Elevated plasma vasopressin in cardiomyopathic hamsters

Alan F. Sved, John E. Ottenweller, Walter N. Tapp, Michael E. Thompson, Benjamin H. Natelson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

Hamsters of the BIO 14.6 strain characteristically develop cardiomyopathy as they age, and hamsters of this strain have overt signs of heart failure by 11 months of age. Plasma levels of the posterior pituitary hormone arginine-vasopressin (AVP) were found to be elevated (approximately 2-fold) in 11 month old BIO 14.6 hamsters, compared to age-matched hamsters of a control strain. AVP appeared inappropriately elevated in these animals, since they were neither hyperosmotic nor markedly hypotensive. The elevated levels of AVP observed in these animals appears to contribute to vasomotor tone, since intravenous adminstration of a specific antagonist of the vasoconstrictor action of AVP [d(CH2)5Ome(TYR)AVP] elicited a fall in arterial pressure (9±2 mm Hg, n=6, p<0.05). The AVP antagonist had no effect on arterial pressure in hamsters of a control strain, and vehicle administration had no effect on arterial pressure in either strain. These data indicate that inappropriately elevated levels of AVP contribute to the cardiovascular state of myopathic hamsters. Since elevated plasma AVP has been noted in human congestive heart failure, these results suggest that AVP may contribute to the cardiovascular status during congestive heart failure.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2313-2317
Number of pages5
JournalLife Sciences
Volume37
Issue number24
DOIs
StatePublished - 16 Dec 1985
Externally publishedYes

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Elevated plasma vasopressin in cardiomyopathic hamsters'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this