Skip to main content
  • Short Communication
  • Published:

Leptin regulates MMP-2, TIMP-1 and collagen synthesis via p38 MAPK in HL-1 murine cardiomyocytes

Abstract

A clear association between obesity and heart failure exists and a significant role for leptin, the product of the obese gene, has been suggested. One aspect of myocardial remodeling which characterizes heart failure is a disruption in the balance of extracellular matrix synthesis and degradation. Here we investigated the effects of leptin on matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP) expression, as well as collagen synthesis in HL-1 cardiac muscle cells. Gelatin zymographic analysis of MMP activity in conditioned media showed that leptin enhanced MMP-2 activity in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Leptin is known to stimulate phosphorylation of p38 MAPK in cardiac cells and utilization of the p38 MAPK inhibitor, SB203580, demonstrated that this kinase also plays a role in regulating several extracellular matrix components, such that inhibition of p38 MAPK signaling prevented the leptin-induced increase in MMP-2 activation. We also observed that leptin enhanced collagen synthesis determined by both proline incorporation and picrosirius red staining of conditioned media. Pro-collagen type-I and pro-collagen type-III expression, measured by real-time PCR and Western blotting were also increased by leptin, effects which were again attenuated by SB203580. In summary, these results demonstrate the potential for leptin to play a role in mediating myocardial ECM remodeling and that the p38 MAPK pathway plays an important role in mediating these effects.

Abbreviations

AP-1:

activator protein-1

ATF-2:

activating transcription factor-2

ECM:

extracellular matrix

HF:

heart failure

LV:

left ventricular

MAPK:

mitogen activated protein kinase

MMP:

matrix metalloproteinase

mRNA:

messenger ribonucleic acid

PBS:

phosphate buffered saline

PCR:

polymerase chain reaction

TIMP:

tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase

References

  1. Fedak, P., Verma, S., Weisel, R.D. and Li, R.K. Cardiac remodeling and failure: From molecules to man Part II. Cardiovasc. Pathol. 14 (2005) 49–60.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Abel, D.E., Litwin, S.E. and Sweeney, G. Cardiac remodeling in obesity. Physiol. Rev. 88 (2008) 389–419.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Brown, R., Ambler, S.K., Mitchell, M.D. and Long, C.S. The cardiac fibroblast: therapeutic target in myocardial remodeling and failure. Annu. Rev. Pharmacol. Toxicol. 45 (2005) 657–687.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Cleutens, J.P., Verluyten, M.J., Smiths, J.F. and Damen, M.J. Collagen remodeling after myocardial infarction in the rat heart. Am. J. Cardiovasc. Pathol. 147 (1995) 325–338.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Berry, M.F., Woo, Y.J., Pirolli, T.J., Bish, L.T., Moise, M.A., Burdick, J.W., Morine, K.J., Jayasankar, V., Gardner, T.J. and Sweeney, H.L. Administration of a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor at the time of mycardial infarction attenuates subsequent ventricular remodeling. J. Heart. Lung. Transplant. 23 (2004) 1061–1068.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Karim, M., Ferguson, A.G., Wakim, B.T. and Samarel, A.M. In vivo collagen turnover during development of thyroxine-induced left ventricular hypertrophy. Am. J. Physiol. Lung Cell. Mol. Physiol. 260 (1991) C316–C326.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Alpert, M., Lambert, C.R., Panayioutu, H., Terry, B.E., Cohen, M.V., Massey, C.V., Hashimi, M.W. and Mukerji, V. Relation of duration of morbid obesity to left ventricular mass, systolic function, and diastolic filling, and effect of weight loss. Am. J. Cardiol. 76 (1995) 1194–1197.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Je, H., Ogden, L.G., Bazzano, L.A., Vupputure, S., Loria, C. and Whelton, P.K. Risk factors for congestive heart failure in US men and women: NHANES I epdiemiologic follow-up study. Arch. Intern. Med. 161 (2001) 996–1002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Halaas, J., Gajiwala, K.S., Maffei, M., Coehn, S.L., Chait, B.T., Rabinowitz, D., Lallone, R.L., Burley, S.K. and Friedman, J.M. Weight-reducing effects of the plasma protein encoded by the obese gene. Science 269 (2005) 543–546.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Purdham, D., Zou, M.X., Rajapurohitam, V. and Karmazyn, M. Rat heart is a site of leptin production and action. Am. J. Physiol. Heart Circ. Physiol. 287 (2004) H2877–H2884.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Masuzaki, H., Ogawa, Y., Sagawa, N., Hosoda, K., Matsumoto, T., Mise, H., Nishimura, H., Yoshimasa, Y., Tanaka I., Mori, T. and Nakao, K. Nonadipose tissue production of leptin: leptin as a novel placenta-derived hormone in humans. Nat. Med. 3 (1997) 1029–1033.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Bado, A., Levessaeur, S., Attoub, S., Kermogant, S., Laigneau, J.P., Bortoluzzi, M.N., Loizo, L., Lehy, T., Guerre-Millo, M., Le Marchand-Brustel, Y. and Lewin, M. The stomach is a source of leptin. Nature 394 (1998) 790–793.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Madani, S., de Girolamo, S., Munoz, D.M., Li, R.K. and Sweeney, G. Direct effects of leptin on size and extracellular matrix components of human pediatric ventricular cardiomyocytes. Cardiovasc. Res. 69 (2006) 716–725.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Zeidan, A., Javadov, S. and Karmazyn, M. Essential role of Rho/ROCK-dependent processes and actin dynamics in mediating leptin-induced hypertrophy in rat neonatal ventricular myocytes. Cardiovasc. Res. 72 (2006) 101–111.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Zeidan, A., Paylor, B., Steinhoff, K.J., Javadov, S., Rajapurohitam, V., Chakrabarti, S. and Karmazyn, M. Actin cytoskeleton dynamics promotes leptin-induced vascular smooth muscle hypertrophy via RhoA/ROCK- and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B-dependent pathways. J. Pharmacol. Exper. Ther. 322 (2007) 1110–1116.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Schram, K., Wong, M.M., Palanivel, R., No, E.K., Dixon, I.M. and Sweeney G. Increased expression and cell surface localization of MT1-MMP plays a role in stimulation of MMP-2 activity by leptin in neonatal rat cardiac myofibroblasts. J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol. 44 (2008) 874–881.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Purdham, D., Rajapurohitam, V., Zeidan, A., Huang, C., Gross, G.J. and Karmazyn, M. A neutralizing leptin receptor antibody mitigates hypertrophy and hemodynamic dysfunction in the postinfarcted rat heart. Am. J. Physiol. Heart Circ. Physiol. 295 (2008) H441–446.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Sweeney, G. Leptin signaling. Cell. Signal. 14 (2002) 655–663.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Zeidan, A., Javadoc, S., Chakrabarti, S. and Karmazyn, M. Leptin-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy involves selective calveolae and RhoA/ROCK-dependent p38 MAPK translocation to nuclei. Cardiovasc. Res. 77 (2008) 64–72.