Correlation between Serum Calcineurin Activity and Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Hypertensive Patients and Its Clinical Significance

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between calcineurin (CaN) and hypertension with left ventricular hypertrophy (HLVH) and to evaluate its potential clinical significance. Design: The study involved 160 patients diagnosed with hypertension and 42 controls. Based on the exclusion criteria, 42 were not eligible for this study. The remaining 118 hypertensive patients were categorized into 2 subgroups based on left ventricular mass index and relative ventricular wall thickness: a normal model subgroup with hypertension (HNM) and an HLVH subgroup. Serum CaN levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, while serum CaN activity was determined by malachite green colorimetric assay. Results: Among the HNM and HLVH subgroups, a positive correlation was demonstrated between serum CaN activity, but not serum CaN level, and HLVH. Moreover, the HLVH subgroup displayed a remarkable increase in the levels of brain natriuretic peptide, cystatin C, urinary albumin/creatinine ratio, and left atrium diameter compared to the HNM subgroup and controls. Conclusion: There was a positive correlation between serum CaN activity and LVH in hypertensive patients. Activated CaN could play an important role in the pathophysiologic mechanism of HLVH. Serum CaN activity could be a clinically useful diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for LVH.

Inhibition of Jumonji demethylases reprograms severe dilated cardiomyopathy and prolongs survival

“…Importantly, these phenotypes are at least partly reversible by Jumonji inhibitor JIB-04 or equivalent interventions and may synergize with standard therapies currently used to manage disease symptoms. The beneficial effects of Jumonji inhibitor intervention in the CnTg animals becomes of high interest considering the continued observations that human patients suffering from heart pathologies have increased levels of calcineurin activity [19][20][21][22][23].…”

“…Multiple studies have established that high levels of calcineurin activity are found in patients with congestive heart failure and more recently, also in those with left ventricular hypertrophy [19][20][21][22][23]. Given this, here we characterized the transcriptional and epigenetic pathways at play in a model of severe dilated cardiomyopathy driven by constitutively active calcineurin and found wide deregulation of cardiac transcriptional programs and increased levels and activity of a subset of histone demethylating enzymes not yet described to be involved in heart pathology.…”

Correlations of circulating miR-26b level with left ventricular hypertrophy and cardiac function in elderly patients with hypertension

“… 8 The coronary reserve capacity of patients with hypertension and LVH is significantly reduced, resulting in acute myocardial ischemic events that easily occur and increase the risk of death. 9 At present, the commonly used diagnostic methods such as electrocardiogram, magnetic resonance imaging and echocardiography have disadvantages or limitations. 10 There is an urgent need to find a simple, specific and highly sensitive diagnostic method in clinical practice.…”

Calcineurin in development and disease

“…For instance, a study reported an increase in serum CaN activity in hypertensive and hypertrophic patients. 99 Moreover, significantly increased concentration of intracellular Ca 2+ was found to enhance CaN and NFATc4 expression in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. 100 Additionally, transgenic mice expressing activated forms of CaN, or downstream targets exhibit CH and heart failure.…”