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Ann Thorac Surg 1999;67:1726-1731
© 1999 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

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Original Articles

Gene transfection of hepatocyte growth factor attenuates reperfusion injury in the heart

^a First Department of Surgery, Biomedical Research Center, Osaka University Medical School, Osaka, Japan
^b Division of Biochemistry, Biomedical Research Center, Osaka University Medical School, Osaka, Japan
^c Molecular and Cellular Biological Center, Osaka University Medical School, Osaka, Japan

Accepted for publication December 31, 1998.

Address reprint requests to Dr Sawa, First Department of Surgery, Osaka University Medical School, 2-2 Yamadaoka Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
e-mail: hueda{at}surg1.med.osaka-u.ac.jp

	Abstract

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Background. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), a ligand for the c-Met receptor tyrosine kinase, plays a role as organotrophic factor for regeneration of various organs. HGF has an angiogenic activity and exhibits a potent antiapoptotic activity in several types of cells. Although HGF and the c-Met/HGF receptor are expressed in the heart, the role of HGF in the heart has remained unknown.

Methods. After we analyzed changes in expression of endogenous HGF and c-Met mRNA levels in the rat left ventricle after myocardial infarction, the human HGF gene in hemagglutinating virus of Japan (HVJ)-liposome was transfected into the normal whole rat heart. Three days after transfection, the heart was subjected to global warm ischemia and subsequent reperfusion, followed by assessment of its cardiac functions.

Results. Both HGF and c-Met/HGF receptor mRNAs were expressed in adult rat heart, and c-Met/HGF receptor mRNA was upregulated in response to myocardial infarction. HGF-transfected heart showed significant increase of human HGF protein level in the heart. Cardiac functions in terms of the left ventricular developed pressure, maximum dp/dt, and pressure rate product in hearts with HGF gene transfection were significantly superior to those in control hearts. In addition, leakage of creatine phosphokinase in the coronary artery effluent in hearts with HGF gene transfection was significantly lower than that in control hearts.

Conclusions. These data indicated that both HGF and c-Met/HGF receptor mRNAs were upregulated in response to myocardial ischemic injury, and that HGF is likely to have a cytoprotective effect on cardiac tissue, presumably through the c-Met/HGF receptor.

	Introduction

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Recent advances in myocardial protection have improved the clinical results of open heart surgery. However, severely critical cases associated with compromised heart, such as failing heart or postischemic conditions, still occur, and thus, further attempts to improve myocardial protection should be addressed. Recent studies have revealed the importance of an endogenous myocardial protective system against ischemia-reperfusion injury [1, 2]. For an advanced strategy for myocardial protection, therefore, implementation of such a system appears to be essential.

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), originally identified and cloned as a potent mitogen for hepatocytes [3], exhibits mitogenic, motogenic, and morphogenic activities for a wide variety of cells [4, 5]. In addition, HGF is an angiogenic factor and exerts a potent anti-cell death effect on several types of cells [6]. These biological activities of HGF were found to be initiated by autophospholylation of proto-oncogene c-Met, the receptor tyrosine kinase for HGF [7]. Although c-Met is induced in the embryonic heart [8] and constitutionally expressed in the adult heart, especially in coronary endothelial cells [9], the role of HGF as an endogenous protective factor in the heart has not yet been determined.

In this study, at first we analyzed the expression of endogenous HGF and c-Met in the heart after myocardial infarction, and next determined whether HGF attenuates ischemia-reperfusion injury in the heart by using in vivo gene transfection of human HGF into the whole heart with the hemagglutinating virus of Japan (HVJ)-liposome method [10].

	Material and methods

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Acute myocardial infarction model
Twelve Wistar male rats were used for this study. Humane animal care complied with the "Principles of Laboratory Animal Care" formulated by the National Society for Medical Research and the "Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals" prepared by the Institute of Laboratory Animal Resource and published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH Publication No. 86-23, revised 1985). Acute myocardial infarction was induced as described elsewhere [11]. Briefly, the rats (8 weeks after birth) were anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital, and positive-pressure respiration was applied through an endotracheal tube. The thorax was opened at the fourth left intercostal space, and the left coronary artery was completely ligated 3 mm distal to its origin by means of a 7-0 polypropylene ligature.

