Biomedical Research

Objectives: Heart Failure (HF) progression could be prevented by an inhibitor of the mTOR and an autophagy enhancer rapamycin. This study aimed to investigate the effect of rapamycin on HF progression and myocardial cells apoptosis.

Methods: HF rats were injected with low-, middle-, and high-dose rapamycin. Echocardiography, HE staining, plasma Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP), myocardial cells apoptosis and Akt activation in rapamycin treated rats were detected.

Results: HF rats showed reduced cardiac functions, destructive pathological changes in myocardium, enhanced Akt activation and myocardial cells apoptosis. However, rapamycin reversed all the changes in a dose-dependent manner. Cardiac functions were enhanced by rapamycin. Myocardial cells apoptotic percentage, Akt expression, and pathological changes in HF rats myocardium were inhibited by rapamycin administration.

Conclusions: Rapamycin protected against myocardial hypertrophy and myocardial cells apoptosis in HF rats in a dose-dependent manner.

Author(s): Chunxiao Zhang, Aifen Liu, Guohai Su, Yudong Chen
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