TGF-beta(1) downregulates PTHrP in coronary endothelial cells.

Parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP) is expressed throughout the cardiovascular system including coronary endothelial cells. Factors involved in the regulation of cardiac PTHrP expression have not been examined before. This study investigates the influence of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta(1)on ventricular PTHrP expression. Coronary endothelial cells were isolated from ventricles of adult rats and PTHrP protein expression in these cultures was analysed by immunoblotting. TGF-beta(1)caused a concentration-dependent reduction in PTHrP protein within 24 h. In transgenic mice over-expressing TGF-beta(1)ventricular PTHrP protein expression and release was reduced compared to non-transgenic littermates. Similar concerns hold for PTHrP mRNA content (RT-PCR). Since ventricular TGF-beta(1)expression increases under pathophysiological conditions like arterial hypertension, ventricular PTHrP expression was further determined in aging spontaneously hypertensive (SHR-SP) and normotensive rats. TGF- beta(1)expression was increased in SHR-SP and ventricular PTHrP mRNA expression was downregulated at the age of 10 months. PTHrP expression did not recover in elder SHR-SP in which TGF-beta(1)expression was normalized again. Finally, we investigated ventricular PTHrP expression in rats after banding of the ascending aorta which generates a pressure induced hypertrophy without an induction of TGF-beta(1)expression. In ventricles from these animals, PTHrP expression was transiently increased and normalized at day 3. In conclusion, PTHrP expression was reduced under all conditions in which coronary endothelial cells were exposed to TGF-beta(1). PTHrP expression does not correlate with cardiac hypertrophy. Since coronary endothelial cells represent the majority of PTHrP producing cells in the ventricle its downregulation by TGF- beta(1)seems to be relevant for the paracrine effects of PTHrP.     

压力超负荷对大鼠左室心肌牵张敏感性钾通道TREK-1 mRNA和蛋白表达的影响

目的探讨压力超负荷状态下左室心肌牵张敏感性钾通道TREK-1mRNA及其蛋白表达的变化。方法雄性W istar大鼠被随机分为腹主动脉缩窄组(n=30)和假手术组。腹主动脉缩窄组依观察时间随机分为2,4,8周组各10只。每组观察期结束后,计算左右室肥厚指数(LVM I、RVM I)。HE染色观察压力超负荷对心肌组织结构的影响。采用RT-PCR和免疫组织化学SABC法分别检测牵张敏感性钾通道TREK-1mRNA与蛋白水平表达的改变。结果腹主动脉缩窄术后2周,出现左室肥厚,但无统计学意义。腹主动脉缩窄术后4,8周,左室肥厚指数较正常组明显增加(P<0.05),光镜下显示心肌肥厚。术后2,4,8周组左室心肌牵张敏感性钾通道TREK-1mRNA上调(P<0.05),心肌细胞内TREK-1蛋白表达明显增加(P<0.05)。结论压力超负荷致大鼠左室肥厚的同时可诱导牵张敏感性钾通道TREK-1的表达增加。     

卡维地洛对压力负荷性大鼠心室重构及ET-1 mRNA表达的影响

目的　研究第三代 β受体阻滞剂卡维地洛对压力负荷性大鼠心室重构及心肌ET 1mRNA表达的影响。 方法　 2 0只Wistar大鼠行腹主动脉缩窄术造成后负荷增高型大鼠模型 ,随机分为肥厚组和卡维地洛组 ,4周药物干预后测定血流动力学指标和心室重量指数 ,心肌ET 1mRNA的表达水平。结果　肥厚组MBP和LVSP升高 (P <0 0 5 ) ,LVMI和RVMI升高 18 1% ,2 7 7% (P <0 0 5 ) ,ET 1mRNA表达增加 2 0 9% (P <0 0 1) ;卡维地洛改善血液动力学指标 (P <0 0 1～0 0 5 ) ,降低LVMI和RVMI(P <0 0 5 ) ,下调心肌ET 1mRNA的表达 (P <0 0 5 )。结论　压力负荷性大鼠表达上调的ET 1参与心室重构。卡维地洛下调ET 1的过度表达可能是其防治心室重构的机制之一     

