Abstract
Background and Objectives
Ischemic injury is the most common and important cause of myocardial damage. Over past decades, a number of studies have identified a protective mechanism known as ischemic preconditioning, which can block or delay cell death from ischemic injury. Protein kinase C (PKC), especially the ε isoform has been proposed as a key factor in the signaling pathway of ischemic preconditioning. However, whether PKCε expression in cardiomyocytes can offer such protection from acute ischemia has not been explored.
Materials and Methods
To demonstrate a direct effect of PKCε expression, a lentiviral vector system was established. Using the lentiviral vector, PKCε was introduced to neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVM) cultured under ischemic conditions, and also to adult rat myocardium subject to left coronary artery ligation.
Results
Compared to control, PKCε expression in cultured NRVM under ischemia resulted in preserved cell density and morphology, and a reduction in cell death (77.6±12.8% vs 58.1±7.2%, p<0.05). In adult rats, the infarcted area after coronary artery ligation was markedly reduced in myocardium injected with PKCε vector compared to control (11.4±5.3% vs 20.5±11.3%, p<0.01).
Acknowledgments
We are deeply grateful to professor Yoshitaka Ono of Biosignal Research Center, Kobe University, for the generous gift of PKCε cDNA, which enables us to conduct this study.
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