Effect of prazosin treatment on the cardiac sarcolemmal ATPase in failing heart due to mitral insufficiency in dogs.

Prazosin has been used in the treatment of congestive heart failure. It is, however, not known whether prazosin gives only haemodynamic benefit or if it also produces a decrease in the cardiac sarcolemmal Na+-K+-ATPase which has been reported to be increased in the failing heart. The present investigation deals with the effect of 3 months of prazosin treatment in dogs with 3 months of induced mitral insufficiency (MI) on the sarcolemmal Na+-K+-ATPase activity. The dogs were divided into four groups each comprising of five dogs. A--normal; B--3 months of MI; C--6 months of MI; D--3 months of prazosin treatment after 3 months of MI. Three months of MI produced a decrease in the dp/dt and an increase in the end-diastolic pressure of left ventricle but no change in the index of left ventricular contractility and cardiac index. Also there was no change in the sarcolemmal Na+-K+-ATPase. There was a significant decrease in the index of left ventricular contractility and cardiac index and an increase in the LVEDP associated with a significant increase in the left ventricular sarcolemmal Na+-K+-ATPase at 6 months of MI. Sarcolemmal Mg2+-ATPase of both ventricles increased after 6 months of MI the significance of which is not known as yet. There was no change in the sarcolemmal Na+-K+-ATPase of the nonfailing right ventricle. Prazosin treatment prevented the deterioration of the left ventricular contractility and function and also prevented the increase in the sarcolemmal Na+-K+-ATPase observed in failing heart.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)