Abstract-Angiotensin II (Ang II) is implicated in the proinflammatory process in various disease situations. Thus, we sought to determine the role of Ang II in early inflammation-induced fibrosis of pressure-overloaded (PO) hearts. PO was induced by suprarenal aortic constriction (AC) at day 0 in male Wistar rats, and they were orally administered 0.1 mg/kg per day candesartan every day from day Ϫ7. This was the maximum dose of candesartan that did not change arterial pressure in hypertensive rats with AC (AC rats). In AC rats, cardiac angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity was transiently enhanced after day 1 and peaked at day 3, declining to lower levels by day 14, whereas serum ACE activity was not changed. In AC rats, PO induced early fibroinflammatory changes (monocyte chemoattractant factor [MCP]-1 and transforming growth factor [TGF]-␤ expression, perivascular macrophage accumulation, and fibroblast proliferation), and thereafter, left ventricular hypertrophy developed, featuring myocyte hypertrophy, intramyocardial arterial wall thickening, and perivascular and interstitial fibroses. Candesartan suppressed the induction of MCP-1 and TGF-␤ and reduced macrophage accumulation and fibroblast proliferation in PO hearts. Candesartan significantly prevented perivascular and interstitial fibrosis. However, candesartan did not affect myocyte hypertrophy and arterial wall thickening. In conclusion, a subdepressor dose of candesartan prevented the MCP-1-mediated inflammatory process and reactive myocardial fibrosis in PO hearts. Ang II might play a key role in reactive fibrosis in hypertensive hearts, independent of arterial pressure changes.

Abstract-A role of interferon-␥ is suggested in early development of atherosclerosis. However, the role of interferon-␥ in progression and destabilization of advanced atherosclerotic plaques remains unknown. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine whether postnatal inhibition of interferon-␥ signaling could inhibit progression of atherosclerotic plaques and stabilize the lipid-and macrophage-rich advanced plaques. Atherosclerotic plaques were induced in ApoE-knockout (KO) mice by feeding high-fat diet from 8 weeks old (w). Interferon-␥ function was postnatally inhibited by repeated gene transfers of a soluble mutant of interferon-␥ receptors (sIFN␥R), an interferon-␥ inhibitory protein, into the thigh muscle every 2 weeks. When sIFN␥R treatment was started at 12 w (atherosclerotic stage), sIFN␥R not only prevented plaque progression but also stabilized advanced plaques at 16 w: sIFN␥R decreased accumulations of the lipid and macrophages and increased fibrotic area with more smooth muscle cells. Moreover, sIFN␥R downregulated expressions of proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, adhesion molecules, and matrix metalloproteinases but upregulated procollagen type I. sIFN␥R did not affect serum cholesterol levels. In conclusion, postnatal blocking of interferon-␥ function by sIFN␥R treatment would be a new strategy to inhibit plaque progression and to stabilize advanced plaques through the antiinflammatory effects.

Isometric tension of skinned fibres from the frog semitendinosus muscle is sigmoidally related to Ca2+ concentration between pCa 7 and 6. Stiffness measurements showed that the Ca2+-activated tension may be due to recruitment of attached cross-bridges. In the absence of ATP (rigor solution) the skinned fibre develops a rigor tension which reaches about 80-110% of the maximum Ca2+-activated tension. However, stiffness measurements showed that in rigor many more cross-bridges are attached to actin at any one moment than in contraction. It was concluded that the force per cross-bridge is 37% smaller in rigor than in contraction.