Hypertension Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Hypertension, including details on symptoms, diagnosis, diet, treatment, causes.

Evidence for a pro-apoptotic phenotype in skeletal muscle of hypertensive rats.

Quadrilatero J, Rush JW

Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ont., Canada.

In this report, we demonstrate that soleus muscle of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) had significantly lower protein levels of apoptosis repressor with caspase recruitment domain (ARC) and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) as well as significantly higher protein levels of second mitochondria-derived activator of caspase (Smac) and procaspase-8 compared to normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. In addition, soleus muscle from hypertensive rats had significantly increased caspase-8 proteolytic enzyme activity as well as significantly elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and higher hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) content. There was no change in the protein levels of the antioxidant enzymes, catalase, copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD), and manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD). Interestingly, ARC protein migrated at approximately 32kDa in SHR but at 30kDa in WKY rat muscle; possibly indicating a post-translational modification. These results demonstrate that soleus muscle of hypertensive rats display a pro-apoptotic phenotype and augmented ROS generation.

Published 15 February 2008 in Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 368(1): 168-74.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Hypertension Research Today. All Rights Reserved.