Introduction: Prolonged intake of a high-fat diet (HFD) is typically linked to obesity and increased risk for multiple pathologies including type II diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disorders, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) is a polypeptide cytokine involved in the basic control of neutrophils production.
Aim of the Work: The current study was performed to investigate the role of G-CSF on HFD-induced cardiomyopathy in a rat model.
Materials and Methods: Thirty adult male albino rats (200-220 gm) assigned into 3 groups were used. Group I (Control group): fed on a standard diet for 14 weeks. Group II (HFD group): fed on HFD for 14 weeks. Group III (HFD + G-CSF) fed on HFD for 14 weeks and given G-CSF (200 μg/kg/day) intraperitoneally once daily for 5 successive days starting after 12 weeks of HFD intake. Specimens from the left ventricle and right atrium were obtained and processed for light and electron microscopic studies. Biochemical, histomorphometric and statistical studies were performed.
Results: HFD group showed marked degenerative changes in the cardiac muscle both at the light and electron microscopic levels. These changes were accompanied by significant increases in tissue MDA level and area percentage of collagen and caspase-3 immune expression. On the other hand, HFD + G-CSF group displayed improvement in the cardiac muscle histology together with reductions in tissue MDA level and area percentage of collagen and caspase-3 immune expression. Upregulation of CD117 immune expression was also observed in this group.
Conclusion: G-CSF could significantly mitigate HFD-mediated cardiotoxicity via antioxidant, anti-apoptotic, anti-fibrotic impacts and recruitment of stem cells derived from bone marrow to injured tissues.