20-Hydroxyecdysone attenuates cardiac remodeling in spontaneously hypertensive rats

•20-HE significantly reduces systolic blood pressure in SHR rats.•20-HE significantly attenuates dilated cardiac hypertrophy in SHR rats.•20-HE significantly upregulates the expression of cardiac β-MHC isoform in SHR rats.

BackgroundEcdysteroids, a group of steroid hormones found in insects and many plants, have been shown to prevent various changes in mammalian tissues after female sex hormone deprivation.PurposeTo examine whether an ecdysteroid, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20-HE), exhibits regulatory or protective roles in the cardiovascular system.Study design/methodBlood pressure and cardiac function were evaluated in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) during and after daily treatment with 20-HE for six weeks.ResultsThe progressive increase in systolic blood pressure with age in SHR rats was significantly lower in animals treated with either 5 or 10 mg/kg body weight of 20-HE. However, treatment with 20-HE did not diminish the increase in diastolic pressure. Echocardiography after six weeks of treatment demonstrated that the left ventricular chamber of SHR rats treated with 20-HE was smaller than that of SHR controls, while contractility was not affected by 20-HE. Histological images also demonstrated a decrease in cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area in 20-HE treated groups. Interestingly, treatment with 20-HE caused a shift in cardiac myosin heavy chain towards more β-isoforms. SHR rats treated with 20-HE also exhibited a decrease in seminal vesicular weight and an increase in testicular weight, especially at a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight. This finding suggests a possible anti-androgenic effect of 20-HE.ConclusionOur finding reveal that 20-HE has a beneficial effect on reducing blood pressure and consequently preventing dilated cardiac hypertrophy in SHR rats.

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