Effects of Imidapril and Irbesartan on left ventricle hypertrophy and expression of c-Jun in left ventricle myocardium of spontaneously hypertensive rats

AIM To study the effects of Imidapril and Irbesartan on left ventricle hypertrophy and expression of c-Jun in left ventricle myocardium of spontaneously hypertensive rats(SHRs).METHODS Thirty 13-week old SHRs were randomly divided into SHRs positive control group,Imidapril-treated group and Irbesartan-treated group.Ten homogenous Wistar-Kyoto rats(WKY) were used as normal control group.The blood pressure of the rats was monitored periodically.After 14 weeks,all the rats were put to death,their hearts were excised,left ventricle weight(LVW) and thickness were measured and LVW/BW and left ventricle thickness/BW were computed.The specimens of left ventricle myocardium were preserved for immunohistochemical study and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR).RESULTS Blood pressure,LVW/BW,left ventricle thickness/BW,c-Jun protein and mRNA expression of left ventricle myocardium in SHR group obviously increased,while all these indexes in Imidapril-treated group and Irbesartan-treated group decreased.CONCLUSION Blood pressure,LVW/BW,left ventricle thickness/BW,c-Jun protein and mRNA expression of left ventricle myocardium in 26-week SHR obviously increase.Both Imidapril and Irbesartan can control blood pressure and inhibit left ventricle hypertrophy,c-Jun protein and mRNA expression in left ventricle myocardium of SHRs.