[The relation between experimental myocardial hypertrophy and oxygen free radicals]

Whether oxygen free radicals (OFRs) are involved in the development of myocardial hypertrophy was studied. After 3 months of abdominal aorta banding in rats, an increase in myocardial lipid peroxide (LPO) content, a decrease in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and an increment in myocardial mass occurred. Heart weight/body weight, left ventricular weight/body weight and left ventricular wet weight/dry weight showed positive correlations with myocardial LPO content (r = 0.6604, 0.6939 and 0.6835, P < 0.05) and negative correlations with myocardial SOD activity (r = -0.6841, -0.6540, and -0.6022, P < 0.05). OFRs scavenger SOD, given to the aorta banding rats for 1 month, inhibited the evolution of cardiac hypertrophy, decreased myocardial LPO content and elevated SOD activity. These results indicated that OFRs are most likely involved in the development of myocardial hypertrophy, which may be antagonized or prevented by OFRs scavenger SOD.