Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol 64, Issue 3 1094-1097, Copyright © 1988 by American Physiological Society
Development of an animal model for investigating disparate myocardial effects of obesity and hypertension
D. L. Crandall, B. M. Goldstein, F. H. Lizzo, R. J. Lozito and P. Cervoni
Department of Cardiovascular Biological Research, American Cyanamid Company, Pearl River, New York.
An experimental model for investigating the disparate effects of obesity
and hypertension on the heart was developed by ligation of the aorta of
male Sprague-Dawley rats made obese through ad libitum feeding.
Experimental obesity was associated with an increased body fat and cardiac
muscle mass, yet a normotensive systemic arterial pressure. Aortic ligation
produced an elevated mean arterial pressure and resting heart rate, whereas
body weight was similar to that of normotensive lean control rats. Obesity
and hypertension together were associated with a significantly increased
percent body fat, mean arterial pressure, and left ventricular mass
compared with lean controls, whereas pressure and left ventricular weight
were greater than those observed in rats with only obesity or hypertension.
Cardiac adaptations corrected for body weight indicated that left
ventricular weight increased as a function of body weight and body fat, but
hypertension produced left ventricular adaptations independent of these
variables. These initial studies indicate an additional contribution of
hypertension to the left ventricular adaptations of obesity, and this model
could therefore be used in future investigations concerning the
cardiovascular effects of the simultaneous occurrence of these separate
diseases.
