RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SYSTOLIC ARTERIAL-PRESSURE AND HEART MASS IN THERAT

This study describes the relationship between left ventricular mass an d systolic arterial pressure (SAP) in normotensive and hypertensive ra ts. The genetically hypertensive rats (SHR) were stratified according to their SAP values in to hypertensive (SHRH) and normotensive (SHRN) subgroups. Males and females of both subgroups exhibited biventricular hypertrophy and the left ventricular mass was not correlated with SAP values. An overall cardiac enlargement was also found in female rats of the normotensive WKY group. In DOCA-salt and 2K/1C hypertensive rat s the left ventricular mass was correlated positively with SAP. These data suggest that SAP is not a factor in the development of left ventr icular hypertrophy in the SHR strain, however, they also revealed a ri ght ventricular mass increase in this strain with respect to the Wista r strain.