Expression of HGF and c-Met receptor mRNA
Expression of HGF and c-Met mRNAs was analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The following primers were used: 1) for both rat and human HGF (Gene bank accession number D90102): forward primer, 5'-TTG GCC ATG AAT TTG ACC TC-3' and reverse primer, 5'-ACA TCA GTC TCA TTC ACA GC-3'; 2) for human HGF (Gene bank accession number X16323): forward primer, 5'-GCC TCT GGT TCC CCT TCA ATA G-3' and reverse primer, 5'-CCA TGA GAC CTC GAT AAC TCT CC-3'; 3) for c-Met: forward primer (Gene bank accession number J02958), 5'-TGT GCA TTC ACT AAA TAT GT-3' and reverse primer, 5'-GTC CCA GCC ACA TAT GGT CA-3'. PCR conditions were as follows: denaturation at 94°C for 30 seconds, followed by annealing at 55°C for 60 seconds and extension at 72°C for 60 seconds. PCR products were subjected to electrophoresis in 1% agarose gel and visualized by ethidium bromide staining.

Transfection of human HGF gene into the heart
cDNA of human HGF was inserted into the Not I site of the pUC-SR expression vector [12]. The preparation of the liposome complex with hemagglutinating virus of Japan (HVJ) is described elsewhere [13].

The donor rats were anesthetized and the hearts arrested by infusion of cardioplegic solution into the abdominal aorta for coronary perfusion. After the hearts were removed, approximately 0.7 mL of HVJ-liposome-plasmid complex (including 50 µg of cDNA of human HGF) was infused into the aorta of the resected hearts for coronary perfusion. The expression vector containing HGF cDNA or the empty vector was transfected into the hearts, and 6 animals were used in each experimental group. The hearts were then incubated on ice for 10 minutes and transplanted into the abdomen of recipient rats of the same strain. The transplantation was performed by anastomosing the descending aorta to the abdominal aorta and the pulmonary artery to the inferior vena cava in an end-to-side fashion [14]. Total ischemia time was 45 ± 5 minutes. The transplanted hearts were resuscitated to spontaneous and continuous beating after restoring of blood flow.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for human HGF
Human HGF in cardiac tissue was measured by means of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using anti-human HGF monoclonal antibody (Institute of Immunology, Tokyo, Japan). The human HGF ELISA system also specifically detects human HGF but not rat HGF [15].

Histopathology
After global ischemia followed by reperfusion with the Langendorff perfusion system, the tissue specimens were obtained as transverse sections from the perfused heart 5 mm basal from the apex. The tissue specimens were frozen in an OCT compound. Frozen sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin.

Measurement of cardiac function of the transplanted rat heart
The transplanted heart was excised and mounted on the aortic cannula on the perfusion apparatus 3 days after gene transfection. The coronary arteries were perfused according to the Langendorff technique at perfusion pressures of 110 cm H₂O as described elsewhere [16]. The heart was housed in a controlled heart chamber maintained at 37°C. During a 10-minute washout period after cannulation, an intraventricular balloon was inserted into the left ventricle through the mitral valve. The balloon was filled with fluid and attached to a pressure transducer, while the volume of the balloon was adjusted by means of a watertight microsyringe. Thirty minutes after the aortic cannulation, heart rate (HR), left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP), max dp/dt, and coronary flow (CF) were measured at constant left ventricular end-diastolic pressure. The left ventricular end-diastolic pressure was initially set at 10 cm H₂O. The hearts were then subjected to global ischemia at 37°C for 30 minutes followed by 30 minutes of reperfusion. The balloon was deflated during ischemia and the indices of cardiac function were measured 30 minutes after reperfusion. The coronary effluent was collected in chilled vials to measure creatine phosphokinase (CPK) during a 5-minute period after reperfusion.

