PRESERVED CARDIAC-PERFORMANCE WITH REDUCED LEFT-VENTRICULAR MASS IN CONSCIOUS EXERCISING SPONTANEOUSLY HYPERTENSIVE RATS

Objectives: To investigate whether cardiovascular performance can be m odified beneficially with left ventricular hypertrophy reversal and wh ether the associated sudden afterload increases may adversely affect o verall cardiac performance. Methods: We studied cardiovascular perform ance with thermodilution techniques at rest and during maximal treadmi ll exercise after 3 weeks' treatment with the angiotensin converting e nzyme inhibitor quinapril (3 mg/kg per day) in 19 male spontaneously h ypertensive rats (SHR) aged 20 weeks. Results: Left ventricular mass w as reduced significantly, without impairment of exercise performance, demonstrating that left ventricular hypertrophy reversal benefited or at least did not hinder cardiovascular adaptation to physiologic exerc ise in the SHR. Moreover, decreasing the afterload did not further imp rove the performance after the reversal of left ventricular hypertroph y.