Monoclonal Antibody to Marinobufagenin Downregulates TGFβ Profibrotic Signaling in Left Ventricle and Kidney and Reduces Tissue Remodeling in Salt‐Sensitive Hypertension [LV_Kidney]

Elevated levels of an endogenous Na/K‐ATPase inhibitor marinobufagenin accompany salt‐sensitive hypertension and are implicated in cardiac fibrosis. Immunoneutralization of marinobufagenin reduces blood pressure in Dahl salt‐sensitive (Dahl‐S) rats. The effect of the anti‐marinobufagenin monoclonal antibody on blood pressure, left ventricular (LV) and renal remodeling, and LV gene expression were investigated in hypertensive Dahl‐S rats. Fifteen-week old Dahl salt‐sensitive (Dahl‐S, SS/JrHsd) male rats were given low or high salt diets (ls and hs, respectively) and treated once with control antibody (lsc and hsc, respectively) or a monoclonal antibody to the endogenous Na/K‐ATPase inhibitor marinobufagenin (lsab abd hsab, respectively), and left ventricular gene expression changes were examined after one week in six animals per group.