Rho-kinase has relevant functions in blood pressure modulation and cardiovascular remodeling.
Rho-kinase activity is determined in circulating leukocytes measuring phosphorylation of its target
myosin phosphatase target subunit 1 (MYPT1), but its relationship with
Rho-kinase activity in the myocardium and in vasculature in
hypertension has not been evaluated.The aim was to determine the degree of association between
Rho-kinase cascade activation in circulating leukocytes with cardiac and aortic
Rho-kinase pathway activation in a model of
hypertension and to analyze it with a cause-effect perspective.Hypertensive
deoxycorticosterone (
DOCA)-
salt rats received the
Rho-kinase antagonist
fasudil (
DOCA-Fas, 100 mg/kg/day, 3 weeks). Results were compared with an untreated
DOCA-
salt and a
sham group.Rho-
kinase inhibition reduced significantly blood pressure,
cardiac hypertrophy, myocardial
collagen and macrophage infiltration, but not aortic wall
hypertrophy.
Fasudil decreased significantly
Rho-kinase activity in peripheral blood mononucleated cells (PBMC), myocardium and aortic wall to similar levels as in the
sham group. A significant correlation was found between PBMC
Rho-kinase activity and cardiac remodeling, specifically with
hypertrophy (r = 0.51, P≤0.01), myocardial
collagen (r = 0.40, P≤0.05) and ED1 immunostaining (r = 0.48, P≤0.01). In the untreated hypertensive group, increased levels (P<0.05) of the proinflammatory molecules p65 NF-κB,
vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 and
interleukin-6 antibody in the myocardium, aortic wall and PBMC were observed and were reduced with
fasudil (P<0.05).In conclusion, in this
hypertension model,
Rho-kinase and its pathway activation determined in circulating leukocytes reflect the activation of this pathway in the myocardium and in the aortic wall and are significantly related to myocardial remodeling (
hypertrophy,
fibrosis and
inflammation).