PMID: 15376733Sep 21, 2004Paper

Ventricular BNP gene expression in acute cardiac overload

Revista Portuguesa De Cardiologia : Orgão Oficial Da Sociedade Portuguesa De Cardiologia = Portuguese Journal of Cardiology : an Official Journal of the Portuguese Society of Cardiology
Roberto Roncon-AlbuquerqueAdelino F Leite-Moreira

Abstract

B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) plasma levels have important diagnostic and prognostic implications in heart failure (HF). Recently, aside from its natriuretic effect, antiproliferative and antifibrotic actions of BNP on the cardiovascular system have been described. Under physiological conditions the atria are the main source of this peptide, while its ventricular expression is still controversial. The aim of this work was to evaluate, in an animal model, the ventricular expression of BNP in normal hearts, at baseline and under acute cardiac overload. Anesthetized open chest male Wistar rats (n=18) were instrumented with a micromanometer in the right ventricular cavity for pressure assessment. Randomization for three different protocols was then performed: (i) pressure overload for a period of 6 hours (SPr; n = 6), by pulmonary trunk banding, in order to double basal right ventricular systolic pressure; (ii) volume overload with a six-hour perfusion of Dextran 40 (SVol; n = 6), to raise end-diastolic right ventricular pressure fourfold; (iii) sham operated rats (n = 6). Transmural samples from the right ventricular free wall were then obtained for quantification of BNP mRNA by RT and quantitative real-time PCR. The results ar...Continue Reading

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Cardiovascular Homeostasis

Cardiovascular regulation and homeostasis is important in maintaining health and dysfunction may lead to cardiovascular diseases. Nitric oxide and vascular endothelium are one of many molecules involved in the homeostatic mechanism. Here is the latest research on cardiovascular homeostasis.