Regulation of ventricular atrial natriuretic peptide release in hypertrophied rat myocardium. Effects of exercise

Left ventricular hypertrophy is characterized by stimulation of ventricular synthesis of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP). This study was designed to test the hypothesis that the increased ventricular ANP levels participate in the release of ANP into the circulation. Swimming was used as a physiologic model to induce ANP release from the heart, and atrial and ventricular levels of immunoreactive ANP (IR-ANP) and ANP messenger RNA (mRNA) were measured simultaneously in the spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats at rest and after swimming. IR-ANP concentration in the left ventricle of 1-year-old SHR with severe left ventricular hypertrophy was increased in association with the augmentation of ANP mRNA levels, whereas right ventricular levels of ANP were reduced in SHR compared with normotensive controls. A 30-minute exercise in hypertensive and in normotensive rats resulted in marked increases in mean arterial pressure, heart rate, plasma catecholamine levels, blood lactate levels, and plasma IR-ANP concentration. The increased ANP secretion was associated with a decrease in left (34-39%) and right (24%) ventricular concentration of IR-ANP; transmurally, this depletion of ventricular IR-ANP was greatest (28%) in the endocardial layer of the left ventricle of SHR. No significant differences were noted in total atrial and left or right auricular IR-ANP concentration between SHR and WKY rats or between the resting and swimming rats. When studied in vitro with an isolated, perfused heart preparation, the hypertrophic ventricular tissue after atrialectomy secreted more ANP into the perfusate than did control hearts; in SHR, ventricles contributed 28% of the total ANP release to perfusate, and in normotensive control rats, ventricles contributed 8%. These studies show that stimulated release of ANP is associated with depletion of endocardial left ventricular stores. The amount of ANP released in vitro and in vivo correlated with the degree of hypertrophy of the ventricle. Finally, the phorbol ester, known to increase ANP secretion from intact perfused hearts, had only a limited effect on ANP release after atrialectomy, suggesting that the secretion of ANP from ventricular cells may be mainly of the constitutive type.     

A defective beta-hydroxylation of dopamine may precede the full development of hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats

A possible mechanism of the previously observed increased adrenal dopamine release and tissue content in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) was explored. The following changes in dopamine beta-hydroxylase activity and catecholamines were noted. At age four weeks (normotensive) or 12 weeks (hypertensive), SHR had lower dopamine beta-hydroxylase activity in the adrenals, heart ventricle and spleen than Wistar Kyoto rats. Tissue dopamine beta-hydroxylase activity in Wistar Kyoto rats was increased with age in the atria but decreased in the ventricles and did not change in the spleen. SHR also had reduced right heart atrial dopamine beta-hydroxylase activity in the hypertensive stage and an overall increase in atrial dopamine content even in the prehypertensive state compared to Wistar Kyoto rats. The increase in noradrenaline content seen with age in the right atrium and spleen in Wistar Kyoto rats was not found in SHR, possibly because of concomitantly decreased dopamine beta-hydroxylase activity. An augmented dopamine:noradrenaline ratio in the spleen of hypertensive SHR may also have been related to an abnormality of the synthesis of noradrenaline from dopamine not necessarily reflected by tissue dopamine beta-hydroxylase determination. A defect of beta-hydroxylation, partly attributable to deficient dopamine beta-hydroxylase activity, may thus precede hypertension and contribute to the hyperdopaminergic state found in SHR.     

The effects of renovascular hypertension on repolarization of ventricular epicardium

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:

Alterations in the recovery sequence of hypertrophied myocardium favour the development of cardiac arrhythmias. The aim of the present study was to investigate apex-to-base and interventricular heterogeneities in the duration of epicardial ventricular repolarization in rats with renovascular hypertension.

METHOD:

Renovascular hypertension was induced in six Wistar rats by constricting the left renal artery for one month. Six sham-operated Wistar rats served as normotensive controls. Epicardial mapping was performed using 32 unipolar leads distributed over the apex and base of the heart ventricles under sinus rhythm. Activation-recovery intervals (ARIs) were calculated from electrograms.

