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S Bunting

Publications and source records attributed to S Bunting.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Normal platelets and megakaryocytes are produced in vivo in the absence of thrombopoietin.

Thrombopoietin (TPO) has been established as the major regulator of megakaryocyte and platelet production. In vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that TPO affects both megakaryocyte proliferation and maturation. In vitro, TPO has been reported to be essential for full development of megakaryocytes and platelets. These studies are in contrast to results observed in vivo in mice deficient in the TPO or c-mpl gene (TPO-/- and c-mpl-/-). Both TPO-/- and c-mpl-/- mice exhibit a 90% reduction in megakaryocyte and platelet levels. But even with this small number of circulating platelets, these mice do not have any excessive bleeding. Ultrastructural analysis indicates that platelets and megakaryocytes present in the knockout mice are morphologically normal. Characterization of platelet function shows that platelets from knockout mice are functionally identical to the wild-type platelets as measured by upregulation of 125I-fibrinogen binding to platelets in response to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) stimulation and by platelet attachment to the immobilized extracellular matrix proteins, collagen and von Willebrand factor (vWF). These results demonstrate that in vivo, TPO is required for the control of megakaryocyte and platelet number but not for their maturation. Other factors with megakaryocytopoietic activity may be able to compensate for the maturational role of TPO and lead to the formation of normal megakaryocytes and platelets in TPO-/- and c-mpl-/- mice.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Hypercholesterolemia attenuates angiogenesis but does not preclude augmentation by angiogenic cytokines.

BACKGROUND: The impact of hyperlipidemia on collateral vessel development in vivo remains enigmatic. We sought to determine the anatomic extent and functional capacity of the collateral bed that develops in response to limb ischemia in a well characterized animal model of spontaneous hypercholesterolemia, the Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic (WHHL) rabbit. We further characterized the impact of exogenous angiogenic cytokine administration on collateral vessel development and function in the same animal model. METHODS AND RESULTS: Weight-matched 6-month-old male homozygous WHHL (n=9) and normal New Zealand White (NZW) (n=9) rabbits underwent surgical resection of one femoral artery. Ten days later, the ischemic hindlimb was evaluated for collateral vessel formation, blood flow, and tissue damage. Collateral vasculature was less extensive among WHHL than NZW, as indicated by a significant reduction in angiographic score (0.19+/-0.02 versus 0.35+/-0.03, P<.001) and capillary density (46.4+/-4.1 versus 78.9+/-4.6/mm2, P<.0002). This was associated with a reduction in calf blood pressure index (9.5+/-3.5% versus 32.8+/-2.8%, P<.0001), arterial blood flow (7.5+/-0.6 versus 13.6+/-0.7 mL/min, P<.0001), and muscle perfusion index (40.1+/-3.2% versus 65.9+/-2.0%, P<.0001) and an increase in muscle necrosis (48.16+/-5.41% versus 25.90+/-3.83% negative 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining, P<.004). Treatment of WHHL rabbits (n=9) with recombinant human vascular endothelial growth factor produced a statistically significant improvement in all functional as well as anatomic indices of collateral development. CONCLUSIONS: Collateral vessel development associated with hindlimb ischemia in vivo is severely attenuated in an animal model of spontaneous hypercholesterolemia but nevertheless may be augmented by administration of angiogenic cytokines.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

A soluble tissue factor mutant is a selective anticoagulant and antithrombotic agent.

One approach to developing safer and more efficacious agents for the treatment of thrombotic disease involves the design and testing of inhibitors that block specific steps in the coagulation cascade. We describe here the development of a mutant of human tissue factor (TF) as a specific antagonist of the extrinsic pathway of blood coagulation and the testing of this mutant in a rabbit model of arterial thrombosis. Alanine substitutions of Lys residues 165 and 166 in human TF have been shown previously to diminish the cofactor function of TF in support of factor X (FX) activation catalyzed by factor VIIa (FVIIa). The K165A:K166A mutations have been incorporated into soluble TF (sTF; residues 1-219) to generate the molecule "hTFAA." hTFAA binds FVIIa with kinetics and affinity equivalent to wild-type sTF, but the hTFAA x FVIIa complex shows a 34-fold reduction in catalytic efficiency for FX activation relative to the activity measured for sTF x FVIIa. hTFAA inhibits the activation of FX catalyzed by the complex formed between FVIIa and relipidated TF(1-243). hTFAA prolongs prothrombin time (PT) determined with human plasma and relipidated TF(1-243) or membrane bound TF, and has no effect on activated partial thromboplastin time, but is 70-fold less potent as an inhibitor of PT with rabbit plasma. The rabbit homologue of this mutant ("rTFAA") was produced and shown to have greater potency with rabbit plasma. Both hTFAA and rTFAA display an antithrombotic effect in a rabbit model of arterial thrombosis with rTFAA giving full efficacy at a lower dose than hTFAA. Compared to heparin doses of equal antithrombotic potential, hTFAA and rTFAA cause less bleeding as judged by measurements of the cuticle bleeding time. These results indicate that TF x FVIIa is a good target for the development of new anticoagulant drugs for the treatment of thrombotic disease.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Hemodynamic effects of scatter factor in conscious rats.

