Effects of Chlorthalidone on Ventricular Hypertrophy in Deoxycorticosterone Acetate–Salt Hypertensive Rats

• Published in: Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. 1979) Vol. 23; no. 1 Suppl I; pp. I-180 - I-184
• Main Authors: Cabral, Antonio M, Carvalhinho, Francine B, Vasquez, Elisardo C, Cicilini, Maria A
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA American Heart Association, Inc 01-01-1994; Hagerstown, MD Lippincott
• Subjects: Animals; Antihypertensive agents; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Pressure - drug effects; Body Weight - drug effects; Cardiomegaly - drug therapy; Cardiomegaly - physiopathology; Cardiomegaly - prevention & control; Cardiovascular system; Chlorthalidone - therapeutic use; Desoxycorticosterone; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Heart Rate - drug effects; Hypertension - physiopathology; Male; Medical sciences; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Sodium, Dietary; Vagus Nerve - drug effects; Vagus Nerve - physiopathology; Hypertension; Rat; Rodentia; Cardiovascular disease; Salt overload; Biological activity; Left ventricle; Diuretic; Vertebrata; Chemotherapy; Mammalia; Heart disease; Animal; Antihypertensive agent; Deoxycortone; Hypertrophy
• ISSN: 0194-911X; 1524-4563
• DOI: 10.1161/01.hyp.23.1_suppl.i180

Diuretics have been the mainstay of long-term treatment of hypertension, but there is no evidence suggesting diuretics may be effective in reducing cardiac hypertrophy associated with hypertension. Thus, the present study was carried out to elucidate if long-term treatment with chlorthalidone (8 mg per animal per day added to food) affects the development of and reverses the ventricular hypertrophy in deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) (8 mg/kg SC twice a week)-salt hypertensive rats. Chlorthalidone was given to one group during all 20 days of DOCA administration (preventive regimen) and to another group 20 days after DOCA treatment initiated until the 40th day (therapeutic regimen). Chlorthalidone was found to reduce or prevent the development of ventricular hypertrophy, as assessed by a reduction in ventricular mass and cardiac protein as well as arterial hypertension. Both chlorthalidone regimens prevented the increase or induced a significant decrease in the plasma concentration of sodium and in cardiac sympathetic tone, which were both increased in DOCA-salt-treated rats. These data provide evidence that long-term chlorthalidone treatment is effective in preventing or reducing ventricular hypertrophy along with arterial hypertension. However, whether this is due to a reduction in plasma sodium or other additional mechanisms, such as a reduction in cardiac sympathetic tone, remains to be determined.