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Flack, E., Lindsey, M.L., Squires, C.E., Kaplan, B.S., Stroud, R.E., Clar, L.L., Escobar, P.G., Yarbrough, Y.M. and Spinale, F.G. Alterations in cultured myocardial fibroblast function following the development of left ventricular failure. J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol. 40 (2006) 474–483.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Barouch, L., Berkowitz, D.E., Harrison, R.W., O’Donnell, C.P. and Hare, J.M. Disruption of leptin signaling contributes to cardiac hypertrophy independently of body weight in mice. Circulation 108 (2003) 754–759.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Trivedi, P., Yang, R. and Barouch, L.A. Decreased p110alpha catalytic activity accompanies increased myocyte apoptosis and cardiac hypertrophy in leptin deficient ob/ob mice. Cell Cycle 7 (2008) 560–565.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. McGaffin, K., Sun, C.K., Rager, J.J., Romano, L.C., Zou, B., Mathier, M.A., O’Doherty, R.M., McTiernan, C.F. and O’Donnell, C.P. Leptin signalling reduces the severity of cardiac dysfunction and remodeling after chronic ischaemic injury. Cardiovasc. Res. 77 (2008) 54–63.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Majumdar, P., Chen, S., George, B., Sen, S. Karmazyn, M. and Chakrabarti, S. Leptin and endothelin-1 mediated increased extracellular matrix protein production and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in diabetic heart disease. Diabetes Metab. Res. Rev. 25 (2009) 452–463.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Powell, B., Redifeld, M.M., Bybee, K.A., Freeman, W.K. and Rihal, C.S. Association of obesity with left ventricular remodeling and diastolic dysfunction in patients without coronary artery disease. Am. J. Cardiol. 98 (2006) 116–120.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Cleutjens, J., Kandala, J., Guarda, E., Guntaka, R.V. and Weber, K.T. Regulation of collagen degradation in the rat myocardium after infarction. J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol. 27 (1995) 1281–1292.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Daoud, S., Schinzel, R., Neumann, A., Loske, C., Fraccarollo, D., Diez, C. and Simm, A. Advanced glycation endproducts: activators of cardiac remodeling in primary fibroblasts from adult rat hearts. Mol. Med. 7 (2001) 543–551.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Spinale, F. Myocardial matrix remodeling and the matrix metalloproteinases: influence on cardiac form and function. Physiol. Rev. 87 (2007) 1285–1342.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Park, H., Kwon, H.M., Lim, H.J., Hong, B.K., Lee, J.Y., Park, B.E., Jang, Y., Cho, S.Y. and Kim, H.S. Potential role of leptin in angiogenesis: leptin induces endothelial cell proliferation and expression of matrix metalloproteinases in vivo and in vitro. Exper. Mol. Med. 33 (2001) 95–102.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Kim, E.S., Sohn, Y.M. and Moon, A. TGF-beta-induced transcriptional activation of MMP-2 is mediated by activating transcription factor (ATF)2 in human breast epithelial cells. Cancer Lett. 252 (2007) 147–156.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Shin, H.J., Oh, J., Kang, S.M., Lee, J.H, Shin, M.J., Hwang, K.C., Jang, Y. and Chung, J.H. Leptin induces hypertrophy via p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase in rat vascular smooth muscle cells. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 329 (2005) 18–24.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Saxena, N., Saliba, G., Floyd, J.J. and Anania, F.A. Leptin induces increased alpha2(I) collagen gene expression in cultured rat hepatic stelate cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 89 (2003) 311–320.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Eguchi, M., Liu, Y., Shin, E.J. and Sweeney, G. Leptin protects H9c2 rat cardiomyocytes from H202-induced apoptosis. FEBS J. 275 (2008) 3136–3144.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Besse, S., Robert, V., Assayag, P., Delcayre, C. and Swynghedauw, B. Nonsynchronouse changes in myocardial collagen mRNA and protein during aging: effect of DOCA-salt hypertension. AJP Heart Circ. Physiol. 267 (1994) H2237–H2244.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Segal, K.R., Landt, M. and Klein, S. Relationship between insulin sensitivity and plasma leptin concentrations in lean and obese men. Diabetes 45 (1996) 988–991.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gary Sweeney.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Schram, K., De Girolamo, S., Madani, S. et al. Leptin regulates MMP-2, TIMP-1 and collagen synthesis via p38 MAPK in HL-1 murine cardiomyocytes. Cell Mol Biol Lett 15, 551–563 (2010). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11658-010-0027-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s11658-010-0027-z

Key words