Morphological alterations and NO-synthase expression in the heart after continuous light exposure of rats

Physiol Res. 2007:56 Suppl 2:S71-S76. doi: 10.33549/physiolres.931400. Epub 2007 Sep 5.

Abstract

Although exposure to continuous light is associated with hypertension and modulates the outcome of ischemia-reperfusion injury, less attention has been paid to its effects on cardiac morphology. We investigated whether 4-week exposure of experimental rats to continuous 24 h/day light can modify cardiac morphology, with focus on heart weight, fibrosis and collagen I/III ratio in correlation with NO-synthase expression. Two groups of male adult Wistar rats were studied: controls exposed to normal light/dark cycle (12 h/day light, 12 h/day dark) and rats exposed to continuous light. After 4 weeks of treatment the absolute and the relative heart weights were determined and myocardial fibrosis and collagen type I/III ratio were evaluated using picrosirius red staining. Endothelial and inducible NO-synthase expression was detected immunohistochemically. The exposure of rats to continuous light resulted in an increase of body weight with proportionally increased heart weight. Myocardial fibrosis remained unaffected but collagen I/III ratio increased. Neither endothelial nor inducible NO-synthase expression was altered in light-exposed rats. We conclude that the loss of structural homogeneity of the myocardium in favor of collagen type I might increase myocardial stiffness and contribute to functional alterations after continuous light exposure.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Body Weight / radiation effects
  • Collagen Type I / metabolism
  • Collagen Type III / metabolism
  • Fibrosis
  • Light*
  • Male
  • Myocytes, Cardiac / enzymology
  • Myocytes, Cardiac / pathology
  • Myocytes, Cardiac / radiation effects*
  • Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II / metabolism*
  • Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III
  • Organ Size / radiation effects
  • Rats
  • Rats, Wistar
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Collagen Type I
  • Collagen Type III
  • Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II
  • Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III
  • Nos2 protein, rat
  • Nos3 protein, rat