Increased Gene Expression of the Cardiac Endothelin System in Obese Mice

R. A. Catar; G. Muller; A. Brandt; H. Langbein; C. Brunssen; C. Goettsch; A. Frenzel; A. Hofmann; W. Goettsch; N. Steinbronn; R. H. Strasser; U. Schubert; B. Ludwig; S. R. Bornstein; H. Morawietz

doi:10.1055/s-0034-1387761

Hormone and Metabolic Research, Table of Contents

Horm Metab Res 2015; 47(07): 509-515
DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1387761

Endocrine Care

Increased Gene Expression of the Cardiac Endothelin System in Obese Mice

R. A. Catar^*

¹Department of Medicine III, Division of Vascular Endothelium and Microcirculation, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany

²Department of Nephrology and Medical Intensive Care, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Berlin, Germany

,

G. Muller^*

¹Department of Medicine III, Division of Vascular Endothelium and Microcirculation, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany

³GWT-TUD GmbH, Dresden, Germany

,

A. Brandt

¹Department of Medicine III, Division of Vascular Endothelium and Microcirculation, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany

⁴Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany

,

H. Langbein

¹Department of Medicine III, Division of Vascular Endothelium and Microcirculation, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany

,

C. Brunssen

¹Department of Medicine III, Division of Vascular Endothelium and Microcirculation, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany

,

C. Goettsch

¹Department of Medicine III, Division of Vascular Endothelium and Microcirculation, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany

⁵Department of Medicine III, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolic Bone Diseases, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany

⁶Department of Medicine, Center for Interdisciplinary Cardiovascular Sciences, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

,

A. Frenzel

¹Department of Medicine III, Division of Vascular Endothelium and Microcirculation, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany

,

A. Hofmann

¹Department of Medicine III, Division of Vascular Endothelium and Microcirculation, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany

,

W. Goettsch

¹Department of Medicine III, Division of Vascular Endothelium and Microcirculation, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany

,

N. Steinbronn

⁴Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany

,

R. H. Strasser

⁴Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany

,

U. Schubert

⁷Department of Medicine III, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany

,

B. Ludwig

⁷Department of Medicine III, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany

,

S. R. Bornstein

⁷Department of Medicine III, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany

,

H. Morawietz

¹Department of Medicine III, Division of Vascular Endothelium and Microcirculation, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany

› Author Affiliations

Abstract

Obesity is a well-known risk factor of atherosclerosis and heart failure. In the human heart, a local endothelin system containing prepro-endothelin-1, endothelin-converting enzyme-1, and endothelin receptors A and B has been described. The endothelin system is activated in heart failure; however, the impact of obesity on the cardiac endothelin system is unknown. In this study, 18-week-old male C57BL/6 mice fed either a control diet or a high-fat diet for 10 weeks were analyzed. High-fat diet significantly increased the body weight of the animals and augmented low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, and cholesterol plasma levels, compared to control. The animal groups showed no significant differences in left ventricular size or function (heart rate, ejection fraction, fractional shortening, left ventricular posterior wall thickness, cardiac output) after control or high-fat diet. We did not observe signs of cardiac hypertrophy or changes in markers of cardiac fibrosis in these heart samples. The cardiac expression of prepro-endothelin-1 mRNA, endothelin-converting enzyme-1 mRNA, and protein and endothelin receptors A and B mRNA was increased in 18-week-old obese C57BL/6 mice compared to animals with normal weight (p<0.05 vs. control). Furthermore, endothelin-1 plasma levels showed an increasing trend. In conclusion, an increased expression of genes of the endothelin system was observed in the hearts of 18-week-old mice after high-fat diet, possibly contributing to later cardiovascular complications of obesity.

Key words

atherosclerosis - body weight - cholesterol - LDL cholesterol - obesity

Full Text

References

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