PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Catherine Coirault
AU  - Olivier Langeron
AU  - Francine Lambert
AU  - François-Xavier Blanc
AU  - Guy Lerebours
AU  - Nancy Claude
AU  - Bruno Riou
AU  - Denis Chemla
AU  - Yves Lecarpentier
TI  - Impaired Skeletal Muscle Performance in the Early Stage of Cardiac Pressure Overload in Rabbits: Beneficial Effects of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibition
DP  - 1999 Oct 01
TA  - Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
PG  - 70--75
VI  - 291
IP  - 1
4099  - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/291/1/70.short
4100  - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/291/1/70.full
SO  - J Pharmacol Exp Ther1999 Oct 01; 291
AB  - Abnormalities of skeletal muscles are frequently observed in patients with congestive heart failure. In these patients, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors improve exercise performance. The present study was designed to assess whether skeletal muscle dysfunction develops in the early stage of cardiac overload and if so, whether such functional alterations can be prevented by ACE inhibition. Mechanical performance, cross-bridge (CB) properties, and myosin heavy chain composition were investigated in respiratory and limb skeletal muscles of rabbits with moderate cardiac hypertrophy, and after single therapy with the ACE inhibitor perindopril (PE). After constriction of the aorta, the rabbits were treated during a 10-week period with either PE (1 mg/kg/day; n = 9) or a placebo (PL; n = 15). A third group of sham-operated animals received PL (n = 10). Analyses were performed on isolated diaphragm and soleus strips. Compared with sham-operated animals (shams), peak tetanic tension in PL fell by 40% in diaphragm and 34% in soleus. There were no significant differences in peak tetanic tension and the maximum shortening velocity between PE and shams. In both muscles, the total number of CBs was significantly lower in PL than in shams, but did not differ between shams and PE. The elementary force per CB did not differ between groups. In both muscles, the myosin heavy chain composition did not differ between groups. The study demonstrated that intrinsic performance of diaphragm and soleus muscles was affected early in the development of chronic pressure overload. Single therapy with PE tended to preserve muscle strength, essentially by limiting the loss of CBs. The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics