Author(s):
Henriques-Coelho, T 
; Oliveira, SM ; Moura, RS ; Roncon-Albuquerque R, Jr. ; Neves, AL ; Santos, M ; Nogueira-Silva, C ; La Fuente Carvalho, F ; Brandão-Nogueira, A ; Correia-Pinto, J ; Leite-Moreira, AF
Date: 2008
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10216/67139
Origin: Repositório Aberto da Universidade do Porto
Description
The pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension (PH) includes an inflammatory response. Thymulin, a zinc-dependent thymic hormone, has important immunobiological effects by inhibiting various proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines. We investigated morphological and hemodynamic effects of thymulin administration in a rat model of monocrotaline (MCT)-induced PH, as well as the pattern of proinflammatory cytokine gene expression and the intracellular pathways involved. Adult Wistar rats received an injection of MCT (60 mg/kg, sc) or an equal volume of saline. One day after, the animals randomly received during 3 wk an injection of saline, vehicle (zinc plus carboxymethyl cellulose), or thymulin (100 ng/kg, sc, daily). At d 23-25, the animals were anesthetized for hemodynamic recordings, whereas heart and lungs were collected for morphometric and molecular analysis. Thymulin prevented morphological, hemodynamic, and inflammatory cardiopulmonary profile characteristic of MCT-induced PH, whereas part of these effects were also observed in MCT-treated animals injected with the thymulin's vehicle containing zinc. The pulmonary thymulin effect was likely mediated through suppression of p38 pathway.
