Key result
Retinoic acid improves systolic and diastolic function in rats by inducing compensated ventricular remodeling.
Why the study?
Retinoic acid plays a role in regulating cardiac geometry and function throughout life, but its cardiac effects in adult rats were not fully characterized.
Does retinoic acid supplementation alter cardiac geometry and function in adult rats?
RCT (n=32)
Randomly allocated
Does retinoic acid supplementation alter cardiac geometry and function in adult rats?
Small physiological doses of retinoic acid induce ventricular remodeling resembling compensated volume-overload hypertrophy with improved systolic and diastolic function in adult rats.
RA supplementation affects adult rat cardiac parameters; leaves open any human relevance pending clinical studies.
Retinoic acid (RA) plays a role in regulating cardiac geometry and function throughout life. The aim of this study was to analyze the cardiac effects of RA in adult rats. Wistar rats were randomly allocated to a control group (n = 18) receiving standard rat chow and a group treated with RA (n = 14) receiving standard rat chow supplemented with RA for 90 days. All animals were evaluated by echocardiography, isolated papillary muscle function, and morphological studies. Whereas the RA-treated group developed an increase in both left ventricular (LV) mass and LV end-diastolic diameter, the ratio of LV wall thickness to LV end-diastolic diameter remained unchanged when compared with the control group. In the isolated papillary muscle preparation, RA treatment decreased the time to peak developed tension and increased the maximum velocity of isometric relengthening, indicating that systolic and diastolic function was improved. Although RA treatment produced an increase in myocyte cross-sectional area, the myocardial collagen volume fraction was similar to controls. Thus our study demonstrates that small physiological doses of RA induce ventricular remodeling resembling compensated volume-overload hypertrophy in rats.
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Paiva et al. (2003) reported an RCT. Retinoic acid vs. Standard rat chow was evaluated on Cardiac geometry and function (echocardiography, isolated papillary muscle function, and morphological studies). Retinoic acid supplementation for 90 days in 32 adult rats induced ventricular remodeling resembling compensated volume-overload hypertrophy, improving systolic and diastolic function.
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