Left ventricular structure and performance in middle-aged rats with deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt hypertension.
We designed this study to establish the structural and functional characteristics of the hypertrophied left ventricle of middle-aged rats during mineralocorticoid-salt hypertension. Treatment was initiated at 12 months of age, and the rats were studied at either 13 or 15 months of age (after 1 or 3 months of treatment). All rats were unilaterally nephrectomized. One group received deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) injections (30 mg/kg s.c.) biweekly and 1% NaCl drinking water (DOCA salt), and the other group was injected with the vehicle (sesame seed oil) and given tap water to drink (sham). During the first 4 weeks of DOCA-salt treatment, arterial pressure reached its peak and left ventricular enlargement was mainly due to increases of 47% in cardiocyte cross-sectional area in the middle layer of the left ventricular wall. The last 2 months were characterized by an accelerated endomyocardial growth. Because absolute left ventricular mass did not increase during the last 2 months of treatment, we conclude that cellular hypertrophy was accompanied by a focal loss of cardiocytes. Myocardial hydroxyproline concentration was initially elevated by 37% but normalized by the third month of treatment. Intracellularly, myofibril volume percent was not changed, but mitochondria volume percent declined (13% in the midmyocardium and 15% in the endomyocardium) and sarcoplasmic volume density increased by 25% and 39%, respectively, in these regions. Left ventricular hypertrophy was associated with enhanced peak cardiac and stroke indexes, measured during increased preload, after both 1 and 3 months of DOCA-salt treatment. Acceleration of flow, however, was depressed in the rats with left ventricular hypertrophy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Tomanek
R J
RJ
Department of Anatomy, University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242.
Barlow
P A
PA
D000818:Animals; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003900:Desoxycorticosterone; D006321:Heart / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006352:Heart Ventricles; D006973:Hypertension / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012965:Sodium Chloride
D003900:Desoxycorticosterone; D012965:Sodium Chloride