Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation Plus 2010 3(Supplement 3): iii1–iii274
Poster Session 1 Hormones and hypertension Sa001
REGRESSION OF HEART FIBROSIS IN CKD IS ACCOMPANIED BY DECREASE IN PLASMA MARINOBUFAGENIN
Introduction and Aims: Marinobufagenin is a causal factor in the genesis of uremic cardiomyopathy; it induces fibrosis, and its production is stimulated by the renin-angiotensin system. The purpose of the present study was to clarify whether the levels of circulating marinobufagenin are decreased by treatment of heart remodeling in subtotally nephrectomized rats using losartan and spironolactone. Methods: Seventy-two Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to subtotal nephrectomy (SNX) or sham operation. Eight weeks after surgery, they were either euthanized or treated orally with vehicle, losartan (250 mg/kg/day), spironolactone (15 mg/kg/day), and their combination for the subsequent 4 weeks (n=9-12 per group). Heart morphology was evaluated by stereology in tissues obtained using pressure-controlled perfusion fixation. Concentration of marinobufagenin in plasma was measured by an immunoassay. Results: Systolic blood pressure was significantly (p