Abstract:

Objective To investigate the effect of aldosterone on ACE2-Ang (1-7)-Mas receptor axis of endothelial cells, and explore its association with apoptosis. Methods Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) cultured in vitro were divided into control group (DMEM/F12 culture medium), aldosterone group (treatment with 10, 100, 1 000 nmol/L aldosterone) and aldosterone antagonist group (100 nmol/L aldosterone+1 μmol/L aldosterone antagonist). The expression of ACE2 protein in cells was observed with immunofluorescence cytochemical staining, the expression of ACE2 receptor and Mas receptor was determined by Western blotting, the contents of AngII and Ang (1-7) protein and caspase-3 activity in the supernatant of culture fluid were measured by ELISA, and cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry with FITC-Annexin V/PI fluorescein staining. Results Compared with control group, the expression of ACE2 receptor and Mas receptor in cells in aldosterone group significantly decreased in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.01). In 100 nmol/L aldosterone group, the expression of ACE2 receptor and Mas receptor in cells significantly decreased in a time-dependent manner (P<0.01), while the expression of ACE2 receptor and Mas receptor in cells in aldosterone antagonist group was significantly higher than that in 100 nmol/L aldosterone group (P<0.01). The content of AngⅡand caspase-3 activity in the supernatant of culture fluid in aldosterone group significantly increased with the time, while the content of Ang (1-7) significantly decreased. The apoptosis rate in aldosterone group was significantly higher than that in control group, while the apoptosis rate in aldosterone antagonist group was significantly lower than that in aldosterone group (P<0.05). Conclusion Aldosterone may regulate ACE2-Ang (1-7)-Mas receptor axis, which may play a role in inducing endothelial cell apoptosis.

Key words: aldosterone, human umbilical vein endothelial cells, ACE2-Ang (1-7)-Mas receptor axis