Gender-Based Differences in Cardiac Remodeling and ILK Expression after Myocardial Infarction

Abstract

BackgroundGender can influence post-infarction cardiac remodeling.ObjectiveTo evaluate whether gender influences left ventricular (LV) remodeling and integrin-linked kinase (ILK) after myocardial infarction (MI).MethodsFemale and male Wistar rats were assigned to one of three groups: sham, moderate MI (size: 20-39% of LV area), and large MI (size: ≥40% of LV area). MI was induced by coronary occlusion, and echocardiographic analysis was performed after six weeks to evaluate MI size as well as LV morphology and function. Real-time RT-PCR and Western blot were used to quantify ILK in the myocardium.ResultsMI size was similar between genders. MI resulted in systolic dysfunction and enlargement of end-diastolic as well as end-systolic dimension of LV as a function of necrotic area size in both genders. Female rats with large MI showed a lower diastolic and systolic dilatation than the respective male rats; however, LV dysfunction was similar between genders. Gene and protein levels of ILK were increased in female rats with moderate and large infarctions, but only male rats with large infarctions showed an altered ILK mRNA level. A negative linear correlation was evident between LV dimensions and ILK expression in female rats with large MI.ConclusionsPost-MI ILK expression is altered in a gender-specific manner, and higher ILK levels found in females may be sufficient to improve LV geometry but not LV function.

Sex is no determinant of cardioprotection by ischemic preconditioning in rats, but ischemic/reperfused tissue mass is for remote ischemic preconditioning

“…The slight differences in ischemic/reperfused peripheral tissue masses between male and female rats, however, did not impact on RIPC's cardioprotection. We did not observe any sex-related differences in infarct size, in line with some (Bae and Zhang 2005;Penna et al 2009;Ciocci Pardo et al 2018), but not all studies in rats (Li and Kloner 1995;Litwin et al 1999;Sofia et al 2014). Rat strain and genetic background (Baker et al 2000), source of animals (Jones et al 2015), regional versus global ischemia protocols, their duration, and experimental conditionings (Jones et al 2015) may have obscured potential sex-related differences.…”

Comparative mRNA and MicroRNA Profiling during Acute Myocardial Infarction Induced by Coronary Occlusion and Ablation Radio-Frequency Currents

“…Many authors assessed an expression pattern in different MI phases and issues as cardiomyocytes responses to remodeling were addressed in different studies, focusing in differentially expressed genes (Dhalla et al, 2012; Sofia et al, 2014; Katz et al, 2016; Kirk and Cingolani, 2016). These changes may occur at multiple levels, including in transcription regulation, epigenetic processes, mRNA stability, and more.…”

Sex-related differences in intrinsic myocardial properties influence cardiac function in middle-aged rats during infarction-induced left ventricular remodeling

“…), whereas others have reported the existence of sex‐related differences only in one type of LV parameters, such as the internal dimensions (Sofia et al. ), chamber geometry (Litwin et al. ), or systolic function (Shioura et al.…”

“…; Sofia et al. ; Antonio et al. ) the influence of biological sex on the MI‐induced LV remodeling process.…”