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

作者：Shaoxiang Weng, Xiaoqing Zhu, Yue Jin, Ting Wang, He Huang · 发表于：Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine · 年份：2011 · DOI：10.3892/etm.2011.280 · 被引用次数：17 · 研究领域：Erythropoietin and Anemia Treatment、Cardiac electrophysiology and arrhythmias、PARP inhibition in cancer therapy

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 an...