Objective: To study the potential mechanisms of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) mediating improvement of the cardiac function of dilated cardiomyopathy mice (DCM).
Methods and results: We established experimental model of dilated cardiomyopathy by repetitive coxsickievirus B3 (CVB3) infection in Balb/c mice and half of the experimental group mice were injected 0.2 microg recombinated human HGF through tail vein every 2 days starting from the 5th month. At the 5th month, dilated cardiomyopathy occurred in experimental group mice. The HGF level and N-cadherin expression in myocardium of experimental group was downregulated. At the 7th month, after HGF supplement, the HGF level and N-cadherin expression in the myocardium of the mice were increased, the fibrosis of myocardial and cells apoptosis were ameliorated and cardiac function was improved. In vitro experiment, we found that N-cadherin expression was increased in cultured myocardial cells treated with rHGF.
Conclusion: Increasing in N-cadherin expression may be one of the potential mechanisms of HGF mediating Improvement of cardiac function of dilated cardiomyopathy mice.