Scatter factor (SF), also known as hepatocyte growth factor, is a potent mitogen that has been suggested to exhibit greater efficacy than vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in rabbits with hindlimb ischemia. Our study examined the effects of SF on cardiovascular hemodynamics and compared the responses to VEGF. Hemodynamic parameters were monitored before and after administration of SF or VEGF in conscious, instrumented rats. Intravenous injection of SF produced a dose-related reduction in mean arterial pressure (MAP) and increase in heart rate (HR). These responses were significantly attenuated by pretreatment with N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester a nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor, suggesting the depressor effect of SF may be mediated by NO. SF (250 micrograms/kg) reduced stroke volume and cardiac output, but did not affect the maximal first derivation of left ventricular pressure (dP/dt), suggesting that the reduction in cardiac output is caused by decreased stroke volume that probably results from a reduction in venous return. Compared with SF, VEGF produced greater hypotensive and tachycardic responses and greater reductions in stroke volume and cardiac output, indicating that SF has fewer side effects on hemodynamics. Although both growth factors might reduce venous return, SF decreased hematocrit presumably through venodilation, whereas VEGF increased hematocrit as a result of vascular hyperpermeability.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Hemodynamic effects of intracoronary VEGF delivery: evidence of tachyphylaxis and NO dependence of response.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been utilized to improve blood flow in the setting of myocardial or peripheral vascular ischemia. In this investigation we studied the hemodynamic effects of intracoronary VEGF administration. Hemodynamic parameters and Doppler flow wire recordings from the left anterior descending coronary artery were measured after intracoronary infusion of VEGF (1, 10, and 100 micrograms) in 28 intubated pigs. Additional studies were performed using an in vitro isolated microvessel preparation. VEGF produced a highly significant dose-dependent increase in coronary blood flow (maximal 3.51 +/- 0.85-fold) in the absence of significant changes in epicardial artery diameter, a decline in mean arterial pressure (maximal 43%), and a decrease in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (maximal 52%), all of which could be inhibited by pretreatment with NG-nitro-L-arginine. The increase in coronary flow seen with 10 or 100 micrograms VEGF was significantly greater than the maximal vasodilation achieved with serotonin or nitroglycerin and was equivalent to a maximal adenosine response. In summary, VEGF stimulates nitric oxide (NO)-dependent dilation of coronary microvessels, and repeat administrations of VEGF resulted in rapid development of tachyphylaxis to VEGF as well as serotonin, but not to nitroglycerin or adenosine, which appeared to be secondary to impaired NO production.

Adenosine↗
PubMed1997

Peripheral vascular stenosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. Potential roles of lipid deposition, medial atrophy, and adventitial inflammation.

A systematic analysis of the distribution of advanced atherosclerotic lesions was undertaken in chow-fed, 9-month-old apolipoprotein (apo) E-deficient mice to identify sites amenable for study of mechanisms of formation of stenotic lesions. The arterial tree was dissected intact and included medium-sized arteries in the extremities as well as arteries of the head and neck. The most reproducible lesions were seen in the ascending aorta and in the carotid, femoral, and popliteal arteries. Casting of the vascular tree provided additional verification of the presence of lumen narrowing in the external branches of the carotid artery. Consistent with what has been observed in human atherosclerotic arteries, there was dilation in response to lesion growth and no correlation between lesion mass and lumen loss in the mouse arteries. This adaptation was especially true in the ascending aorta, where normal lumen size was maintained at atherosclerotic sites. In contrast, the external carotid arteries were stenotic in 9 of 12 animals. Here too, however, loss of lumen did not correlate with lesion mass but did correlate with adventitial inflammation and medial atrophy. Lumen narrowing also occurred most frequently at sites where extracellular cholesterol clefts were a prominent part of the lesion. These data suggest that the stenotic process in advanced atherosclerotic vessels may depend on death of medial smooth muscle cells, possibly in response to inflammatory changes in the plaque or adventitia.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Orally active fibrinogen receptor antagonists. 2. Amidoximes as prodrugs of amidines.

