Bicuspid aortic valve hemodynamics does not promote remodeling in porcine aortic wall concavity

AIM: To investigate the role of type-I left-right bicuspid aortic valve(LR-BAV) hemodynamic stresses in the remodeling of the thoracic ascending aorta(AA) concavity, in the absence of underlying genetic or structural defects.METHODS: Transient wall shear stress(WSS) profiles in the concavity of tricuspid aortic valve(TAV) and LR-BAV AAs were obtained computationally. Tissue specimens excised from the concavity of normal(nondilated) porcine AAs were subjected for 48 h to those stress environments using a shear stress bioreactor. Tissue remodeling was characterized in terms of matrix metalloproteinase(MMP) expression and activity via immunostaining and gelatin zymography.RESULTS: Immunostaining semi-quantification results indicated no significant difference in MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression between the tissue groups exposed to TAV and LR-BAV AA WSS(P = 0.80 and P = 0.19, respectively). Zymography densitometry revealed no difference in MMP-2 activity(total activity, active form and latent form) between the groups subjected to TAV AA and LR-BAV AA WSS(P = 0.08, P = 0.15 and P = 0.59, respectively).CONCLUSION: The hemodynamic stress environment present in the concavity of type-I LR-BAV AA does not cause any significant change in proteolytic enzyme expression and activity as compared to that present in the TAV AA.