Increased Cardiac Types I and III Collagen mRNAs in Aldosterone-Salt Hypertension

• Published in: Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. 1979) Tex. 1979), 1994-07, Vol.24 (1), p.30-36
• Main Authors: Robert, Valérie, van Thiem, Nguyen, Cheav, Sean Lean, Mouas, Christian, Swynghedauw, Bernard, Delcayre, Claude
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aldosterone - blood; Aldosterone - pharmacology; Animals; Arterial hypertension. Arterial hypotension; Biological and medical sciences; Blood and lymphatic vessels; Cardiology. Vascular system; Collagen - genetics; Experimental diseases; Gene Expression; Hypertension - chemically induced; Hypertension - metabolism; Hypertension - pathology; Male; Medical sciences; Myocardium - metabolism; Myocardium - pathology; Rats; Rats, Wistar; RNA, Messenger - analysis; Sodium Chloride - administration & dosage
• ISSN: 0194-911X; 1524-4563
• DOI: 10.1161/01.hyp.24.1.30

Cardiac fibrosis is one of the deleterious events accompanying hypertension that may be implicated in the progression toward heart failure. To determine the mechanisms involved in fibrosis and the role of hemodynamic versus humoral factors, we studied the expression of genes involved in hypertrophy and fibrosis in the heart of rats treated with aldosterone for 2 months with addition of 1% NaCl and 0.3% KC1 in water. This treatment induced arterial hypertension, a moderate left ventricular hypertrophy, and a decrease in plasma thyroxine. Equatorial sections of hearts from treated rats showed numerous foci of proliferating nonmuscular cells and a biventricular fibrosis. Computerized videodensitometry demonstrated an increase of collagen volume fraction by 152% and 146% and of the ratio of the perivascular collagen area and vascular area by 86% and 167% in left and right ventricles, respectively. As measured by slot blot, this cardiac fibrosis was accompanied by an increase in α1-I procollagen mRNA by 75% and 160% (P