The potent and selective GP IIb-IIIa antagonist lamifiban (1, Ro 44-9883) is currently in clinical development as an injectable antithrombotic agent for treating and preventing acute coronary syndromes. However, for secondary prevention of thrombotic occlusions, orally active inhibitors are needed. By means of a prodrug strategy, the modest oral absorption of 1 in mice was improved by a factor of 9. In addition, these studies demonstrated that an amidoxime group can serve as a prodrug functionality for an amidino group. Application of this principle to the structurally related amidino carboxylate 13 led to the amidoxime ester 18 which was absorbed approximately 20 times better, after oral administration to mice, than 13. Due to the modification of the amidino group as well as of the carboxylate group, 18 completely lost its ability to interact with purified platelet GP IIb-IIIa. After oral administration of 18 to rats, dogs, and rhesus monkeys, the bioavailability of the active derivative 13 was 26 +/- 5, 25 +/- 6, and 33 +/- 6%, respectively, and the elimination half-life was 4.1 +/- 1.7, 11.4 +/- 1.1, and 5.1 +/- 1.4 h, respectively. On the basis of these properties, the orally active 18 (Ro 48-3657), a double prodrug of the potent and selective non-peptide GP IIb-IIIa antagonist 13 (Ro 44-3888), was selected as clinical candidate for evaluation as a prophylactic agent in patients at high risk for arterial thrombosis.

Acetates↗
PubMed1996

Vascular endothelial growth factor augments muscle blood flow and function in a rabbit model of chronic hindlimb ischemia.

Animal studies have shown that angiogenic factors can increase vascularity and improve blood pressure (BP) in an ischemic limb. Whether changes in these parameters are indicators of significant improvement in muscle function has not been demonstrated. In a rabbit model of hind limb ischemia, we measured blood flow in the extensor digitorum longus muscle (EDL) both at rest and during electrical stimulation. Ablation of the femoral artery caused significant reductions in resting and stimulated EDL blood flow. The chronic reduction in perfusion caused impairment of muscle function (p < 0.01). At 28 days after a single administration of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), stimulated muscle blood flow (3 mg/kg intravenously, i.v.) and muscle function [1 mg intrarterially (i.a.) or 3 mg/kg i.v.] were significantly improved as compared with that of vehicle-treated controls. Simultaneous measurement of the hemodynamic responses in the contralateral limb and in the kidneys confirmed that the effects of VEGF were confined to the ischemic limb. The data agree with findings that angiogenic factors increase perfusion through angiogenesis. We hypothesized that neovascularization allows work-associated muscle hyperemia, resulting in a significant improvement in muscle function. Similar clinical improvements in muscle function would signify a substantial advance in the treatment of peripheral vascular disease.

Angiogenesis Inducing Agents↗
PubMed1996

Effects of vascular endothelial growth factor on hemodynamics and cardiac performance.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a major regulator of angiogenesis, has therapeutic benefit in animal models of coronary or limb ischemia. However, the hemodynamic effects of VEGF have not been investigated. We examined the effects of VEGF on hemodynamics and cardiac performance. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), cardiac output, stroke volume, left ventricular (LV) dP/dt, and hematocrit were measured before and after intravenous injection of VEGF in conscious, instrumented rats. VEGF caused a dose-dependent reduction in MAP and an associated increase in HR. VEGF (250 micrograms/kg) significantly decreased cardiac output and stroke volume without affecting the inotropic state of the left ventricle, as determined by dP/dt. VEGF significantly increased hematocrit. Furthermore, VEGF did not affect contractility or HR in the isolated rat heart in vitro. The data suggest that the VEGF-induced decrease in cardiac output is due to reduced stroke volume, which may be caused by a decrease in venous return rather than a direct effect on myocardial contractility. In addition, pretreatment with N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl-ester (L-NAME), a nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor, significantly attenuated the depressor and tachycardic responses to VEGF, suggesting that VEGF-induced hypotension may be mediated by NO.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Vascular endothelial growth factor, a specific regulator of angiogenesis.

Vascular endothelial growth factor is a diffusible endothelial cell-specific mitogen and angiogenic factor that can also increase vascular permeability. The vascular endothelial growth factor receptors are specifically expressed on the cell surface of vascular endothelial cells. Recent studies point to vascular endothelial growth factor as a major regulator of physiological angiogenesis, such as developmental and reproductive angiogenesis. In addition vascular endothelial growth factor appears to be a crucial mediator of blood vessel growth associated with tumors and proliferative retinopathies. Antivascular endothelial growth factor antibodies have the ability to suppress the growth of a variety of tumor cell lines in nude mice and can also inhibit angiogenesis in animal models of intra-ocular neovascularization. Furthermore vascular endothelial growth factor administration promotes collateral vessel growth and results in functional improvement in animal models of coronary or limb ischemia.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Prostaglandin F2 alpha induces cardiac myocyte hypertrophy in vitro and cardiac growth in vivo.

Several prostaglandins [prostaglandin (PG) A2, -B2, -D2, -E2, -F2 alpha, and -I2 and carbaprostacyclin] and the thromboxane analogue U-46619 were analyzed for the ability to induce hypertrophy of rat neonatal cardiac ventricular myocytes. Myocyte hypertrophy was induced specifically by PGF2 alpha. Myocytes exposed to this prostanoid in culture increased in size and protein content. The contractile fibrils within the cells became organized into parallel arrays, and the cells tended to cluster and beat spontaneously. PGF2 alpha also induced the expression of c-fos, atrial natriuretic factor (ANF), and alpha-skeletal actin in these cells. The effects of PGF2 alpha were compared with several known cardiac myocyte hypertrophy factors (phenylephrine, endothelin-1, leukemia inhibitory factor, cardiotrophin-1, and angiotensin II). PGF2 alpha was found to be intermediate in potency among the factors but induced a level of ANF production that was approximately 10-fold higher than any of the other effectors. Responsiveness to PGF2 alpha was not limited to neonatal cardiocytes. Ventricular myocytes isolated from adult rats also responded specifically to PGF2 alpha with a morphological change similar to that observed with phenylephrine and by producing ANF. In rats, chronic administration of fluprostenol, a potent agonist analogue of PGF2 alpha, resulted in a dose-dependent increase in heart weight- and ventricular weight-to-body weight ratios. The amount of PGF2 alpha extractable from the hearts of rats with cardiac hypertrophy induced by myocardial infarction was also found to be greater than that in sham-operated control rats. These results indicate that PGF2 alpha may play an important role in inducing cardiac hypertrophy.

Aging↗
PubMed1996

An experimental model of intracranial hemorrhage during thrombolytic therapy with t-PA.

