Open AccessThe role of hypertension in the vascular disease and myocardial infarcts associated with murine systemic lupus erythematosus
Author(s) -
Hang Leming,
StephensLarson Patricia,
Henry James P.,
Dixon Frank J.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
arthritis & rheumatism
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1529-0131
pISSN - 0004-3591
DOI - 10.1002/art.1780261106
Subject(s) - medicine , immunosuppression , incidence (geometry) , myocardial infarction , immune system , aspirin , leukocytosis , antithrombotic , thrombosis , lupus erythematosus , immunology , cardiology , gastroenterology , antibody , physics , optics
The several kinds of mice that spontaneously develop acute systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)—BXSB males, MRL/I males and females, and (NZB x W)F 1 females—have a 15–20% incidence of degenerative vascular disease (DVD) and myocardial infarcts (MI) in which the affected coronaries contain deposits of immunoreactants, presumably in the form of immune complexes. Among the F 1 hybrid crosses of SLE mice, only the (NZW x BXSB)F 1 , (W x B)F 1 male has a significantly higher incidence of DVD/MI (80%). Search for possible causes of this high incidence of myocardial infarcts revealed several unique features of this mouse: hypertension, thrombocytosis, and early onset of circulating immune complexes and glomerulonephritis. Our attempts to prevent this DVD/MI focused on: reduction of hypertension, prevention of thrombosis, and immunosuppression. Immunosuppression by Cytoxan resulted in almost complete prevention of both the SLE disease and DVD/MI. Administration of bretylium, an antihy‐pertensive and anti‐arrhythmic agent, resulted in reduction of blood pressure and the severities of glomerulonephritis, DVD, and MI; phritis, DVD, and MI; it also slightly reduced the levels of circulating immune complexes and leukocytosis. Of the 4 antithrombotic agents used, only aspirin showed some reduction in the incidence of DVD/MI and delay of glomerulonephritis‐associated mortality.