title: Hemodynamics and ventricular function in the day-12 rat embryo: basic characteristics and the responses to cardiovascular drugs.
abstract: We investigated the basic characteristics of the rat embryonic circulation and also looked at the hemodynamic effects of alpha- and beta-agonists, digitalis, and atrial natriuretic peptide, using a modified organ culture system in which the embryo was placed in oxygenated Hanks' balanced salt solution, blood pressure was measured by a servo-null micropressure system, and blood flow pattern was obtained by a 20-MHz pulsed Doppler velocity meter. The peak pressure was 0.5 +/- 0.04 (SEM) mm Hg at the atrium (n = 6), 2.3 +/- 0.10 mm Hg at the ventricle (n = 15), 1.6 +/- 0.03 mm Hg at the truncus (n = 7), and 1.0 +/- 0.05 mm Hg at the umbilical artery (n = 21). There was a pressure drop from the ventricle to the truncus and then a smaller pressure decrease to the umbilical artery. The atrial a-wave was 20% of ventricular pressure and ventricular inflow blood flow pattern showed very low early-to-late filling ratio, indicating that the ventricle was stiff. These findings were essentially the same as in the chick embryo. We recorded the ventricular image by using a high-speed video system with a frame rate of 200/s, and the ventricular pressure-area loop showed a triangular shape with short isovolumetric phases, which was different from that of the chick embryo at a similar stage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Heart Institute of Japan, Tokyo Women's Medical College.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakazawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morishima
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tomita
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Tomita
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kajio
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor / Q000494:pharmacology; D002317:Cardiovascular Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002642:Chick Embryo; D004071:Digitalis Glycosides / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007545:Isoproterenol / Q000494:pharmacology; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013045:Species Specificity; D016276:Ventricular Function / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D002317:Cardiovascular Agents; D004071:Digitalis Glycosides; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor; D007545:Isoproterenol; D009638:Norepinephrine