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Cardiac morphology and function in senescent rats: gender-related differences
D E Forman1, A Cittadini, G Azhar
1Division on Aging, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. dforman@lifespan.org
Journal of the American College of Cardiology
|December 31, 1997
Summary
Aging and gender significantly impact heart structure and function. Male rats showed larger, thinner, more fibrotic hearts with impaired performance and higher mitral regurgitation rates compared to females.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular physiology
- Gerontology
- Comparative pathology
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of mortality in older adults.
- The impact of gender on age-related cardiac alterations is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of aging and gender on left ventricular (LV) structure and function.
- To characterize gender-specific cardiac changes in senescent rats.
Main Methods:
- Transthoracic Doppler echocardiography was performed on 34 senescent male and female Fischer rats.
- Morphometric and histopathologic analyses were conducted to assess cardiac characteristics.
Main Results:
- Male rats exhibited larger body and LV mass but proportionately thicker walls in females.
- Males had abnormal fractional shortening and diastolic filling patterns, with significantly higher prevalence of mitral regurgitation (MR).
- Histopathology revealed larger cardiac myocytes and increased LV fibrosis in males.
Conclusions:
- Significant gender differences exist in LV size and function in aged rats.
- Male rat hearts are larger, thinner, more fibrotic, and show diminished performance.
- The high incidence of MR in males may contribute to observed gender-related cardiac disparities.