Endothelial to mesenchymal transition contributes to arsenic-trioxide-induced cardiac fibrosis

Emerging evidence has suggested the critical role of endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EndMT) in fibrotic diseases. The present study was designed to examine whether EndMT is involved in arsenic trioxide (As(2)O(3))-induced cardiac fibrosis and to explore the underlying mechanisms. Cardiac dysfunction was observed in rats after exposure to As(2)O(3) for 15 days using echocardiography, and the deposition of collagen was detected by Masson’s trichrome staining and electron microscope. EndMT was indicated by the loss of endothelial cell markers (VE-cadherin and CD31) and the acquisition of mesenchymal cell markers (α-SMA and FSP1) determined by RT-PCR at the mRNA level and Western blot and immunofluorescence analysis at the protein level. In the in-vitro experiments, endothelial cells acquired a spindle-shaped morphology accompanying downregulation of the endothelial cell markers and upregulation of the mesenchymal cell markers when exposed to As(2)O(3). As(2)O(3) activated the AKT/GSK-3β/Snail signaling pathway, and blocking this pathway with PI3K inhibitor (LY294002) abolished EndMT in As(2)O(3)-treated endothelial cells. Our results highlight that As(2)O(3) is an EndMT-promoting factor during cardiac fibrosis, suggesting that targeting EndMT is beneficial for preventing As(2)O(3)-induced cardiac toxicity.