RESULTS:

The ratio of left ventricular weight to body weight was increased in hypertensive rats compared with controls. In control rats, ARIs at the base of both ventricles were shorter than those at the apex. In hypertrophied hearts, ARIs were prolonged on both the left and right ventricular epicardium. Heterogeneous prolongation was observed via reduced apex-to-base differences in ARIs and increased interventricular differences, with a trend toward increasing dispersion of ARIs. In rats with renovascular hypertension, nonuniform prolongation of epicardial ARIs on both ventricles and the changes in the ARI distribution resulted in a reduction of the repolarization time gradient between the ventricles.

CONCLUSION:

Nonuniformly prolonged ARIs across the ventricular epicardium and the interventricular electrical inhomogeneity in rats with renovascular hypertension should be considered when interpreting the T wave alterations together with the reduction of the transmural and apex-to-base repolarization gradients.     

Differential responses of circulating and tissue adrenomedullin and gene expression to volume overload

BACKGROUND: Adrenomedullin (AM), which is produced by various tissues and organs, also circulates in the blood. Circulating AM levels increase during disease states such as essential hypertension, heart failure, and renal failure. However, little is known about how circulating AM or AM production responds to volume overload (VOL). METHODS AND RESULTS: Progressive VOL was induced in rats by an aortocaval shunt (AC) or by an aortocaval shunt with banding of the abdominal aorta distal to the shunt (AC + B), which created a larger shunt volume. Plasma and tissue AM concentrations, as well as AM gene expression levels, were measured at 1, 5, and 14 days after operation. Plasma concentrations of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), aldosterone, and renin activity (PRA) were also examined. Pulmonary congestion, pleural effusion, and ascites rapidly progressed in the AC + B group, suggesting that VOL caused more rapid heart failure under these conditions. Plasma AM concentrations in the AC + B and AC groups at day 1 compared with those in sham-operated rats were increased by 300% and 140%, respectively, and then gradually declined. The time course of plasma AM over 14 days was similar to that of plasma aldosterone and PRA, but not of plasma ANP or intracardiac filling pressure. The increase in plasma AM was accompanied by upregulated AM gene expression in the lung and aorta and by decreased AM concentrations in the atrium, ventricle, and adrenal gland. Cardiac AM gene expression levels were increased in the hypertrophied ventricles of AC and AC + B rats. CONCLUSIONS: The major findings of the present study were 1) a rapid increase in plasma AM after the imposition of VOL in association with increased plasma aldosterone and PRA, 2) the contribution of several organs to this increase, and 3) a late increase in the AM messenger RNA (mRNA) level in the ventricles as VOL-induced ventricular hypertrophy developed.     

Changes of atrial natriuretic peptide and its messenger RNA with development and regression of cardiac hypertrophy in renovascular hypertensive rats

We assessed the changes in atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and its messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in atria and ventricles in relation to hemodynamic factors during antihypertensive treatments in two-kidney, one-clip renovascular hypertensive rats (RHRs). Hypertension of 10-week duration caused a twofold increase in the left ventricular weight/body weight ratio, a significant increase in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, and an eightfold increase in left ventricular ANP mRNA levels in RHRs, as compared with the levels in control rats. Uninephrectomy or 4 weeks of treatment with the converting enzyme inhibitor enalapril reduced the blood pressure to the control level, with the complete reversal of left ventricular hypertrophy, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, and ANP mRNA levels. Four weeks of treatment with the arterial vasodilator hydralazine significantly, but not completely, reduced the high blood pressure, but it did not influence left ventricular hypertrophy, end-diastolic pressure, and ANP mRNA levels. The increased ANP synthesis observed in the right ventricles of RHRs also reverted to the control level by uninephrectomy or enalapril treatment, but not by hydralazine, with a time course similar to that of left ventricular ANP. In addition, uninephrectomy caused the left and right ventricular ANP and ANP mRNA levels of RHRs to fall to the levels of control rats as early as 1 week, despite persistent left ventricular hypertrophy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Immunoreactive atrial natriuretic peptide in ventricles, atria, hypothalamus, and plasma of genetically hypertensive rats

