title: Effect of nicardipine treatment upon cardiac hypertrophy in spontaneously hypertensive rats: a morphometric and ultrastructural study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study was designed to investigate the effect of nicardipine administration upon systolic blood pressure (SBP) and cardiac hypertrophy in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR).
  
  
  METHODS
  SBP, heart: and left ventricle: body weight ratios, the cross-sectional area of cardiocytes, and the ultrastructure of the left ventricle were evaluated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten-week old male SHR and age-matched normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats were studied for 12 weeks. One group of SHR was treated for 12 weeks with a daily oral dose of 1 mg/kg nicardipine and another group with 1 mg/kg hydralazine; Wistar-Kyoto rats were used as a normotensive control group. Light and electron microscope techniques associated with image analysis and morphometry were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nicardipine administration normalized SBP values and significantly reduced the heart: and left ventricle: body weight ratios. Moreover, administration reduced the cross-sectional area of cardiocytes by approximately 38% in subendocardium and by 24% in subepicardium. Hydralazine administration significantly reduced SBP values but had no effect upon heart: or left ventricle: body weight ratios or the cross-sectional area of cardiocytes. Electron microscopy showed that nicardipine treatment was able to reduce the hypertension-dependent changes in cardiac ultrastructure consisting of alternations to intercalated discs and line Z morphology as well as in the decrease of the mitochondria: myofibrils ratio.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The above data indicate that nicardipine administration is able to reduce SBP and to counter the development of structural and ultrastructural changes in cardiac morphology which represent a common complication of arterial hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Cardiovascolari e Respiratoire, Università La Sapienza, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ferrante
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bronzetti
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ciriaco
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Felici
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Amenta
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D006830:Hydralazine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D009529:Nicardipine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY
chemical_list: D006830:Hydralazine; D009529:Nicardipine