Captopril Inhibition of Cardiac Hypertrophy Induced by Coarctation of the Abdominal Aorta in Rats

Captopril is an angiotensin II-Converting enzyme inhibitor. We examined its inhibitory effect on cardiac hypertrophy for seven days following complete surgical coarctation of the rat abdominal aorta between origins of the renal arteries. Body weights of coarcted rats (CR) decreased to 28% less than shams by day 7. Throughout the study, carotid arterial systolic blood pressure(BP) remained at about 143 mm Hg in shams. In CR, it increased rapidly within 1 day, rose to 201 mm Hg bye day 3 and thereafter remained constant. Heart of CR rapidly and significantly enlarged over shams by 1 to 2 days. Weights of pressure-loaded right kidneys in CR significantly increased throughout the 7 days, while weights of the pressure-protected left kidneys significantly decreased from day 2 onward. Captopril totally reversed high BP and ventricular and right kidney hypertrophy in CR to the extent that they were the same as in shams, except for slightly reduced heart weight. For the first time, we have demonstrated that Captopril fully inhibited cardiac hypertrophy and high BP in an in vivo system induced by complete surgical coarctation of the abdominal aorta in rats.