EFFECTS OF ENALAPRIL AND TAURINE ON LEFT LENT VENTRICULAR HYPERTROPHY AND ARRHYTHMIA IN RENOVA8CULAR HYPERTENsIVE RAT

The effects of enalapril(Ena,6mg·kg^-1)and taurine(Tau,30 mg · kg^-1)onkRventricular hypertrophy(LVH ) and ventricular arrhythmia were studied in two-Kidney,one cliprenovascular hypertensive rats(RHR).From the 9th week after OPeration,Ena and Tau were givenper oral daily for 9 weeks.These drugs significantly decreased the systolic arterial pressure and theweight of the left ventricle. Combination of bOth drugs was found to reduce the blcod pressure furtherthan either dr7ug used alone, Arrhythmias induced by trains of electrical stimuli were more frequent inworking hearts isolated from RHR than that from norn1otensive rats.Ena and Tau could decrease theincidence of this arrhvthmias in RHR. The calcium content in the mvocardial mitochondria in RHRwas increased compared with that in norn1otensive rats.Treatment with Ena and Tau reduced thisincrease significantly.These resuIts suggest that chronic therapy with Ena and Tau can induce anattenuation of systemic arterial pressure and reduce the prOpensity of RHR heart to arrhythmOgenesisby limiting cardiac hypertrophy and calcium overload of the myocardium.