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Int J Med Sci 2013; 10(7):812-824. doi:10.7150/ijms.5931 This issue Cite

Research Paper

Angiotensin Receptor Blockers and Statins Could Alleviate Atrial Fibrosis via Regulating Platelet-Derived Growth Factor/Rac1 /Nuclear Factor-Kappa B Axis

Dongfang Yang^1,*, Jia Yuan^1,*, Gan Liu^1,2, Zhiyu Ling¹, Haiyan Zeng³, Yunqing Chen^{1, ✉}, Yue Zhang¹, Qiang She¹, Xue Zhou⁴

1. Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China;
2. Department of Cardiology, The People's Hospital of Hechuan District, Chongqing, China;
3. Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, The Public Health College of Huaxi of Sichuan University, Sichuan, China;
4. Department of cardiology, Children's hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
* Dongfang Yang and Jia Yuan contributed equally to this work.

✉ Corresponding author: Yun-qing Chen, M.D, Ph.D. Department of Cardiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University. No.76 Lingjiang RD., Yuzhong district, Chongqing, 400010 P. R. China. E-mail: chenyunqing.88com or chenyqedu.cn. More

Abstract

Aims: To investigate whether the administration of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors and statins could alleviate atrial fibrosis via platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)/Rac1 /nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) axis.

Methods and Results: In human left atrium, the degree of atrial fibrosis, as well as the expression levels of PDGF, Rac1 and NF-κB increased 1.5 to 2.9 folds in patients with atrial fibrillation compared to that with sinus rhythm, (P<0.0001). There were strongly positive correlations between angiotensin II (Ang II) or procollagen type III-alpha-1 (COL3A1) with PDGF, Rac1, NF-κB, and among PDGF, Rac1 and NF-κB (all P<0.05). At 3 weeks after the transverse aorta constriction (TAC) operation in rat model and with intervention of irbesartan or/and simvastatin, the collagen volume fraction (CVF) and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) values respectively increased 6-folds and 3.5-folds in the TAC group compared to SHAM group (P<0.0001), but these levels decreased by 16% to 63% with following drug intervention (all P<0.0001), the combined treatment was the lowest. Accordingly, the expression levels of PDGF (3-folds), Rac1 (1.6-folds), NF-κB (7-folds) and AngII (12-folds) significantly increased in the TAC group compared to the SHAM group, and these levels were also reduced by 25% to 64% with following drug intervention. The highest reduction could be seen after treatment with irbesartan and simvastatin in combination (all P<0.001).There were strongly positive correlations between AngII or CVF with PDGF, Rac1, NF-κB, and among PDGF, Rac1 and NF-κB (all P<0.05).

Conclusions: Irbesartan or/and simvastatin can improve atrial fibrosis by regulating PDGF/Rac1/NF-κB axis.

Keywords: atrial fibrosis, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), Rac1, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), Irbesartan, Simvastatin.

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