Journal
JOURNAL OF HYPERTENSION
Volume 29, Issue 9, Pages 1820-1828Publisher
LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS
DOI: 10.1097/HJH.0b013e328349c62d
Keywords
cardiac fibrosis; CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells; hypertension; inflammation; myofibroblasts; transforming growth factor-beta
Categories
Funding
- National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia
- Victorian Government
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Background CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs) are potent inhibitors of inflammation and autoimmune diseases. Because inflammation has been associated with development of cardiac fibrosis in experimental hypertension, here we investigated whether adoptively transferred Tregs would inhibit development of cardiac fibrosis initiated by elevating blood pressure. Methods Cardiac fibrosis was induced in mice by constricting the aorta between the two carotid arteries. Immediately after the operation mice received either vehicle or purified, cultured Tregs (1.5 X 10(6)). Fourteen days later we assessed effects on developing left ventricular fibrosis, blood pressure, inflammation, myofibroblasts and the transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta 1) system. Results Fourteen days after aortic constriction, marked left-ventricular fibrosis was apparent and this was greatly reduced in mice receiving adoptively transferred Tregs. This reduction in fibrosis was associated with attenuated inflammatory cell numbers, reduced interstitial myofibroblast numbers and attenuated activity of the TGF-beta 1 system, indicated by reductions in the expression of TGF-beta 1 and its receptors activin-like kinase-5 and type II TGF-beta receptor. Adoptively transferred Tregs did not affect blood pressure and exerted only a small effect on left-ventricular hypertrophy. Conclusions These data indicate that Tregs attenuate cardiac fibrosis associated with hypertensive heart disease by suppressing inflammation. J Hypertens 29:1820-1828 (C) 2011 Wolters Kluwer Health vertical bar Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available