Azilsartan decreases renal and cardiovascular injury in the spontaneously hypertensive obese rat.

PURPOSE: Angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers (ARBs) are widely used in treating hypertension. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that a novel ARB, azilsartan medoxomil (AZL-M) will prevent renal and cardiovascular injury in the spontaneously hypertensive obese rat (SHROB), a model of cardiometabolic syndrome. METHODS: Male SHROB were treated with vehicle or AZL-M orally for 56 days. Vehicle treated normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats served as controls. The effects of AZL-M on kidney injury, vascular endothelial and heart functions, lipid profile, and glucose tolerance were assessed. RESULTS: AZL-M demonstrated anti-hypertensive effects along with markedly improved vascular endothelial function in SHROB. In these rats, AZL-M demonstrates strong kidney protective effects with lower albuminuria and nephrinuria along with reduced tubular cast formation and glomerular injury. AZL-M treatment also improved left ventricular heart function, attenuated development of left ventricular hypertrophy, and reduced cardiac fibrosis in SHROB. CONCLUSION: Overall, these findings demonstrate kidney and heart protective effects of AZL-M in SHROB, and these effects were associated with its ability to lower blood pressure and improve endothelial function.

Rattus model utilizing selective pulmonary ischemia induces bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia.

Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP), a morbid condition when associated with lung transplant and chronic lung disease, is believed to be a complication of ischemia. Our goal was to develop a simple and reliable model of lung ischemia in the Sprague-Dawley rat that would produce BOOP. Unilateral ischemia without airway occlusion was produced by an occlusive slipknot placed around the left main pulmonary artery. Studies were performed 7 days later. Relative pulmonary and systemic flow to each lung was measured by injection of technetium Tc 99m macroaggregated albumin. Histological sections were examined for structure and necrosis and scored for BOOP. Apoptosis was detected by immunohistochemistry with an antibody against cleaved caspase 3. Pulmonary artery blood flow to left lungs was less than 0.1% of the cardiac output, and bronchial artery circulation was ∼2% of aortic artery flow. Histological sections from ischemic left lungs consistently showed Masson bodies, inflammation, and young fibroblasts filling the distal airways and alveoli, consistent with BOOP. In quantitative evaluation of BOOP using epithelial changes, inflammation and fibrosis were higher in ischemic left lungs than right or sham-operated left lungs. Apoptosis was increased in areas exhibiting histological BOOP, but there was no histological evidence of necrosis. Toll-like receptor 4 expression was increased in ischemic left lungs over right. An occlusive slipknot around the main left pulmonary artery in rats produces BOOP, providing direct evidence that ischemia without immunomodulation or coinfection is sufficient to initiate this injury. It also affords an excellent model to study signaling and genetic mechanisms underlying BOOP.