Increased expression of cardiotrophin-1 during ventricular remodeling in hypertensive rats

Cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1) stimulates longitudinal myocardial cell hypertrophy. We examined the expression of CT-1, leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), and gp130 by competitive RT-PCR and Western blotting in Dahl salt-sensitive (DS) rats with a high-salt diet, which showed a distinct transition from left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) to congestive heart failure (CHF). The expression levels of CT-1 mRNA and protein were significantly increased at the CHF stage compared with the LVH stage and age-matched Dahl salt-resistant (DR) rats (n = 6 for each group). mRNA expression of LIF was not changed in the left ventricle at any stage by RT-PCR. gp130 mRNA and protein levels of DS rats at 11 and 17 wk were significantly increased compared with age-matched DR rats. The isolated myocyte length of DS rats at 17 wk was the longest among the four groups of rats. The LV end-diastolic dimension (LVDd) of DS rats, determined by echocardiography, was significantly increased at the CHF stage. There was a significant correlation between the CT-1 protein level and LVDd. CT-1 may play a role in ventricular remodeling during transition from LVH to CHF in the rat hypertensive model.