Effects of a Proteasome Inhibitor on Cardiomyocytes in a Pressure-Overload Hypertrophy Rat Model: An Animal Study

Figures

• 

  Fig. 1. Schematic diagram of the experimental design. TAC, transverse aortic constriction.

• 

  Fig. 2. Gross appearance of the left ventricular cross sections in each group. The TAC-cont group displayed definitively hypertrophied left ventricles with smaller ventricular cavities than the TAC-sham group. The TAC-MG132 group showed less ventricular thickness than the TAC-cont group. (A) TAC-sham. (B) TAC-cont. The cross-section of the heart showed a nearly obstructed left ventricular cavity with a hypertrophied left ventricular wall (white arrow). (C) TAC-MG132. The left ventricular wall thickness decreased after MG132 administration. The ventricular cavity (white asterisk) was larger than in the TAC-cont group and smaller than in the TAC-sham group. TAC, transverse aortic constriction; cont, control.

• 

  Fig. 3. Fibrotic lesions. The ventricular tissue appears blue with Masson trichrome staining because of collagen-rich fibrotic lesions (black asterisk). The TAC-MG132 group showed less fibrosis than the TAC-cont group. (A) TAC-cont (×40). Multiple fibrotic lesions were found in the TAC-cont group. (B) TAC-MG132 (×40). In the TAC-MG132 group, fewer fibrotic lesions (black asterisk) were found than in the TAC-cont group. TAC, transverse aortic constriction; cont, control.

• 

  Fig. 4. Expression of AR and NF-κB in the TAC groups. We compared the gene and protein expression of AR and NF-κB between the control and MG132 sub-groups. Both gene and protein expression levels of AR were significantly lower in the MG132 sub-group (p<0.05). However, NF-κB did not show a significant difference between the control and MG132 sub-groups. (A) Gene expression of AR between the TAC-cont and TAC-MG132 groups. The gene expression of AR was reduced by MG132 treatment (p=0.004). (B) Protein expression of AR between the TAC-cont and TAC-MG132 groups. The protein expression of AR was reduced by MG132 treatment (p=0.014). (C) Gene expression of NF-κB between the TAC-cont and TAC-MG132 groups. Gene expression was increased by MG132 treatment (p=0.041). (D) NF-κB activity between the TAC-cont and TAC-MG132 groups. NF-κB activity did not change after MG132 treatment (p=0.481). AR, androgen receptor; NF-κB, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells; TAC, transverse aortic constriction; cont, control.