Effects Of Leptin On Nuclear Factor-κB In Cultured Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

University of Science and Technology, Wuhan,430030,China Abstract Objective To investigate the effects of leptin on nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activity in cultured vascular smooth muscular cells(VSMCs). Methods The primary and transfer culture of VSMCs were done by tissue-piece inoculation. The cell count was analyzed by MTT. Immunofluorescence-interactive laser cytometer techniques was used to estimate the localization of NF-κB in VSMCs. Western- blotting was used to study the protein expression of NF-κB in nucleus of VSMCs with or without leptin. Results Leptin stimulated proliferation of VSMCs. NF-κB protein was found in VSMCs nucleus in leptin group which is in sharp contrast to the negative finding in control. Conclusion Leptin stimulated proliferation of VSMCs and leptin activate NF-κB which mobilize from cytoplasm to nucleus in cultured VSMCs , suggesting that leptin stimulate VSMCs proliferation may be mediated by NF-κB signal transduction pathway.