Long-term treatment with an aldosterone synthase inhibitor improves cardiac function and myocardial structure in rats with chronic heart failure

AIM: Aldosterone receptor antagonists reduce total and cardiovascular mortality in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) under active angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition treatment,illustrating the deleterious involvement of aldosterone in the progression of CHF. The reduction of aldosterone synthesis through inhibition of aldosterone synthase is an alternative way to prevent the effects of aldosterone. However, whether chronic aldosterone synthase inhibition exerts beneficial effects in CHF