Multiple clinical trials have proven that thrombolytic therapy is an effective treatment for acute myocardial infarction. Spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) occurs in a small percentage of patients as a result of the treatment. The etiology of the ICH is unknown and there is currently no established experimental model for this side effect. A model of ICH during thrombolytic therapy has been developed using spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). The SHR were made susceptible to ICH during thrombolytic therapy by bilateral ligation of the external jugular veins. This procedure produced asymptomatic hemorrhagic lesions in the brains of the animals in the hours preceding the administration of t-PA/heparin. The incidence of ICH following the administration of test substances was assessed by histological examination and by measuring the red blood cell count in a sample of cerebrospinal fluid taken from the atlanto-occipital space. t-PA administration produced a low frequency of ICH in this model. The incidence and severity of ICH were dramatically increased, and significant mortality at 24h was observed, by combining heparin were administered sequentially rather than simultaneously. Furthermore, ICHs were observed whether the t-PA dose was administered over 4 h, 1 h, or as a double bolus 30 min apart. The potentiation of ICH by heparin was dose dependent and proportional to the prolongation of the aPTT. Although the precise mechanism of ICH during thrombolytic therapy is unknown, many similarities exist between the observations made in this model and in the human clinical experience.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Synergistic effect of vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor on angiogenesis in vivo.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have suggested that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) may have synergistic effects on the induction of angiogenesis in vitro. Therefore, we investigated the hypothesis that the simultaneous administration of VEGF and bFGF, each having been previously shown to independently enhance collateral development in an animal model of hind limb ischemia, could have a synergistic effect in vivo. METHODS AND RESULTS: Ten days after surgical induction of unilateral hind limb ischemia, New Zealand White rabbits were randomized to receive either VEGF 500 micrograms alone (n = 6), bFGF 10 micrograms alone (n = 7), VEGF 500 micrograms, immediately followed by 10 micrograms bFGF (n = 7), or vehicle only (control animals, n = 8) in each case administered intra-arterially via a catheter in the internal iliac artery of the ischemic limb. BP ratio (BPR, ischemic/healthy limb) at day 10 for the VEGF+bFGF group was 0.82 +/- 0.01, much superior (P < .0005) to that of either the VEGF group (0.52 +/- 0.02) or the bFGF group (0.57 +/- 0.02). This outcome persisted at day 30: BPR in the VEGF+bFGF group (0.91 +/- 0.02) exceeded that of the control group (0.49 +/- 0.05, P < .0001), the VEGF group (0.65 +/- 0.03, P < .0005), or the bFGF group (0.66 +/- 0.03, P < .0005). Serial angiography demonstrated a progressive increase in luminal diameter of the stem collateral artery and the number of opacified collaterals in the thigh of the ischemic limbs in all groups. Stem artery diameter with VEGF+bFGF (1.34 +/- 0.07 mm) on day 30 was significantly (P < .05) greater than with either VEGF (1.09 +/- 0.09) or bFGF (1.18 +/- 0.06) alone. Capillary density was significantly greater (P < .05) in VEGF+bFGF animals (275 +/- 20 mm2) compared with VEGF (201 +/- 8) or bFGF (209 +/- 15). CONCLUSIONS: Combined administration of VEGF and bFGF stimulates significantly greater and more rapid augmentation of collateral circulation, resulting in superior hemodynamic improvement compared with either VEGF or bFGF alone. This synergism of two angiogenic mitogens with different target cell specificities may have important implications for the treatment of severe arterial insufficiency in patients whose disease is not amenable to direct revascularization.

Angiography↗
PubMed1995

Growth hormone improves cardiac performance in experimental heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Growth hormone has been shown to increase maximum isometric active force of the left ventricular papillary muscle of rats in vitro. Administration of growth hormone causes an increase in myocardial contractility in normal humans. Our preliminary study suggests that treatment with growth hormone results in increased ventricular contractility in rats with left ventricular dysfunction. In the present study, the effects of growth hormone on cardiac function, including cardiac output, stroke volume, and peripheral vascular resistance, were determined in a rat model of heart failure. METHODS AND RESULTS: Ligation of the left coronary artery or sham operation was performed; 4 weeks after surgery, recombinant human growth hormone (2 mg/kg per day SC) or vehicle then was administered for 15 days. The animals were catheterized after 13 days of the treatment. Cardiac output, measured by a thermodilution method, and other hemodynamic parameters were measured in the conscious animals 2 days after catheterization. The infarct sizes induced by left coronary ligation were comparable between growth hormone-treated and vehicle-treated rats. Six weeks after ligation, rats treated with vehicle exhibited significant decreases in cardiac index, stroke volume index, and left ventricular maximum dP/dt and increases in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure compared with sham rats. In the ligated rats, treatment with growth hormone increased cardiac index, stroke volume index, and left ventricular maximum dP/dt (P < .05) and reduced left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and systemic vascular resistance (P < .05). In sham rats, growth hormone slightly reduced arterial pressure but did not significantly alter cardiac performance. There was no significant difference in heart rate between the experimental groups. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that growth hormone treatment may improve cardiac function by both increased myocardial contractility and decreased peripheral vascular resistance in heart failure.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Local delivery of vascular endothelial growth factor accelerates reendothelialization and attenuates intimal hyperplasia in balloon-injured rat carotid artery.