To evaluate the role of extra-atrial atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) in volume and blood pressure regulation, the plasma, atrial, ventricular, and hypothalamic levels of immunoreactive atrial natriuretic peptide (IR-ANP) were measured simultaneously in the spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) at the ages of 2, 6, and 12 months. Plasma IR-ANP in the 12-month-old, conscious SHR was significantly higher than that of the WKY (300 +/- 18 versus 200 +/- 20 pg/ml, p less than 0.05, n = 9), while no differences in plasma IR-ANP levels were found between the strains in younger rats. Acute volume expansion with saline (1.1 ml/100 g body wt) in hypertensive as well as in normotensive rats resulted in marked increases in right atrial pressure and plasma IR-ANP concentration. The older SHR had attenuated ANP release to volume loading as shown by the shift of the ANP versus right atrial pressure curve to the right. Right auricular IR-ANP concentration decreased, while that of left auricle increased with increasing age in both strains. No substantial differences were noted in auricular ANP concentration between SHR and WKY. However, the total atrial IR-ANP content (micrograms/atria) was consistently lower in SHR compared with WKY. In both ventricles, IR-ANP concentrations and contents increased with increasing age in WKY and SHR, but the ventricular levels of ANP were reduced in ventricles of the SHR heart compared with normotensive controls. The depletion of total ventricular IR-ANP was greatest in SHR with greatest ventricular hypertrophy and coincided with the attenuated ANP release to acute volume load. The increase of left but not right ventricular weight occurring secondary to 6 weeks minoxidil treatment was accompanied by higher ANP concentration in both strains. In contrast to the ventricles, the hypothalamic IR-ANP concentration was significantly increased in SHR compared with that of WKY and decreased in both strains after 6 weeks' treatment with antihypertensive drugs. Thus, ventricular and hypothalamic, as well as atrial, ANP respond to increased pressure overload in genetically hypertensive rats. Our results suggest that chronic stimulation of ANP release from ventricles is associated with depleted stores of ANP from both ventricles and reduced response to acute volume load. Our findings that ventricular ANP increased with increasing weight and in response to a hypertrophic stimulus in WKY and was decreased in SHR with severe ventricular hypertrophy suggest that ANP may locally have an inhibitory effect on the development of cardiac hypertrophy.     

Physical overdistension converts ventricular cardiomyocytes to acquire endocrine property and regulate ventricular atrial natriuretic peptide production

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) is present in adult atria but at very low concentrations in normal adult mammalian ventricles. In the atria, the production of ANP is regulated by physical distension of the atrial wall. The same phenomenon was investigated in the ventricles of rats and men. Cardiac tissues from human ventricular aneurysm (n = 5), spontaneously hypertensive rats (n = 30), and rats that had overloaded left ventricles induced by surgery (n = 84) were studied with the methods of light microscopic immunocytochemistry, electron microscopic immunogold staining, and RNA-RNA tissue in situ hybridization. It was found that the levels of ANP gene expression, ANP immunoreactivity, and ANP-containing specific granules in the overburdened ventricles were elevated and their degrees of fluctuation were directly proportional to the force of physical distension applied to the ventricular cardiomyocytes. In rats, ANP mRNA and ANP immunoreactivity returned to the control level seven days after the ventricular overload was surgically released. The changes of ANP and its mRNA in the ventricles were related more closely to the changes of intraventricular pressure than to cardiocytic hypertrophy. In addition, ANP immunoreactivity was demonstrated in Purkinje cells and periarteriolar cardiomyocytes in the ventricles of normotensive rats. In conclusion, physical overstretch of the ventricle wall is likely to be the triggering factor affecting ventricular cardiomyocytes to acquire endocrine property, and also to regulate the production of ventricular ANP, thereby contributing to the control of the blood volume and the blood pressure.     

