Effects of Telmisartan on Myocardial Protein Profiles in Hypertensive Rats

Background To investigate the effects of telmisartan on the protein profiles of the left ventricular myocardium in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Methods Sixteen SHR were randomly divided into control and telmisartan treatment groups. Rats were treated with sterile water (10 ml/kg) or telmisartan (4.33 mg/kg) by gavage for 12 weeks. Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats treated with sterile water (10 ml/kg) as controls. At the end of 12 weeks of control or telmisartan treatment, rats were sacrificed, and hearts were collected for protein preparations, isotope labeling, and mass spectrometric analysis. Results In total, there were 23 differentially expressed proteins in the left ventricular myocardium between control and telmisartan treatment groups in SHR. Compared with the telmisartan group, the upregulated proteins in the SHR were dual-specificity mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 3-like, transgelin, and haptoglobin subtype 2. The downregulated proteins in the SHR were as follows: von Willebrand factor (fragment), kininogen 1, small ribonucleoprotein-related protein, fibrinogen beta chain, protein mass 3 (fragment), proteasome 26s, heat shock protein 27-related protein 1, tenascin X, fibronectin subtype 2, transferrin receptor protein, platelets 1, cathepsin L1, complement factor B, isoform CRA_b, fibrinogen isomer, immunoglobulin heavy chain (γ polypeptide), and α 1 antiprotease. Conclusions Telmisartan differentially regulates myocardial protein expression in hypertensive rats including heat shock protein 27, fibrinogen, fibronectin, proteasome 26s and transgelin, as well as proteins in biochemical, metabolic, and signal transduction pathways. These changes in protein expression may contribute to the antihypertrophic effects of telmisartan in hypertension.