title: Polyamine-mediated heart hypertrophy induced by clenbuterol in the mouse.
abstract: The use of beta-agonists as growth-promoting agents in cattle could lead to toxic side-effects in man. One such effect is the accumulation of polyamines which seem to be implicated in muscle and heart hypertrophy. We have studied the induction of cardiac hypertrophy after treatment with clenbuterol and the role of polyamines in this effect. Treatment of mice with repeated doses of clenbuterol, a specific beta-adrenergic agonist, resulted in a marked increase in heart muscle weight whereas total body weight did not change significantly. Clenbuterol-linked cardiac hypertrophy could be prevented by co-administration of either the non-specific beta-adrenergic antagonist, propranolol, or the irreversible inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase, alpha-difluoromethylornithine. The clenbuterol-induced cardiac hypertrophy was associated with a corresponding increase in the level of the polyamines putrescine, spermidine and spermine. These observations are indicative of the role of polyamines in cardiac hypertrophy induced by clenbuterol.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiología, Farmacología y Toxicología (Intoxcal), Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana, Spain.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Cubría
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Reguera
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Balaña-Fouce
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ordóñez
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ordóñez
mesh_terms: D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002976:Clenbuterol / Q000633:toxicity*; D006321:Heart / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D011073:Polyamines / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists; D011073:Polyamines; D002976:Clenbuterol