The heart in patients with hypertension: effects of rilmenidine on experimental cardiac hypertrophy of hypertensive origin in rats
Callens-el Amrani, F.; Paolaggi, F.; Swynghedauw, B.
Archives des Maladies du Coeur et des Vaisseaux 82(Special Issue 5): 53-57
1989
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-9683 PMID: 2534268 Document Number: 326692
The hypertensive heart is an example of myocardial adaptation to a chronic mechanical overload. In this model, the myocardium adapts by quantitative mechanisms such as hypertrophy and by qualitative processes at sarcomere and cell membrane level. Cardiac failure occurs when these mechanisms become inadequate although other phenomena such as collagen, coronary resistances, adverse hormonal effects and associated pathologies also play a role. This report describes an experimental model: uninephrectomised rats were made hypertensive by administering a DOCA-salt diet. The resulting cardiac hypertrophy was reduced and the hypertension corrected by propranolol. Rilmenidine, a new antihypertensive agent, has no effect on cardiac hypertrophy but it does reduce myocardial collagen concentrations significantly which has potentially important beneficial consequences.