1. Materials and agents
H9c2 embryonic rat cardiac cells were obtained from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Shanghai, China). Apelin-13 was obtained from GL Biochem Shanghai (Shanghai, China). K2Cr2O7 was obtained from Tianjin Tianli Chemical Reagent (Tianjin, China). The following primary antibodies were obtained from Abcam: cleaved-PARP (1:1,000), active-Caspase-7 (1:1,000), Active-Caspase-3 (1:500) , Ser15-p53 (1:1,000), Total-p53 (1:800), Ser139-H2A (1:5,000), Thr183-JNK(1:500), Total-JNK (1:1,000), Thr180-p38 (1:1,000), Total-p38 (1:1,000), Thr202-ERK (1:1,000), Total-ERK (1:1,000), Ser473-AKT (1:5,000), Total-AKT (1:500), eNOS (1:50), and β-actin (1:1,000). Active-Caspase-9 (1:500) was obtained from BioVision. Ser428-ATR (1:1,000) was obtained from CST. ROS (1:100), and superoxide anion (1:80) was obtained from Sigma.
2. Cell Culture and Drug Treatment
H9c2 cells were cultured in DMEM-F12 containing 20% FBS in an incubator 5% CO2 at 37 °C. To attain 70%–80% confluence, we treated the cells with K2Cr2O7 for 48 h. Some cultures were pre-treated for 1 h with apelin-13. The control cells were incubated without apelin-13 and K2Cr2O7.
3. Cell Viability Assay
Cell viability assay was performed via Cell Counter Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay.
4. Detection of apoptosis
Treated cells were harvested, fixed, and permeabilized with 70% ethanol, washed with PBS, and incubated with 0.5 mL of 50 μg/mL PI solution containing 20 U/mL RNase A. Flow cytometry analysis was carried out using a FACS caliber.
5. Western Blot Analysis
Cells were homogenized in RIPA lysis buffer containing protease inhibitor PMSF. Total protein was measured using BCA, size separated by SDS-PAGE, and electrotransferred onto nitrocellulose membrane. The nitrocellulose blots were blocked with 5% non-fat dry milk in TBST buffer, and then incubated with the desired primary antibodies. After washing thrice with TBST buffer for 5 min, the nitrocellulose membranes were incubated with goat anti-rabbit IgG or goat anti-mouse IgG second antibody for 2 h. After washing thrice with TBST buffer for 5 min, the resulting immunocomplex bands were visualized using chemiluminescence photographic detection with Immobilon Western Chemiluminescent HRP Substrate.
6. Immunofluorescence Staining
Plated cells were fixed with pre-cooled methanol/acetone (v/v, 1:1) at room temperature for 5 min, and then rinsed in PBS. Fixed cells were blocked in 10% goat serum with 0.1% Triton X-100 for 30 min, and then incubated with primary antibodies overnight at 4 °C. After washing thrice with PBS, cells were incubated with fluorescein-labeled (FITC) or rhodamine-labeled (TRITC) antibody for 1 h at room temperature. Cell nuclei were counterstained with 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole. Samples were observed under a fluorescence microscope with a high-resolution digital camera.
7. In vivo study
The study was conducted on adult male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats with body weight of 180–220 g. The rats were contained in standard vivarium conditions and fed on a standard diet. Animal use in the experiment was performed according to the guidelines established by the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals of The Affiliated Taian City Central Hospital of Qingdao University. The procedure was approved by the Local Animal Ethics Committee. Rats were maintained under conventional conditions (room temperature, 22.5–23.0 °C; relative humidity, 50%–70%; 12 h day/night cycle) with free access to food and water.
The animals were randomly divided into four groups (10 animals/group), namely, the control group (normal saline), K2Cr2O7 group (8 mg/kg), K2Cr2O7 (8 mg/kg) + apelin-13 (4 mg/kg) group, and apelin-13 (4 mg/kg) group. K2Cr2O7 was dissolved in normal saline and administered via the caudal vein. Model group animals were exposed to K2Cr2O7 for 2 weeks. Protective group animals were co-treated with K2Cr2O7 (8 mg/kg) + apelin-13 (4 mg/kg) for 2 weeks. The control group received an equal volume of normal saline.
8. Histopathological Evaluation
The tissue specimens were fixed with 10% neutral formalin and processed according to the standard histological methods. In total, 5–7-micron paraffin-embedded sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and picrofuchsin. The specimens were studied under a light microscope AxioLab A1 at 200× magnification.
In all experimental groups, a blinded semi-quantitative four-point scale from 0 to 3 (0 ¼ none, 1 ¼ weak, 2 ¼ moderate, and 3 ¼ strong) was assigned to calculate the severity of K2Cr2O7-induced heart tissue in terms of the fibrotic area, cardiomyocyte hypertrophy area, eNOS, inflammatory cells, active-caspase-3, microvessel density, and Ki67.
9. Statistical Analyses
For multiple comparisons, statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA, followed by Tukey’s multiple comparison tests.