Michael Huntgeburth, Klaus Tiemann, Robert Shahverdyan, Klaus-Dieter Schlüter, Rolf Schreckenberg, Marie-Luise Gross, Sonja Mödersheim, Evren Caglayan, Jochen Müller-Ehmsen, Alexander Ghanem, Marius Vantler, Wolfram H Zimmermann, Michael Böhm, Stephan Rosenkranz
BACKGROUND: Neuroendocrine activation and local mediators such as transforming growth factor-β₁ (TGF-β₁) contribute to the pathobiology of cardiac hypertrophy and failure, but the underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. We aimed to characterize the functional network involving TGF-β₁, the renin-angiotensin system, and the β-adrenergic system in the heart. METHODS: Transgenic mice overexpressing TGF-β₁ (TGF-β₁-Tg) were treated with a β-blocker, an AT₁-receptor antagonist, or a TGF-β-antagonist (sTGFβR-Fc), were morphologically characterized...
2011: PloS One