Key result
Dexamethasone increased blood pressure (~23%) and arterial stiffness in normotensive rats, but did not change blood pressure and reduced left ventricular relative wall thickness in hypertensive rats.
Why the study?
Dexamethasone-induced hypertension occurs in normotensive rats, but its effects on hemodynamics, cardiac hypertrophy, and arterial stiffness in spontaneously hypertensive rats were not well known.
Does dexamethasone have differential effects on arterial stiffness, myocardial remodeling, and blood pressure in normotensive versus spontaneously hypertensive rats?
Does dexamethasone have differential effects on arterial stiffness, myocardial remodeling, and blood pressure in normotensive versus spontaneously hypertensive rats?
Dexamethasone induces hypertension and arterial stiffness in normotensive rats but does not exacerbate blood pressure and may reduce left ventricular remodeling in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Dexamethasone effects on cardiac parameters differ by hypertensive status in rats; leaves open human translation and requires clinical studies.
Dexamethasone (DEX)‐induced hypertension is observed in normotensive rats, but little is known about the effects of DEX on spontaneously hypertensive animals (SHR). This study aimed to evaluate the effects of DEX on hemodynamics, cardiac hypertrophy and arterial stiffness in normotensive and hypertensive rats. Wistar rats and SHR were treated with DEX (50 μg/kg s.c ., 14 d) or saline. Pulse wave velocity (PWV), echocardiographic parameters, blood pressure (BP), autonomic modulation and histological analyses of heart and thoracic aorta were performed. SHR had higher BP compared with Wistar, associated with autonomic unbalance to the heart. Echocardiographic changes in SHR ( vs . Wistar) were suggestive of cardiac remodeling: higher relative wall thickness (RWT, +28%) and left ventricle mass index (LVMI, +26%) and lower left ventricle systolic diameter (LVSD, −19%) and LV diastolic diameter (LVDD, −10%), with slightly systolic dysfunction and preserved diastolic dysfunction. Also, SHR had lower myocardial capillary density and similar collagen deposition area. PWV was higher in SHR due to higher aortic collagen deposition. DEX‐treated Wistar rats presented higher BP (~23%) and autonomic unbalance. DEX did not change cardiac structure in Wistar, but PWV (+21%) and aortic collagen deposition area (+21%) were higher compared with control. On the other side, DEX did not change BP or autonomic balance to the heart in SHR, but reduced RWT and LV collagen deposition area (−12% vs . SHR CT ). In conclusion, the results suggest a differential effect of dexamethasone on arterial stiffness, myocardial remodeling and blood pressure between normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats.
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Tardelli et al. (2021) studied Hypertension. Dexamethasone vs. Saline was evaluated on Hemodynamics, cardiac hypertrophy and arterial stiffness. Dexamethasone increased blood pressure (~23%) and arterial stiffness in normotensive rats, but did not change blood pressure and reduced left ventricular relative wall thickness in hypertensive rats.
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