Adrenal steroids and cardiac fibrosis.
Uninephrectomized rats maintained on 0.9% NaCl as drinking fluid and infused for 8 weeks with aldosterone 0.75 micrograms/h via subcutaneous osmotic minipumps respond with hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy, and both interstitial and perivascular cardiac fibrosis. Similar animals injected with desoxycorticosterone (20 mg/week), or the glucocorticoid antagonist RU 486 (2 mg/day) show interstitial cardiac fibrosis to a lesser degree than animals injected with aldosterone, and show perivascular fibrosis to a greater degree. These findings suggest that glucocorticoid antagonist activity may play a role in exacerbating perivascular collagen deposition in response to chronic mineralocorticoid and salt imbalance.
Young
M
M
Baker Medical Research Institute, Prahran, Australia.
D000450:Aldosterone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000494:pharmacology; D003900:Desoxycorticosterone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004719:Endomyocardial Fibrosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D015735:Mifepristone / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D015735:Mifepristone; D003900:Desoxycorticosterone; D000450:Aldosterone; D003345:Corticosterone