Antifibrotic Effects of N -Acetyl-Seryl-Aspartyl-Lysyl-Proline on the Heart and Kidney in Aldosterone-Salt Hypertensive Rats

Abstract

N -acetyl-seryl-aspartyl-lysyl-proline (Ac-SDKP) inhibits not only hematopoietic cell proliferation but also fibroblast proliferation and collagen synthesis in vitro. Ac-SDKP also prevents collagen deposition and cell proliferation in the left ventricle (LV) in rats with renovascular hypertension (renin dependent). However, it is not clear whether Ac-SDKP has similar effects in a model of renin-independent hypertension (aldosterone-salt). Using a hypertensive rat model of cardiac and renal fibrosis created by chronic elevation of circulating aldosterone (ALDO) levels, we examined the effect of Ac-SDKP on blood pressure, cardiac and renal fibrosis and hypertrophy, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression in the LV and left kidney. Uninephrectomized rats were divided into 4 groups: (1) controls that received tap water, (2) rats that received ALDO (0.75 μg/h SC) and 1% NaCl/0.2% KCl in drinking water (ALDO-salt), (3) rats that received ALDO-salt plus Ac-SDKP 400 μg · kg −1 · day −1 SC, and (4) rats that received ALDO-salt plus Ac-SDKP 800 μg · kg −1 · d −1 SC. After 6 weeks of treatment, the ALDO-salt group was found to have significantly increased blood pressure with decreased body weight and plasma renin concentration ( P <0.05), LV and renal hypertrophy as well as renal injury, significantly increased collagen content in both ventricles and kidney as well as increased collagen volume fraction in the LV ( P <0.0001), and significantly increased interstitial and perivascular PCNA-positive cells in the LV and kidney ( P <0.0001). Ac-SDKP at 800 μg · kg −1 · d −1 markedly prevented cardiac and renal fibrosis ( P <0.005) without affecting blood pressure or organ hypertrophy. It also suppressed PCNA expression in the LV and kidney in a dose-dependent manner. We concluded that Ac-SDKP prevents increased collagen deposition and cell proliferation in the heart and kidney in ALDO-salt hypertensive rats. Because ACE inhibitors increase plasma and tissue Ac-SDKP and decrease cardiac and renal fibrosis, we speculate that Ac-SDKP may participate in the antifibrotic effect of ACE inhibitors.