Effects of trichloroethylene and its metabolite trichloroacetic acid on the expression of vimentin in the rat H9c2 cell line

Abstract

Trichloroethylene (TCE) and its metabolite trichloroacetic acid (TCAA) are environmental contaminants with specific toxicity for the embryonic heart. In an effort to identify the cellular pathways disrupted by TCE and TCAA during heart development, we investigated their effects on expression of vimentin, a marker of cardiac differentiation. Previous studies had shown that the level of vimentin transcript was inhibited in rat embryonic heart after maternal exposure to TCE via drinking water. In the same study, maternal exposure to TCAA produced the opposite effect, inducing an increased level of vimentin mRNA. In this study, we selected an in vitro system, the rat cardiac myoblast cell line H9c2, to further characterize the molecular mechanisms used by TCE and TCAA to disrupt normal heart development. In particular, we investigated the effects of both toxicants on vimentin, at both the RNA and protein levels, using dose-response and time course curves. Our experimental findings indicate that vimentin expression is affected by TCE and TCAA in H9c2 cells similarly as in vivo. The work is significant because it provides a suitable in vitro model for studies looking at toxicant effects on myocardiac cells, and it suggests that vimentin is a good marker of TCE exposure in the embryonic heart.

Effect of bisphenol A on the myocardium of adult male albino rats and the possible role of lycopene

“…The same researchers demonstrated a negative correlation between myocardial vimentin content and the actin-myosin sliding rate. The alteration in vimentin expression may be caused by changes in intracellular calcium concentrations [63]. Derangements of cytoskeletal proteins such as vimentin contribute to alterations in intracellular signaling, myocyte function, and coupling of myocytes to the extracellular matrix during cardiac hypertrophy and failure [20,21,61].…”

Low-Dose Trichloroethylene Alters Cytochrome P450-2C Subfamily Expression in the Developing Chick Heart

“…Early studies focused on moderate to high levels of exposure. However, recent studies of gene expression in H9C2 cells suggest that there are biphasic curves with maximum effects between 10–100 ppb and again at 10–100 ppm (Caldwell et al, 2008; Selmin et al, 2005). As described by Drake et al (2006b), concentrations of TCE (8 ppb) close to the EPA maximum contaminant levels (5 ppb) are sufficient to alter cardiac hemodynamics.…”

Trichloroethylene and Trichloroacetic Acid Regulate Calcium Signaling Pathways in Murine Embryonal Carcinoma Cells P19

“…Our laboratory has investigated the molecular mechanisms involved in cardiac toxicity of chlorinated hydrocarbons using animal and in vitro models [14,15]. In those studies, we identified genes whose expression was altered in rat embryonic heart and characterized how TCE and TCA altered their expression pattern in a dose-and time-dependent fashion.…”