Left ventricular function and beta-adrenoceptors in rabbit failing heart

Few models of heart failure (HF) are available for physiological and pharmacological studies. We report here a model of pressure plus volume overload induced in rabbits in which left ventricular (LV) function was studied in the conscious state after instrumentation of the animals with LV pressure catheter and ultrasonic crystals measuring LV diameter. Beta-Adrenoceptors were studied on crude membranes obtained from control (C) and HF rabbits using [3H]CGP 12177. LV weights and end-diastolic diameters were significantly increased in the HF group compared with the C group (by 79 and 38%, respectively). The percentage of diameter systolic shortening was decreased, in the control state, in rabbits with HF (15.3 +/- 1.6%) as compared with C rabbits (29.6 +/- 2.5%) and remained lower in the HF group when end-systolic pressures were matched. Chronotropic response to isoproterenol injection was significantly decreased in rabbits with HF compared with that of C rabbits. Beta-Adrenergic receptor density was decreased in rabbits with HF (39.3 +/- 3.7 fmol/mg) compared with C rabbits (56.7 +/- 4.2 fmol/mg) without affinity changes. This model of chronic HF thus produces a marked hypertrophy with ventricular dilatation and a depression of LV function within 2 mo, factors that are associated with a reduced cardiac responsiveness to catecholamines and a decreased ventricular beta-adrenergic receptor density.