Up-regulation of osteopontin in aortic dissection

Abstract

Objective To identify the differential expression of osteopontin (OPN) between the aorta specimens from the aortic dissection (AD) and the normal controls. Methods Twelve descending aorta specimens from patients with acute Stanford B dissection were taken during surgical operation, and 12 normal descending aorta specimens were taken from multi-organ donors. The GAPDH gene was used as control, and mRNA and protein expression of OPN was detected by using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemisty, respectively. Three low-powered fields of each specimen in beth groups were randomly chosen to count the cells positive for OPN protein. Results The expression levels of OPN in AD group was 5. 56 folds as those in the control group (P ＜0. 0l ). The protein expression levels of OPN was 3. 03 folds as those in the control group ( P ＜ 0. 01 ). Conclusion The gene and protein expression levels of OPN were down-regulated in AD group as compared with normal controls. OPN is one of the markers to identify smooth muscle cells as synthetic phenotype. The up-regulation of OPN may contribute to the development of AD. Key words: Aortic dissection; Osteopontin; Etiology