Proliferative effect of angiotensin II on cultured PASMCs and its mechanisms

Objective: To study the effect of exogenous angiotensin II (Ang II) on the proliferation of cultured pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) and its mechanisms. Methods: We adopted cultured PASMCs to observe the effect of exogenous Ang II on the proliferation of cultured PASMCs and its mechanisms. Results: Exogenous Ang II stimulated the proliferation of cultured PASMCs in a dose-dependent manner (10^-10 - 10^-5 mol·L ^-1). The proliferative effect of Ang II on PASMCs was markedly inhibited by calcium channel antagonist Verapamil, PKC inhibitor Staurosporine and Na⁺-K⁺ -ATPase inhibitor amiloride; the decrease rates in ³H-Tdr incorporation and cell numbers were 44.3%, 33.2%, 36.5% and 31.7%, 25.5%, 28.1%, respectively (P <0.01). Conclusion: Ang II significantly stimulates the proliferation of cultured PASMCs, and the activation of Ca²⁺ channel, PKC and Na⁺-K ⁺-ATPase may be important intracellular signal transduction mechanisms.