Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors block mitogenic signalling pathways in rat cardiac fibroblasts.

We studied the effects of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors on angiotensin II (Ang II) induced growth related signalling pathways in neonatal rat cardiac fibroblasts. In BrdU proliferation assays, Ang II (10(-9)-10(-7) M) stimulated cardiac fibroblast growth in a dose-dependent fashion (maximum at 10(-7) M, 5.22 +/- 0.

Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition modulates cardiac fibroblast growth.

Background: The progression of left ventricular hypertrophy and cardiac fibrosis in hypertensive heart disease is influenced by sex and age. Although angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition has been shown to prevent progression of the disease in postmenopausal women, the interaction of angiotensin II and estrogen in this process before and after the menopause is poorly understood.

Objective: To investigate the influence of the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor moexiprilat on serum, estrogen and angiotensin II-induced cardiac fibroblast growth.

Expression of oestrogen receptor alpha and beta in rat heart: role of local oestrogen synthesis.

The role of cardiac oestrogen receptor expression and local oestrogen synthesis in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease is poorly understood. Therefore we studied the effects of the oestrogen precursors androstendione and testosterone on the expression of cyp450 aromatase, oestrogen receptor alpha and beta, and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) in neonatal rat cardiac myocytes. Here, we show that cyp450 aromatase is expressed in cardiac myocytes and incubation of cardiac myocytes with oestrogen precursors leads to sexual dimorphic transactivation of an oestrogen-responsive reporter plasmid.

Cardiac myocytes and fibroblasts contain functional estrogen receptors.

Gender-based differences found in cardiovascular diseases raise the possibility that estrogen may have direct effects on cardiac tissue. Therefore we investigated whether cardiac myocytes and fibroblasts express functional estrogen receptors. Immunofluorescence demonstrated estrogen receptor protein expression in both female and male rat cardiac myocytes and fibroblasts.

Effects of moexiprilat on oestrogen-stimulated cardiac fibroblast growth.

1. The effects of 2-2-(1-(ethoxycarbonyl)-3-phenylpropyl)-[amino-oxopropyl]-6,7-dimethoxy- 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3 carboxylic acid (moexiprilat), 17beta-oestradiol (E2), oestrone (ES) and angiotensin II (AII) on growth and activation of oestrogen receptors and the immediate-early gene egr-1 were investigated in neonatal rat cardiac fibroblasts of female and male origin. 2.

Effects of estrogen on skeletal myoblast growth.

To determine the role of estrogen in skeletal muscle growth, we investigated estrogen receptor-mediated effects on proliferation in skeletal myoblasts. In L6, C2C12 and Sol8 myoblasts estrogen receptor was demonstrated by immunoblotting, immunofluorescence microscopy and transfection studies. Estrone induced a significant increase in myoblast growth whereas 17 beta-estradiol had no effect.

Modulation of hypertensive heart disease by estrogen.

Unlabelled: Left ventricular hypertrophy is an independent risk factor for morbidity and mortality in patients with hypertensive heart disease. Cardiac hypertrophy, associated with increased cardiac fibrosis and myocardial relaxation impairment, shows gender-based differences with significantly higher mortality in men. The role of estrogen in the pathogenesis of this process is poorly understood.