BERAPROST SODIUM, AN ANALOG OF PROSTACYCLIN, INDUCES THE EXPRESSION OF MITOGEN-ACTIVATED PROTEIN-KINASE PHOSPHATASE AND INHIBITS THE PROLIFERATION OF CULTURED MESANGIAL CELLS

Beraprost sodium, an analogue of prostacyclin, increases intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) in cultured glomerular mesangia l cells. We examined the effect of beraprost on mesangial cell prolife ration. Beraprost was able to inhibit fetal bovine serum-stimulated pr oliferation of mesangial cells in concentrations enough to increase ce llular cAMP. By northern blot analysis, beraprost induced the expressi on of MKP-1, a mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase, in a dose -and time-dependent manner, similarly to dibutyryl cAMP and adrenomedu llin. These results indicate that beraprost inhibits the proliferation of mesangial cells and one of the mechanisms might be cAMP-dependent induction of MKP-1. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.