title: Effect of losartan and captopril on expression of cardiac angiotensin II AT1 receptor mRNA in rats following myocardial infarction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effects of losartan (Los) and captopril (Cap) treatment on expression of cardiac angiotensin II (Ang) AT1 receptor mRNA in rats following myocardial infarction (MI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-four rats with MI after coronary ligation for 7 d were randomly divided into 4 groups: A) Cap in drinking water, ad lib (2 g.L-1), B) i.g. Los 10 mg.kg-1.d-1, C) i.g. Los 30 mg.kg-1.d-1, and D) placebo for 6 wk. Sham-ligation rats (group E) served as controls. The levels of cardiac Ang AT1 receptor mRNA expression in each group (n = 6) were examined by Dot blot using digoxigenin-labeled cDNA probes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Comparing with reflected peak areas of hybridization positive signals in group D (2640 +/- 201 micron 2), the expression of the cardiac Ang AT1 receptor mRNA was much lower in the 3 treated groups (group A 1360 +/- 134 micron 2, group B 1430 +/- 244 micron 2, group C 1310 +/- 95 micron 2) (P < 0.01). But no difference was found between the 3 treated groups and sham-ligation group (1230 +/- 233 micron 2) (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Los and Cap attenuated the increase of cardiac Ang AT1 receptor mRNA expression in rats following MI.
mesh_terms: D057911:Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002216:Captopril / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D019808:Losartan / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D044140:Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1; D011945:Receptors, Angiotensin / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics