EFFECTS OF ENALAPRIL IN RATS WITH PRESSURE-OVERLOAD CARDIAC-HYPERTROPHY

1. The effects of the ACE inhibitor enalapril were studied in rats wit h cardiac hypertrophy induced by abdominal aortic constriction. This e xperimental model has shown that pump failure can be evidenced only du ring increased workload.2. Under basal conditions, enalapril at 1-3 mg /kg induced a significant reduction in blood pressure. During the acut e volume loading or the increase in afterload due to a total aortic oc clusion, only rats treated with 3 mg/kg enalapril, but not 1 mg/kg, re ceived a hemodynamic benefit that was paralleled by a significant redu ction in cardiac hypertrophy. 3. The present study demonstrates that r eduction in blood pressure on its own was not sufficient to improve ca rdiac function. A decrease in blood pressure accompanied with hypertro phy regression were necessary to normalize hemodynamic parameters in p ressure-overloaded rats. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Inc.