BMAL1 involved in autophagy and injury of thoracic aortic endothelial cells of rats induced by intermittent heat stress through the AMPK/mTOR/ULK1 pathway.

Physiological activities of the body exhibit an obvious biological rhythm. At the core of the circadian rhythm, BMAL1 is the only clock gene whose deletion leads to abnormal physiological functions. However, whether intermittent heat stress influences cardiovascular function by altering the circadian rhythm of clock genes has not been reported. This study aimed to investigate whether intermittent heat stress induces autophagy and apoptosis, and the effects of BMAL1 on thoracic aortic autophagy a...