BACKGROUND: Most strategies designed to reduce restenosis by the use of pharmacological or biological reagents involve direct inhibition of vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation. Alternatively, SMC proliferation might be indirectly inhibited if reendothelialization could be specifically facilitated at sites of balloon-induced arterial injury. Accordingly, we investigated the hypothesis that application of an endothelial cell (EC)-specific mitogen to a freshly denuded intimal surface could accelerate reendothelialization and thereby attenuate intimal hyperplasia. METHODS AND RESULTS: The left carotid artery of 31 Sprague-Dawley rats was subjected to balloon injury, after which 16 rats were treated with a 30-minute incubation with 100 micrograms of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), an EC-specific mitogen. Control animals (n = 15) received a 30-minute incubation with 0.9% saline. At 2 weeks after balloon injury, carotid artery reendothelialization was markedly superior in the VEGF-treated group compared with the control group (14.59 +/- 1.12 versus 7.96 +/- 0.51 mm2, P < 0.005). The extent of reendothelialization measured at 4 weeks after balloon injury remained superior for arteries treated with VEGF (18.04 +/- 0.90 mm2) versus saline (13.42 +/- 0.84 mm2, P < .005). Neointimal thickening was correspondingly attenuated to a statistically significant degree in arteries treated with VEGF versus the control group at both the 2-week and 4-week time points. Immunostaining for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) disclosed a threefold increase in PCNA-positive cells in the neointima of control arteries versus VEGF-treated arteries at 2 weeks after injury. CONCLUSIONS: Application of VEGF, an EC-specific growth regulatory molecule, may be effectively used in vivo to promote reendothelialization and thereby indirectly attenuate neointimal thickening due to SMC proliferation.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Recovery of disturbed endothelium-dependent flow in the collateral-perfused rabbit ischemic hindlimb after administration of vascular endothelial growth factor.

BACKGROUND: Disturbed endothelium-dependent blood flow has been shown to be a feature of native collateral vessels. Recent studies have shown that recombinant angiogenic growth factors augment collateral development in animal models of hindlimb ischemia. We therefore investigated the hypothesis that the administration of an angiogenic growth factor, in this case vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), may promote recovery of disturbed endothelium-dependent blood flow in a rabbit model of hindlimb ischemia. METHODS AND RESULTS: Ischemia was induced by ligation of the external iliac artery and excision of the femoral artery in one limb of New Zealand White rabbits (day 0). Flow velocity was measured using a Doppler guide wire at rest and after administration of serotonin and acetylcholine. Blood flow (in mL/min) was calculated assuming a circular lumen geometry. In untreated control animals with an ischemic limb, serotonin administered at day 10 or 40 produced a decrease in hindlimb blood flow (71 +/- 2% and 33 +/- 6% reduction from baseline, respectively); in contrast, among animals treated with a single 500-micrograms bolus dose of VEGF administered selectively into the internal iliac artery at day 10 and studied at day 40, serotonin produced an increase in flow (119 +/- 8% from baseline; P < .05 versus control animals). Acetylcholine induced only a moderate increase in flow in control animals (152 +/- 15% at day 10 and 177 +/- 14% at day 40) in contrast to a profound increase among VEGF-treated animals studied at day 40 (254 +/- 25%; P < .05 versus control animals). CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, these findings constitute the first demonstration of successful pharmacological modulation of disturbed endothelium-dependent flow in the arterial circulation subserved by collateral vessels. This physiological benefit complements previously reported anatomic findings suggesting a favorable impact of angiogenic growth factors on collateral-dependent limb ischemia.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1995

Effects of growth hormone in rats with postinfarction left ventricular dysfunction.

Growth hormone may affect cardiac function. In rats, chronic hypersecretion of growth hormone leads to increased maximum isometric contractile force of the left ventricular papillary muscle in vitro. In humans, administration of growth hormone can increase myocardial contractility. However, cardiac effects of growth hormone in heart failure or cardiac dysfunction have not been studied to date. The current study was to evaluate the cardiac effects of growth hormone in conscious rats with postinfarction left ventricular dysfunction and sham controls. Ligation of the left coronary artery or sham operation was performed, then 4 weeks after surgery, recombinant human growth hormone (2 mg/kg/day, SC) or vehicle was administered for 15 days. Catheters were implanted 13 days after treatment with growth hormone or vehicle. Hemodynamic parameters were measured in conscious rats 2 days after catheterization. In vehicle-treated rats, left ventricular systolic pressure, maximum dP/dt, and arterial pressure were significantly decreased and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure was significantly increased in the ligation group compared with sham controls. Growth hormone treatment increased left ventricular systolic pressure (p < 0.05) and dP/dt (p < 0.05) and reduced left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (p < 0.05), significantly in the ligated rats. In sham rats, growth hormone tended to decrease arterial pressure but did not alter ventricular contractility. Neither ligation nor growth hormone significantly altered heart rate and right atrial pressure. These results suggest that growth hormone treatment may improve cardiac function by increasing myocardial contractility in cardiac dysfunction or heart failure.

Analysis of Variance↗