Statistical analysis
All values are expressed as the mean ± standard deviation. Statistical differences in the data for functional recoveries and enzyme activity were evaluated by unpaired Student’s t test for comparisons between two means. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

	Results

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Changes in HGF and c-Met receptor mRNA expression after myocardial infarction
Thirty-six percent of the infarcted rats died within 6 hours after the operation. No technical failure occurred during this study. We first analyzed changes in the expression of HGF and c-Met/HGF receptor mRNAs in the left ventricle of the infarcted heart by using RT-PCR after left coronary artery ligation. Three rats were used at each time point: 24 hours, 3 days, and 7 days after ligation. RT-PCR was performed using specific sets of primers that detect rat HGF and c-Met receptor mRNAs. The RT-PCR product derived from rat HGF mRNA was seen in the normal rat left ventricle, indicating that HGF mRNA is expressed in it (Fig 1). The expression of HGF mRNA detected by RT-PCR analysis did not change remarkably, and the inconsequential change in the expression of HGF mRNA was seen 3 and 7 days after ligation.

View larger version (51K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig 1. Changes in HGF and c-Met/HGF receptor mRNA levels in rat hearts after myocardial infarction. Total RNA was prepared from the left ventricle at 1, 3, and 7 days after left coronary artery ligation, and three rats from each group were used. RT-PCR products were subjected to electrophoresis and visualized by ethidium bromide staining. Expression of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-dehydrogenase (GAPDH) mRNA was used as an internal control.

In vivo HGF gene transfection into the heart
To analyze the expression of the transgene of human HGF, total RNA was prepared from the transplanted whole hearts 3 days after HGF gene transfection, and human HGF mRNA expression was then analyzed by means of RT-PCR using a primer set that specifically detects human HGF mRNA but not rat HGF mRNA. The RT-PCR product derived from human HGF mRNA was specifically detected in the rat heart transfected with the expression vector for human HGF, indicating that transfected human HGF cDNA was specifically expressed in the heart. On the other hand, RT-PCR analysis using a primer set that detects both rat and human HGF mRNAs indicated that the total HGF mRNA level in the heart treated with the HGF gene transfection was higher than that seen in the heart treated with the empty vector (Fig 2). Moreover, human HGF protein content in the transfected hearts was measured by means of ELISA using anti-human HGF monoclonal antibody. The content of human HGF in the cardiac tissues obtained from the heart treated with the HGF gene transfection was 0.56 ± 0.11 ng/g tissue. In contrast, human HGF was undetectable in the cardiac tissues obtained from the hearts treated with transfection of an empty vector (Fig 3).

View larger version (56K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig 2. Expression of human and rat HGF mRNAs in rat hearts transfected with human HGF gene. Expression of HGF mRNA was analyzed by means of RT-PCR, using total RNA prepared from whole heart 3 days after in vivo gene transfection of human HGF (left lane) or empty vector (middle lane). A naked expression vector containing human HGF cDNA was used as a positive control for PCR (right lane).

View larger version (19K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig 3. Expression of human HGF protein measured by means of ELISA in rat hearts transfected with human HGF. **p < 0.001.

View larger version (32K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig 4. Enhancement of recovery of cardiac function from ischemia-reperfusion injury as a result of cardiac transfection of the HGF gene. The heart was removed 3 days after treatment for gene transfection and subjected to global warm ischemia for 30 min and subsequent reperfusion. *p < 0.05.

View larger version (21K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig 5. Suppression of leakage of CPK from the cardiac myocytes in the rat heart transfected with the HGF gene. CPK activity was measured in the coronary effluent obtained for 5 min after reperfusion. **p < 0.001.

View larger version (121K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig 6. Representative histological findings of the in vivo gene-transfected heart after global warm ischemia followed by reperfusion with the Langendorff perfusion system using crystalloid solution. The damage to the myocardial tissue in the HGF gene-transfected heart (A) was less than to it in the empty vector-transfected heart (B) after global warm ischemia followed by reperfusion (x200).