三七总皂苷对腹主动脉缩窄致大鼠心肌肥厚能量代谢紊乱的抑制作用

目的 探讨三七总皂苷(PNS)对腹主动脉缩窄致大鼠心肌肥厚的抑制作用及机制.方法 取75只大鼠,采用腹主动脉缩窄法致心肌肥厚;随机取15只大鼠进行假手术作为对照(假手术组).1周后,手术大鼠随机分为4组:模型组、低剂量PNS组(50 mg/kg)、中剂量PNS组(100 mg/kg)和高剂量PNS组(150 mg/kg).给药11周,测定大鼠血流动力学改变;计算心脏指数和左心室质量指数;病理切片作HE染色观察大鼠左心室心肌形态学改变;取出左心室部分心肌组织进行乳酸、游离脂肪酸测定;采用逆转录聚合酶链反应测定心肌组织心房钠尿肽mRNA的表达;采用高效液相色谱法测定心肌中的三磷酸腺苷(ATP)、二磷酸腺苷(ADP)和一磷酸腺苷(AMP)含量.结果 与模型组相比,PNS可以降低肥厚指数,改善其血流动力学,降低心房钠尿肽mRNA的表达,降低心肌肥厚大鼠心肌乳酸和游离脂肪酸含量,增高心肌ATP、ADP和AMP含量.结论 PNS能够有效抑制腹主动脉缩窄大鼠心肌肥厚并改善其能量代谢紊乱.     

Carvedilol modulates the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha and vascular endothelial growth factor in a rat model of volume-overload heart failure

BACKGROUND: The use of beta-blockers has emerged as a beneficial treatment for congestive heart failure. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) is tightly regulated in the ventricular myocardium. However, the expression of HIF-1alpha in chronic heart failure resulting from volume overload and after treatment with beta-blocker is little known. METHODS AND RESULTS: To test the hypothesis that HIF-1alpha plays a role in the failing myocardium because of volume overload, an aorta-caval shunt was created for 4 weeks in adult Sprague-Dawley rats to induce volume-overload heart failure. Carvedilol at 50 mg/kg body weight per day after surgery was given. The heart weight and body weight ratio increased from 2.6 +/- 0.3 in the sham group to 3.9 +/- 0.7 (P < .001) in the shunt group. Left ventricular end-diastolic dimension increased from 6.5 +/- 0.5 mm to 8.7 +/- 0.6 mm (P < .001). Treatment with carvedilol in the shunt group reversed the heart weight and ventricular dimension to the baseline values. Western blot showed that HIF-1alpha, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) proteins were upregulated and nerve growth factor-beta (NGF-beta) downregulated in the shunt group. Real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that mRNA of HIF-1alpha, VEGF, and BNP increased and mRNA of NGF-beta decreased in the shunt group. Treatment with carvedilol reversed both protein and mRNA of HIF-1alpha, VEGF, BNP, and NGF-beta to the baseline values. Increased immunohistochemical labeling of HIF-1alpha, VEGF, and BNP in the ventricular myocardium was observed in the shunt group and carvedilol again normalized the labeling. CONCLUSION: HIF-1alpha and VEGF mRNA and protein expression were upregulated in the rat model of volume-overload heart failure. Treatment with carvedilol is associated with a reversal of abnormal regulation of HIF-1alpha and VEGF in the failing ventricular myocardium.     

Altered gene expression of prostacyclin synthase and prostacyclin receptor in the thoracic aorta of spontaneously hypertensive rats.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible role of prostacyclin (PGI2) in the pathogenesis of hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). METHODS: Measurement of mRNA and protein levels of PGH synthase (PGHS)-1, PGI2 synthase and the PGI2 receptor, in the thoracic aorta was performed in SHR aged 5, 10, 20, and 40 weeks old and in age-matched normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats with a competitive polymerase chain reaction method and immunoblotting. Aortic production of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha, the main metabolite of PGI2, was also measured. RESULTS: Compared with age-matched WKY rats, PGHS-1 mRNA and protein levels in the thoracic aorta of SHR increased with age, reaching three- and twofold higher than WKY rats at 40 weeks old, respectively. PGI2 synthase mRNA and protein levels in SHR were significantly higher than in WKY rats at 20 and 40 weeks old. In contrast, PGI2 receptor mRNA levels in SHR were consistently lower than in WKY rats at all ages. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide evidence that hypertension elicits alterations in levels of arachidonic acid metabolites, including PGH2 and PGI2. They also suggest that the decreased expression of PGI2 receptor mRNA in prehypertensive SHR could be one of the causes of hypertension in SHR.     

