Transforming growth factor-β/Smad signaling function in the aortopathies

objectives: transforming growth factor (tgf)-β/smad signaling pathway in aortic dissection patients and normal subjects has not been previously described. the present study was designed to evaluate the tgf-β/smad signaling expressions in the patients with acute type a aortic dissection in comparison with those in the patients with thoracic aortic aneurysm and with coronary artery disease, and (or) the healthy subjects. methods: consecutive surgical patients for acute type a aortic dissection (20 patients), aortic aneurysm (nine patients) or coronary artery disease (20 patients) were selected into this study. blood samples (4 ml) were obtained from the right radial arterial indwelling catheter after systemic heparinization prior to the start of cardiopulmonary bypass in the operating room. twenty-one young healthy volunteers without underlying health issues who donated forearm venous blood samples (4 ml) were taken as control. the surgical specimens of the aortic tissues were obtained immediately after they were severed during the operations of the replacement of the aorta in the patients with aortic dissection or aortic aneurysm. in patients receiving coronary artery bypass grafting, the tiny aortic tissues were taken when the punch holes of the proximal anastomosis on the anterior wall of the ascending aorta were made. the aortic tissues were for rna, protein, or supernatant preparations until detection of tgf-β1 mrna by quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, of tgf-β1, tgf-β receptor i, smad2/3, smad4 and smad7 by western blot, and of tgf-β1 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. in particular, the linear correlations of the relative grayscales between different proteins of each group, and those correlations between the quantitative tgf-β1 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the time interval from the onset to surgery or the maximal dimensions of the aorta of the aortic dissection group were assessed. results: qua