-836.
doi: 10.3892/etm.2011.280. Epub 2011 Jun 3.

Protective effect of erythropoietin on myocardial infarction in rats by inhibition of caspase-12 expression

Shaoxiang Weng  1 , Xiaoqing Zhu, Yue Jin, Ting Wang, He Huang
Affiliations

Protective effect of erythropoietin on myocardial infarction in rats by inhibition of caspase-12 expression

Shaoxiang Weng et al. Exp Ther Med. 2011 Sep.

Abstract

In the present study, the myocardial protective effects of erythropoietin (EPO) by inhibition of the expression of caspase-12 were investigated in a myocardial infarction rat model. Thirty male SD rats were divided into three groups: sham-operation group, myocardial infarction group and EPO treatment group. The myocardial infarction model was created by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery. The EPO treatment group was established by injecting rh-EPO (1,000 IU/kg) intraperitoneally every day after the operation, and the other two groups were injected with sodium chloride. Four weeks after induction of myocardial infarction, the left ventricular diastolic pressure (LVDP) was tested by Langendorff apparatus and the pathological changes were analyzed by H&E staining. Caspase-12 expression in the left ventricular myocardium was also measured by immunohistochemistry. Four weeks after induction of myocardial infarction, the improvement in heart function in the EPO treatment group was more distinct compared to that of the myocardial infarction group; LVDP was higher in the EPO treatment group compared to the myocardial infarction group, but lower compared to the control group. H&E staining showed that the myocardial cells in the normal control group were aligned in order with a clear structure and were stained equably, while the myocardial cells in the myocardial infarction model rats lined up in disorder with an augmented cell body appearing to have many granules and interstitial fibrosis. Myocardial fibrosis and disorder were improved in the EPO treatment group. The expression of caspase-12 in the myocardial infarction group was also increased compared to the EPO treatment group rats. The results suggest that EPO improves heart function in myocardial infarction rats by down-regulating the expression of caspase-12, which may protect the myocardium by abrogating endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated cardiomyocyte apoptosis and improving heart function.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
LVDP in each group 4 weeks after operation. (A) Control, (B) myocardial infarction and (C) EPO treatment rats. *P<0.01 vs. control; #P<0.01 vs. myocardial infarction.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Pathological changes in the myocardium of (A) a control rat, (B) a myocardial infarction rat and (C) an EPO treatment rat 4 weeks after operation by H&E staining.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Light photomicrographs of caspase-12 immunohistochemical staining of the myocardium from (A) a control rat, (B) a myocardial infarction rat and (C) an EPO treatment rat.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Comparison of the expression of caspase-12 in the myocardium of (A) a control rat, (B) a myocardial infarction rat and (C) an EPO treatment rat. *P<0.01 vs. control group; #P<0.01 vs. myocardial infarction group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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