Correlation between endothelial cell apoptosis and SIRT3 gene expression in atherosclerosis rats

摘要

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between the endothelial cell apoptosis and sirtuin-3 (SIRT3) gene expression in atherosclerosis (AS) rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The AS model in rats was established through the high-fat diet. A total of 12 rats fed normally were enrolled as the control group, while 12 rats fed with high-fat diet were enrolled as the experimental group. After the experiment, the aortic tissues of rats were collected, and the relative area of the arterial plaque (total area of plaque/total area of the vessel) was measured via oil red O staining. The serum was collected to detect the levels of blood lipid, including total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Moreover, the expression levels of SIRT3 and apoptotic genes were determined via Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), Western blotting and immunohistochemistry (IHC), respectively. The apoptosis was detected via terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining. RESULTS: The area of aortic plaque in the experimental group [(36.15±9.52)%] was significantly larger than that in the control group [(11.62±3.25)%] (p0.01). Compared with those in the control group, the serum TC, TG and LDL-C levels were significantly increased in the experimental group, while the HDL-C level was significantly decreased (p0.05). Compared with those in the control group, the mRNA and protein expression levels of SIRT3 in the aorta of rats markedly declined in the experimental group (p0.05), while Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 expressions were significantly increased (p0.05), respectively. The results of TUNEL staining revealed that the apoptosis in the aorta of rats in the experimental group was remarkably higher than that in the control group (p0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The expression of SIRT3 is deleted in the aorta of AS rats and closely related to the apoptosis. SIRT3 may serve as a potential target for the treatment of AS.