Numerous studies suggest that the renin angiotensin system (RAS) is involved in the development of cardiac hypertrophy. In the present study we produced cardiac hypertrophy in rats subjected to abdominal aortic banding and also induced cardiac regression by the administration of an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, enalapril, at 3, 10 and 30 mg/kg/day. Each drug was administered to the rats for 6 weeks from 6 weeks after aortic banding. The left ventricular weight significantly decreased at 10 and 30 mg/kg/day of enalapril as well as the systolic blood pressure. Using the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, the increased levels of ACE and AT1 mRNA were significantly inhibited in the aortic banding rats treated with the above concentrations of enalapril. The ACE activity in both the plasma and heart tissue preparations was significantly inhibited by enalapril. Similar observations were also seen after the administration of angiotensin type 1 receptor blockade, E-4177, into the aortic banding rats. The treatment with enalapril at 3 mg/kg/day did not reduce the left ventricular weight or the systolic blood pressure in the aortic banding rats. However, this low-dose treatment did significantly decrease the left ventricle to body weight ratio in the aortic banding rats without a reduction of the systolic blood pressure. Therefore, using the low-dose enalapril, the ACE activity in plasma was in part inhibited and the levels of ACE mRNA also decreased in the heart tissue of aortic banding rats, while the level of AT1 mRNA showed no such decrease. These results thus indicate that chronic ACE inhibitor at low doses has a beneficial effect on the regression in the pressure-induced cardiac hypertrophy. It is thus assumed that this effect may also contribute to the presence of an alternate pathway for the conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II which might also act as a possible mechanism for cardiac regression.

Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Apparent normobasemia as a negative prognostic sign immediately after hepatectomy.

The acid-base balance from the postoperative day (POD) 1 to POD 3 after cirrhotic liver resection was investigated in relation to operative outcome by conducting a retrospective study on the changes in arterial ketone body ratio (AKBR), which reflects the hepatic mitochondrial redox state, and arterial blood gas analysis. Patients were grouped according to their outcome: hospital death (HD) and or good outcome, the latter group acting as controls (CTR). Metabolic alkalosis developed in a significant number of the CTR patients (p < 0.01), who had high AKBR values. By contrast, metabolic alkalosis did not develop in the HD group, with significantly lower AKBR (p < 0.001), and there was almost normobasemia. There were no significant differences in the need for mechanical respiratory assistance, the amounts of fresh frozen plasma administered, and renal function test results between the two groups on each of 3 postoperative days. These data indicated that the absence of metabolic alkalosis during the early postoperative days reflects disruption of energy metabolism in the remnant liver, and that the apparent normobasemia is a significant indicator of poor prognosis after cirrhotic liver resection.

Acid-Base Equilibrium↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Bilio-enteric anastomosis as a risk factor for postembolic hepatic abscesses.

In 2 patients who had undergone pancreatoduodenectomy with choledochojejunostomy, a subsequently detected metastatic tumor of the liver was treated with transcatheter arterial embolization. Weeks later intrahepatic abscesses developed. Pathophysiologic processes that may lead to this complication of hepatic embolization are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of LDL-apheresis on the pharmacokinetics of the lipophilic antilipidemic agent probucol.

The effect of LDL-apheresis on the pharmacokinetics of antilipidemic agents has not been evaluated thoroughly. In this study, we investigated the effect of LDL-apheresis on the pharmacokinetics of probucol, a lipophilic antilipidemic agent, by studying its distribution and changes in the blood concentration of probucol after LDL-apheresis. The concentrations of lipoproteins were measured before and after LDL-apheresis in eight patients with familial hypercholesterolemia taking probucol. Concentrations of probucol in the various lipoprotein fractions and plasma were measured by HPLC. The serum concentrations of probucol before and after LDL-apheresis were 39.8 +/- 3.3 and 16.5 +/- 1.6 micrograms/ml, and the correlation coefficient between the changes in the serum probucol concentration and those in the serum cholesterol concentration before and after LDL-apheresis was significant (r = 0.73, P < 0.01). Changes in the probucol and cholesterol concentrations after LDL-apheresis were mainly found in the LDL fraction. The calculated reductions in the serum contents of probucol and cholesterol were similar to the contents of probucol and cholesterol in the irrigation fluid of the dextran sulfate column. These data suggest that changes of probucol concentration in plasma by LDL-apheresis are mainly due to reductions in the LDL fraction.

Anticholesteremic Agents↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Hypocholesterolaemic effect of animal and plant fats in rats.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Lipid-lowering activity of phytostanols in rats.

In the present study, the hypocholesterolemic activity of phytosterols and phytostanols was compared. Phytostanols were prepared by hydrogenating a phytosterol mixture from corn oil and were fed at different levels (0.1-1.0%) to male rats for 10 to 14 days with or without cholesterol (1.0%). In an appropriate combination with cholesterol, phytostanols showed significantly greater activity in lowering the plasma and possibly liver cholesterol levels in comparison with the corresponding phytosterols. The stanols further stimulated the fecal recovery of cholesterol. The rate of intestinal absorption of phytostanols appeared obviously lower than that of phytosterols and thus the deposition into plasma and liver lipids was almost negligible.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Soybean protein lowers serum cholesterol levels in hamsters: effect of debittered undigested fraction.

The undigested fraction (UDF) of soybean protein exerts a marked hypocholesterolemic effect in relation to soybean protein (SOY) in rats. The present study was conducted to confirm whether UDF was effective in hamsters as in rats in combination with different fat sources, either perilla oil (PER) or safflower oil (SAF). Because the hamster, unlike the rat, disliked the bitter taste of UDF, the effect of debittering UDF also was studied. Cholesterol-enriched (0.2%) diets containing 20% protein and 10% fat were fed to hamsters for 4 wk. UDF was more hypocholesterolemic than soybean protein in hamsters regardless of the dietary fat source. The ratio of high-density lipoprotein to total cholesterol essentially remained unchanged. The debittered UDF, without influencing food intake and thereby weight gain, exerted a significant hypocholesterolemic effect comparable with UDF in relation to SOY accompanying stimulation of fecal neutral and acidic steroid excretion. The fatty acid composition of liver phospholipids was influenced by the type of the dietary protein, and both UDF seemed to interfere characteristically more than SOY with the desaturation systems between linoleic acid and arachidonic acid. Thus, the debittered UDF, similar to UDF, exerted a distinct influence on the various parameters of lipid metabolism in relation to SOY.

Animals↗