Short- and long-term therapeutic effects of combination therapy with perindopril and irbesartan in a rat model of dilated cardiomyopathy / 中南大学学报(医学版)

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the short-term, and long-term therapeutic effects of combination therapy with perindopril and irbesartan in a rat model of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).@*METHODS@#Sprague-Dawley rats were administered adriamycin intraperitoneally to develop DCM. Grouping of rats Group A contained normal rats, and Group B contained DCM rats. Both Group A and B were not given drug treatment. Group C and D contained DCM rats, however, Group C was administered perindopril 2mg/(kg x d) while Group D was administered perindopril 1mg/(kg x d) and irbesartan 25mg/(kg x d). Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) was determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; plasma potassium and creatinine were measured; the pathological lesions of cardiac muscle tissues were evaluated after HE staining; and the survival time of each rat during the intervention was recorded.@*RESULTS@#After the three-week intervention, the plasma concentrations of BNP in Group D were lower than those in Group C (P0.05); pathological lesions of cardiac muscle tissues in both Group C and D were attenuated compared with those in Group B (P0.05). Log-rank test showed that the life span of Group C was shorter than that of Group D (P<0.05); Cox regression analysis showed that both combination therapy and monotherapy with perindopril could prolong the survival time, but the effect of combination therapy was more obvious.@*CONCLUSION@#Combination therapy with perindopril and irbesartan in a rat model of DCM can more effectively improve the cardiac function and long-term prognosis than those monotherapy with perindopril. Both these two treatment plans can attenuate the pathological lesions of cardiac muscle tissues, without elevating the concentrations of plasma potassium and creatinine.