BENEFICIAL-EFFECTS OF GROWTH-HORMONE AND INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH-FACTOR-IIN EXPERIMENTAL HEART-FAILURE IN RATS TREATED WITH CHRONIC ACE-INHIBITION

The effects of growth hormone (GH) plus insulin-like growth factor-1 ( IGF-1) were tested in an experimental model of cardiac failure treated with chronic angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition. Myocardi al infarction was induced in rats by left coronary artery ligation. Tw o weeks after ligation, the animals received either captopril (2 g/L i n drinking water) or water for 3 months. The rats were then given eith er GH (2 mg/kg/day) plus IGF-1 (2 mg/kg/day) or vehicle for 14 days. C aptopril treatment decreased mean arterial pressure (MAP), left ventri cular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) and systemic vascular resistance (SVR) (p < 0.05), and increased cardiac index (CI) and stroke volume i ndex (SVI) (p < 0.05). GH/IGF-1 or captopril + GH/IGF-1 treatment decr eased MAP, LVEDP, and SVR (p < 0.05), and increased left ventricular m aximum dP/dt, CI, and SVI (p < 0.05). The increases in CI and SVI were significantly greater in the captopril + GH/IGF-1-treated animals tha n in those treated with captopril alone (p < 0.05). The beneficial eff ect of captopril in reducing cardiac hypertrophy was preserved in the captopril + GH/IGF-1 group. The results indicate that GH/IGF-1 and cap topril can improve cardiac performance in congestive heart failure by independent and complementary mechanisms.