Background: The study aimed to investigate the serum expression levels of Rho kinase, endothelin-1 (ET-1), and nitric oxide (NO) in pediatric patients with left-to-right shunt congenital heart disease (CHD) and their correlation with pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP).
Methods: 90 pediatric patients diagnosed with left-to-right shunt CHD and hospitalized were selected as the study objects.They were divided into three groups according to their PASP: the non-pulmonary artery hypertension (non-PAH) group (PASP <30 mmhg), the mild PAH group (PASP 30–49 mmhg), and the moderate to severe PAH group (PASP ≥50 mmhg). Healthy children were selected as the control group. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, radioimmunoassay, and nitrate reductase assay were used to determine the patients’ serum levels of Rho kinase, ET-1, and NO, respectively. The correlation between PASP and the above indexes was analyzed.
Results: In pediatric patients with left-to-right shut CHD, the serum expression levels of Rho kinase and ET-1 were higher than in the control group members, while the serum expression level of NO was lower. In pediatric patients with CHD accompanied by pulmonary hypertension (PH), the expression levels of Rho kinase and ET-1 were even higher, and the level of NO even lower, than in patients and control group members without PH. The serum levels of Rho kinase and ET-1 were positively correlated with PASP , while the serum level of NO was negatively correlated with PASP.
Conclusion: Rho kinase, ET-1, and NO may be involved in the development of PH in pediatric patients with left-to-right shunt CHD.