title: Effects of angiotensin II receptor blockade on hypoxia-induced right ventricular hypertrophy in rats.
abstract: It was the aim of the present study to characterize the hemodynamic, biochemical and morphologic effect of angiotensin II receptor blockade on hypoxia-induced right ventricular hypertrophy in rats. Isolated right ventricular hypertrophy was induced in female Sprague-Dawley rats by intermittent hypoxia (IH; 10% O2, 8 h/day, 5 days/week, 20 days of exposition, n=15). After completion of IH, left- (LV) and right-ventricular (RV) hemodynamic parameters were measured under room air conditions in the intact, thiopental-anesthetized animals with special Millar ultraminiature tipcatheter-manometers. Cardiac output was determined using the thermodilution method. Cell volume (CV) of isolated cardiomyocytes was measured with a Coulter Channellyzer after collagenase cell isolation. The specific activities of the myocardial pentose phosphate pathway enzymes glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) and 6-phosphogluconate-dehydrogenase (6-PGD) were determined using a spectrophotometric assay. IH caused a rise in right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) from 38.1+/-0.83 to 58.1+/-1.42 mmHg and an increase in the RV weight/body weight ratio (RVW/BW) from 0.884+/-0. 053 to 1.166+/-0.049 mg/g. The activities of G-6-PD and 6-PGD were significantly increased after IH in the RV, but not in the LV. CV was increased from 24 248+/-1193 to 29 541+/-1765 micrometer 3, myocardial cell length was unchanged. IH had no influence on the LV parameters or cardiac output. Co-infusion of the angiotensin II receptor antagonist losartan (LO; 12 mg/kg/d i.p., n=14) during the IH period reduced the rises in RVSP (49.4+/-2.06 mmHg), RVW/BW (0. 99+/-0.072 mg/g), G-6-PD and 6-PGD significantly, but not completely. The increase in CV, however, was prevented (24 524+/-2370 micrometer 3) entirely. We conclude from these data that the IH-induced RV-hypertrophy was primarily of the concentric type. LO attenuated the hypoxia-induced isolated RV hypertrophy and significantly reduced the metabolic response of the RV. The LO effect was most potent with regard to the increase in cardiomyocyte volume.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, University of Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Irlbeck
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iwai
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lerner
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Zimmer
mesh_terms: D057911:Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; D000818:Animals; D015687:Cell Hypoxia / Q000187:drug effects; D048429:Cell Size / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005954:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000188:drug therapy*; D019808:Losartan / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010734:Phosphogluconate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D057911:Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; D010734:Phosphogluconate Dehydrogenase; D005954:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase; D019808:Losartan