Effect of hepatocyte growth factor and angiotensin II on rat cardiomyocyte hypertrophy

Chen, Ai-Lan; Ou, Cai-Wen; He, Zhao-Chu; Liu, Qi-Cai; Dong, Qi; Chen, Min-Sheng

Based on these findings, we sought to determine how this pro-hypertrophy effect of HGF may occur. Since the most common cause of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy is hypertension, and since an increased Ang II level in hypertension is a critical pro-hypertrophy trigger, we next explored whether there might be an association between HGF and Ang II in cardiomyocytes. Importantly, we found a combined effect of HGF and Ang II on cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. The roles of Ang II in the regulation of the cardiovascular system under normal and pathological conditions have been well documented, and it has been well accepted that Ang II is a direct pro-hypertrophy factor in cardiomyocytes. Moreover, there is evidence that Ang II and related proteins such as interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α, play key roles in cardiac fibroblast growth and collagen deposition following myocardial infarction (35) . In addition, heparin, a highly sulfated glycosaminoglycan and widely used injectable anticoagulant, was found to potently inhibit Ang II-mediated cardiomyocyte hypertrophy (36) . The interleukin-6 family of cytokines was also reported to contribute to Ang II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy (37) . However, to the best of our knowledge, there has been no report to date on the combined effect of Ang II and any other protein on cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. More importantly, since cardiomyocyte hypertrophy is related to the pathophysiological mechanisms of many cardiovascular diseases, our findings in this study may bring new focus on HGF in treating cardiovascular diseases.