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. 1990 Apr;85(4):994–997. doi: 10.1172/JCI114576

Hypertensive cardiomyopathy. Myocyte nuclei hyperplasia in the mammalian rat heart.

P Anversa 1, T Palackal 1, E H Sonnenblick 1, G Olivetti 1, J M Capasso 1
PMCID: PMC296527  PMID: 2138635

Abstract

To determine whether long-term hypertension leads to hyperplasia of myocyte nuclei in the heart, a phenomenon suspected to occur in humans, renal hypertension was produced in rats and the animals were killed 8 mo later. Arterial blood pressure remained elevated for approximately 5 mo, but decreased progressively in the last 3 mo so that at 8 mo this parameter was practically identical to that found in controls. Moreover, left ventricular end diastolic pressure was markedly increased in experimental animals in association with a substantial decrease in left ventricular dP/dt. The alteration of these physiological measurements was indicative of severe ventricular dysfunction. Quantitative analysis of the transmural distribution of myocyte nuclei in the left ventricle showed 36 and 23% increases in myocyte nuclei concentration in the epimyocardium and endomyocardium, respectively. These changes in nuclei were accompanied by 25 and 16% reductions in myocyte cell volume per nucleus in the outer and inner layers of the wall. In conclusion, long-term hypertension leads to impairment of ventricular function and proliferation of nuclei in myocytes.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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