›› 2014, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (1): 66-69.

• Original Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Expression of connexin 43 in dilated cardiomyopathy and its correlation with left ventricular ejection fraction YUAN Yonghua1, HE Xuehua1, FANG Yibing1, XIA Xiaohui2 (1.Department of Pediatrics, 2.Deparment of Ultrasonography, Hunan People's Hospital, Changsha 410005, Hunan, China)

  

  • Received:2013-08-11 Online:2014-01-15 Published:2014-01-15

Abstract:  Objective To observe the expression of connexin 43 (Cx43) in left ventricular myocardium of rats with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) induced by adriamycin, and its correlation with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Methods The dilated cardiomyopathy model was established by intraperitoneal injection with adriamycin in Wistar rats. The LVEF of rats in DCM group and normal control group was investigated with echocardiogram at the end of the 8th week and 12th week, respectively. Meanwhile, myocardial Cx43 distribution was observed by immunohistochemical and image analysis techniques and Cx43 mRNA expression was tested by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results Compared with the control group,the expressions of Cx43 protein (average gray value) and Cx43 mRNA and LVEF were all decreased significantly at the end of the 8th week and 12th week respectively in DCM group (P<0.05). The expressions of Cx43 protein and Cx43 mRNA in rat myocardium were positively correlated with LVEF (r=0.89 and 0.91, P<0.01). Conclusions Decreased expressions and heterogeneous distribution of Cx43 were observed in myocardium of rats in DCM model group. It is suggested that Cx43 may participate in the pathological process of DCM.