Atrial Remodeling Is Directly Related to End-Diastolic Left Ventricular Pressure in a Mouse Model of Ventricular Pressure Overload.docVIP

AtrialRemodelingIsDirectlyRelatedtoEnd-Diastolic LeftVentricularPressureinaMouseModelofVentricular PressureOverload AnneMargreetDeJong1,2,IsabelleC.VanGelder1,IngeVreeswijk-Baudoin1,MeganV.Cannon1, WiekH.VanGilst1,AlexanderH.Maass1* 1Department of Cardiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands, 2The Interuniversity Cardiology Institute Netherlands, Utrecht,TheNetherlands Abstract Background:Atrialfibrillation(AF)isoftenprecededbyunderlyingcardiacdiseasescausingventricularpressureoverload. Objective:Itwasouraimtoinvestigatetheprogressionofatrialremodelinginasmallanimalmodelofventricularpressure overloadanditsassociationwithinductionofAF. Methods:Malemiceweresubjectedtotransverseaorticconstriction(TAC)orshamoperation.Afterfouroreightweeks, echocardiographicmeasurementsandhemodynamicmeasurementsweremadeandAFinductionwastested.Thehearts wereeitherfixedinformalinorventriclesandatriawereseparated,weighedandsnap-frozenforRNAanalysis. Results:Fourweeksofpressureoverloadinducedventricularhypertrophyandminorchangesintheatria.Aftereightweeks asignificantreductioninleftventricularfunctionoccurred,associatedwithsignificantatrialremodelingincludingincreased atrialweight,atrendtowardsanincreasedleftatrialcelldiameter,atrialdilatationandincreasedexpressionofmarkersof hypertrophyandinflammation.Histologically,nofibrosiswasfoundintheleftatrium.Butatrialgeneexpressionrelatedto fibrosis was increased. Minor changes related to electrical remodeling were observed. AF inducibility was not different between the groups. Left ventricular end diastolic pressures were increased and correlated with the severity of atrial remodelingbutnotwithAFinduction. Conclusion:PermanentventricularpressureoverloadbyTACinducedatrialremodeling,includinghypertrophy,dilatation andinflammation.TheextentofatrialremodelingwasdirectlyrelatedtoLVEDPandnotdurationofTACperse. Citation: De Jong AM,VanGelderIC, Vreeswijk-BaudoinI,Cannon MV, VanGilst WH, etal.(2013)Atrial Rem