	Comment

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Previous studies have shown that the expression of both HGF and c-Met are upregulated in the adult rat heart after ischemia-reperfused heart, at least in the coronary endothelial cells. The results presented in this first study were mostly compatible with data of these previous reports [9]. Therefore, strong density of RT-PCR products band derived from c-Met mRNA 24 hours after left coronary ligation using ethidium bromide staining indicates at least the induction of it. In a more recent study of ours, we found that both highly purified cardiac endothelial cells and mature cardiac myocytes express the c-Met/HGF receptor and HGF mRNA. These results imply that HGF plays certain physiological roles in both cardiac myocytes and endothelial cells.

Although we showed in this second study that HGF transducted from cardiac tissue-directed gene transfection might enhance recovery from ischemia-reperfusion injury, the mechanisms remain to be addressed. Previous studies have demonstrated that HGF attenuates endothelial cell death [18]. The additional finding that cardiac endothelial cells express the c-Met/HGF receptor suggested that HGF might exert cardiotrophic action at least through targeting cardiac endothelial cells. On the other hand, it is also highly probable that HGF expresses its cardiotrophic function through its direct action on mature cardiac myocytes. We recently obtained evidence that HGF suppressed cell death of highly purified mature cardiac myocytes isolated from the rat hearts in vitro after cellular injury caused by hypoxia or hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidant stress (manuscript in preparation). Moreover, the recovery of left ventricular-developed pressure (LVDP) in rats given HGF gene transfection was higher than that in control rats in spite of no significant changes in coronary flow (CF), while the leakage of CPK from the heart of rats with HGF gene transfection was much lower than that seen in control rats. These results strongly suggest that HGF exerts a cardiotrophic effect through targeting both cardiac myocytes and coronary endothelial cells.

We previously showed that the intracoronary infusion of a gene using the HVJ-liposome method resulted in the efficient transduction of a gene into the entire rat heart. It was found that the gene for ß-galactosidase was overexpressed in more than 50% of myocytes in the whole rat heart [10]. The detection of human HGF mRNA by means of RT-PCR and human HGF protein by means of ELISA using the anti-human HGF monoclonal antibody to human HGF but not to rat HGF also confirmed the successful transfection of the HGF gene. It can therefore be assumed that HGF is effectively expressed in cardiac tissue by means of this HVJ-liposome method and that it attenuates myocardial dysfunction through the c-Met/HGF receptor.

According to previous reports, pretreatment with recombinant HGF through intraperitoneal or intravenous injection from 6 to 24 hours before acute insult achieved its optimal function in other organs such as liver, kidney, and lung [6, 19]. This finding indicates that pretreatment just before global ischemia by means of exogenous injection of recombinant HGF might have little effect on ischemia-reperfusion injury in the myocardium. In the study presented here, the physiological experiment on isolated transfected hearts was performed 3 days after gene transfection, although transgene product should be translated within 12 to 48 hours. Therefore, the transfected hearts received chronic exposure to HGF for at least 24 hours. The pronounced effect on cytoprotection of the transfected heart against ischemia-reperfusion injury may reflect the cumulative effect of continuous biosynthesis and chronic exposure to HGF.

It should be emphasized that HGF has been shown to have a potent anti-cell death effect both in vitro and in vivo for various types of cells, including hepatocytes [6], renal tubular cells [20], vascular endothelial cells [18], and neurons [21]. Therefore, HGF probably exerted its cardiotrophic action through its anti-cell death function in the experimented model used in the present study.

In conclusion, we obtained evidence that the c-Met/HGF receptor gene was expressed in both the normal and the infarcted heart, and that HGF introduced by means of cardiac transfection of the HGF gene attenuated myocardial dysfunction caused by ischemia-reperfusion injury. This study is the first to demonstrate the cardiotrophic activity of HGF in vivo, and our ongoing study is directed at clarification of the molecular and cellular mechanisms for the action of HGF functioning as a cardiotrophic growth factor.

	Acknowledgments

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We are grateful to Dr Ryuichi Morishita, Osaka University Medical School, Department of Geriatric Medicine, Suita, Japan, for his technical support. This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research in Japan.

	References

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