Chronic treatment with Carvedilol improves ventricular function and reducesmyocyte apoptosis in an animal model of heart failure

Table 2 Effect of Carvedilolon Gross Morphology

	HW (kg)	BW (kg)	HW/BW (%)	LV vol (ml)
Control (n = 13)	0.018 ± 0.001	4.36# ± 0.16	0.4 ± 0.013	0.24• ± 0.04
Cont ₁ (n = 11)	0.018 ± 0.001	5.3# ± 0.14	0.35 ± 0.016	0.37• ± 0.06
Cont ₂₀ (n = 10)	0.02 ± 0.001	5.65# ± 0.09	0.35 ± 0.008	0.37• ± 0.04
DCM ₀ (n = 18)	0.017 ± 0.001	2.61 ± 0.23	0.64 ± 0.049	9.36 ± 2.0
DCM ₁ (n = 13)	0.019 ± 0.001	3.07# ± 0.29	0.60 ± 0.05	6.28• ± 2.54
DCM ₂₀ (n = 12)	0.019 ± 0.001	3.26# ± 0.29	0.58 ± 0.078	5.38• ± 1.95

HW: heart weightp ≤ 0.01 compared to non-treated DCM group;BW: body weight #p < 0.001 compared to non-treated DCM group;HW/BW ratio p < 0.04 compared to non-treated DCM group; LV vol: atria were removed and the left ventricles were arrested in diastole and filled with saline • p ≤ 0.008 compared to non-treated DCM. Note the increase in body weight and heart weight with carvedilol treatment. This resulted in a significant improvement in HW/BW ratio despite having heavier hearts. The reduction in heart weight seen in the non-treated DCM group was associated with a higher incidence of apoptosis while the increased heart weight in hearts from DCM animals treated with carvedilol was associated with a lower incidence of apoptosis.

ISSN: 1472-6793