title: Determination of the effects of pulmonary arterial hypertension and therapy on the cardiovascular system of rats by impedance cardiography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effects of bosentan, sildenafil, and combined therapy on the cardiovascular system using impedance cardiography (ICG) in rats with monocrotaline (MCT)-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy male Wistar-albino rats were randomized into five groups. A single dose of MCT was given to all rats, except to the control group. After 4 weeks, bosentan, sildenafil, and combined treatment was started and lasted for 3 weeks. The last group that developed PAH did not receive any medication. Echocardiographic evaluation was performed to determine the PAH development. Thoracic fluid content index (TFCI), stroke volume index (SI), heart rate (HR), cardiac index (CI), and myocardial contractility index (IC) were determined. All procedures were performed at the baseline and after 4 and 7 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Echocardiographic parameters showed that the all MCT-injected rats developed PAH. There were no significant inter- and intra-group differences in TFCI, SI, and IC (P>0.05), but at the 7th week, CI value in the sildenafil-treated PAH rats was significantly higher than in other groups and HR of PAH rats with combined therapy was significantly lower than in other groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PAH did not have an effect on LV function of rats, or if it did, the effect was compensated by physiological processes. Also, sildenafil treatment deteriorated the LV cardiac index.
authors.affiliation: Belgin Buyukakilli, Professor Head of the Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, Mersin University, TR-33343 Mersin, Turkey, bbuyukakilli@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Belgin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Buyukakilli
authors.forename: Serkan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gurgul
authors.forename: Derya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Citirik
authors.forename: Olgu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hallioglu
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ozeren
authors.forename: Bahar
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tasdelen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D000077300:Bosentan; D002307:Cardiography, Impedance; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004452:Echocardiography; D065128:Endothelin Receptor Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D016686:Monocrotaline; D058986:Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D010879:Piperazines / Q000494:pharmacology; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011687:Purines / Q000494:pharmacology; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D000068677:Sildenafil Citrate; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D065128:Endothelin Receptor Antagonists; D058986:Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors; D010879:Piperazines; D011687:Purines; D013449:Sulfonamides; D016686:Monocrotaline; D000068677:Sildenafil Citrate; D000077300:Bosentan