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Chronic Alcohol Consumption and Sex‐Related Differences in Vascular Reactivity and Cardiac Function in Sprague‐Dawley Rats
Author(s) -
Ladipo Christopher Oludare,
Nwaigwe Casmiar,
Adigun S A,
Adegunloye Banji,
Sofola Olusoga
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.20.4.a722-b
Subject(s) - blood pressure , medicine , contractility , heart rate , alcohol , endocrinology , mean arterial pressure , cardiac function curve , femoral artery , alcohol consumption , confounding , cardiology , chemistry , heart failure , biochemistry
Variation in physiological effects of chronic alcohol consumption is attributable to interference of confounding factors like body weight, diet and sex. Also, the pathogenesis of various model of hypertension has been linked to alteration in cardiovasular functions. The effect of chronic alcohol (10%) consumption for 5 months on blood pressure, vascular smooth muscle (VSM) and cardiac performance in rats were studied. Blood pressure measurements were performed through direct invasive cannulation of the femoral artery in anaesthetized rats, while in vitro experiment experiments were carried out on aortic strips and isolated‐perfused hearts. The mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) of female alcohol‐treated rats (AF) were significantly lower (78 ± 1.05mm Hg and 366 ± 2.35 beats/min respectively) than those of female control rats (CF; 95 ± 1.06 mmHg and 394 ± 3.88 beats/min respectively). There was no significant difference in MAP and HR of male alcohol‐treated rats (AM) when compared with male control rats (CM). These were associated with impairment of VSM in both AM and AF to noradrenaline; responses to KCl was increased in AF while there was no alteration in response to acetylcholine. Also, there was attenuation of cardiac contractility and rate in alcohol‐treated rats to adrenaline, isoprenaline and CaCl relative to control. The study suggests that chronic alcohol consumption causes alteration in vascular and myocardial functions, which is greater in females than males, thus explaining, at least in part, the differences in MAP and HR with sex