A low dose of a calcium antagonist (nitrendipine) ameliorates cardiac and renal lesions induced by DOC in the rat.
A low dose of nitrendipine (a calcium antagonist) ameliorated the percentage incidence and severity of cardiac and renal lesions induced by deoxycorticosterone (DOC) despite maintenance of the systolic blood pressure of the DOC plus nitrendipine group in the hypertensive range. The percentage mortality in the DOC-calcium antagonist group was slightly lower than that in the DOC-vehicle injected group. Nitrendipine did not reduce the DOC-induced renal hypertrophy, cardiomegaly, splenomegaly, or hepatomegaly as reflected in the absolute or relative weights of these organs. The absolute and relative weights of the thymus of the nitrendipine-DOC group did not differ significantly from those of controls although these weights decreased significantly in the group receiving DOC. No changes in relative weights of the adrenal gland were observed. The level of calcium in the serum of groups receiving DOC with or without nitrendipine was reduced significantly as compared to the comparable controls. Nitrendipine at the low dose employed separates at least in part the changes exerted by elevated blood pressure in animals receiving DOC from cardiac and renal lesions.
D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood; D003900:Desoxycorticosterone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D009568:Nitrendipine; D051381:Rats
D003900:Desoxycorticosterone; D009568:Nitrendipine; D009543:Nifedipine; D002118:Calcium