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Therapeutic trials in hamster dystrophy
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|January 1, 1979
Summary
Calcium channel blockers and adrenergic blockers significantly reduced heart lesions in cardiomyopathic hamsters, primarily preventing damage rather than treating advanced lesions. These drugs likely work by reducing calcium conductivity in heart cells.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Research
- Pharmacology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- UM-X7.1 cardiomyopathic hamsters exhibit myocardial pathology.
- Pathologic changes in the myocardium correlate with increased adrenergic nerve activity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of various drugs in preventing heart lesions in a hamster model of cardiomyopathy.
- To explore the role of calcium influx and adrenergic neurotransmission in the development of cardiac lesions.
Main Methods:
- Treatment of UM-X7.1 cardiomyopathic hamsters with verapamil, prenylamine, Dibenamine, propanolol, and prostaglandin E1.
- Assessment of the severity of heart lesions in treated versus untreated hamsters.
Main Results:
- Verapamil, prenylamine, Dibenamine, propanolol, and prostaglandin E1 markedly reduced the severity of heart lesions.
- The beneficial effects were primarily preventive, with no protection observed for fully developed skeletal muscle lesions.
Conclusions:
- Drugs antagonizing calcium influx and adrenergic receptors, as well as prostaglandin E1, show preventive efficacy against heart lesions in cardiomyopathic hamsters.
- These drugs are believed to function mainly by decreasing calcium conductivity across cardiocyte sarcolemmal membranes, potentially by modulating adrenergic nerve activity.