Rho/Rho激酶在压力负荷心力衰竭大鼠心肌组织的表达

目的　探讨升主动脉缩窄压力超负荷心力衰竭 (心衰 )大鼠心肌组织Rho/Rho激酶的表达及Rho激酶抑制剂法舒地尔 (fasudil)对心衰的影响。方法　结扎大鼠升主动脉 ,同时制备假手术模型。 2 0周后成功建立慢性心衰模型。随机分为三组 ,每组 10只大鼠 :(1)假手术组 :生理盐水 0 1ml,腹腔注射 ,每日 2次 ;(2 )心衰组 :生理盐水 0 1ml,腹腔注射 ,每日 2次 ;(3)fasudil组 :fasudil 5mg/kg ,腹腔注射 ,每日 2次 ,疗程 4周。治疗前后检测各组大鼠血流动力学指标 ,疗程结束后处死大鼠 ,检测左室肥厚指数、心肌组织RhoA、Rho激酶mRNA表达及Ca2 + 浓度即 [Ca2 + ]i 的变化。结果心衰组与假手术组相比 ,左室舒张末压明显增高 ,而左室收缩压和左室压力变化最大上升和下降速率明显减低 ,P <0 0 1;左室肥厚指数明显增加 ,P <0 0 1;心肌组织RhoA、Rho激酶mRNA表达显著增高 ,P <0 0 1;心肌组织内 [Ca2 + ]i 显著增高 ,P <0 0 1。fasudil组与心衰组相比 ,左室舒张末压明显减低 ,左室收缩压和左室压力变化最大上升和下降速率明显增高 ,P <0 0 1;左室肥厚指数下降 ,P <0 0 1;心肌组织RhoA、Rho激酶mRNA表达明显下降 ,P <0 0 1;心肌细胞内 [Ca2 + ]i 变化无统计学意义 ,P >0 0 5。结论　心衰大鼠心肌组织RhoA、Rho激     

Aortic connexin43 is decreased during hypertension induced by inhibition of nitric oxide synthase.

Connexin43 (Cx43), the predominant gap junction protein in vessels and heart, is involved in the control of cell-to-cell communication and is thought to modulate the contractility of the vascular wall and the electrical coupling of cardiac myocytes. We have investigated the effects of arterial hypertension induced by inhibition of nitric oxide synthase on the expression of Cx43 in aorta and heart as well as on the distensibility of the carotid artery. Administration of 0.4 g/L NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) to rats in their drinking water for 4 weeks increased intra-arterial mean blood pressure, wall thickness of aorta and carotid artery (25%), and heart weight (17%). Analysis of heart mRNA demonstrated increased expression of the fetal skeletal alpha-actin and of atrial natriuretic peptide but not of Cx43. In contrast, Cx43 mRNA and protein were decreased by 50% in the aortas of L-NAME-treated rats that did not show increased carotid distensibility. Because these data contrasted with those obtained in the 2-kidney, 1 clip model of rat hypertension, which is characterized by increased arterial distensibility and Cx43 expression in aorta, we investigated by Western blot analysis the posttranslational modifications of Cx43. We found that Cx43 was more phosphorylated in the aorta of 2-kidney, 1 clip rats than in that of L-NAME or control rats, which indicated a differential regulation of Cx43 in different models of hypertension. The data suggest that the cell-to-cell communication mediated by Cx43 channels may help regulate the elasticity of the vascular wall.     

