RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of Caspase broad spectrum inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK on the expressions of calumenin,caspase-3, GRP78 and GRP94 in adriamycin-injured cardiomyocytes and to discuss whether there is a regulation relationship between calumenin and endo-plasmic reticulum stress and myocardial apoptosis. METHODS: The primary cultured suckling mouse myocardium were randomly divided into control group (cardiomyocyte), adriamycin group (3 mg/L adriamycin + cardiomyocyte) and z-VAD-fm group (3 mg/L adriamycin + 0.1 µmol/L Z-VAD-fmk + cardiomyocyte), each group of cardiomyocytes were cultured in CO2 incubator at 37â for 24 h (n=3). The expres-sion ofα -SMA protein in ventricular myocytes was detected by immunohistochemical method. The expressions of calumenin, GRP78, GRP94 and Caspase-3 in the myocardial cells were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the expression of calumenin in adriamycin induced myocardial cells was significantly decreased (P < 0.01), while the expressions of GRP78, GRP94 and Caspase-3 ex-pression were increased (P < 0.01). Compared with adriamycin group, the expression of calumenin in z-VAD-fm group was increased (P < 0.01), while the expressions of GRP78, GRP94 and caspase-3 were decreased (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk inhibited the expression of caspase and increased the expression of calumenin in adriamycin induced myocardial cells, and thus alleviated the endoplasmic reticulum stress.