Cilazapril prevents the development of cardiac hypertrophy and the decrease of coronary vascular reserve in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Cilazapril is a new inhibitor of angiotensin converting enzyme which has been shown to prevent development of high blood pressure and cardiac hypertrophy in spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rats. The goal of the present experiment was to evaluate the effects of a chronic treatment with cilazapril on the decrease of coronary reserve in SHR rats. For this purpose, a group of 10 SHR rats which received by oral gavage 10 mg/kg/day of cilazapril for 9 weeks was compared with a control group of 9 SHR rats which received distilled water. Coronary reserve was evaluated by measuring coronary blood flow with the radioactive microspheres method before and after a dose of dipyridamole (2 mg/kg/min) which induces maximal coronary vasodilation. The left ventricular weight/body weight ratio was decreased in the cilazapril group compared to the placebo-treated group (p less than 0.001). Moreover, minimal coronary vascular resistance of the left ventricle and the right ventricle were 33% and 39%, respectively, lower in the cilazapril group as compared with the control group (p less than 0.01). We conclude that chronic treatment with cilazapril can prevent the development of left ventricular hypertrophy and the decrease of coronary vascular reserve in the left and right ventricles of spontaneously hypertensive rats.