Immunohistochemical evaluation of the expression of proteins related to transforming growth factor-beta in human arterial diseases

• Grant number: 07/06671-3
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: January 01, 2008
• End date: June 30, 2010
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Pathological Anatomy and Clinical Pathology
• Principal Investigator: Paulo Sampaio Gutierrez
• Grantee: Paulo Sampaio Gutierrez
• Host Institution: Instituto do Coração Professor Euryclides de Jesus Zerbini (INCOR). Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP (HCFMUSP). Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Alterations in extracelular matrix play an important role in arterial diseases. Particularly in the situations in which there is any type of dilatation, it is usual to occur elastic fiber fragmentation. On the other hand, some molecules that are part of the elastic system, such as fibrillin (which gene is defected in Marfan syndrome, a condition associated to arterial diseases), regulated TGF-beta (transforming growth factor-beta), that is an major mediator of the production of extracellular proteins, mostly collagen. This last protein also presents an disbalance, either by excess or diminution, in many arterial diseases. The objective of the study is to evaluate in situ the expression of both extracellular matrix proteins that modulate TGF-beta and molecules that are effectors of its signals (situated at the membrane or at the cytoplasm). Such expression will be analyzed in a retrospective study in human samples, using reactions by the immunoperoxidase technique in histological sections of aortas and coronary arteries with atherosclerosis, acute dissections, Takayasu arteritis, Marfan syndrome and in controls. (AU)