Lacidipine prevents endothelial dysfunction in salt-loaded stroke-prone hypertensive rats

Endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation is defective in hypertensive rats, especially in conduit arteries. In the stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat, impaired endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation appears to contribute to the pathogenesis of stroke independent of blood pressure. Because treatment with lacidipine, a long-acting calcium channel blocker, protects against stroke and cardiovascular remodeling in this model, we investigated the effect of this treatment on endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation in the aorta. Stroke-prone rats were exposed to a salt-rich diet (1% NaCl in drinking water) with or without lacidipine (1 mg. kg(-1). d(-1)) for 6 weeks. A high-sodium diet (1) increased systolic blood pressure, aortic weight, and wall thickness and plasma renin activity (P<0.05); (2) markedly reduced nitric oxide (NO)-mediated, endothelium-dependent relaxation of aortic rings to acetylcholine and the sensitivity to the relaxing effect of S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine, an NO donor (P<0.001); and (3) induced an elevation of preproendothelin-1 mRNA levels in aortic tissue (P<0.01) without affecting endothelial NO synthase mRNA levels. Lacidipine treatment prevented the salt-dependent functional and structural alterations of the aorta, including the overexpression of the preproendothelin-1 gene, and increased endothelial NO synthase mRNA levels in aortic tissue (P<0.01). In conclusion, lacidipine protects stroke-prone hypertensive rats against the impairment of endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation evoked by a salt-rich diet, and this effect may contribute to its beneficial effect against end-organ damage and stroke.     

Myocardial Na, K-ATPase in one-kidney, one-clip hypertensive rats

Myocardial ventricular Na, K-ATPase activity of normotensive rats was compared with that of healthy rats with chronic benign one-kidney, one-clip hypertension. The yield of protein (mg/g wet wt left plus right ventricles) in microsomal and sarcolemmal membrane fractions was the same for both normotensive and hypertensive rat ventricles. However, the yield of protein (mg/ventricle) was 26% greater in the hypertensive relative to the normotensive animals, consistent with the presence of hypertrophy, as also indicated by an increase in the ratio of ventricular to body weight and a shift in the isomyosin composition. Na, K-ATPase activity, sodium-dependent phosphorylation and ouabain binding were significantly (P less than 0.05) decreased (by 20%, 40%, and 45%, respectively) in the hypertensive rat ventricles when the data were expressed in units/g tissue wet weight. However, when expressed in units per ventricle, values in normotensive and hypertensive animals were similar. The molecular activity or turnover number of ventricular (and also renal) Na, K-ATPase activity was the same in both groups of animals. These results suggest that the decrease in myocardial specific Na, K-ATPase activity in the rat made hypertensive by removing one kidney and constricting the renal artery of the other kidney is related to the presence of cardiac hypertrophy.     

Pulmonary endothelium as a site of synthesis and storage of interleukin-6 in experimental congestive heart failure

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary endothelium is an early upstream hemodynamic target of left ventricular dysfunction. Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine reported to increase in congestive heart failure (CHF) patients. AIMS: We sought to determine the origin of IL-6, IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) and gp130 in experimental CHF. METHODS: We used rats with coronary artery ligation as an experimental model of either compensated or decompensated heart failure. Lung and aorta samples were analysed by RT-PCR, ELISA and immunohistochemistry for IL-6 and its receptors. RESULTS: IL-6 mRNA expression increased in the lung of rats with decompensated heart failure and was positively correlated with infarct severity whereas IL-6R mRNA decreased in the lung of myocardial infarction rats and gp130 mRNA remained unchanged. In contrast, there were no changes in IL-6 mRNA expression in the aorta and left ventricular myocardium. IL-6 peptide content as determined by ELISA and Western Blot in lung tissue was 2-fold higher in decompensated heart failure as compared to control rats. These data were confirmed by immunohistochemistry showing a preferential endothelial localization of IL-6 in the CHF lung. IL-6 peptide was also present in the pleural effusion of decompensated heart failure and was positively correlated with IL-6 mRNA expression in the lungs of decompensated HF rats. Pulmonary IL-6 overexpression was associated with nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB and cytosolic degradation of IkappaB. CONCLUSION: Dysfunctional pulmonary endothelium is a source of synthesis and storage of IL-6 in an experimental model of CHF.